What if the first person to reject your book isn't a publisher — it's you?
Alice is joined by Stacy Ennis — number-one bestselling author, founder of the Nonfiction Book School, and a writer who launched her career by deliberately collecting 29 rejections in 30 days. She talks about the second-grade rejection that branded her the "bad kid" in a tiny Christian school, the parent who bullied her in empty hallways, and the chip on her shoulder she's used ever since. But what makes Stacy fascinating isn't the survival story. It's the philosophy underneath: the rejection blocking most people's books was never going to come from the outside.
Stacy's reframe: most people's first rejector is themselves, and most authors never get past their own self-rejection to write a word. External rejection — the 99% of proposals turned down, the pitches that go nowhere — is just part of the game. The quieter, more lethal one is the voice asking "am I even worthy of writing this?" She invokes Esther Perel's idea that resilient people always had one person in their corner. Whether you've got a finished manuscript in a drawer or you're still telling yourself you'll start someday, this is a clear-eyed reframe of what writing a book — and getting rejected for it — is actually for.
In this episode they explore:
The second-grade rejection that followed her every year — and being called a liar when she asked for help
Esther Perel's one-person-in-your-corner theory.
Why your first rejector is yourself — and how self-rejection kills more books than any publisher
The numbers: 55% want to write a book, roughly 4% finish
Public accountability vs. public shaming — a launch date on the calendar 18 months out
Guilt-free breaks, and why "creating through chaos doesn't work" in nonfiction
Rethinking ROI — measuring a book by the stage it unlocks, not the copies it sells
Why she won't let authors use AI in early ideation — "it shuts you down so quickly from yourself"
Connect with Stacy:
Instagram @stacyennis https://www.instagram.com/stacyennis/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacylynn/
Website: https://stacyennis.com/
Join the newsletter: https://stacyennis.com/join
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-better-with-stacy-ennis/id1451233196
Chapters:
01:05 Two earliest rejections
04:00 Why rejection builds some, breaks others
06:05 Holding your sense of self
11:40 The one-person-in-your-corner theory
14:43 30 query letters, 30 days, one yes
19:07 Where fear stops people
24:27 Why your first rejector is yourself
27:25 The messy middle
30:00 Guilt-free breaks, and why "creating through chaos doesn't work" in nonfiction
33:20 Rethinking ROI by measuring a book by the stage it unlocks, not the copies it sells
37:20 Challenges in the writing process
40:30 Why AI shuts you down
43:00 Standing beside your best book
47:40 Where to find Stacy