• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • FaceBook
  • RSS Feed
  • Get Published
  • Book Proposals
  • Book Business
  • Writing Craft
    • Conferences
    • Copyright
    • Craft
    • Creativity
    • Grammar
  • Fun Fridays
Home » Rejection

Rejection

Congratulations on Your Rejection!

By Bob Hostetleron March 5, 2025
Share
Tweet
31

You say you got a rejection from an editor, agent, or some other unenlightened knuckle-dragger? Congratulations!

No, seriously. I mean it. Congratulations. Because, though rejection feels crummy, being rejected means something. Something good. “What?” you might ask. Let me list the ways.

Rejection means you wrote something. Good for you!

Rejection means you demonstrated faith in yourself and your writing. Yowza!

Rejection means you put something out there, rather than hiding it under a bushel. Well done, you!

Rejection means you’re behaving like an actual writer. What a marvel you are!

Rejection means you conquered—at least for a moment—the fear of rejection. Congratulations!

Rejection means you received feedback of some kind. Maybe about the quality of your writing or your piece, sure, but perhaps more so about the timing of your submission. Or the state of the marketplace. Or the agent, editor, or house to which you submitted. You are rocking it!

Rejection means you have more information than before, perhaps to help you revise or restrategize, which may lead to an acceptance! Give yourself a hand!

Rejection means you haven’t given up. Way to go!

Rejection means you’ve shown God (and perhaps your family or writers group) how serious you are about this writing thing. Outstanding!

Rejection means you belong! You’re part of the club. You’re one of us (because we’ve all been rejected). Nicely done!

Rejection means you’re being trained in righteousness. In patience. In reflection. Faith. Perseverance. And more. How do you do it?

And, finally (though readers of this blog will surely offer more):

Rejection means you survived being rejected. Look at you go!

 

Leave a Comment
Category: Rejection

When Characters and Settings Go Wrong

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 10, 2024
Share
Tweet
11

A few months ago, I didn’t finish a general market book because of the setting and characters. Here’s what I believe happened: The author did not want to write about where she lives, but she needed: A police force allowing a crime scene to be contaminated, along with other sloppy police work. A police force with corrupt and adulterous officers. A remote vacation spot. A coffee shop within walking …

Read moreWhen Characters and Settings Go Wrong
Category: Rejection, Writing Craft

Unsolicited Proposals: Aka “The Slush Pile”

By Steve Laubeon July 1, 2024
Share
Tweet
15

All literary agents receive dozens of proposals each week. Most are via email these days, but some still come via the post. Last week was a relatively slow week; my office received only 28 unsolicited proposals via email and two in the post. For the month of June, it was around 170 total unsolicited proposals received. (Unsolicited means proposals that are not from our existing clients. We get a …

Read moreUnsolicited Proposals: Aka “The Slush Pile”
Category: Agency, Book Proposals, Get Published, Rejection, SteveTag: Get Published, Pitching, Proposals, Rejection

Writers Learn to Prepare

By Steve Laubeon December 4, 2023
Share
Tweet2
0

Preparation is awfully important if you are planning to climb Mt. Everest. If you show up in a T-shirt, shorts, and flip flops, with a sack lunch, it is likely you will perish during the ascent. The same idea applies to the writer. Preparation is one of the keys to success. There Are No Shortcuts Despite numerous methods for efficiency, there is still no shortcut in writing a great book. It is …

Read moreWriters Learn to Prepare
Category: Craft, Rejection, The Writing LifeTag: Creativity, Rejection, Writing Craft

Rejected Books

By Dan Balowon October 25, 2023
Share
Tweet
4

With all the discussion about marketing platforms, some authors think the only thing standing in the way of being published successfully is the lack of a large-enough, personal promotional machine. It is important, along with several other items affecting whether a book is published by a traditional publisher; but there is one powerful item that is rarely discussed or mentioned. Sometimes books …

Read moreRejected Books
Category: Pitching, Rejection, Theology

Handling Disappointment

By Steve Laubeon June 19, 2023
Share
Tweet
24

I do not like to experience disappointment. I do not like rejection, even when it isn’t my personal project being turned down. I do not like to be the bearer of bad news. And yet I do experience disappointment, rejection, and the telling of bad news–every week. That is the nature of the arts. The arts (meaning music, writing, dance, and painting) are comprised of thousands of hours of …

Read moreHandling Disappointment
Category: Encouragement, Faith, Get Published, Personal, Rejection, Theology, Writing CraftTag: disappointment, Encouragement, Faith, Rejection

The Perils of Responding to Criticism

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon June 14, 2023
Share
Tweet
33

Recently, I read a news article about a general-market author who offered a negative response when a reviewer gave her four instead of five stars for her debut novel. She attacked the reviewer, calling her a name I shall not repeat here. The author expressed she was upset that the reviewer had ruined her perfect five-star rating. The author’s response resulted in a barrage of retaliatory one-star …

Read moreThe Perils of Responding to Criticism
Category: Rejection, Reviews, The Writing Life

Rejection: A Fact of the Writing Life

By Steve Laubeon August 15, 2022
Share
Tweet
19

Rejection is a fact of life. Especially the writing life. As one crusty publishing veteran said: “Welcome to the industry that will break your heart.” Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it? But let me put a little perspective on it. I admire writers. You put your souls on a few pages and send them to strangers and pray for acceptance. How do you do that, day in and day …

Read moreRejection: A Fact of the Writing Life
Category: RejectionTag: Get Published, Rejection

No Need to Be Insulting

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 23, 2022
Share
Tweet
10

Recently, my husband and I decided to sell his Lincoln sedan. The vehicle had been driven only a few miles and was barely out of warranty. The dealership always sent a valet to drive the 40-mile round trip for scheduled maintenance. Kept in a garage, the car had no ding or scratch; and the interior was spotless. Who wouldn’t want this fantastic car? I called up a local used-car dealership. They …

Read moreNo Need to Be Insulting
Category: Pitching, Rejection

But They Missed the Point!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 25, 2021
Share
Tweet
10

Sometimes rejection letters reveal that the reviewer may have missed the point of an author’s proposal. Upon rejecting a novel: Dear Author: Thank you for your submission. However, we are not seeking memoirs at this time. Or, upon rejecting a book of satire: Dear Esteemed Academic: Thank you for allowing us to review your dissertation on the merits of Hades. However, in October, we have plans to …

Read moreBut They Missed the Point!
Category: Rejection, Reviews
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 5
  • Next
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 · The Steve Laube Agency · All Rights Reserved · Website by Stormhill Media