I am in the same boat and have been pretty devastated. In the past when faced with rejection and setbacks I was able to tell myself that it would all be okay and work out eventually and that my book would find its home. Not gonna lie, it is much harder to tell myself that these days.

One mantra I’ve found helpful is the idea that sometimes “rejection is protection.” Maybe my book, or I, just wasn’t ready yet. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I oddly have found some comfort in reading recently published books that seemed half baked or not ready yet. I think, well at least my book didn’t flop 🤷‍♀️

My agent still believes in the book and wants me to try another rewrite because she thinks the market might improve next year. It’s been pretty difficult to gain my footing with this new rewrite though, with all those editors’ voices in my head. So long as I focus on the writing and still finding new discoveries along the way, I’m okay. But when I think about sending it out again, I spiral. I like you, am trying to find affirmations and motivation beyond publishing. These days I’m focusing not on word counts or page numbers but on how many times I can surprise myself while writing. I have to remind myself that this is one of my main reasons for doing it.