rejection is a two-step process— you must submit to be rejected

issue 94 ♡ my first and second rejection letters from a publisher

Jun 15, 2025

you must submit in order to be rejected. words & pictures by dee kawai tang :)

dearest readers,

this week lets tune into rejection. in part I i share my earth-bound lens and the very new and humbling experience of pitching to publishers and welcoming rejection. in part II i received meditation notes from my higher self and guides on the soul lesson of submitting.

part I.

submit (verb):// to give or offer something for a decision to be made by others

i have learnt that rejection (and romance) is truly a two-step process. in order to be rejected, you must first take action to submit. so i did— and submitted a non-fiction manuscript to an australian publisher rockpool in march and followed it up with submitting a picture book manuscript. this type of yang driven action, i a-liken to asking someone out. so i asked them out on a blind date, basically.

my submittal or pitch or pick up line to the publisher is not dissimilar to creating a tinder profile— where i make my best attempt with the tools and knowledge available in that moment of time, to present as awesome and dateable as possible on paper or pdf even, so that they will accept my pitch and publish my book— or at least say yes to a first date/meeting.

however this was not the case with my first submittal/attempt to ask a publisher out. i received my first rejection ‘letter’ for the submission #6805 (non-fiction manuscript) recently and then yesterday i received a second rejection for submission #6806 (picture book manuscript) from the same publisher. yes, i asked them out twice with slightly different pick up lines and outfits and they declined twice. below are screenshots of the emails received for submission #6805 and #6806. the rejections are the same, stock standard reply.

my second rejection ‘letter’. same dog different leg.

my strange wish for encouraging or even disparaging feedback was dashed. i couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that the rejection reply was the same monotonous rejection. like someone sending the same exact *yawn* text to every person who asked them out— not even changing the emoji. i couldn’t help but wish that my rejection letter was a little cuter or even a little more belittling— because any feedback could be good feedback and would give me something to work on for my next pitch.

perhaps its been depicted too many times in films, where writers receive these beautifully typed rejection letters from publishers— but in reality if you’re lucky— you are gonna receive a routine reply email like this one.

the rejection does put me in good company with many scribes who have had their manuscripts declined numerous times. j.k rowlings’ first manuscript harry Potter and the philosopher's stone was rejected by 12 publishers. stephen king's first novel carrie was rejected by 30 publishers before it was published. dr. seuss’s first book was rejected 27 times. joseph heller’s catch-22 was rejected 22 times. eckhart tolle's book the power of now was rejected 15 times.

and while it sucks to be rejected there is also something affirming, something final and something definitive that it spells out— WE DON’T LIKE YOU. WE DON’T WANT YOU. PLS DON’T BOTHER US AGAIN. the rejection is loud and clear, no if’s or buts. instead of being just left hanging there, neither here or there, where the sound of silence is more a loud whisper— WE CAN’T EVEN BE F**KED TO TELL YOU THAT YOU SUCK. WE DIDN’T EVEN BOTHER TO READ IT.

so in light of this beige and benign rejection, i have illustrated my own version of the first rejection letter. this is my rejection of the rejection letter itself, not so much the rejection. in the filmic scenes playing out in my mind, the ideal lettre de refus is scripted in calligraphy or typed on a loud typewriter, slightly snooty or downright snobby in tone— then stamped and sealed with one of those fancy wax blobs with a narrators voiceover seething as they read it aloud in a voice like harry potters professor snape.

the dream rejection letter from the not interested publishing house.

part II.

submitting is the only way for to learn the yang lesson of action and the way the masculine in many ways have to present themselves in society. they have to submit and offer themselves up to their leading ladies or men and they have to peacock and show off their most favourable qualities in an act, similar to preening or pea-cocking or just plain showing off.

men or the masculine-oriented have this task in hand if they want to ‘score’ or aim to get the ‘best’ catch of the day or in their lives. generally it is the male or masculine trait to ‘accost’, ‘attack’ or apply the moves on their unsuspecting victims and generally those more steeped in their feminine are to receive willingly or reject.

you must submit to subdue your souls yearning. this is similar to pitching— as you must ask, in order to be received. but you cannot receive a ball back in your hand, if you have not stepped up to the plate and pitched as best as you can possibly conceive in that moment of time and space reality.

there is a window open now to enter the realm of infinite and incandescent wonder making. it is an exciting and exalted place to be — the window is open, so do not waste, make haste and pitch away.

love woo-tang xx

ps. related posts you may enjoy or reject :)