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Rachael Eyre's Blog - Posts Tagged "publishers"
It's Not the End of the World
If a passion for writing is the entrance criterion for the author's club, having a manuscript rejected is surely the ordeal by fire. It's no exaggeration to say that every major author writing today has had a book turned down. The example of JK Rowling is often evoked - how could all those publishers have been so blind, the slighted writer might ask? It's tempting to believe that they might be similarly mistaken about your magnum opus.
Not long ago I submitted my MS to a reputable publishing house. They had an open submissions period but I only discovered this on the day of the deadline. I threw together a synopsis, hastily formatted the first few chapters and banged out an enquiry email. For the next few months I waited anxiously for a response. That, understandably, was a standard rejection with my name and the book's title cut and pasted in.
I was upset, but, on reflection, not surprised. The speed of the submission meant I hadn't done a workmanlike job. The formatting was off, there was a typo on one of the early pages and I'd admitted that the book was incomplete, with a predicted 250,000 words. This would have seemed unprofessional even if they had liked the story. I'll never know their exact reasons - the volume of submissions meant they were unable to provide detailed critiques - but my slapdash approach can't have helped.
I returned to the manuscript with a fresh pair of eyes. Now I could see that the formatting was abominable - fixed. I eliminated any parts that didn't make sense or move the plot along. I zapped every typo I came across, clarified who was speaking when. Already it was leaner, tighter, better.
Now I thought about it, why was I stalling? I'd been in the 'nearly done' phase for a year and a half. When I tell you that I received the rejection on November 2nd and completed the novel on November 10th, that should give an idea of how it motivated me. Yes, Publisher X might've spurned it, but that was when it was shonkily formatted and incomplete. I had faith in my creation and wanted to do it justice.
Rejection will always be as welcome as a bouquet of slugs. It's always going to hurt. But if you're able to salvage something from the wreckage and act upon their feedback, it can only benefit you and your writing. Whatever happens, don't give up.
Not long ago I submitted my MS to a reputable publishing house. They had an open submissions period but I only discovered this on the day of the deadline. I threw together a synopsis, hastily formatted the first few chapters and banged out an enquiry email. For the next few months I waited anxiously for a response. That, understandably, was a standard rejection with my name and the book's title cut and pasted in.
I was upset, but, on reflection, not surprised. The speed of the submission meant I hadn't done a workmanlike job. The formatting was off, there was a typo on one of the early pages and I'd admitted that the book was incomplete, with a predicted 250,000 words. This would have seemed unprofessional even if they had liked the story. I'll never know their exact reasons - the volume of submissions meant they were unable to provide detailed critiques - but my slapdash approach can't have helped.
I returned to the manuscript with a fresh pair of eyes. Now I could see that the formatting was abominable - fixed. I eliminated any parts that didn't make sense or move the plot along. I zapped every typo I came across, clarified who was speaking when. Already it was leaner, tighter, better.
Now I thought about it, why was I stalling? I'd been in the 'nearly done' phase for a year and a half. When I tell you that I received the rejection on November 2nd and completed the novel on November 10th, that should give an idea of how it motivated me. Yes, Publisher X might've spurned it, but that was when it was shonkily formatted and incomplete. I had faith in my creation and wanted to do it justice.
Rejection will always be as welcome as a bouquet of slugs. It's always going to hurt. But if you're able to salvage something from the wreckage and act upon their feedback, it can only benefit you and your writing. Whatever happens, don't give up.
