First Rejection

I sent out my first manuscript, the novel After the Dream, back in December.  I've just received my first publisher rejection.  But I shot back an email and got back some useful global feedback, a general direction in which to head.

I will not let one rejection stop me.  It is a setback but not a defeat.  I will take the manuscript, refine it further, get more feedback, and at least as importantly, get an editor's feedback.  I still believe in my characters and my story.  I won't even necessarily go back to the same publisher, but we shall see.  Perhaps eventually, I will end up having to look into independent publishing because the market is not very broad in my chosen genre.  I will continue to work forward on the sequel/spinoff while refining the first one.

On the bright side, there's no longer any rush to get that second book ready before the publisher asks for it.  However, I do have a fan base among my friends.  They are eager to read it.  And it's for my readers I'm writing, anyway.  This is part of my calling, my mission on this earth, and I won't let one rejection stand between me and achieving it.