This Is the Part Where They All Say No

A rejection, and the first update on my publishing journey.

Today, I received a great rejection letter from a literary agent.

It’s fine, though. Really.

I’m still so fresh into querying that I don’t expect anything but rejections (I’ve collected nine NOs so far). More importantly, it was incredibly kind and encouraging. Dare I say the best rejection I received so far? Here is it:

Thank you so much for your patience as I considered BITE. I've done some reading of the manuscript, and I'm sorry to say I'll pass at this time. This concept was SO wild and exciting to me, and so clearly reflects actual addiction in our contemporary world. I had a difficult time envisioning how I'd position this one in the market, so I'll step aside, but I'm cheering for you - this is such a cool story and I really hope you have success with it. I'm sorry to not have better news today. But keep trying - your passion for writing clearly comes through in your work.

Thank you again for the chance to consider this one. I would love for you to keep me in mind to query when you have other projects ready. I wish you the best as you move forward!

I haven’t posted many updates on social media about my publishing journey. Sometimes, I don’t feel each step towards publication is significant enough to announce to the world. This is a terrible mindset. It reeks of not seeing the forest through the trees. Each edit. Every rejection. All of the outreach and process put into querying. It all builds into something bigger—something others can relate to.

From now on, I’ll do better.

It also dawned on me that besides not talking about my journey, I hardly speak about myself as a writer and what I write about. That’ll change as well. My goal with this substack isn’t just to dump all my thoughts about worldbuilding and writing (like on TikTok) but to share more about myself.

So yeah… I got a nice rejection letter today. This agent was near the top of my list and one of four who requested my full manuscript. I can’t say there’s a big sting (I’m an ‘expect the worst, plan for the bad’ kinda guy), but it is disappointing.

These rejections are the moments we’re warned about—every writer’s rite of passage. I have a thick skin, calloused by years of working as a product designer, where each thing you produce is often heavily rejected a thousand times before it can become real. From my perspective, feedback and rejection are creative sparks to help realign yourself with what you’re trying to achieve.

For my writing, each bit of feedback or rejection is a much-needed slap to the face. As a creative, you need this. Writing to be published is arguably more design than art. It isn’t just for me but for the reader. This is why feedback and rejection, that dreaded NO, are critical to becoming a successful writer.

What did I learn from this slap in the face? Because there are lemons to pluck out of this situation.

It helps nudge my mind towards indie publishing over traditional (however, this pendulum swings back and forth every day, and who knows where my mind will be tomorrow). I’ve wrestled with whether to go traditional or indie for as long as I started writing in 2007. And especially since 2020, when I made it my goal to start writing stories that are ‘publishable’ (and not just for me).

As someone who has worked in startups and thrives on autonomy, indie/self-publishing is a monster-sized hill I want to climb and conquer. It fills me with adrenaline. And yet, I know my book will be better with a mentor/champion by my side. Not to mention, there is still that little voice in my mind that wants the validation of traditional publishing. As toxic as that sounds. As wrong as it is.

To be clear, being indie or traditionally published has no bearing on the quality of writing or story. Many indie books (especially in the last few years) have been a breath of fresh air. And many traditionally published books (in the last few years) have been trash or trope-chasing.

I had been warned by a developmental editor last year that one of the most significant challenges for my book would be how niche it is. Its place in traditional publishing could exist, but it might be hard to find. So far, I’ve gained interest in the idea of my story from a few agents and small presses, but nearly every rejection has been similar to the one above—albeit less encouraging than this one, lol.

Anyway, with rejections like this, I gain a deeper understanding of my story. That’s invaluable. It resets my approach to pitching my book, who to pitch to, and where this book belongs. Even if it’s not the best news, I'm glad for it.

This is the part where they all say no, but only so I can set myself up for a yes.