Daddio: Acceptance of Rejection

As I posted before, we're trying to get my book published.  Major book publishers don't accept unsolicited manuscripts, so you have to get an agent first.  We've submitted it to a half dozen agents so far, and I got my first rejection last week.  Here's what the rejection said, in its entirety (I've taken out the agent's name, and the comments in brackets are mine):

Many thanks for your submission – I do appreciate you thinking of me and [Literary Agency].

I’m sorry to say that in this instance I am going to pass on your work. The children’s and YA [young adult] market is very competitive, as you may well know, and I’m afraid I don’t feel your story is quite standout enough for me to be confident of placing it for you at this time.

Another agent may well, of course, feel differently – this remains a very subjective business.

Wishing you all the very best and thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to consider your work.

I'm fairly confident from the generic nature of the email that it was a form rejection letter.  I also got it within 24 hours after I submitted it to the agency.

An interesting thing happened when I read the rejection, though.  I actually felt a sense of relief.  It was weird, but a part of me would be happy if the book doesn't get any interest at all, because I know that if it does then people are going to want to tinker with my plot and make me make a bunch of changes that I don't want to make.  So part of me would like to have it get rejected because then I could just write the other two books in the series the way I want to write them and tell the stories I have already planned.

Part of me was also irritated, though, that anyone would read about my book and not fall in love with it right away.  And, of course, my ever-hungry ego wants as many people to like my book as possible, and wants it to get published so I can be Rowling-rich and famous.

Realistically, though, I know that there are many more rejections coming for me in the future, so I would like to celebrate this one.  Because I'll only ever get my first rejection ever.  Huzzah!