“I think I've always been somebody, since the deaths of my father and brother, who was afraid to hope. So, I was more prepared for failure and for rejection than for success.”
Amy Tan

Writers are such delicate souls.  But

we are a lot stronger than we think.  It takes a lot of guts to sit down and write a great article or book because, if you are any good at it, you give up a piece of yourself and put it out there on the chopping block.  Here’s the deal.  Blood is going to be

shed on all sides, but in the end you, the agent and the editor are in this to put out a product and make money.  If you go in understanding that, then you’re going to succeed … eventually.

Brace yourself.  This could be a rough ride.

you are just going to end up with a second rejection. 

However …

 

If an agent or editor takes the time to send you a personalized letter of rejection that mentions the work

You are going to find yourself analyzing the first friendly rejection you get for any clues as to whether or not you should rework your manuscript and resubmit.  Unless it says to resubmit in plain words, then

you submitted specifically, then you have passed the first level of rejection and moved into the hot zone.  You have something that a stranger was willing to read and take the time to comment on. 

What it means

should send out 100 resumes to get one interview.  While that may work in the real world, in the publishing world you may send out 100 queries but you will get back 100 rejections if you don’t do your homework and

stalk the agents and editors you should be targeting.  I tried the shot gun approach and it was a complete waste of time.  It wasn’t until I set about getting to know something about the editors and agents that things clicked. 

Shot Gun vs Sharp Shooter

“The grunt dies for nothing, for fifteen thousand poorly placed rounds; the sniper dies for that one perfect shot.”  Anthony Swofford Jarhead   

The job hunting bible What Color is My Parachute suggests that you

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Rejection: Creativity from adversity

Erzulie’s Veve ~

I wrote poems in my corner of the Brooks Street station. I sent them to two editors who rejected them right off. I read those letters of rejection years later and I agreed with those editors.

Carl Sandburg

For over a year I continued to submit mss, and have them rejected - the last few with rejection letters indicated the story was pretty good, but I was American.
Nora Roberts