Linda Sacco's Blog - Posts Tagged "rejection"
Rejections and Acceptances: My Journey as a Writer
When I was a studying Professional Writing and Editing, I was told to volunteer at publications as a way of getting your work published. I did this at a local volunteer-run newspaper and wrote mostly what I was told to write about. For no money, just the sheer joy of starting a portfolio.
Fast forward to another year and a bit, and I had a better sense of what I wanted to write about. With the help of the writing course, I crafted a review of an unusual bookshop in Melbourne and it was accepted into a national magazine. For money!
Later, as a university graduate, I sought out an advertised editor position. I called for more information and the man seemed keener to talk about an upcoming non-fiction book series they wanted writers for. That’s how I ended up writing a manuscript about dog breeds with all the information a dog seeker needed to match their lifestyle to a breed. When I had finished the manuscript, I attempted to contact this man, to no avail. Unbeknown to me, it was simply a vanity press, and that great non-fiction series didn’t produce more than one title. I was left with a manuscript that had no publisher.
Undaunted, I contacted 15 publishers. I had a full manuscript and even photographs from dog breeders, many of whom I had interviewed about their chosen breed. It was rejected by every publisher. Some rejected it because it didn’t fit into their line, or they had a similar title being published soon. Some gave a form receipt or did not reply.
I left the project and continued on with my freelance work for magazines. But magazine editors often change hands. And when they do, freelancers, (or at least this one), weren’t really needed anymore.
By then, I had become aware of Smashwords, an ebook distributer and online bookstore. The free ebook, Smashwords Style Guide is an easy how to guide on turning a Microsoft Word document into an ebook. I tried this avenue. It worked. I started a whole series called Which Is Your Perfect Pet? with titles on Dog Breeds, Cat Breeds, Birds and Designer Dogs, with more to come. So far, the books have sold in 32 countries worldwide.
Where would I be if I had given up on my manuscript? The work was rejected, not the writer. Just because someone else rejected the work, doesn’t mean I stopped believing in it.
I kept this mantra alive when it came to my creative work, namely my poems. I have had around 30 poems published, but two of my favourite poems, Camouflage and Tangled Web, were collectively rejected over 60 times. Due to this burn, I decided to self-publish a collection of poetry, just so these could somehow see the light of day. At the tail end of organising the publication, I decided to send them out to literary publications just one more time. And yes, they were finally accepted. I had found the right publications at the right time.
Rejection isn’t the end of the world for a writer. For me, and so many others, it can be a catalyst for a career moving forward, on our own terms.
Fast forward to another year and a bit, and I had a better sense of what I wanted to write about. With the help of the writing course, I crafted a review of an unusual bookshop in Melbourne and it was accepted into a national magazine. For money!
Later, as a university graduate, I sought out an advertised editor position. I called for more information and the man seemed keener to talk about an upcoming non-fiction book series they wanted writers for. That’s how I ended up writing a manuscript about dog breeds with all the information a dog seeker needed to match their lifestyle to a breed. When I had finished the manuscript, I attempted to contact this man, to no avail. Unbeknown to me, it was simply a vanity press, and that great non-fiction series didn’t produce more than one title. I was left with a manuscript that had no publisher.
Undaunted, I contacted 15 publishers. I had a full manuscript and even photographs from dog breeders, many of whom I had interviewed about their chosen breed. It was rejected by every publisher. Some rejected it because it didn’t fit into their line, or they had a similar title being published soon. Some gave a form receipt or did not reply.
I left the project and continued on with my freelance work for magazines. But magazine editors often change hands. And when they do, freelancers, (or at least this one), weren’t really needed anymore.
By then, I had become aware of Smashwords, an ebook distributer and online bookstore. The free ebook, Smashwords Style Guide is an easy how to guide on turning a Microsoft Word document into an ebook. I tried this avenue. It worked. I started a whole series called Which Is Your Perfect Pet? with titles on Dog Breeds, Cat Breeds, Birds and Designer Dogs, with more to come. So far, the books have sold in 32 countries worldwide.
Where would I be if I had given up on my manuscript? The work was rejected, not the writer. Just because someone else rejected the work, doesn’t mean I stopped believing in it.
I kept this mantra alive when it came to my creative work, namely my poems. I have had around 30 poems published, but two of my favourite poems, Camouflage and Tangled Web, were collectively rejected over 60 times. Due to this burn, I decided to self-publish a collection of poetry, just so these could somehow see the light of day. At the tail end of organising the publication, I decided to send them out to literary publications just one more time. And yes, they were finally accepted. I had found the right publications at the right time.
Rejection isn’t the end of the world for a writer. For me, and so many others, it can be a catalyst for a career moving forward, on our own terms.
The Case Against Publishing Too Much
Writing is a lifelong vocation. I have seen many writers give up after a couple years or so because the big publishing house didn’t roll out the red carpet. If you love writing – you will be writing for life. With such an investment, you will quietly build a vast amount of work. Then you can be picky about what you want the public to see (and not see). Don’t send out or publish the drafts you’re tired of. That’s an amateur move.
Quality Counts
Getting to write THE END in caps is a huge achievement! You have reached the goal of finishing your manuscript. (Notice I said manuscript, not book).
After the euphoria wears off, you must edit. Take it page by page, chapter by chapter, and if the work is short enough, give it a complete read through. There’s editing for punctuation and grammar. There’s style editing – are you consistently using “these quotation marks” or ‘these?’ There’s story editing – do the characters and plot ring true? (Example: I had to change the age of one of my characters). Is there a cut scene needed? Or do you need to beef up a sub plot, so it adds meaning to the overall theme?
