Comments on: Rejection: A Fact of Freelance Writing Life

By: Ten Essential Abilities All Freelance Writers Must Have to Be a Success : Freelance Writing Jobs | The #1 Online Writing Community for Freelancers

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:46:15 +0000

[...] Freelance writers receive constructive criticism on a regular basis. Whether it’s a “thanks, but no thanks” from a magazine editor, or a rewrite request from a client, it’s never anything [...]

By: 60 Tips for Getting Started in Your Freelance Writing Career : Freelance Writing Jobs

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:13:45 +0000

[...] for rejection: I have news for you. You’re going to be rejected. Maybe a lot. Welcome to the club. All writers, even the best writers, receive “thanks but no [...]

By: http://www.rachelkovacs.com/1894.html

http://www.rachelkovacs.com/1894.html — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:17:01 +0000

Thanks for the article. Freelance writing is a great option to make extra cash. More people should read about this.

By: Jodee

Jodee — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:41:11 +0000

@ Tameka:

There is no right or wrong way to deal with rejection. I’ve been in tears more than once after getting a “thanks but no thanks” e-mail. For my own emotional well-being, I’ve had to had to find ways to not take the rejection personally.

By: Tameka

Tameka — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:03:16 +0000

I believe I am a little ashamed of how I deal with rejection. I must say that I deal with it by not dealing with it if you know what I mean. I will receive a “No” then the human side of my emotions will kick in and I will get upset for a brief moment, then the anger will immediately turn to offense, then I will totally forget the incident as if it did not happen so that I can move forward. So therefore I deal with it by not dealing with it.

By: » Freelance Friday - June 19, 2009 : All Freelance Writing

» Freelance Friday - June 19, 2009 : All Freelance Writing — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:08:45 +0000

[...] Rejection: A Fact of Freelance Writing Life [...]

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:50:16 +0000

Two key points about rejections: don’t take it personally and learn from it. How you handle rejection depends on your personality. There is the victim personality (i.e.: you have no control – things just happen to you) and the active personality (i.e.: you are the ‘captain of your destiny.’ – things happen because of my actions.) Use the rejection to learn to craft better pitches, or simply build a thicker skin. Authors have lined entire walls with rejection letters, but we read mostly about the writer getting a $3M advance for her first novel. It’s not popular, but taking rejection is one of the most important skills of a longterm writer.

By: Judith

Judith — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:45:45 +0000

I do believe rejection should be viewed as a by-product of freelancing. Granted, people handle rejection differently, it should be accepted with a pitch of salt and one moves swiftly to other projects. Yes, I have faced numerous rejection (there is a pile of rejection emails sitting on my desk) but how do i deal with it, smile and note lesson learned. I did write a post about it http://kenyanfreelancer.blogspot.com/2009/04/dealing-with-rejection.html

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:50:33 +0000

Most companies/clients will not acknowledge receipt of your application or query and don’t bother with rejection notices, preformatted or otherwise. Many of these same entities, however, expect a customized cover letter with your query.

Sounds like the Golden Rule: He/She who has the gold makes the rules.

By: Brandi U.

Brandi U. — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:17:35 +0000

I second what Jennifer L said! Most of the time after I submit a query, email a job application or send a resume, I never know when it’s time to move on or wait it out for a response. There’s also been several occasions when an editor has told me that they want to publish my piece but then I never hear from them again.

By: Rose

Rose — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:06:42 +0000

This post couldn’t have been more timely for me, I got a rejection e-mail just this afternoon. How did I handle it? I read this post to figure out HOW TO handle it. And actually, I feel quite a bit better. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one, and it seems like it’s easy to feel that way when you work at home and you only have your dog to bounce your feelings off of So thanks!!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 23:14:44 +0000

Generally speaking, I don’t think twice about rejection. After all, I apply to several gigs a day, so NOT hearing back winds up being the norm.

But every now and then, a rejection really hits me hard. Usually when I feel that I am PERFECT for a particular job of work that offers a lot of wonderful perks. Or when I am recommended by three top references, all of whom say I’m fabulous – and I STILL don’t get the gig.

I still can’t figure out why I was turned away from a couple of situations. And while we’re on the subject – how about situations in which you do terrific work, and are told halfway through the gig that it just isn’t working out?? (Only happened three times in 20 years, but BLECH!!!)

Lisa

By: Jennifer L

Jennifer L — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:15:05 +0000

You know, sometimes I wish I’d actually get formally rejected!

So many people these days don’t even bother to respond to all the applicants for jobs, that I don’t know whether to assume that 1) I got rejected, 2) my application got lost in the thousands of other applications, or 3) the employer suffocated to death under the weight of all the applications and never even got around to reading mine.

I’d just like an acknowledgement that they received my application and have chosen not to work with me. A form letter is fine.

By: P.S. Jones

P.S. Jones — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:56:56 +0000

Never underestimate the power of politeness. I always thank the person and ask them to keep me in mind if they see something I may be more suited for. I’ve gotten several paying jobs from clients that have rejected me in the past and passed my name on to someone else