INSPIRATION FOR AUTHORS WHEN REJECTION BREEDS DEJECTION

By Rita Emmett

This is a message for those who have a book in your heart.

It doesn't matter if you are still thinking about starting it, if you are in the middle of writing it, or if you have finally completed it. This is for you.

You probably know this already, but just in case you don't -- here is the first part of the message: The world is going to go out of its way to discourage you. Get ready for rejection.

A while ago, we were on the phone with our son Dave. You may know him as DMK. He and his family live in Arizona, and was just starting to write a novel that sounded so exciting. He was sharing some of his concerns --- maybe we can call them fears --- when he blurted out. "You know, I can't take rejection."

I interrupted him, "Listen, Dave, forget that, in the past you believed you couldn’t take rejection. You are a strong guy, so from this day forward, tell yourself that it's OK to hate rejection, but yes, you can take it and it won't kill you. Because, Dave, when you write, you are opening yourself to rejection."

This message applies to all who are reading this.

You not only face rejection email from publishers, agents, magazines or anyone else you submit. You will be astonished at how people who love you AND people who don't even know you will inform you --- with great assumed authority that:

• you should not get your hopes up
• you should just give up your silly dreams of writing and being a published author.
• you should not dream big
• you should not even try because thousands of people try to get published and get knocked down
• you should not reach for the stars. A handful of mud should satisfy you.

Truth is rejection happened to Dave. His book was rejected, again….and again…. and again.

However, the goofy guy that he is, he kept polishing his writing, even started a second book, kept learning, and started a very cool website (https://sites.google.com/site/dmkarder/), kept working, started an even better blog, offering all kinds of helpful info, kept writing, kept submitting, kept getting rejected.

Now, here is the next part of this message to those who have a book in your heart. 

I want to offer some inspirational thoughts for those days you are down, dejected, rejected and hanging on to hope by a spider-web-thread.

Imagine what it would be like the very first time you see your book in a bookstore.

Here is my very-first-time story.

I was in a bookstore in Chicago, when a book fell off a shelf and landed at my feet. A woman was facing me and we both bent to pick it up -- almost bumping heads -- and as I came up, I saw, about fifteen feet behind her, was a huge display of MY BOOK. On a round table was a copy of the cover for The Procrastinator's Handbook that was about 18 inches high, and stacks of about 30 copies of my book surrounding it.

My heart flipped and I gasped. The woman facing me looked startled and said, "What's wrong. Are you OK?"

I pointed and sort of yelled, "That's my book!"

She turned to look behind her and said, "The Procrastinator's Handbook. You know, that’s my book too. I've been putting off buying a birthday present for 3 months, and the birthday was yesterday so I ….. "

"No, no," I interrupted her, "I mean, I WROTE that book.”
She turned and looked again, and said, "You wanna' know who REALLY wrote the book on procrastination? My husband; he…." So I grabbed her by the arm and propelled her over to the display.

Almost hysterically, I blurted, "See the name? The author? Rita Emmett? That's me. That's my name. That's my book….. in a book store…. on display." Tears in my eyes, I was choking up.”Her eyes popped wide open. She looked astonished. "You're the author?"

Then she put her hand on her hips and said, "Well, waddya know. What are the odds of ever meeting an author in a bookstore!" She hugged me.

Much later, it dawned on me that the odds are really pretty good. That's where a lot of us hang out.

So there's the whole message. Yes, people will reject you and try to discourage you from writing. Instead of letting it get you down, lift yourself up by imagining what it would be like to go into a bookstore and see your book on a shelf.

Don't listen to the doomsday people. Listen to your heart.

Oh… wait a minute…. there's one more part to this. This week, a publisher sent Dave a contract to publish his book, From the Ashes, an Action Packed, Fantasy Western by David M. Karder.

Nope. Not self-publishing. A real publisher who is really going to distribute his real book into real bookstores.

Yeah -- now that is the perfect ending to this message.

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       Rita Emmett is a "Recovering Procrastinator", a Professional Speaker, and best-selling author of The Procrastinator’s Handbook;  and The Clutter-Busting Handbook.

For info on Rita's "Procrastinator's Guide to Authorship" go to  www.RitaEmmett.com

Rita can be reached at 847-699-9950  or REmmett412@aol.com.

      To subscribe to her free monthly “Anticrastination Tip Sheet” with quick short tips & ideas to help break the procrastination habit, go to the first page of her website  www.RitaEmmett.com