80+ ways publishing can reject you AFTER a book deal
As an aspiring author, I thought once I got a book deal, things would be smooth sailing. Here's what I wish I knew...
Whenever I post about what it’s really like to be a traditionally published author, I get replies or DMs from new authors like, “WHAT?? I HAD NO IDEA!” This tends to surprise me because it feels like we all commiserate about this stuff constantly, but then I laugh at myself, because 7-8 years ago, I didn’t know most of this, either!
And I get sad about that sometimes. The fact that I didn’t know. Surely authors were complaining then, too! But even now, the information is so scattered, the anecdotes so often shared behind closed doors, it’s hard to learn all of it without years of being enmeshed in it.
Still, I wish I knew more earlier. Many of my biggest pain points have been out of my control, but others have been preventable, fixable things I could’ve avoided or resolved quicker if they weren’t such surprises. Or maybe they would’ve been less heartbreaking if I’d known to brace for them, or I would’ve chosen a different publishing path altogether.
This inspired me to write a series with tips based on things I’ve learned the hard way, so you don’t have to. Since I have so many tips, I’m splitting them up by topic:
80+ ways publishing can reject you AFTER a book deal 👈 you’re here!
Book marketing
Life as an author
Let’s start by talking about rejection. As an aspiring author, I thought once I got a book deal, things would be smooth sailing relative to the awful five years I spent on submission with three different agents and three different projects.
Turns out, it gets even worse. Publishing always seems to come up with creative new ways to reject you!
If you’re pre-book deal, this can be hard to process, because at that point you’d kill to make it that far. But there’s something about being so close to seeing your dreams actualized and still getting rejected so often—after all that—that can take a deep toll. It’s more than just moving goal posts… it’s the realization that your dream maybe isn’t such a dream after all.
To help others brace for reality better than I did, I’m dishing the dirt: 80+ ways you can get rejected in publishing after getting an offer for a book deal.
If you’re an author, this isn’t meant to scare you off from traditional publishing, but to help you feel less crushed when these happen, because you’re not alone. Many of these are common. Which is scary, yes, but you can make smarter business decisions and ask your publishing team smart questions if you can better assess your risk. And if you’re already knee deep in the trenches, I hope this validates you and provides some comforting solidarity.
If you’re a reader, I hope this is… um… entertaining? 🤣 Maybe it’ll even motivate you to shout about your favorite author on TikTok, Instagram, or via Amazon/Goodreads reviews, because after all they’ve been through, WOO, lemme tell you, they’ll sure appreciate it!
To be clear, not all of these have happened to me, but they each DO happen. I won’t say which I’ve personally experienced; I’m not sharing this to complain, but to arm authors with information. If I’ve missed things (I’m sure I have), please add them to the comments!
You get an offer (yay!) and your agent pings the remaining editors hoping to drum up an auction, but no one else bites, and you get a lower advance or worse terms than you were hoping for.
Your deal is for paperback or ebook only, and you wanted your book in hardcover or print.
Your publisher won’t let your agent keep foreign or audio or whatever rights you wanted to keep.
Your contract falls through altogether. Back to square one! This is worse if you’ve already invested time in writing the story/edits.
Your book doesn’t sell UK and/or translation rights.
Your agency or publisher attends a foreign rights festival (Frankfurt, Bologna, London Book Fair, etc.) and doesn’t display your book at their booth or include it in their catalog.
Your editor requests a full rewrite during developmental edits.
Your editor ghosts you on edits for months (or longer), pushing your payments and publishing season.
Your publisher picks a cover you don’t like and vetoes your feedback because the sales team is “happy.”
A cover or character art illustrator declines your project or ghosts you.
Publications/magazines decline to host your cover reveal.
Your publisher doesn’t give your book packaging any special treatment (sprayed edges, illustrated endpapers, casing illustrations or foil, jacket foil or spot treatment, a map).
An author declines to blurb your book.
Your publisher declines to print ARCs for your book.
Your publisher declines to put your eARC on Netgalley.
You get negative ratings on Goodreads before ARCs even go out.
Your publisher declines to run Goodreads giveaways for your book (or runs fewer than their other upcoming releases).
One of the trades gives your book a scathing review (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Booklist, Shelf Awareness, etc.).
Some of the trades don’t review your book altogether.
Your book isn’t included in relevant “Most Anticipated” or “Best of” lists.
Barnes & Noble doesn’t pick your book for a special edition or monthly book club pick.
Barnes & Noble places a small order or declines to stock your book altogether.
The big box stores—Target, Costco, Walmart, etc.—decline to stock your book.
Airports never stock your book.
Specific indie bookstores decline to stock your book when you reach out.
You find out via Edelweiss or your editor that your print run will be smaller than you hoped (or were initially told).
On Edelweiss, your publisher hasn’t added a banner or any supplemental material (author’s note, comp title map, one-sheeter) to make your listing more enticing to booksellers and librarians, but has for their other upcoming titles.
No big book boxes select your book (Book of the Month, OwlCrate, Illumicrate, Fae Crate, etc.).
No big book clubs select your book (Reese, Oprah, Jenna, etc.).
Your book doesn’t get picked for other big lists (Indie Next, Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, etc.).
