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Meet 2011 Golden Heart Finalist Julie Brannagh
 Posted by 2011 Golden Heart Finalists May 27 2011, 12:01 am in facing rejection, handling criticism, motivation, perseverance, writer's journey Over the course of the summer, the Ruby-Slippered Sisters are giving the 2011 Golden Heart finalists an opportunity to introduce themselves and share a bit about their writing life. Today’s guest is Julie Brannagh, a finalist in the Contemporary Single Title category for LOVE AND FOOTBALL. Please join us in congratulating her and welcoming her to the blog! Between a rock and a hard place: Rejection and persistence You’ve finished your masterpiece. You’ve checked it over for typos and grammatical errors; you’ve formatted it to the best of your ability. You either slid pages into a big, sturdy envelope, or you pasted them into an e-mail and hit “send”, with your heart in your throat. Twenty-four hours to multiple months later, you open your mailbox or fire up your e-mail program to find a hissing cobra in the midst of an innocent-looking letter. You’ve been rejected. Whether it’s the first time or the 150th time, it hurts, even if the editor, agent, or contest judge in question made constructive comments, such as “loved your writing” or “I’m looking forward to reading your next project”.
My husband asked, “Do you want me to open it?” “No, no,” I said. “I can do this.” Rose wrote me a letter I still treasure. She told me what I did right, and what I needed to work on. She saw something in my writing, even if she didn’t buy the book. I resolved to keep working. I’ll also never forget my worst rejection. LOVE AND FOOTBALL, named a 2011 Golden Heart finalist, was deemed “stupid” and a “waste of my time” by a contest judge. I’d like to thank her. After all, she lit a fire under me. She was wrong, and I would prove it. We’re heading into rejection season. Those who are attending National will be meeting with editors or agents face-to-face that have the power to accept or reject the manuscript we poured ourselves into. Contest deadlines loom as well, complete with judging comments that can be helpful, or incredibly destructive. The 2011 Golden Heart finalists e-mail loop jokes about the “East German” judge. One of the things that set those who eventually publish apart from those who continue to write and edit the same three chapters is handling rejection. Let’s face it, everything any of us has ever written is the most brilliant thing known to mankind until someone else reads it. Do we take the constructive suggestions from our critique partner/group and others who know what they’re talking about? Do we persist in the face of numerous rejections, or do we decide that maybe, this just isn’t going to happen after all? There’s a lot to be said for persistence. After all, people who give up don’t ever get what they want. Writing is no different. Those who don’t write, don’t edit, don’t polish and don’t submit get no rejections, but they also don’t get published. I try to remember the following. I hope you will, too.
When I’m really down in the dumps, I remember the following. I hope this helps you as much as it has me over the years. Jane Porter wrote for fifteen years before getting published in 2000. There are four million copies of her books in print. Susan Mallery amassed fifty rejections in an eighteen-month period at the beginning of her career. She is a multiple New York Times bestseller. Susan Wiggs says she wallpapered a bathroom in her house with rejection notices. She has been published since 1987. Anna Campbell wrote for twenty-seven years before selling. She set the romance industry on its ear with the publication of CLAIMING THE COURTESAN in 2007, despite the fact that some clueless contest judge once wrote in huge capital letters across the first chapter of her book, “HARLOT! HARLOT! I WILL NOT READ ABOUT A HARLOT!” Cherry Adair had seventeen unpublished manuscripts when she published her first book. She is also a New York Times bestselling author. Laurie London published her first book, BONDED BY BLOOD, earlier this year. A contest judge didn’t like Laurie’s vivid descriptions of setting. Interestingly enough, the setting in Laurie’s books are as vivid and well-written as her characters, and was one of the elements that helped her sell so quickly. Laurie’s second book, EMBRACED BY BLOOD, is out this July. Vicky Dreiling says, “All rejections sting, but some are tougher to take. The rejection I got from an editor for the first book I ever wrote crushed me. I had done massive revisions without promise of contract. As I read the editor’s four-page letter, I knew she was right. Though that rejection hurt, I learned a great deal from the experience. I like to think that every rejection is one step closer to the right agent and the right publisher.” Vicky’s historical romance, HOW TO MARRY A DUKE, debuted January 2011. Her next historical, HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL, will be out in July 2011. Visit her website at: www.vickydreiling.com You may be shaking your head and asking yourself, “What does this have to do with me?” Among the 2011 Golden Heart finalists, Robin Perini just announced she sold her finalist book, after seven Golden Hearts. There are 12 repeat finalists from 2009, and at least one that is a five-time repeat finalist. Bria Quinlan got 150 rejections on her first book. Another finalist amassed sixty rejections with three different manuscripts, but found her agent. The majority of 2011 finalists have been working for 5+ years towards publication. Rejections suck. Nobody likes them. Fortunately, they teach all of us persistence. If we let others, no matter how well-meaning, dissuade us, we’ll never make it in an industry that requires those involved to keep trying, working, and creating. “Never, never, never, never give up.” -Winston Churchill Julie Brannagh dreamed of writing a book her entire life, and finally did it in 2005. She is currently writing her sixth single title contemporary. Her third manuscript, LOVE AND FOOTBALL, is a 2011 Golden Heart finalist. Feel free to share your worst rejection in the comments, or she can be reached at authorjuliebrannagh at gmail dot com. Share:
              
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Being one of the 12 2009 repeats, let me say, “Welcome, Julie!”
