Rejection from agents and publishers that is, not from that guy you’ve had a crush on for years. Although, while we’re on that topic, if you’re looking for advice on how to cope with unrequited love, public humiliations and silent stalemates, I’m your girl!
But let’s put all that aside, because today, it’s all about the query.
That query.
The one you sent three months ago.
You’ve just received an email, heard the delectable ‘ping’ of its arrival. Your heart is racing, your breathing is hitched and your hands are sweating. Even though it’s been forever since you submitted a query, your spidey sense is tingling and you know exactly who the email is from.
Dear You,
Thank you for sending your query and first pages. Unfortunately, I’m afraid I wasn’t captivated enough to ask to see more material. But it’s a subjective business and I hope another agent will be interested.
Thank you again for sending your query and I wish you the best of luck in your publishing endeavors.
Best wishes,
The agent’s name
The agent’s agency
You sit in silence, processing the rejection and trying to come to terms with the fact that your hopes and dreams have been dashed, once again.
WTF!! Why is this happening again? Am I THAT bad a writer? How many rejections is this now? 22 or 42??
How the hell do you get over this?
1) Crying. It’s OK to cry. Find a nice couch to sit on, preferably in private, and allow yourself to wallow in your misery
2) But don’t wallow too much, or you may just find yourself slipping into a hole you can’t get out of
3) Give yourself permission to let lose, to go wild.
4) Go bungee jumping or swimming with the sharks, just do anything that will get the blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing through your veins again
5) When you get back down to Earth, hang out with your friends. The ones that love you even though they know you spend your Saturdays in your pyjamas… watching Star Trek reruns
6) Use that marvellous brain of yours and imagine a future where you are a widely successful, prize-winning author who is loved and adored the world over. It can happen
7) Play some music, the inspirational kind. The kind that sets your heart on fire and gets you ready for battle
8) Start writing again, no matter how shitty you feel. Write like you’ve never written before. Write something new, write 5,000 words in one hit, write the story that bleeds from your soul. Hold on to the muse and never let go
9) Lastly, and most importantly, do what writers do best. Eat a shit load of chocolate.
Milly Rogers Author 
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