Warning: editing takes time. What you don’t catch on your second edit, you might catch on your tenth, and it’s likely by your twentieth you’ll start to feel the manuscript is ready.
Quality Pyramid
Think of the Quality Pyramid as the medieval feudal system, with the royalty at the top, taking up the least amount of room, and the peasants at the bottom, taking up the most amount of room.
Now think of your numerous writing projects you have had over the years. Your best projects that made its way into publication, with some fanfare, can be considered your royals. Those unfinished drafts that went nowhere – those would be your peasants.
Before you think about publishing consider this. Most of what you write is writing practise. Drafts start at the bottom of the Quality Pyramid. They don’t all advance. You must learn to reject some of your own work. I had a novel I spent years on. It wasn’t working. I tried writing it as a novelette. It wasn’t working. I tried writing it as a poem. It worked.
To become a well-rounded, seasoned writer you will need to know the difference between great work and not so great. Literary journals always say in their submission guidelines – send your best work only. They may read six poems, but if you only have four great ones, don’t bother sending more.
2 Traps
Trap 1: Get famous and publishers will publish anything because you’re a name that sells.
Take any commercial writer. You read one or two books and they’re great. So you read 10 more. The quality is often uneven. A new book (or 2?) every year? Where’s the time for reflection? Heck, where’s the time to edit? An unfortunate typo made it into Alice Hoffman’s The Rules of Magic, the highly anticipated sequel to Practical Magic. “Muslim” was used instead of “muslin”, the fabric. So the sentence read that a character is wrapped in “muslim”, a person of Islamic faith. Whoops.
Trap 1 sounds like champagne problems, and it probably is but Trap 2 has more serious consequences.
Trap 2: No one knows you, so you self-publish (or fall prey to a vanity publisher) everything hoping to make a name for yourself.
Vanity publishing vampires are a waste your money and time, and worst of all, you do not need them. They are getting good at disguising themselves as legitimate traditional publishers. They will tell you “we were just wanting a title on that topic” BUT they will need thousands of dollars up front, to get your book into bookstores. You got into writing to make money, not spend it. Save your money.
The problem with self-publishing everything you write is the implication you could not get anyone to publish any of your work because it is bad. (In reality, this may NOT be the case at all). The other problem is you are publishing in a void. Self-publishing should be considered alongside a marketing plan. Part of this plan should be aiming to get your byline in relevant publications. Most literary publications will publish a short bio where you could advertise your self-published work.
Don’t publish everything you write. Send out your best work only.
Quality Counts
Getting to write THE END in caps is a huge achievement! You have reached the goal of finishing your manuscript. (Notice I said manuscript, not book).
After the euphoria wears off, you must edit. Take it page by page, chapter by chapter, and if the work is short enough, give it a complete read through. There’s editing for punctuation and grammar. There’s style editing – are you consistently using “these quotation marks” or ‘these?’ There’s story editing – do the characters and plot ring true? (Example: I had to change the age of one of my characters). Is there a cut scene needed? Or do you need to beef up a sub plot, so it adds meaning to the overall theme?
Warning: editing takes time. What you don’t catch on your second edit, you might catch on your tenth, and it’s likely by your twentieth you’ll start to feel the manuscript is ready.
Quality Pyramid
Think of the Quality Pyramid as the medieval feudal system, with the royalty at the top, taking up the least amount of room, and the peasants at the bottom, taking up the most amount of room.
Now think of your numerous writing projects you have had over the years. Your best projects that made its way into publication, with some fanfare, can be considered your royals. Those unfinished drafts that went nowhere – those would be your peasants.
Before you think about publishing consider this. Most of what you write is writing practise. Drafts start at the bottom of the Quality Pyramid. They don’t all advance. You must learn to reject some of your own work. I had a novel I spent years on. It wasn’t working. I tried writing it as a novelette. It wasn’t working. I tried writing it as a poem. It worked.
To become a well-rounded, seasoned writer you will need to know the difference between great work and not so great. Literary journals always say in their submission guidelines – send your best work only. They may read six poems, but if you only have four great ones, don’t bother sending more.
2 Traps
Trap 1: Get famous and publishers will publish anything because you’re a name that sells.
Take any commercial writer. You read one or two books and they’re great. So you read 10 more. The quality is often uneven. A new book (or 2?) every year? Where’s the time for reflection? Heck, where’s the time to edit? An unfortunate typo made it into Alice Hoffman’s The Rules of Magic, the highly anticipated sequel to Practical Magic. “Muslim” was used instead of “muslin”, the fabric. So the sentence read that a character is wrapped in “muslim”, a person of Islamic faith. Whoops.
Trap 1 sounds like champagne problems, and it probably is but Trap 2 has more serious consequences.
Trap 2: No one knows you, so you self-publish (or fall prey to a vanity publisher) everything hoping to make a name for yourself.
Vanity publishing vampires are a waste your money and time, and worst of all, you do not need them. They are getting good at disguising themselves as legitimate traditional publishers. They will tell you “we were just wanting a title on that topic” BUT they will need thousands of dollars up front, to get your book into bookstores. You got into writing to make money, not spend it. Save your money.
The problem with self-publishing everything you write is the implication you could not get anyone to publish any of your work because it is bad. (In reality, this may NOT be the case at all). The other problem is you are publishing in a void. Self-publishing should be considered alongside a marketing plan. Part of this plan should be aiming to get your byline in relevant publications. Most literary publications will publish a short bio where you could advertise your self-published work.
Don’t publish everything you write. Send out your best work only.