Great stuff here. I must say, I’ve judged more than one manuscript that I thought a waste of my time, but I never told the entrant that. Tactless is bad. Mean is unforgiveable. As a judge, we don’t know if entering was a lark, if the writer has decided to give something they’ve thought about a try, or if writing for publication has been a life-long dream. The dream may be unrealistic, but to crush it cruelly is dispicable.
Great post. Best of luck with your “stupid” book. Success is ALWAYS the best revenge!
Hi, Gwynlyn!
It’s so good to see you!
I’ve been in that situation, too. I read a contest entry a couple of years back that I agonized over. The person who wrote it obviously loved her story, but it needed a little editing. I made suggestions, but mostly, I encouraged her to keep writing.
Those who are serious will do the work to improve. We’re all still doing the work, too.
Julie,
My jaw dropped as well when I saw the comments you received. I’ve judged plenty of entries I’ve found to be in need of serious work. Never in a million years would I tell them it was a waste of my time. The flip side of that is the jealous judge who scores according to how she does or doesn’t write. Those I think are the most insidious, needing to tear you down so they feel better.
My first rejection came from an editor who went on and on about how much she hated my hero. I was shocked at the complete lack of tact. It derailed me for awhile. But in the end I decided she needed therapy and went back to writing.
Ami, that’s the best way to look at it. Anyone making comments like some of the ones we’ve all heard – it’s their problem, not yours.
I haven’t been able to verify this, but I have heard it for years. Debbie Macomber (Ms. Number 1 NYT bestseller) allegedly had someone write across the front of one of her contest entries: “Just give up writing now.” It’s a good thing she didn’t!
It’s a tough business. We need a tough skin, but we also need that tender heart to comfort and encourage.
Ay yi yi on that editor! I’m betting the hero reminded her of her ex or something….that kind of vitriol usually comes from someplace personal.
Hi, Julie! Good to “meet” you.
I absolutely love the idea of giving myself a reward every time I get a rejection … maybe a massage?
Hi, Arlene! It’s nice to “meet” you, too!
The reward not only spurs you to submit more than you might (I loves me some cupcakes, for instance,)it softens the blow if there’s a rejection. After all, you get to do something nice for yourself.
As Mary’s said to me, rejections get us all closer to that “yes”.
Here’s to the “yes”!
Thanks for being with us here today, Julie! Congratulations on your Golden Heart final. You’ve got a great attitude toward rejections. It’s so important to not let those dreaded Rs paralyse you for long.
I amassed almost 100 agent rejections before I landed mine. When it comes to writing, giving up is out of the question.
Vanessa, thank you so much! It’s my pleasure to be here today.
Congratulations on finding your agent. You must have been thrilled!
100% of those who give up never publish. I remember that on the bad days.
Great post, Julie. I love reading about the rejection-paved road to success that bestselling authors had. Not because I’m mean, but because it gives me hope that if I just keep going, eventually it will happen for me too.
