We all face rejection. Here's how to deal.

"There are too many factors for me to mentally or emotionally take full responsibility for a rejection. So, I don’t."

Rejection can be confusing, demoralizing, and a real kick in the gut. Don’t let it be! (via ChatGPT)

No no no no no. No. Nah. Pass. Interesting, but not for us. Sorry, not in our budget this month. No thank you, but best of luck finding a home for it!

Sound familiar?

Rejection is, sadly, part of the day-to-day life of a freelancer. Every “yes” we get is built on a mountain of “no’s” that preceded it. There’s no way around it, that’s just business as usual. There are countless reasons editors turn down pitches, and surprisingly few of them have to do with the specific story in question. This is true! I promise! In all the years I spent commissioning stories for NYT, by far the most common reason I would pass on a story was: I’m just not looking right now. It was nothing against the writer, the story, or the idea; it was just bad timing.

The reality is, editors can’t respond with specific feedback to every pitch — if they did, that would be the whole job — so there’s rarely any indication …