One of the pitfalls of writing is the risk of being rejected.

No one wants to be rejected, and no matter how much you try to separate yourself from the writing, you take it personally. Reject my writing, reject me.

History abounds with stories of famous authors who were rejected multiple times before their work was accepted. Here are some of them.

Dr. Seuss – rejected by over 28 publishers, went on to write 60 children’s books

James Joyce

Pearl S. Buck

Joseph Heller

Louisa May Alcott – Little Women, a classic 150 years later

Agatha Christie

Tony Hillerman

Zane Grey

William Faulkner

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen’s Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected 134 times.

Beatrix Potter – anyone ever hear of Peter Rabbit?

James Patterson

Judy Blume

Madeline L’Engle

Rudyard Kipling

Margaret Mitchell – Gone with the Wind was rejected 38 times.

J.K. Rowling – perhaps the best known in this century, rejected by 12 publishers, has gone on to sell 450 million books

I only listed details about a few of these rejected authors, but you get it. Rejections don’t doom us to failure.

 

 

We all get rejected, and it stings. But as Christian writers, our perspective should be different. We write because we felt God’s tap on the shoulder that we should, that there was a story He wanted us to share something, either fiction or nonfiction. But not every agent or editor is right for your writing, so you will get rejections. However, when our writing is matched with the right agent or editor, it’s truly a blessing.

 

 

 

So here are some things to remember if you’re a Christian writer and you experience rejection.

“They” didn’t ask you to write it, but He did.

“They” didn’t care how hard you worked, but He did.

“They” don’t care if you ever write again, but He does.

“They” didn’t value your work, but He does.

“They didn’t see your potential, but He does.

“They” don’t know the future, but He does.

Bottom line, we don’t write to please people, we write to please God, therefore we must trust Him with what happens to our work. Meanwhile, “we” don’t know if the next submission will be accepted or not, therefore, we must keep trying.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Colossians 3:23