It’s December, it gets dark in the afternoon, and it’s freezing here in Ohio…what better time to dive into the cheery topic of rejection? Better yet, how about a clip show of rejection goodies? LOL, you’re welcome! This mini episode features clips from seven guests who appeared on Page Count in 2025 and offered some rejection-related insights on everything from submission strategies to the importance of separating the business from the art, writing out of spite, persistence, and beyond. Plus, Laura shares her own rejection stats from 2025. So what are you waiting for? Dust off your cover letter, log into your Submittable account, and take a listen.

The following episodes were excerpted for this rejection extravaganza:

• The Art of Editing with The Cincinnati Review
• Clicking Our Heels Three Times with Dr. Taylor Byas
• Experimental Fiction with Mary Grimm
• Page Count Live: Writing Toward Peace with Loung Ung
• Touring the Paul Laurence Dunbar House
• Librarians are Superheroes with Karen Henry Clark
• Speculative Fiction at the Columbus Book Festival

Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. For full show notes and an edited transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.