First rejection: doesn't hurt as much

by Brittany Geragotelis

As you all know, I sent out my first round of query letters for my latest book, Painless, on Wednesday—Well, I just received my first rejection.

Yeah. Bummer.

What's surprising me though, is that the sting doesn't hurt as much as it did with my last book. Painless is the sixth book I've written. Let's say that each book has averaged about 20 rejections, then that means I've already received approximately 120 letters essentially telling me I'm not a good enough writer, that people didn't "connect" with the characters in my books, that they didn't believe in my writing enough to give me a chance.

Each of these rejections hurt. Because writing is my passion, because it's all I've ever wanted to do, to have strangers tell me it may never happen...well, it's hard thing to take. And I haven't always dealt with these "opinions" well in the past. I've cried, thrown fits and asked my boyfriend (on far too many occasions according to him) why it's not happening for me. I've even given up. Not something I recommend, btw.

But this time, the rejection didn't hurt as bad. In fact, I'd describe it more as annoying than upsetting. Do I want an agent? Of course. Am I going to die if it doesn't happen right this second? No way. Is my life going to be over if I NEVER get an agent? I used to think so, but not anymore. Why? Because one way or another, I will be published. I already have people asking to read my books, well-known authors willing to write blurbs for them, so the only thing really stopping my books from being available to the public is....me. What a revelation that is!

So no, another rejection isn't bringing me down. If anything, it'll make the victory of seeing my book in the hands of readers that much more sweet.

Happy Friday!

5x5,
B.

Rejection: Everyone Has a Story

by Brittany Geragotelis

I just read about this book called Other People's Rejection Letters edited by Bill Shapiro and I've gotta say, I kinda love the concept. Shapiro got the idea to collect other people's rejection stories back when the economy tanked, because he thought that "looking at rejection letters would be a really good way to look at what so many people would be experiencing and feeling" at the time. And I don't know about you, but hearing that other people have had their own moments of rejection on their way to accomplishing their dreams really does make me feel better. Not in a "I like reveling in other people's pain" kind of way, but more like "This makes me feel less like a loser." It's nice to be reminded that even Jimi Hendrix was nearly discharged from the Army because his supervisors said he "couldn't carry on an intelligent conversation"—this was before he became the big rock star we know and love, of course.

Other people's stories of rejection gives me hope that though I may be rejected today, it doesn't mean it'll always be this way. Eventually there will be an acceptance. And then I can publish my own book full of all the rejections I received before I became a best-selling author.

In the meantime, here are a few of the rejections I've received so far...some are good, some are bad and some are pretty ugly. Enjoy!


My rejections have ranged from long and thoughtful:
"Dear Brittany,
Thank you for seeking us out. We appreciate each author who takes the time to send us a query letter or email.

At present, we are regretfully going to pass by the opportunity to consider your work for representation. The query must strike a chord which leads us to believe that we will not only resonate deeply with the material but also will be successful in selling it in the current market conditions. Out of necessity, we are frequently forced to pass by material which shows potential. We recognize that in doing so we miss opportunities to represent fine and worthwhile material, but we also trust that if you persist you will eventually connect with the right agent at the right time for your success.

We recognize that our perspective on the marketplace is subjective. You may well find that another literary agent will react with enthusiasm for your work.

We send you every good wish for success with all of your writing endeavors, and thank you again for contacting us.
Sincerely, Agency X"

To less lengthy but straight to the point:
"Dear Brittany,
Thank you very much for considering me, but I do not feel that I am the best agent for your work.
All my best, X"


And then there are others who won't even bother hiding that you're wasting their time. Five words...that's all this guy could give:
"Not for me—Thanks anyway."


So, next time you get that emotional smackdown from someone who thinks their opinion is the only one that matters, just remember: Even Andy Warhol's work was denied entry into the Museum of Modern Art in NY back in 1956. And now people are making movies about him.

I'm just saying.

5x5,
B.

Are you freaking kidding me?

by Brittany Geragotelis

The other day, I logged on to find a friend request on FB from someone that I knew once-upon-a-time, but who I was never really friends with. The last time I even talked to him was over four years ago and although I by no means hate the guy, I wouldn't exactly consider him a friend. When I first signed up for FB (hesitantly, I might add), I made a decision only to friend people I actually wanted to keep in touch with. I'm past the point of accepting friend requests just because. This means that when some random person who went to the same high school as me, but never spoke to me once while I was there friends me, I don't feel obligated to say yes. So, I don't. I usually only hit accept if it's someone who's really A FRIEND. Or someone I want to be friends with at least.

