Rejection is a part of life for all of us here and there, whether it be a crush who declines a date, a boss who passes over you for a promotion, or a loan application from the bank These are occasional disappointments in everyone’s lives. But for a writer, these disappointments can be a regular part of one’s existence and can lead to a lack of confidence or even depression.

There are countless stories about famous writers whose work was rejected by dozens of publishers before they finally found the right publisher, and these anecdotes can help buoy the spirits after a rejection. It is part of the nature of the writing business. According to Google, the rejection rate for literary and trade journals is 98 or 99%. That means for every 100 submissions a writer sends out only one, maybe two, are accepted and published. That’s a high rate of failure. In baseball, three hits out of every ten at bats is considered good. It might be better to be a baseball player.

But a writer must write. And writers want others to read their words, so a writer must also send out essays, articles, and poems, even knowing the slim odds of getting something published.

Recently I had entered a short story in a contest. I thought it was a good story, but when the winners were announced I not only did not finish first, second, or third, but also did not get honorable mention and was not a finalist. While it was disheartening, and I indulged in a bit of self-pity, I also realized that I needed to get over and past it and send the story elsewhere. It is a good story and I know it.

The thing is, you don’t know what is going on with the editor or judge on the other end. Perhaps they had room for five pieces and yours was in the top five, but the others were just a tad closer to their tastes. Or maybe their publication decides on a monthly theme and your essay would have been perfect for the previous month, but not the coming months. It’s possible that the editor just didn’t like your style and a different editor might love it.

Not every editor or reader is going to love everything you do. As a writer, you have to write for yourself first and foremost. If the piece satisfies you, then you have been successful, snf it likely will have a greater chance of acceptance by a magazine or journal. I keep a spreadsheet of all of my submissions and have been fortunate to have a much higher rate of acceptance than the 1-2 percent noted above. There are certain things you can do to make your chances better.

First, make sure the piece is as you want it. Review and edit. Review and edit. Review and edit until you are satisfied that it is as good as it can be (this doesn’t mean that an editor won’t still want change0. If it is not, set it aside and come back to it later. Check spelling and grammar. Misspelled words or grammatical errors can lead to an immediate move to the rejection pile. Also, feel free to use spell/grammar check, but do not accept all of their results without question. They are often mistaken.

Research the publications where you want to send the piece. Most like a certain tone or style. Make sure yours matches that or send it elsewhere.

Review the publication’s submission guidelines. They can be specific in what they want. If they ask for 12-point Times New Roman for your tent and you send your story in 10-point Calibri, it may get tossed aside without a look. They can be picky in how they want submissions to look.

If a publication accepts simultaneous submissions, by all means send it to a number of places. If one publication accepts it, make sure to contact the others to let them know you need to withdraw it.

Don’t sit and wait for that one submission to be accepted. Often, journals can take three months, six months, or more to accept or reject a piece. The waiting can be the hardest part, so it is best to fill that time with submitting other pieces and continuing to write.

The only sure thing is that you will have rejections. It is no judgement on you as a writer or as a person. You may have just sent it to the wrong place or at the wrong time. Keep your head up, keep writing, and keep submitting.