Comments on: The Art of Rejection

By: Forget Vision – It’s All About the Process « Shrinking the Camel

Tue, 25 May 2010 10:09:41 +0000

[...] around five years for a promotion? Or seven years for your company to start turning a profit? Or twelve years to get your book published? Especially when there are no guarantees that you will end up where you wanted [...]

By: Forget Vision - It's All About the Process

Forget Vision - It's All About the Process — Tue, 25 May 2010 09:59:08 +0000

By: Cynthia Schuerr

Cynthia Schuerr — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:31:09 +0000

Billy, that’s what is called “paying it forward”.
To work hard at what you do until you find success. And to pass your wisdom on to others who are hoping to do the same.

Thank you for the inspiration and support.

Warm Wishes, Billy!

By: Meagan

Meagan — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:09:32 +0000

Wow. I really, really needed to hear this today. It’s been a bad writing week. By bad, I mean: too many rejections too close together. My friend sent me your blog, and I think that by tomorrow I’ll be able to keep going. Thank you for your words.

By: Linda Yezak

Linda Yezak — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:04:39 +0000

War wounds. I hadn’t thought of that, but what a perfect analogy. Of the query letters I sent out, several agents preferred not to respond, some who did weren’t interested, two were enthusiastic and definitely interested. The day one of these agents responded, I also got a letter from the editor of a small publishing company. The fact that she had taken the time to write it was amazing, but she ripped my heart out and gnawed on it like a vampire going straight to the source.

Her evaluation of the chapters I sent her was right, although it took me awhile to get over the dizzing effects of a right hook to see it. I learned so much from that painful letter. I pulled the book from the agent’s consideration and revised it. I’ll be sending it back to her next week. After that, it’s entirely in God’s hands.

By: Michelle at Graceful

Michelle at Graceful — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:01:00 +0000

I love this! You are the best! My most hurtful rejection came from an agent who deemed my writing, “okay.” Okay? Okay?! Jeez, kill me with the milk-toast comment why don’t you? I cried for like 6 hours straight. And then it became great fodder for my blog. Still writing.

I love your honesty here…it really does help.

By: Dianna Woolley

Dianna Woolley — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:16:48 +0000

GREAT POST!

By: Elizabeth (@claritychaos)

Elizabeth (@claritychaos) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:36:38 +0000

This is great, Billy. And timely — I got my first rejection letter today (for my children’s book). But in that same mailbox was a magazine with one of my essays. So it’s yin and yang, I suppose.

Thanks for sharing the ups and downs of your experience and offering up your encouragement.

-elizabeth

By: Aaron Reddin

Aaron Reddin — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 13:53:34 +0000

Thanks for putting this out there. I am working on finishing up my first manuscript and to be quite honest, I’m scared to death.

I’m scared of that box. What I’m writing about could be pretty controversial, but I believe in it so much that I will bookmark this post. When I start sending it to try and draw some interest, and I start getting those letters and emails, I will come back to this post. I’ll read it again. And then I’ll try one more time.

Seriously, thanks for this post.

By: Lorrie

Lorrie — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:08:28 +0000

Moving forward can be wearisome at times… thanks for the encouragement!