Count Submissions, Not Rejections

Many writers have a number they track. For most of us, it's the number of rejections we've received. Somewhere around rejection 100, I began to take a perverse pride in the growing tally. Rejection is the author's badge of honor, right?

Then picture book writer Carol Gordon Ekster posted this on Twitter the other day:

My 1000th submission just entered the folder on desktop. Writing 12 yrs now. Not bad.If u don't submit, u don't get published!
— Carol Gordon Ekster (@cekster) May 23, 2014

It occurred to me that I've been counting all wrong. The number I should be tracking is not my rejections, but my submissions. As Carol wrote, you can't get published if you don't submit. And you can't control your rejections -- only your submissions.

Order Deadwood, coming from Spencer Hill, June 24, 2014

I'm not advocating for leafleting the publishing world with books that aren't ready, to editors who aren't right. But if you're counting submissions, there's no number that's too high. You don't reach a wall -- you keep building.

So what's my number? Somewhere over 300. That's 300 times I reached out, 300 times I had faith in my work, 300 times when I was willing to risk my ego, 300 times I allowed myself to hope.

And yes, I'm proud of that. I admit that my number of rejections and my number of submissions are very, very closely correlated. So I don't need to tell you my rejection number.

I have one book coming out in three weeks. If that percentage doesn't sound impressive, that's OK. That one wouldn't have happened without the 300.

What's your number?  

About Kell Andrews:  Kell Andrews writes picture books and middle grade novels. Deadwood, her middle-grade contemporary fantasy about a cursed tree, comes out from Spencer Hill Middle Grade June 24, 2014.