When I get a rejection–or negative contest results–I read through it, and then I let it stew for a few days until the initial hurt is gone and I can look at the comments more objectively. Only then can I decide what to keep and what to dismiss.
Good luck with your own story!
Hi Gwen!
It’s good to see you!
It’s good to know that the biggest names in our industry went through the same things we all do. Some of the people on that list are in my RWA chapter. It’s encouraging to see their success.
It’s amazing how even a few days’ reflection can make those editor/agent/contest judge comments change shape. I treasure the little pointers and suggestions.
Sing that, Julie! In the beginning of the query process, I’ll admit, I was worried that not handling rejection well would be my Achilles heel. I take everything so personally! But many of them were encouraging no-thank-you’s, from industry pros who know how to nurture while saying no. Those are the people who probably shaped my career the most, because instead of knocking me down, they encouraged me to get better.
Ironically, I’ve gotten some of my loveliest praise through rejection letters as well, and that also kept me going. To have it in my head that an agent or editor liked certain things strengthened me and let me know I was making progress, even when the ultimate answer was a no.
Yes, I have also– unfortunately– received the scathing rejection, too. After the Godiva and Kleenex, I edited those, just as you suggested, Julie (best. advice. ever!). And then I went on to make my work as good as it could be. It’s a process
And rejection is part of that process. Thanks for reminding us!!!
Kim, one of my “worst” rejections was also one of the last rejections I got before selling. I try to be philosophical about it. The agent didn’t have to say anything but “no thanks,” so I’m going to believe she thought she was being helpful. And in a way, she was. That is one agent I won’t submit to again because my voice and style are not a fit.
Hi Kimberly!
We all have days when Godiva and Kleenex are the only way we can get back in that chair again.
My husband even had a tough time with the “two rejections in one day” rejection. (An agent asked for my work, chose to pass for a specific reason, but showed it to another agent in the same agency; she passed, too. It should be illegal. Or, they should have sent me some chocolate!) It helps to be reminded that we all experience the same stuff.
I am hoping for great things for you, and everyone else who’s here today. It’s all about persistence!
I got five rejection letters in a 24-hour period once (I was a total nightmare to live with that week, I’ll admit it! Probably as close as I ever got to hanging it up), but then I think of the day that I got The Call from my wonderful agent, and it makes it all a faded memory
I’ve had my share of judges who didn’t get me, but I’m thankful no one’s called my work stupid or a waste of time. I think I would have stopped writing if someone had done that.
I think it says more about the judge than it does about the writer, if they have to tear someone else down like that. I’m glad you sucked it up and kept going.
As for the rest, rejections are tough, and they always will be, but you have to pick yourself up and keep going.
And that’s exactly why I will never get agents, editors, or contest judges who do that! Scathing rejection like is enough to make a great writer want to *not* write. So what purpose does it serve? It doesn’t make us want to get better, which should be the ultimate point of constructive criticism.
It’s crazy, isn’t it?
Aislinn, it was pretty obvious from the rest of the judge’s comments that this was a personal thing. At first, you bet I was crushed. After that, it was all about “Why am I going to let her destroy something I’ve worked so hard for?”
The 2011 GH finalists list talked about the song “Tubthumping” a couple of weeks back. The best thing to do when any of us get knocked down is to get back up again.
–> …it was pretty obvious from the rest of the judge’s comments that this was a personal thing.
Great observation. Bitchy personal comments have no place in manuscript critique or contest judging. We’re writers, right? Shouldn’t we be able to communicate our feedback in a professional way? The type of judge you describe reveals more of themselves and their sour grapes than they ever realize with this sort of comment.
Please, don’t hesitate to inform the contest coordinator if you receive cruel feedback on a contest entry. These folks work their butts off to run great contests that provide value to the entrants. No one wants to have their contest be associated with such a lack of professionalism.
My GH finalist, which was published in March 2011 as TASTE ME, was the recipient of some serious love/hate contest feedback (most of it professionally stated, but unfortunately not all). The language was too rough/so authentic. The villain was too sympathetic/so three-dimensional. I killed off a character who was vivid enough to have supported her own story. But the thing about persistence is that sooner or later, you’ll find an agent or editor who comes down on the “serious love” side of the equation on almost every issue. That’s the agent or editor you want to wait for – the one who LOVES YOUR WORK.
