Coping with Rejection: 10 Tips from the Pros

Rejection sucks.

My personal favorite coping mechanism: chocolate!
Image from Flickr User : FlickrLickr

Unfortunately, as writers, it's something we have to deal with on a daily basis. Because publishing is such a subjective business, rejection is an ongoing, and inescapable part of the process. We all go through it. Even novel-writing rock stars.

So how do the pros handle it? Read on to see!

  {and click their names to see the full stories}

10 Tips for Coping with Rejection : Pro Edition

    If needed, take a moment for self-care:

Bingewatch a season (or two, or twenty) of a favorite show. {Sarah Dessen}

Drink some Hot Chocolate  (or Dr. Pepper & M&Ms) and have a good cry. { Marie Lu  & Kiersten White}

     AND THEN ...

Toss the rejection in your rejection bag or rejection roll as a war wound ... and as a visual aid so when you get published you can encourage future writers not to give up on their dreams! { Meg Cabot and Shannon Hale }

Remember: as tough as it is, rejection only means not right now, for this person.
So just keep swimming! { Veronica Roth }

Don't Listen to a rogue naysayer ... they're just one opinion. { Beth Revis }

But sometimes ... do tune in to good advice and Revise Your Query { Corrine Jackson }

Get More Beta Readers, Glean what you can from rejections, Edit and move onward! { Maggie Stiefvater }

Revel in the suckiness of it all and then Revise, revise, revise your way out { Natalie Whipple }

Work on your craft, write a new book, and Try again! {Demetria Lunetta}

Chin Up! Today's seemingly crushing defeat could be tomorrow's bestseller. {Marissa Meyer}


      { and remember: there are always more contests and more agents ! }


Also be sure to check out:

12 Famous Writers on Literary Rejection

Bestsellers that Were Initially Rejected

And on this blog: Feeling Rejected? Join the Prestgious Crowd

What about you? How do you deal with the inevitable rejection that comes with publishing?