What we've learnt about rejection

And how to make it work for you

It is a hard, brutal truth that being creative inevitably involves rejection.

We’re willing to bet that there isn’t a single creative alive who hasn’t had a piece of work rejected at one time or another.

We’re not going to sugar coat it, rejection often feels brutal.

As writers and artists we pour so much of ourselves, our time and energy into our work that having anyone say, ‘no thank you very much’ - no matter how nicely they phrase it, really hurts.

Naomi decided she wanted to make a living from writing when she was at University twenty years ago. Since then she’s had three literary agents, seven books published by major publishers with more on the way and countless poems, stories, articles and flash fiction published online and in magazines.

She has also had many, many more manuscripts that have been rejected.

James is the same. He’s created characters that have been rejected and designed more book covers that didn’t get chosen than he can count.

Over the last twenty years or so of writing, editing, illustration and designing, we’ve both learnt a thing or two about rejection including how to make it work for you.

The most important thing we’ve discovered is that…