In a very honest essay about persevering as fiction writer (and having the faith to try it in the first place), Eva Lomski discusses how she manages the submissions and rejection process:
The best way I found to avoid misery over rejection was to ensure I had as many stories on submission as possible, so that when the inevitable email arrived, my emotional investment was left relatively unscathed. Every so often, I went through the spreadsheet, counted my “successes” and calculated my hit rate. It remained stable.
Click here to read Eva’s entire essay, in the latest Glimmer Train bulletin.
Read more essays on the writing life at Glimmer Train’s site:
- Some Things I Didn’t Realize About Myself Before I Wrote Them Down by Stefani Nellen
- Write Locally by William Luvaas

Jane Friedman (@JaneFriedman) has nearly 25 years of experience in the media & publishing industry. She is the publisher of The Hot Sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2019.
In addition to being a professor with The Great Courses (How to Publish Your Book), she is the author of The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal.
Jane speaks regularly at conferences and industry events such as Digital Book World and Frankfurt Book Fair, and has served on panels with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund. Find out more.