The Value of Rejection: A Guest Post by Monica Bhide

This post is by Monica Bhide, who teaches our e-course Introduction to Food Writing, which starts on January 11.

A few years ago, I signed up with an agent and sent out my first formal book proposal. I had published two books earlier — the first one based on an idea that I sent a publisher and the second where the publisher came to me through an agent. But this was different, I had put my heart and soul into a detailed proposal for a book that I felt I was the right one to do.

The publishers were kind when they met us, even encouraging. Then came the rejections. My agent would call and say “So and so rejected the idea. Sorry. I am sending you the letter.” I was devastated to say the least. My budding new career as a writer was over, I felt, even before it began. I did not open a single letter my agent sent. Instead, I let them pile up and each day I would look at this pile growing just as my view of myself was a failure grew in parallel.

Then one day, after a few weeks of feeling very sorry for myself, I decided, I had to see exactly how much they hated the proposal. But more importantly, why?

I opened the first letter. And I was struck. The words enchanting, beautiful, lovely, peppered the letter. This was a rejection? The editor, then at St. Martin Press, wrote “Her work reads like a non-fiction Jhumpa Lahiri.” The letters offered suggestions on what worked and what did not. One even said that she did not read the proposal since she already had an Indian writer on her list.
I was stunned. And then, I opened them all.

There was, apparently, nothing wrong with the proposal or my writing. The editors at these major houses felt that I needed a platform to carry the book I was proposing and I did not have one yet. People did not know who I was and so they worried that the book would not sell.

I instantly regretted not reading the letters earlier. And instead of continuing to whine and feel sorry for myself, I began to work on an action plan to build a platform for a book about essays on food and contemporary Indian cooking. It took three years of hard work – I wrote for everyone and their grandfather, knocked on every door, wrote to every editor whose email I could find.

Yes, it took three years.

I sold my book – now updated based on all that I had learned from my rejection letters. Modern Spice was this book, and it sold out within 6 weeks of being printed.

Not all rejections are nice. I get a lot of mean rejections. One told me that I had no business being a writer and I should go back to being an engineer. Another one told me that there were too many food writers in this world and that I added nothing of value.

The key here is to take rejection for what it is – feedback. If you value the person it is coming from, then read it, take what you can and move on. But always consider the source. I get a lot of “No, thanks,” type responses to my queries to major newspapers and magazines. I have learnt to move on. Getting this thicker skin and being persistent in spite of getting rejected over and over again is critical to being successful in this business. [Monica Bhide]