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for eight years before selling to a small magazine. They
stuck it out, and eventually broke through.
One of my favorite little books, Rotten Rejections from
Pushcart Press, is a compendium of the setbacks some of
our most famous writers received. For example:
Zane Grey, who became one of the best-selling au-
thors in history, got this from an editor rejecting one of
his early novels: “I do not see anything in this to convince
me you can write either narrative or fi ction.”
Tony Hillerman sold millions of books about a Na-
vajo police offi cer working on the reservation. An editor
wrote him, “If you insist on rewriting this, get rid of all
that Indian stuff.”
Regarding Animal Farm, George Orwell was told, “It
is impossible to sell animal stories in the U.S.A.”
If it happened to them, it will happen to you. So always
remember you’re in good company. And keep writing!
The best rejection is constructive. Unfortunately, it
is all too rare. Editors usually don’t have the time or in-
clination to sit down and tell you where your manuscript
may have gone wrong.
When one does take the time, though, treasure the
advice. See what you can learn from it. And write a thank
you note to the editor. It’s not just the right thing to do;
it will almost always be put in the “good graces” section
of that editor’s mind. This can be invaluable when you
submit another piece to the same person.
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