Congratulations on your GH final, Julie! I enjoyed this post a lot.
I’ve said this several times already, but I *LOVED* your three-dimensional villain (oh, and that character that got killed off…yeah, I thought she was wonderful and was definitely thinking she’d be headed for her own story…) Kudos to you for your skill in crafting fascinating characters!! TASTE ME is awesome!
Lovely post Julie! Every writer should copy and post on their fridge ~~ the way we define ‘rejection’ can stop us or spur us on in this business. It is part of the process but does not need to be a deal breaker!
Thanks for sharing your journey and your hard won experience to make someone else’s journey a little easier.
Cheers ~~ Mary B
Hi, Mary! I’m so glad you’re here!
Hey, everyone: Mary is one of the people that has helped me the most since I joined RWA. Her classes are outstanding. She encourages and motivates. She does a great job making all of us think about our work, and how to improve it. Plus, she’s really, really funny.
If you want to see what she’s all about, go to http://www.marybuckham.com.
(The Hooks class rocks the free world, too. ;p)
Welcome Julie. This is a great post. I HATE the word rejection. I prefer to think of them as a ‘no thanks’ like a regret to a party invitation. Knowing what you want is important. Go after it. The only failure is not learning and moving forward.
Hi Rita,
I’m going to have to remember that – rejections as “regrets”. This is powerful. Thank you so much!
It’s good to hear from you!
Julie -
I need the reminder to keep trying! I always keep writing, but that’s not the same as trying to publish – your post is going to make me query an agent today while kids are at school. I’ll come back and post about it, okay?
As for rejections: in the same week last summer when I was actively querying, I received “love the plot, not the voice.” and “your voice is fabulous, but the plot didn’t do it for me.” Felt like it was some Star Trek matter/anti-matter agent query week.
See you soon – Anna Richland
Hi, Anna!
I’m so glad to hear you’re querying an agent today. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Isn’t that “matter/anti-matter” thing the truth? That’s happened to me, too. It’s confusing.
I’m looking forward to seeing you, too, and I hope that everything is going great for you and your family!
I did it this morning because I promised you I would! Sent out a query to an agent who had form-rejected THE SOLDIER a year ago without reading pages. I did mention that in the query, b/c it seemed like the upfront thing to do. I really love the accountability of having a writing community.
Have a great long weekend, all you writers.
Freaking out! Holy 5-minute turnaround – I queried, came here to say I did, then checked email and I had a partial request. Talking GH magic…
Anna
WOOT! Good work, Anna! Fingers crossed for you!!!
Anna, I can so relate. I once did a post titled Dueling Judges, where I listed (anonymously, of course) some of the conflicting comments I received on my entries.
It illustrated how subjective feedback can be and that you should never let one person’s reaction shake your confidence or change your vision. Just because an agent or editor doesn’t care for your work, it doesn’t mean the next won’t snap it up, pronto.
Julie
Thanks for sharing your story and advice. The “stupid” comment may have set me back more than 24 hours, so I admire your tenacity and relish that you can show it was, in fact, great writing.
I’m in your same category for the GH. I look forward to meeting you at the conference. We can have chocolate and wine to celebrate.
Chris, you are ON for the chocolate and wine. After all, it’s a party!
Comments like the one I received say a lot more about the person involved than they ever will about any of our work. I was pretty upset. The longer I thought about it, though, the funnier it got. It reminds me of that whole thing we all said as kids: “You’re ugly, and your mom dresses you funny.” Not true then, not true now!
I’m looking forward to meeting you in New York, too. Thanks for writing!
Never give up. That’ the right mantra in this business. Thanks for reminding us, and inspiring us, Jule!
Laurie, thank you so much, and thank you for stopping by!
FANTASTIC POST!!! This is so, so true. Rejection teaches us things. True, the publishing world is subjective, but we can still learn from each and every “R” we get.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. And “Stupid”???? A judge actually wrote stupid? Oh my gosh, just when I think we are past that. I’ve had some pretty colorful comments on contest entries myself. And my first book, First Grave on the Right, won a 2009 GH, and yet in almost every other contest I entered it in (five to be exact), it came in either last or dead last. With, again, some very colorful comments. It has since sold to St. Martin’s Press and came out in February.
