Lesson on Rejection

[Merry]

Well, my 13 year old swears he hates Daw Books because they just rejected my novel, 'The Mysterious Calling of Mike Malone.' (He'll get over it; he just really likes the story.) But at least the rejection letter wasn't one of the 'it doesn't meet our requirements at this time...ie...get lost...' variety. It was at least friendly enough to suggest that there was still hope for the story.

FOr the first time I wasn't bummed but just started to formulate a new plan. Let's face it, the book market is awfully iffy for a major company to go risking there assests on a new writer. And maybe...maybe...this just wasn't the right publishing house for it...but most often rejection means something needs to be improved. So I am looking at that right now. I started with the packaging to make suire it wasn't an annoying mess to unpack the manuscript and there was no problem with them being able to do the return postage I sent (huh..yeah, no problem there! Lol!)

The cover-letter still read well, but I'm going to be reading over the first chapter to make sure it's enough of a hook. You know what? I bought one of Stephen Kings latest novels and frankly, it was kind of dull. As new guys, we can't get away with that. (He shouldn't be able to either...but hey..) SO I'm re-working the writing and just in case it was the wrong home...I'm fixing up packages for two other publishing houses, one secular, one Christian.

So it may sound unfair that we have to have come up with the equivalent of Miss universe for a manuscript while the established guys can do fuzzy robes and curlers, but hey, that's life and what fun is it without a semi-impossible challenge? Why nothing I tell you! Nothing!

[Phy]

I wonder how the secular world translates 'calling'. Is it a word that is positively charged, neutral, negatively charged? (This is a rhetorical question - I don't know the answer.)

Best wishes with your manuscript!

[Merry]

I dunno...I've wondered if that wasn't part of the problem which is why I'm trying out a Christian publisher also.

Thanks!

[DraperJC]

Amazing Yet Semi-Interesting Side Note: Mike Malone is the name of a former commanding officer of mine, I think he lives in San Diego now.

[Merry]

Well, my Mike Malone is a faithful defender of humanity so, right on! I bet your Mike is pretty good guy, too!

[Higginsh]

Maybe we need to consider "rejection" as more a process of elimination to get to the correct publisher?!?!

It is all in the paradigm.

hh

[P.K.mama]

I have had a professor once tell me that you have not truely been rejected until you work has been rejected at least 200 times. My saying is you have not truely failed unless you've never tried.

[love2write]

Publishing is a business. Getting rejections is part of being a writer. I just wish there was another word for it. It is more of 'passing' on your work. It just might not be the right fit for that publisher. So keep trying.

You might want to consider submitting to literary agents first.

[Merry]

Yeah, I've sent queries to three different agents this weekend. I really could use an agent.

[paulchernoch]

My heart goes out to you, Merry. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will grant you the desires of your heart. Hard to believe, but essential.

- Paul

[writeaway]

well merry, don't be discouraged. I HAVE been rejected over 200 times at least and have tried to get 5 novels published now going on 22 years. that's two two's. This week i sent out a bunch more query letters. I will query everyone possible-=-agent, publisher, you name it until the list ends. and then i wait a year or two and do it all again, hoping for a new editor to appear on the scene. I have had to delight in the writing process and detach from the selling part, otherwise I would probably give up and live on anti-depressants. :) susanne

[Phy]

According to conventional wisdom, you should be right about there. Brandon Sanderson wrote out his first five novels and set each aside. Then he wrote Elantris and struck serious pay dirt.

[Merry]

Thanks all...wow...3 more novels to go..

[GentleJourneyAu]

I read somewhere long ago that a manuscript in a slush pile is like a can of peas at the market sitting among all the other cans of peas. When a person comes along and chooses one or two cans and leaves yours, it doesn't mean yours was not on a par with the others; the person just picked the first two that struck her and didn't need any more peas that week(year). I don't know if that helps, but for some reason it helps me.