So, keeping with my self-imposed FB rule, when this person sent me a friend request, I hit ignore. I didn't mean it as a "screw you," it's just that FB can be a scary place if the wrong people have access to you. So, I hit ignore. A day later, I received this message:


"Hope you are well. I'm sad that you rejected my friend request, but I'm sure you have your reasons."


Uh....

Are you kidding me? Who does that? To be honest, I was dumbfounded. Who confronts someone for not accepting a friend request?

That got me thinking about online etiquette...what's appropriate and what's not. Is it OK to not accept a friend request of someone you know if you aren't really friends with them? After all, it's your prerogative to choose who you surround yourself with, right? Why shouldn't this extend to online friends. And I've heard other people talk about the horrors of being de-friended...apparently it's the equivalent to publicly breaking up with someone in a humiliating way. And what about the dreaded status change from "In a Relationship" to "Single." Is that an online No-No?

What do you guys think? Do you accept any friend request or are you selective about who you let into your online life? Should I have said yes to the request or better yet, should he have left it alone when I didn't add him? Leave your best Facebook faux pas in the comments section and you could win one of four copies of the book Taken Away by Ehi Ike!

5x5,
B.

100th Post Celebration!

by Brittany Geragotelis

I can hardly believe it, but this is my 100th post! Time sure flies when you're writing blogs.

You know, I first started this blog because I was knee-deep in trying to find myself a new agent and I figured that my having a blog would look good on my writing resume. But to be honest, a big part of the reason I started http://brittanythebookslayer.blogspot.com is because at the time I was dealing with a lot of rejection. I was getting "no's" left and right and was beginning to feel pretty down. You can only hear that you're a great writer and that an agent loves your writing and your story...just not enough to take you on as a client, before wanting to call it quits for good. So, yes, I originally started this blog as an outlet; a way of getting my writing out there to the public, minus the rejection.

So, I guess it's only fitting that I'm writing my 100th post just a few days after getting my first rejection of my latest manuscript, Painless.

The difference is, this time I have a little more encouragement on my side. I have all my amazing readers out there who log in on a daily basis and make me feel like my writing isn't for nothing. Sure, the rejection hurts. I don't think there's a writer out there who doesn't feel the sting despite how often it happens. But the fact that people enjoy reading what I write—book or blog—well, that feels pretty darn good.

So, as for the recent rejection. I gave myself a day to feel a bit blue. Let my super awesome boyfriend take me to Target (the new one that just opened up in the city; btw, if you haven't been yet...it's AWESOME!) and buy me a present (a cool new notebook), take me to dinner at our favorite gluten-free asian cuisine restaurant, Lili & Loo, watch Despicable Me at 86th St and end the night with a stop at Pinkberry.

And after having my night of feeling sad, I let it go and devised my Plan B, which will include a few revisions of Painless before I start sending it out to another round of agents (and a few publishers that have offered to take a look). In the meantime, I have this blog...and all of you who are great enough to read it! Thanks for logging on for 100 Posts!

5x5,
B.

To Self-Publish or Not to Self Publish...that is the question

by Brittany Geragotelis

I recently saw this feature in The Wall Street Journal, on the state of the publishing world—particularly regarding self-publishing and whether it's in an author's best interest to self-publish as opposed to going the traditional route of working with a major publisher. Regardless of which is the better way to go, the feature was interesting. They included a variety of authors...one who self-published and sold a fair amount of her books and has been picked up by a division of Amazon because of it; and a well-known author who's published a lot of books via a mainstream publisher, but who's now publishing some of his earlier books on his own—and making more money doing it himself than had he went with a big publisher.

It brings up the question: which is the right way to be published?

I've struggled with this debate the past few years. After being rejected more times than I thought my ego could handle, and being dropped by my old agent, I set out to self-publish. I came up with a 6-month plan, laying out everything I needed to do at every stage in order to get the book out, publicize it and sell it. Then, I began to hear from industry people, all telling me to hang in there because my books were publishable (My favorite author in the whole world even told me not to give up, because my writing was worthy of a publisher; how could I ignore something like that?). So, I abandoned my plans and went back to searching for a literary agent so I could hopefully snag a book deal.

Now, two books later, I'm getting ready to board the Rejection Express—again—and I'm starting to wonder whether that decision was right for me. The jury's still out on this one, but it's interesting to see how many opportunities are opening up for people like me who write and just need a little help getting their stuff out there to the masses. Anyways, read the article and decide for yourself which is the best route for you. After all, isn't the point of writing so that others can enjoy reading your books? And if the books aren't out there for them to read, how are you supposed to accomplish that?

On a completely unrelated note....here's a video Matt sent me last night. It made me giggle. So, if you're needing a Thursday pick-me-up, check it out!

5x5,
B.