My point is, the biz is subjective. But just a little. LOL.
~D~
Darynda, thank you so much! I held your book in my hot little hands at the local Borders’ romance book club a couple of months back… Congratulations! You must be over the moon!
I have really considered holding some kind of support group in the bar one evening at our local conference: BYOR. (Bring your own rejections.) After all, only another writer can understand how it feels when someone else doesn’t love your work as much as you do.
Congratulations on your Golden Heart as well. It’s inspiring to know that everyone goes through this. (Well, everyone but Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I don’t believe she’s ever had a rejection!)
Ha! Well then, SEP has certainly missed out on one of the most sacred rights of passage this biz has to offer. LOL! Thank you so much, Julie! And that is such a great idea. BYOR, hahaha!
I just realized I spelled rites wrong here. Hahaha. Darned homophones!
Great post, Julie, and congrats on the Golden Heart final! I honestly don’t remember my worst rejection letters – selective memory loss is a crucial part of my process.
But I have learned some great tips from rejection letters and negative contest feedback – after I cooled down enough to read them objectively.
Vivi, thank you so much! I am still pinching myself.
The great comments are the things that keep us going. After all, someone else sees good things in our work. Do you save the good comments?
If we learn from our mistakes, we improve.
I don’t remember the good comments either, actually. But I have them filed away somewhere I’m sure.
Great post, Julie! I once had a NYT Bestseller tell me I needed to “buy a dictionary.” Sigh. Not very nice. But ya gotta let it bounce off. Rejection is part of it. I say, “Bring it on, you won’t stop me!” : )
Valerie, we’re all human. Typos and spelling errors are part of life. We do our best to catch them all, but I’ll bet that author has had more than one in his or her career.
I’m reminded of some cheesy dialogue in a Adam Sandler movie: “Take the good. Block the bad.” It’s a cliche, but it’s true. Let’s see how we can turn this around: The dictionary will make your work even better!
The crazy thing was, it wasn’t even about spelling. She didn’t care for my word choices. C’est la vie!
Then SHE needed a dictionary so she could learn to spell Thesaurus!
“Take the good. Block the bad.” I LOVE that!! I’m gonna tattoo it on my forearm.
Wow. Great advice and thanks for sharing experiences. I’m a 42-year-old English instructor who has been thinking about writing a novel in this genre for a long time. This is truly inspiring. Thanks.
Gabrielle, I’m so glad you’re here! Just start writing. Even one page a day means you’ll finish in a year. If it’s something you really want, you should do it. There’s a ton of teachers in RWA. If you need some encouragement or have questions, they look forward to meeting you!
http://www.rwa.org
You can do this!
Gabrielle, do it! You’re young and fresh. Get started now and who knows where you’ll be in ten years! Perhaps hitting the bestsellers lists?
Welcome to the fold. Hope to see you back again soon!
Wonderful article, Julie…and thanks for all those inspiring examples!
I agree that of all the qualities a writer must possess, determination is the most important. You can fix everything else, but you can’t fix giving up. You can work through the meltdowns, the cutting remarks and the rejections if you stay focused on your goal.
In the last five years, I’ve seen three excellent writers get discouraged and simply stop writing. It’s so sad because in this business you never know how close you are to success. That next ring of the phone or email in your in-box might just be “the call.” But there’s one thing you can be sure of–if you quit, it’s never going to happen.
“Never give up, never surrender!”
Laurie, thanks for your comments. We’ve all been there – the “dark night of the soul”, so to speak, when we’ve had an awful rejection, some other setback, and wondered if this was for us. Mostly, I think about the fact that for me, writing is like breathing. I have to do it.
I hope the people that get discouraged will someday sit down in front of the computer again. After all, writing is something that can be done at any age.
The Emerald City Writers’ Conference heard an outstanding speech last October from Alyssa Day; she used that exact quote. Never give up, never surrender. I love it.
And the Galaxy Quest torch has passed to a new group of finalists. *G*
Great article! Add me to the list of people who faced years of rejection. I submitted for twelve years before I got the call. Since getting the call, I’ve indie pubbed one novel, traditionally published two novels, one short story, and have a brand new series I’m excited about coming out from St. Martin’s Press this fall. The first book in it will be released November 1st. I’m saying this to encourage others. Perseverance and resilience are the keys to success in this business.
