Things did not go as I’d hoped with the latest submission of my picture book biography of James. Yesterday morning I had an e-mail from the editor saying all manner of nice things about the manuscript but also that, for various stated reasons, this version wasn’t right for her or her house. While unenthusiastic about seeing another revision of James, she did ask if I had anything else to send her.
I switched right into “What’s next?” mode, thinking about where to send James off to now and mentally flipping through my file of potential picture book ideas. I zapped a quick e-mail to my agent and got on with my day.
It was only in the evening while washing dishes that I realized how, not so long ago, I would have felt either bruised by the editor’s rejection (after 11 months of sharing James exclusively with her) or overjoyed by her request that I send something else her way, or quite possibly both. And however I would have felt, I likely would have felt that way for some time.
I miss having that sort of reaction. Even-keeled professionalism has its benefits, but frankly, I’d have preferred feeling a little more strongly about yesterday’s news. But I really didn’t give myself time for that, which is a shame, because writing can’t be just business — it has to be personal. So if I had it to do over again, I would have read the editor’s e-mail and just let it sink in for a few hours, maybe overnight, before doing anything else. And that’s what I’ll do next time.
I don’t blame you for feeling a bit numb about it all after 11 months! After a while, I think it’s hard to invest too much emotion in anything that is so slow and so unsure. It’s almost necessary for survival to have a bit of detachment about the whole process! So sorry about the rejection, & good luck with the next step!
I don’t blame you for feeling a bit numb about it all after 11 months! After a while, I think it’s hard to invest too much emotion in anything that is so slow and so unsure. It’s almost necessary for survival to have a bit of detachment about the whole process! So sorry about the rejection, & good luck with the next step!
I don’t blame you for feeling a bit numb about it all after 11 months! After a while, I think it’s hard to invest too much emotion in anything that is so slow and so unsure. It’s almost necessary for survival to have a bit of detachment about the whole process! So sorry about the rejection, & good luck with the next step!
Bummer on the rejection, but encouraging that she took the time to say all sorts of nice things about the manuscript, and more positive still that she asked to see more.
Bummer on the rejection, but encouraging that she took the time to say all sorts of nice things about the manuscript, and more positive still that she asked to see more.
Bummer on the rejection, but encouraging that she took the time to say all sorts of nice things about the manuscript, and more positive still that she asked to see more.
So sorry to hear the news, Chris. Though I completely understand your reaction — and maybe that even-keel was just your first reaction, with the more personal one coming later.
So sorry to hear the news, Chris. Though I completely understand your reaction — and maybe that even-keel was just your first reaction, with the more personal one coming later.
So sorry to hear the news, Chris. Though I completely understand your reaction — and maybe that even-keel was just your first reaction, with the more personal one coming later.
Thank you all. Kind words and encouragement from friends — plus getting a little more sleep than I had been — help out a lot.
Plus it’s possible that after hundreds of submissions over the past several years — most of them rejections but including several highly encouraging ones — my writer’s psyche has merely grown all leathery.
Thank you all. Kind words and encouragement from friends — plus getting a little more sleep than I had been — help out a lot.
Plus it’s possible that after hundreds of submissions over the past several years — most of them rejections but including several highly encouraging ones — my writer’s psyche has merely grown all leathery.
Thank you all. Kind words and encouragement from friends — plus getting a little more sleep than I had been — help out a lot.
Plus it’s possible that after hundreds of submissions over the past several years — most of them rejections but including several highly encouraging ones — my writer’s psyche has merely grown all leathery.