Why I Love the Word: Next

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

When you partially fill a glass, is this glass half full or half empty? Your perspective is going to make a difference what actions you will take in the future. I tend to take the optimistic view of life and see the glass as half full. Is that your perspective?

Let’s face it. Writers hear the word “no” or “no thank you” often. Or they are ghosted with no response. If you are getting published or want to be published, then you need to be actively pitching. If you want to get published in a magazine, read the guidelines, craft a query letter to that editor and pitch. If you want to get a book published, then write a book proposal (your business plan even if you self-publish) and pitch. If you want to get on radio or podcasts, then you must pitch. Depending on your pitching skills and the person who receives you pitch, you get three possible response: yes, send it or no, not a fit or nothing (ghosted). From my years in publishing and being in some of the top editorial and literary offices in the country, from their questions to me, I know each of these professionals is actively reading their mail and email looking for the next bestseller (whether they respond to you or not). My question in this article is: how will you respond to their response to your pitch.

Rejection is a consistent part of the writing life--and for my life as an editor. The search for the right fit is hard. I pitch podcast hosts using PodMatch and do not get a response (ghosted) or turned down. I pitch authors on publishing with Morgan James and sometimes they do it and sometimes they pass on the opportunity. I’ve learned the hard way through getting rejected over and over that I can’t control the other person’s response. I can only control my side of the pitching process and continue moving forward.

There is a forgotten story about one of the bestselling series of books in the English language: Chicken Soup for the Soul. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen were rejected over 160 times in their search for a publisher. They recounted the story of their actions in Mark’s foreword to my Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams book. With each rejection, they could have tucked away their submission and stopped. Instead they looked at each other and said a single word, “Next.” This submission didn’t work and now they are looking for the next opportunity.

 See the hope and action orientation of using that single word: next? I encourage you to adopt this practice as you face rejection in your writing life. 

When you speak or think the word: next, you show:

• your commitment to this project and you will not give up but find the next place for it.
• an affirmation to your belief in the pitch and you will not shove it into a drawer.
• your continued commitment to search for the right fit for your idea and your pitch.
• an affirmation that you believe the world is filled with opportunity and you will continue to lookfor the right one.

As I mentioned earlier, you can’t control the response from any decision maker or gatekeeper or anyone else. You can only control your actions and commitment to continue the journey--in spite of the response.

Now you know why I love and use the word: next. How will you use it in your writing life? Or maybe you use another method to continue moving forward. Let me know in the comments below.

Podcasts:

The Raygacy Show Podcast: I enjoyed speaking with Rayson Choo LIVE about The Publishing Playbook: How to Succeed as an Author at: https://bit.ly/418conm 

Tweetable:

Rejection is a consistent part of our lives as writers. This prolific author and editor tells why he loves the word: Next in this article. (ClickToTweet)

Throughout my years in publishing, I understand many aspects of the publishing process are outside of anything an author can control. As I’ve spoken with many authors, I learned many of them have unrealistic expectations about publishing. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. Get my decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

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