GUEST BLOG: How To Cope With Rejection When Querying Literary Agents by Hayley Walsh

I'm pleased to welcome another author onto the blog today with some tips and thoughts on coping with rejection. Take a look... 
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Hayley Walsh is an Australian author of chick-lit and light-hearted women’s fiction. Hayley loves to write stories women can relate to and more importantly, loves to make women laugh. Hayley’s sees her professional life as an Aged Care Clinical Nurse Consultant as a gift. She has laughed and cried with many people over the years. Hayley has felt privileged, to have listened to their stories. A quirky fact about Hayley is, she can say the alphabet backwards, really fast.

Hayley is a regular contributor to Medium, creating articles, and sharing her journey as a writer. Hayley has recently had three pieces featured on Overwrite podcast in the US. Hayley is currently publishing a Novella on Wattpad titled Crayons and Chaos.
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Hayley completed her first full length novel titled Making March in 2019.
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Follow Hayley here!

Twitter - @TaylesbyHayles
Facebook – Facebook.com/TaylesbyHayles
Medium - @hayley.hayles76
Wattpad - @TaylesbyHayles

HAYLEY'S WEBSITE
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MAKING MARCH OUT SEPTEMBER 2020!

Kate feels old, alone, and regrettably round. It's the 1st of February, and today also happens to be her fortieth birthday. This month, she must survive a pending divorce, raising her offspring spawn from Satan, her best friend’s wedding, a fellow bridesmaid from hell, a cat show, multiple humiliating dress fittings, and her meddling mother. Can she make it to March with her sanity intact?
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​How To Cope With Rejection When Querying Literary Agents

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Writing a book is hard. Getting noticed as an author can seem, at times, like mission impossible. Being well and truly immersed in the query trenches in search of a literary agent, can feel like having the life sucked out of you.

Many successful authors queried over five hundred agents before securing representation for their project. At what point do you give up, and self-publish your work? It’s a question authors ask themselves every day, following months of rejection letters appearing in their email inbox.

Rejection is par for the course as a writer, and if you find yourself mentally exhausted from repeat rejection, here are five ways to help you cope.

Take Note of Any Feedback

Some agents won’t respond at all, and others will simply send a polite, ‘No Thanks’. If they do take the time to give you feedback, try to focus on the positives. Did they give you any tips on how your writing could be improved? What did they like? Positive feedback can encourage you to keep trying.

Continue to Write

Write about your querying journey. Keeping a journal can help you process your emotions. Rejection beats you down, and can shatter your confidence. Start a brand-new project. Focusing on something new can help keep you motivated.

Take a Break

The querying process can be brutal. Don’t beat yourself up if you feel the need to push the pause button for a while, and indulge in some much-needed self-care. Buy a nice bottle of wine and curl up to watch a favourite movie, or maybe run a long hot bath and read a good book.

Set Yourself a Deadline

Some writers may have the resolve to query the same manuscript for years, and never surrender. If your book is complete, edited, well-polished, and you feel it’s the best it can be, set yourself a deadline. It may be one hundred rejections; it may be four hundred. Only you, and you alone, will know when to raise the white flag. Once you reach your deadline, self-publish in order to get your work out into the world.

Lean on Other Writers for Support

The writing community is one of the most supportive, I have ever had the pleasure of belonging to. Writers tend to support each other and cheer each other on. Most published authors will offer help and advice, if you reach out to them.
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So, if you find yourself stuck in the query trenches, and have become weary, remember that having a completed manuscript is a great achievement in itself. Be proud of what you have created. If you decide to put the brakes on your search for an agent, you have not failed, you have simply reached your limit. Besides, you can always try again with your next book.