An Agent Or Publisher Has Rejected Your Book

It's the classic Catch 22. Most publishers won't look at your manuscript unless you have an agent. And some literary agents won't read your book unless you have a publisher. Rejection letters seem to be dropping through your letter box every other day. You're just about ready to give up.

In over 20 years of working with writers, there's something I've noticed about the most successful of them. It isn't talent that differentiates them. They have something way more important than the words they write. They have a persistence and tenacity, that sees them through the hurdles.

80 per cent of people say they want to write a book. Not many of them have the perseverance to see it through. As with most things, it's about mindset. If you want to succeed, you need an unshakable self-belief at your core. Your belief in YOU and having the right mindset is far more valuable than the words you set down on the page.

Ignore everything you read in the media ~ genuine stories of "instant fame" and "meteoric success" are few and far between. Many of the big names in writing have served long apprenticeships before achieving fame and fortune. Joanna Trollope must have had steam coming out of her ears when she told a journalist that it had taken her 20 years to become an 'overnight sensation'. Author Philip Pullman, CBE, echoed the sentiment when he told a BBC reporter: "It took me 30 years to become an overnight success." Similarly, Mark Haddon was a writer and illustrator for 16 years before 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' won the Whitbread Award in 2003. His five attempts at writing an adult novel are apparently still languishing in a drawer.

Unfortunately, "Shoots to Fame after Years of Hard Slog" does not make a good newspaper headline!

I've known many talented authors - writers of brilliant and scintillating prose - over the years who have fallen by the wayside. It wasn't their talent or ability that let them down. It was simply that they didn't have the staying power to keep going. They didn't have the ability to bounce back from rejection or the flexibility to learn from mistakes. Or their negative attitude meant that they were their own worst enemy. They had opportunities that would have been the envy of many other writers. Yet, they spent so much time moaning and complaining that publishers or agents eventually dropped them from their lists.

If you want to be a success as a writer, then work on your mindset. This is just as important as writing your manuscript! Find the unshakable self-belief at your core. Develop a resilience and tenacity. Work on your 'out of the box' thinking. If Plan A or Plan B doesn't work, train yourself to think about plans C, D, and E. This will help you when nothing's going the way it's supposed to be.

Because you know what? If someone says "no" or "it's not possible", you'll get twice the pleasure when you prove them wrong!

By: Stephanie J Hale

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Stephanie J Hale is a leading writers' coach and publishing scout. She's worked with bestselling authors and top literary agents for over 20 years. She specializes in helping writers get the publishing deal and readership they deserve.