Have you ever wondered why a publisher (when dealing with small presses or publishers who accept unsolicited submissions) or an agent might turn down a manuscript that is perfectly and flawlessly written? What’s that? Only poorly written/edited works get rejected, you say? Think again. Every writer, including the best selling authors (enter whatever name you want here; Rowling, King, or any other) had their best work rejected more than once.

Here are five reasons this may happen, and will happen to those of us who will try traditional publishing. Don’t be disheartened. Our time will come one way or another. But it’s still helpful to identify the reasons behind a rejection, so that our ego and precious feelings don’t get crushed every time we receive one. You see, it’s not always your fault.