As a publication owner of a "big" publication and a sorta-"big"-writer, I can tell you my dear man - publications and writer audiences are all built from the starting grounds of 0.

Only with 1 follower, do 10 follow, and so on - the number steadily grows, atop consistent improving work, over months and years - even a decade for some Medium long-timers.

I've myself faced a ton of rejections in the early days and it was a cool challenge to get into the "cool" pubs - Publishous, The Ascent, Startup, Better Humans, etc. back in the day...

If not for those editors and their "strict" bar for quality, I wouldn't be half the writer I am today.

Take rejections in good spirit brother. No one's out there to lobby against you - people are too busy living lives. Most editors/pub_owners are even busier in most cases.

No rejection is personal. Period. Build a good rapport and show a deep willingness to improve - and most editors would be glad to give you feedback and help you improve as a writer...

Till this day, I continue to get such feedback points, minor or not, that I feel grateful for. Sometimes, a second look after a rejection will itself show ample opportunities for improvement.

Good day and Godspeed to you!