Rejection Never Felt So Good — How to Make $$$ From Every Piece of Writing

Never let your opinion or wisdom go to waste

If you have taken the time to write an article or story, it is worth being read by other people. Period. Some publications are choosy about which pieces they pick to include. But, that does NOT mean that you should refuse those publications the right to refuse you. I have a different way of thinking about submitting to publications than most people and I hope that, by the time you finish reading this article, you will too.

You’re solving a problem

First things first, if a publication doesn’t have pieces from which to curate their list of stories, they’re pretty much screwed. Don’t you think that if you had a publication, you would want MORE submissions to choose from rather than less? I know I would.

If publications don’t receive submissions, they simply can’t operate. By submitting your piece of writing to a publication, you are helping them solve a problem. You are offering to help them find pieces to put out there for their readers. The more pieces a publication has to choose from, the more choosy they can be. And that’s a GOOD thing.

As a writer, you generally don’t know exactly what a publication needs or wants to publish on any given day. For instance, if a self-improvement-centric publication that usually only features productivity-related articles decided to include more health-centric articles, you’re doing them a FAVOR by submitting your health-centric piece. But, you wouldn’t know that. So, if you didn’t submit your piece, they wouldn’t have the opportunity to choose it.

Here’s the thing, though. You can’t know what is going on unless you’re on the inside and working for the publication. And most of us aren’t. So, if you can imagine your piece fitting in with a publication, you’re actually doing them a disservice by not allowing them the opportunity to choose (or not choose) what you’ve written. You’re not allowing yourself to help them solve their problem of needing quality content.

Assessing your piece

Before submitting your piece of writing, you should always read it from as much of an outsider’s perspective as possible. Does your writing seem like it matches the voice of the publication? Do you feel that the quality of your writing is up to the standard of the other pieces in the publication? If the answer to these two questions is yes, then you’re good to go.

This section is important because you may recognize that your writing is not yet up to the standard of the publication that you have your eye on. That’s OK! In this case, wait until your writing has improved to submit.

Writing is a skill that can be LEARNED through practice! Keep practicing and, eventually, you will get there. (Shout out to those of you non-English speakers writing on this platform — you are doing something that is difficult and that so many people could not even comprehend doing).

The point is that you never want to submit writing to any publication that is technically substandard. This goes for any publication. Punctuation, grammar, facts that are researched and explained in a clear way — these are easy things to fix if you take the time to do it. (Here’s some good advice on writing conversational articles). So, before you take the plunge and hit “submit”, make sure all of your grammatical ducks are in a row.

Second, please make sure that your piece could possibly fit within the guidelines of the publication. READ EACH PUBLICATION’S GUIDELINES CAREFULLY! If you don’t do this, you’re wasting their time (and your time). You can think outside of the box, but you must make sure that you’re being respectful of the people that are taking the time to read your writing.

If your writing is technically sound and right for the publication, GO FOR IT!

Go big first

Once your article is in tip-top shape, it’s time to submit. Here’s my advice — go big first. If you have taken the time to research and craft a piece of writing, you should give the largest most appropriate publication first dibs. You seriously never know. (I wrote what I thought was a fluff piece last week in about 45 minutes that was immediately chosen for further distribution). You NEVER know.

And, again, big publications need options. You’re solving their problem by sending them your piece. And if it gets rejected (which it might), you have the opportunity to move on.

The thing about submitting either query letters or articles to publications on Medium is that it costs you nothing. If you have no timeline, the world is your oyster. GO BIG.

When I send my pieces to larger publications, I make sure to check their submission guidelines for their turn around rate on accepted pieces. If a publication says it will get back to you in 5–7 days and it’s been nine, I move on. Some publications are polite enough to send you a message to say “no, thank you”. Others just don’t reply. That’s fine.

Maybe your article happened to be yellow and the publication in your crosshairs was just looking for blue and purple articles at a specific time. Well, then, you’re likely to be rejected. DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY. If you get a rejection, move on. You played the lottery and didn’t win. Rejection is information. Rejection is a catalyst for action. And your next action? Choose the next publication in line.

Moving down the line

An article is not bad because it’s rejected. If you created it and you believe in it, it’s worth showing to the world. So, if your big aspirational publication said no (or didn’t say anything at all and you waited a long time), move down the line.

What is the next biggest publication into which you think it might fit? Decide and send it. There is absolutely ZERO shame in submitting to 2, 3, 4 publications and being rejected. Why? Because I believe a rejection is not a permanent rejection.

I truly love the notes I get from The Startup when my pieces are not chosen for their publication. They usually say something like, “We appreciate the opportunity to consider your article but have to pass at this time. We hope you’ll submit again soon”. HOW KIND IS THAT?!? That message is NOT a rejection. It’s a thank you note.

So, once you get your “rejection”, choose the next group of people to whom you will offer your written piece of wisdom. If they pass, then move on to the next.

I understand that this takes time, so if you’re impatient like me, it can be frustrating. I get most frustrated with the pieces that I love the most (it’s usually the long ones). If you’re impatient, you have an option for immediate gratification. PUBLISH IT YOURSELF! Medium lets you do that and it’s awesome and you don’t have to wait!

Here’s an example of one of the pieces that I moved down the line. I wrote a piece about the scientific justification behind increasing success rates by offering frequent small rewards. I made the article fun but informative and I first submitted it to PopSugar (I like to start with publications that pay upfront).

I got a “thanks but no thanks” within 24 hours. Then, I moved to The Startup. Another lovely “pass”. Then, I submitted to The Innovation and it was accepted and published. Do you know what I would have done if The Innovation had said no? I would have published it myself. Why? Because I worked hard on that piece and it will hopefully inspire a few other people to make their lives a little bit better.

Get over yourself

This may seem like harsh wording, but sometimes pride is our worst enemy. There are those writers who pride themselves in their “100% curation rate” or the fact that their stories are always accepted into publications. I’m here to say that if you’re ALWAYS accepted into this or that publication, you’re not setting your sights high enough.

When you try and fail, you learn. And some amazing editors like Ben Le Fort, Terrie Schweitzer, and Brittany Jezouit will even take the time to send you a suggestion now and again. That is GOLD! I will gladly take a suggestion on how to improve my writing or a suggestion on where to send my article any day. I learn much more from a rejection and a suggestion than an acceptance. And I truly believe that life is all about learning.

The moral of the story is that you should never be afraid to submit your articles to ANYONE. There is no shame in a rejection because rejections are simply opportunities to grow. And, when you send off a piece of work, you just might be sending the one piece that an editor has been looking for. You NEVER know. So try, fail, learn, and then try again. And, whatever you do, don’t deny the world the opportunity to be inspired by your perspective.