Addresses Quote by Barbara Kingsolver
“This manuscript of yours that has just come back from another editor is a precious package. Don't consider it rejected. Consider that you've addressed it 'to the editor who can appreciate my work' and it has simply come back stamped 'Not at this address'. Just keep looking for the right address.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, 2015
A manuscript rejected by one editor may still find a suitable home; persistence matters more than a single rejection.
In simple terms: Rejected work can still find the right audience.
Key Takeaway
Keep submitting until you find the right fit.
Themes
persistence
resilience
publishing
creativity
Mood
determined
hopeful
reflective
Type
advice
motivational
literary
When to use this quote
- sending queries
- revising drafts
- networking with agents
- attending literary events
Key Concepts
literary market
editorial feedback
authorial mindset
Questions to Reflect On
- What alternative avenues could you explore for your manuscript?
- How do you maintain confidence after repeated setbacks?
A Different Perspective
Even after rejection, confidence can wane, making persistence hard.
![“I pulled out the manuscript [from the envelope] and a great big stiff cardboard finger sprung up. This is someone that was so certain they would be rejected, they would be getting their revenge in advance. I was lucky - it could have been a pipe bomb.” quote by Gardner Dozois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c3c/gardner-dozois-84936_bigs_i-pulled-out-the-manuscript-from-the-env_2903433.jpg)
![“The manuscript you submit [should not] contain any flaws that you can identify - it is up to the writer to do the work, rather than counting on some stranger in Manhattan to do it for him.” quote by Richard North Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cd8/richard-north-patterson-25352_counting_the-manuscript-you-submit-should-not-con_719345.jpg)
![“[T]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres.” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/be6/arthur-schopenhauer-226_addresses_t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between_32897.jpg)