Punked by the universe....

by Brittany Geragotelis

photo credit: MTV/Punk'd

I was having drinks (decaf coffee for me, green tea for her) with Agent X last night, when we started talking about how funny the universe can be sometimes. A friend is asked out by the guy you were crushing on or a co-worker wins a contest to see a band they don't even like, but you love. The world's ripe with these kind of experiences...of course, when they happen to you, it can feel like there's some cosmic joke on your expense. Sort of like, "You want this? Well, hahaha, guess what, we're gonna give it to that person instead!"

What we came up with as a conclusion is that we all go through times like these (and from what I learned, Agent X has a few stories of her own!). There are always going to be times where we don't get what we want—where it feels like the grass is greener for someone else. I think what's important about these experiences is how you react to them. Are you going to sit around and mope or are you going to use the experience to create something positive? Are you going to let it break you down and decide to quit or will it fuel your resolve to try even harder, fighting tooth and nail for what you want?

The bottom line is that we have no control over what happens outside of us. That's up to The Powers That Be. What we do have control over is how we react to things. Today I'm choosing to stay and fight. I'm putting my foot down, letting out my battle cry and fighting the urge to give up.

photo credit: The CW/BTVS

In the words of the wise and fabulous Buffy:

"The hardest thing to do in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live."



So, stand up for your dreams, go after what you want and don't let a little "punked" sesh hold you down for long!

5x5,
B.

Advice from a blonde pop star

by Brittany Geragotelis

One of the cool things about my job is that I get to meet a variety of celebs. Through work I've gotten the chance to meet Meg Cabot (Otherwise known as my writing hero!), Danneel Harris (Pictured with me here; Sooo sweet & the lucky girl is dating "Supernatural" star Jensen Ackles!) and Bring It On & Stick It writer/director, Jessica Bendinger (My sister-soulmate; you'll never meet a more humble person from Hollywood).

photo credit: Matisse

Don't get me wrong, though--it's not like there's a celebrity in our office every day. But every once in a while we do get the occassional surprise guest. Yesterday, the pop singer, Matisse (pictured left) stopped by. In case you're not familiar with her, Matisse (real name, Brittany Smith), got her start as one of the John Frieda Twins. She and her twin sis, Alex, started their own pop group called "Brit and Alex," and had a hit on the Step Up 2 soundtrack. After becoming pretty popular over in the UK, Brit's sis decided to quit the biz, leaving Brit wondering if her dreams as a singer were over.

First off, Brit is a really sweet girl. With a sunny smile and platinum blonde locks she perfectly fits the part of pop star. She's got a quiet disposition though, which is interesting since she's such a dynamic performer. You can tell she thinks through her answers before she gives them, and she's worked hard to get to where she is.

photo credit: Matisse

While we were sitting there and chatting about her impending singing career and her latest single, "Better Than Her" (which has already hit #16 on the charts), the conversation quickly turned to how she came to be "Matisse" and dealing with the rejection that comes with following your dreams. She explained that after her sister left their group, Brit suffered from a serious identity crisis. Her fans knew her as a part of a duo and without her sis, she wasn't sure people would buy her as a solo artist. So, she reinvented herself as an artist, under the name Matisse, named after the artist who didn't conform. The point was, despite the setbacks she had, she kept pushing forward.

This is something that I find myself doing every day. See, all I've ever wanted is to be a published author. It's been my dream since I was little. And when I moved to NYC, the first phase in my dream came true: I got a literary agent. He was a great guy and believed in my writing, but after failing to sell a few of my books (and having a lot of interest for one at Harper Collins Childrens), we went our separate ways.

Long story short, I thought this was a sign I wasn't supposed to be writing. Dumb, I know. After about 9 months of no writing at all (besides at work), I felt myself being drawn back to writing. What I learned from that experience was that I really don't have a choice: I'm a writer. I'm good at it, and I have stories to tell. So, the past 2 years, I've been hard at work and have finished 2 more books and am in the middle of my latest, Painless.

I've been sending out queries for one of my books, Ki$$ & $ell, and have received 8 requests for partials and fulls--but mostly rejections. I'm not going to lie--The rejection is hard. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but that's SO not the case. It's especially hard when I review so many books for work that just aren't good. As time goes by and my dream remains just out of my reach, I'm constantly wondering whether I should give up....

But I don't. And it's stories like Brit's and Meg Cabot's (Meg's said before she hit it big, she got a rejection every day except for Sunday--and that's because the mail didn't come on Sundays) and countless other people who are in creative fields (actors, singers, writers, etc), that keep pushing me forward. I need to have faith that eventually my book will be at the right place at the right time and things will all work out the way they're supposed to.

So, all in all, it wasn't such a bad day at work...

5x5,
B.