In general, your publisher is doing less promo for your book than their other upcoming releases.
Contacts on your team don’t write back to your emails or decline your requests.
Your publisher goes under and shuts down before your book launches. Back to square one!
Your editor leaves your imprint and your publisher consequently drops your book’s distribution/marketing support.
The audiobook narrator you wanted declines the project, or your publisher declines to consider them due to budget restrictions.
Your author copies arrive and you discover something missing from the packaging that was promised (e.g. foil stamps on the casing).
You try to build an ARC team or a street team, but nobody applies.
Influencers decline to accept a free copy of your book.
Influencers do accept a copy, but never post about it.
Podcasts you or your publicist pitched you to turn you down or ghost.
Reviewers negatively review your book on Goodreads, social media, etc.—and worse if they tag you.
You don’t get many book reviews at all.
A TikTok hate review about your book goes viral.1
A fellow author or nemesis trolls you anonymously on Goodreads.2
You don’t get invited to book festivals you wanted to attend, or your publisher declines to pitch/send you.
Your publisher declines to send you on tour or help you book any launch events.
A bookstore declines to host your event.
Teachers or libraries decline to book you for class/library visits.
An author declines to be your in-conversation partner.
Nobody shows up to your launch event.
Your book launches in a crowded publishing week and drowns under the flashier titles.
Your book publishes the same day/week as some huge breaking news story or global catastrophe so it drowns in the noise. (But hopefully YOU are ok! That matters most!)
Your publisher doesn’t post about your book on social media on launch day/week.
You don’t get the flashy things: a billboard in Times Square, spots on national TV talkshows, coverage from mainstream media, a review from the New York Times or NPR—lump ‘em all in here.
Your book publishes with a major misprint (pages, jacket, casing, another author’s acknowledgements, an outdated manuscript version for the audiobook, etc.); not an intentional rejection, of course, but it’s still crushing.
Bookstores and libraries don’t stock your book on launch week due to a distribution/warehouse error or ISBN data glitch.
You don’t hit the bestseller lists (New York Times, USA Today, Indie, Wall Street Journal, etc.).
You walk into a bookstore and find none of your books on their shelves.
Your book doesn’t get nominated for relevant awards.
Or if it does get nominated, it doesn’t win.3
Your publisher declined or forgot to submit your book for consideration to those relevant awards at all.
Your book never gets optioned for film or TV.
If your book does get optioned, it never makes it further in the process, and the option expires.
You can’t secure representation from a film agent at all.
Your TikToks, Reels, or other social media posts “flop.”
You don’t get invited to author communities (Discords, Facebook groups, group chats).
You get ejected from an author community for something you didn’t do wrong (like calling out problematic behavior or views).
An author friend drops you because you’re not successful enough or too successful.
Your book was first printed as a hardcover, and your publisher declines to publish a paperback.
Your book gets remaindered and your publisher refuses to revert the rights (e.g. if you’re slightly above the contracted threshold), effectively holding your story hostage.
You audition for an IP project, but the packager or imprint chooses a different author.
Nobody ever invites you to write a short story for an anthology, or you don’t get selected if you apply.
You pitch an article for a publication or guest post, and it doesn’t get selected.
You ask your publisher to submit your discounted ebook for a BookBub Featured Deal, but they decline to submit your book, or BookBub doesn’t select it to feature.
You run a paid ad yourself, and it doesn’t generate clicks or sales.
Your publisher rejects your option.
Your publisher rejects your next contracted book, telling you they want a different idea. This can happen multiple times. They could even cancel your contract.
Your publisher rejects the final book in a series if sales haven’t met their expectations, leaving you with an incomplete series and disappointed readers.
Your agent declines to submit your next project and asks for another idea instead.
Your agent puts you back on submission, but publishers reject it or ghost your agent.
Your agent drops you.
An agent rejects/ghosts your query.
An agent with your full manuscript rejects/ghosts you.
Feels like you’re right back where you started—uncontracted and agentless.
WHEW!!! I’M SO SORRY to paint such a grim picture with those last few. But I’ve seen this play out in real-time enough to know… well… it happens. But if ANY of the above ever happen to you, please know you’re not alone. You’re truly, truly not. 🫂
Do some authors get big advances and lots of support out of the gate to become instant bestsellers and face less rejection along the way? Sure! But that’s not the reality for most authors. Becoming a published author (whether you trad or self-pub!) takes grit and stubborn perseverance, and knowledge is power.
If you’re looking for even more validation like this, read this post from my friend Dahlia Adler: “It’s Not Just You”
And if you’re looking for a dash of positivity after all that, I wrote up my favorite things about being an author here. 🫶
I personally don’t think this is a bad thing—one time it happened to me, it boosted sales a TON, and I was so pleased haha.
I wouldn’t say this one is common, so don’t worry about it, but it’s happened to enough people I thought it worth mentioning because when it does happen, it can feel extremely isolating.
Eh! I think it’s cool just to be nominated. And I’d perish if I ever had to give an acceptance speech lmao.
85. Your local (only) bookshop in your town rejects your suggestion of doing an in-store book signing. (True story 😔)
Sadly, I have experienced quite a few of these! It's rough in this business.