Which is why I think that more than ever the right approach is the more the merrier. If you hang your hopes on one or two submissions, then the rejection is more painful. Each time it becomes harder to send out, knowing what may be in store. And then there's the time factor. A year can easily go by without success. It's dispiriting.
Contrast that with starting with an attitude that you're going to send out 50 times before you get an acceptance. That means you've got to get through 49 no's before you get the longed for yes. Then, each no you receive brings you closer to the desired yes. This may sound a bit too Positive Thinking for some people, but see it as an incentive to get the submissions sent out.
The more you have out at any one time, the less each rejection will hurt because you can still be hopeful about the ones that are still out there. I always had six submissions out there and although the rejections still hurt when they came, I think suffered less than those people who sent out their submissions in ones and twos.
I'm not looking for a new agent or publisher right now, but still I'm planning new projects - a non-fiction book, some picture book texts, and I've an idea for a detective series. If what I'm writing now doesn't work out for me, at least there's something else in the pipeline to look forward to. I think sending out lots of submissions isn't just practical, it's good for your mental health.
Come to the launch party for Kissing Mr Wrong, 6.30pm on 20th May at Waterstones, Milsom Street, Bath. All welcome, but please ring 01225 448515 to let them have an idea of numbers.
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