I'll Show You . . . I'll Publish an Ebook

I was reading a blog this week about rejection. There seemed to be a rash of them covering this topic this week, so I guess a few writers got slammed and felt the need to do something proactive in response. That's when it hit me . . . the best answer to a negative is a positive. Rather than wallow in our tears, we can jump up and write . . . something . . . and keep moving forward. My kind of living!

I get the whole be-proactive-to-stay-sane mentality.

Especially if you're being rejected for longer projects, like novels or nonfiction books, you might need an infusion of something with a quick rebound. Contact a magazine you've published for and pitch something that's practically a sure thing. Hammer out a wonderful blog post, or guest blog post. Find a contest or two.

What can you turn around and write when rejection's knocked you down?

1. Blog posts
2. Contest entries
3. Writing prompts
4. Journals
5. Short stories
6. Magazine features
7. Newsletter editorial
8. Any work in progress

Okay, great. But one poster I read suggested to take your writing, put it together into an e-book, and publish the dang thing. Sell it on Smashwords, Kindle or Nook. Say what??

I get the whole be-proactive-to-stay-sane mentality. But do you want to take what hasn't published, or been rejected, or been quickly written, and shoot it into the world as representative of your writing prowess? Are you really sure you want that to be your legacy?

There are lots of reasons to publish an e-book, but in retaliation to rejection isn't one of them. 

While legacy might be a bit exaggerated, still . . . what you put out there stays forever. Today you want to jump on that e-book bandwagon, but two years from now, when your dream project comes to life in a publisher's hands, do you want Goodreads, Google, Amazon and everyone else out there to see that ebook you published because you were pissed, or as a minimum, were too impatient to wait for validation?

There are lots of reasons to publish an e-book, but in retaliation to rejection isn't one of them. If you indeed publish an e-book, make sure it's with a sound mind, level thinking, and a promotion plan to make it aid your writing career and propel your reputation one step further. Quick publication sounds great, but once it's done, you can't take it back. And the public's rejection of that knee-jerk effort on your part might be even more painful than the original rejections that prompted the whole ordeal.