Rejection never stops, even after you’re published. It’s just part of the writer’s life. But you can’t let it get you down and defeat you. I like Julie’s suggestions for coping.
Julie–I’m pulling for you in the GH!
Gina, it’s great to hear from you! There must have been days when you threw your hands up, too, but you kept at it, and you achieved your dream. I love hearing stories like this.
Thank you so much for your warm wishes; I’m hoping four brand-new Golden Hearts will be coming home to Seattle after July 1st!
Welcome, Julie, and CONGRATS on the final! I love your post, and the examples from well-known authors.
As for rejection…I guess I see it as a rite of passage. Something everyone must go through at some point. I celebrate them, because they’re a sign that I’m still around, still submitting, still writing.
Hi Anne Marie,
Rejections suck, but it means we’re all submitting. Plus, it reminds me of this great proverb I heard: Fall down seven times, get up eight.
It’s all about the getting up.
Thanks for stopping by!
Julie, welcome to the Ruby blog and CONGRATS on the final!
This was a fantastic post, and I agree that rejections are a rite of passage. And your examples were great.
Amanda, thank you so much for the warm welcome! It’s my pleasure to be here. I hope everyone got something out of my craaazy blog post.
Julie, what a fabulous post! I love the “what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger” vibe. And I know I’ve said it before, but congratulations again on your Golden Heart final. I so wish I could be there to cheer you on but sadly no New York for me. Have a WONDERFUL time! And best of luck!!!!! xxx
Anna, thank you so much for the example! I will miss you in New York, too, but I can hardly wait to see you next year in Anaheim!
Thank you as well for the congratulations. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up, any minute now… xxoo
Anna, I tried to post a response; let’s hope I didn’t duplicate.
Thank you so much for the great example! Also, thank you for the congratulations. It’s been a couple of months now, but I am still wondering if I’m going to wake up any minute.
I’m totally sad I won’t see you in New York, but I am already looking forward to seeing you in Anaheim!
You’ve prompted me to get my butt in the chair today and pound out another chapter, yawning or not! Sure, I’m not doing any scene-setting and I’ve used “Johnny started forward” and “Cassie glared at Johnny” a dozen times already, but that can all be fixed in editing.
Good to meet you, and congratulations!
Jamie, I’m so glad you’re writing! It’s one page at a time. Nora Roberts allegedly said, “You can fix a bad page. You can’t fix an empty one.” She’s right!
Keep writing, and thank you!
Julie, what an inspiring post…and not just because you mentioned my experience. You’ve got to believe in yourself before anyone else will.
One thing I’ve done when I’m feeling down about my writing is I’ll read a few bad reviews of books I love. Twisted? Yes! Demented? Yes! But it helps cement in my mind that just because one person hated a story doesn’t mean that someone else won’t love it.
Best of luck in the GH! I’m so thrilled and will be cheering for you at the top of my lungs!
Laurie, what great advice. I will definitely keep this in mind next time I’m feeling down about my own writing.
Laurie, thank you so much, and it’s good to see you here! I’m pretty astounded by those bad reviews of books I love, too. After all, I love it, doesn’t EVERYONE else?!?
I am so looking forward to seeing all of you soon. I’m really looking forward to reading your new book, too!
Great post, Julie!!! Keep on keepin’ on! And I had to laugh at what Laurie just wrote about reading bad reviews of books you love. I’ve done that, too! And that’s another aspect of rejection–the bad review. Just because you’re published doesn’t mean you don’t experience rejection! That’s basically what a bad review is, right? We have to accept that rejection is part of the business at any and all stages of our careers. It’s imperative to accept that truth…if we want to keep moving onward and upward, which of course we all want to do!!!
Best of luck to you…I’ll be hootin’ and hollerin’ for you on GH/Rita night in NYC!
Hugs from Kieran
LOL Kieran! So glad I’m not the only one who’s done that!
Kieran, thank you so much! I’ve heard other authors talk about not reading their reviews; I agree with them. Why torture yourself? Plus, there’s always going to be someone who has nothing better to do with their time than criticize and tear down someone else’s hard work. It’s better to think about positive things.
