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Dealing with Rejection as a Children's Book Author/Illustrator

Writer's picture: Ella GordonElla Gordon

I’ve been procrastinating writing my blog lately. It’s easy to say “I’m too busy, this isn’t a high priority.” But that’s not true. 


The thing is, writing my blog is something I love doing! And, most importantly, it’s a way to connect with you. It’s a way to remind Google I exist, appease the SEO gods, connect with my email list, provide value to self-publishing authors and aspiring illustrators and sometimes just to share what’s been happening in my work, because being a picture book illustrator can be a bit lonely. 


But I get super in my head about these blogs! I want to offer value, but I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I want to write on a schedule, but sometimes life does get in the way. I want to share about certain projects, but I’m not sure if you’ll be interested. (Plus, there’s also been this weird glitch with the formatting on my blog which has been driving me mental every time I go to post!) And around and around I go…


I wanted to kick the indecision to the curb, publish one of the many blog drafts I have chilling on my computer and deliver some kick-arse content to your screen! But then I realised it might be more valuable to talk about why I’ve had this paralysis recently. 


It all comes down to feedback and rejection. 


The children's book industry is brutal. 


If you’re a children’s book author and you’re trying to get published traditionally, then you already know about it. If you’re new to the industry, or you’re just giving to the point of submitting, you’re about to find out. You’ll have your dreams crushed, your heart broken, your writing ripped to shreds, and that’s just if you’re lucky enough to hear back from anyone, otherwise it’ll just be you and the crickets. 


This might sound a bit heartless, but that’s because the only way you can survive in the publishing industry, and get traditionally published, is to treat it like a business and be professionally detached. The feedback isn’t personal. I know your story is beautiful, I know your writing is unique, but I know you’ll have publishers dismiss your work for whatever reason makes sense to them, and that isn’t a reflection on you. 


Now, you might know me as a kid lit illustrator, but what you might not know is I’m also a writer. An unpublished one as of yet, but I’ve certainly received plenty of feedback and rejections, so I’m speaking about this from personal experience.


To some extent, this blog can feel a bit like submitting a manuscript too. I write a piece, and maybe it’ll just be me and the crickets, maybe I’ll have someone send me a raging email about my use of commas (I'm not kidding, this happens), but mostly, I receive messages of encouragement, solidarity, and interesting questions, so thank you for that!


Anyway, we all want to avoid rejection or criticism, but here’s the cool thing, every piece of constructive criticism you receive about your writing will bring you a step closer to your goal of publishing your story! If your heart can’t handle another rejection, or the feedback you’re receiving to make your story more marketable for a traditional publisher takes away what makes it special to you, then maybe it’s time to change tack, maybe self-publishing would be a better avenue for you.


If you’d like to know more about self-publishing, let’s chat about it! Book a free, no-obligation session with me so that we can discuss your options. Self-publishing doesn’t mean that your book can’t be a best seller or a family favourite, and you won’t have to submit your manuscript to another publisher who doesn’t understand your vision, or face another rejection letter. 


…It is worth noting that self-publishing isn’t a solution to avoid rejection or negative feedback. If you want your book to be successful, you’ll attract just as many people who don’t like your book as those who love it, and some of them won’t be shy to tell you! Sure, negative feedback can be rough, but remember that it isn’t personal, and the fact that people feel strongly about it means you’re doing something right. 


Here’s a page from one of my most recent books. This book is my favourite story I’ve had the pleasure of illustrating, I think it’s also my best work, and you know what, already, it’s the book that’s received the most negativity! So we must be doing something right! Mr Darcy The Cat and The Matariki Glow will be able to purchase directly from me in the next month, so stay tuned and see what the fuss is about for yourself. 

An illustration drawn by author/illustrator Ella Gordon of cats on a bridge in Japan. Around them The Great Wave, cherry blossoms, Mt. Fuji, and a temple.

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