I’m looking forward to meeting you in NYC. After all, this book was written as a result of the Cherry Adair “Write the Damn Book” challenge as well!
Julie, what an awesome post. I’m so glad you persevered over all those rejections.
I like your 24-hour rule. I do that, too. I spend 24 hours bitching, moaning, whining, feeling sorry for myself, eating chocolate and thinking really mean thoughts about my rejector. Then I get over it and move on.
I can’t wait until NYC. I’ll be screaming my head off when your name is announced.
Rebecca, I’m so glad you’re here!
I think that anyone who wants to write has to have a double dose of perseverance and determination. After all, if the writer crumples like a wet Kleenex the first time he or she gets some negative reinforcement, they won’t last long.
I can’t wait to see you and Laurie in New York, too!
My most painful rejection came from an agent. She requested a partial fifteen minutes after receiving the query. She requested the full the next day. Then, she said she loved the book but she wanted me to make some revisions. When I was finished, I was to send her the full again.
I liked her suggestions, so I spent four months making the changes. I replied to our email thread, asking her whether she wanted an electronic or paper copy.
Five minutes later: “remind me about your book again?”
I summarized our previous exchange (and restrained myself from pointing out that it was in the same email.)
Four minutes later— form rejection.
WHAAAAAA? That is a truly bizarre situation. What on earth was she thinking? Perhaps it was her evil twin who answered that last email.
Wow, Beth! That is sooo cruel and terrible! I hope you scratch that agent off your list. Maybe that rejection is a blessing in disguise. You wouldn’t have wanted to work with someone like that anyway.
That’s heartbreaking! Glad you’re still writing.
I’m going to make a wild guess an intern sent the first rounds of emails using her name and then finished the internship by the time you had the full ready … and the latter exchanges were with the actual agent. Slightly suspicious something like that happened to me once, but I don’t want to give details b/c the intern mentioned my book in a blog post last year, which was my only clue that maybe the request that had my bouncing in the sky wasn’t actually from Big Name Agent. It was all handled much better than your story, however – but Blame the Intern.
Beth, I am so, so sorry this happened to you. I can’t even imagine. It’s awful.
You deserved so much better.
I hope you are snapped up by a wonderful agent, and your book sells ASAP.
Good for you for getting back in that chair again!
Welcome, Julie! Congrats on the GH final–may it bear much fruit!
You’re attitude on rejection is awesome…and I love all the inspiring stats on how much even bestsellers sometimes get rejected before finding the right editor.
(“HARLOT! HARLOT” has me in stitches.)
Hi, Elisa!
Thank you so much! A Golden Heart final is like a magic wand. I am amazed at what happens as a result. Plus, I get to visit with lots of great people here, too!
I have to confess wondering if the contest judge that was so mean to Anna had to dig out her smelling salts when she saw what Anna’s book did to the romance industry as a whole! After all, success is the best revenge.
Hi, Julie, thanks for blogging with us today! I use Dory’s motto from Little Nemo: Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…(and I’m really not a very good swimmer, lol, but I keep trying.)
ps, you can tell I spend a lot of time with kids, right?
Diana, I might have to rent that movie!
“Just keep swimming” – absolutely!
Wonderful post! And oh-so very true. It’s nice to be reminded that everyone gets rejected…part of being a writer. When you press send you open yourself up to it, but the bravest thing of all is pressing send.
Congrats! Looking forward to meeting you in NYC!
Liz, I am looking forward to meeting you in New York, too.
You’re right – just pressing “send” takes all the courage in the world. I am in awe of people who’ve done it over and over, till they get what they want!
Beautiful article Julie, well written, poiniant, and it really spoke to me heart. Thanks so much for sharing. BTW, that’s a beautiful picture of you. You look fantastic. Best wishes, Debby Lee
Debby, I’m so glad you’re here, and I’m really happy you liked the blog post.
I’m glad you liked the photo, too. I hate having my picture taken. I’m so glad it turned out nice.
I’ll see you (hopefully!) next Saturday!
Great post Julie. Rejection always hurts, but as you say, the best thing is to shrug it off and move forward. If you let it discourage you, then the bad guys win and we certainly don’t want to let THAT happen.
I can’t wait to see “Love and Football” on the shelves!
Judy