You wrote the book, poured your life sweat into it, and sent it to a publisher. And you got a rejection. That stinks.
Before you declare your writing career over, understand what that rejection really means. A rejection letter, usually a polite form letter, may have nothing to do with your story, the quality of your writing, or even the sales potential of the book. Many times a rejection letter is sent and no one even looked at your submission. There are many true inspirational stories about bestselling books and authors who received numerous rejections before someone decided to publish the work.
The subject of your book or genre of your novel may not be what they need at the time. Maybe the book is too long or too short for what they normally publish. Perhaps your work is not quite right for their accepted and expected formula. Just as you may not be attracted to every book on a retailer’s shelf, a particular acquisitions editor may not like the type of story or your “voice”.
Or, shudder, maybe, the book needs work but is still worth the effort.
Unfortunately most rejections come in the form of politely scripted prose or even a multiple choice form with some generic choices checked off. A writer rarely gets the full and true reason why a manuscript is rejected. Once in a while an editor will take the time to add a few personal notes to the form letter, or even compose an actual response, and will explain (maybe even make a suggestion or two) why your manuscript didn’t make the grade.
Years ago I sent a manuscript to a popular romance publisher, it was a deep heartrending love story and I naively thought that made it a romance; the editor complimented me on the tale and went on to explain that the genre they represented was strictly formula with a Happy-Ever-After ending, which my book was not. I learned a lot that day.
Sometimes you might even receive a rejection with personal comments that are more insulting than helpful written by an editor who, for some reason, believes they must be as cutting as possible because they can. Don’t let these responses destroy you. Read them through and learn to distinguish the nasty shockers from the genuine and useful criticism. Maybe you do need to edit your spelling or grammar or tighten your writing so the story flows and maintains interest. Perhaps your characters do need some dimension added to make them real and sympathetic. BUT NONE OF THIS MEANS YOU SHOULD STOP WRITING.
There are some things you can do to help get your manuscript read and seriously considered: Make sure your spelling, grammar and presentation (manuscript appearance) shows that you like your own work. If you aren’t strong on spelling, for instance, either have a trusted friend review the work (good and inexpensive) or hire a professional editor for a fee you can afford. Make sure you read AND FOLLOW submission guidelines, and no, not every publisher has the same requirements. Don’t submit a complete manuscript if you are told to only send the first 30 pages or to query first with a letter and three-page synopsis. Do not tell the publisher what they should think of your book, what high advance you expect or, worse yet, tell them they would be a fool to pass you up. And please, make sure you are querying the correct type of publisher for the book you’ve written.
Realistically it is easier than ever to become a published author. Don’t limit yourself to just the “big publishing companies”. Give a serious look at the many worthwhile small presses, both print and e-publishing (sales of e-books are on the rise). Most small presses work without agented submissions. There is also self-publishing which gives you more control of your final product; until recently many authors snubbed their noses at the self-pubbed writer, but if you are very careful and are willing to do the work needed, you can make a go of it.
Whatever avenue you decide to pursue, read everything before signing, preferably get the input of a trained (legal) publishing expert who is NOT affiliated with the company, research the publisher’s name and if possible contact other authors who have been published by them.
Writing Exercise: Read a recent obituary of someone you never met. Based on the information in that obituary, write a recommendation letter for that individual – it can be for a posthumous award, entrance at the Gates of Heaven, Paradise or angel’s wings. You have license to “add information” so long as it does not contradict anything actually printed.
Writing prompt: Twitter uses “tweets” that are made up of no more than 140 characters. Write a series of tweets that will describe the events of July 4, 1776 (the day observed as the signing of America’s Declaration of Independence). Each tweet must be able to stand alone and be understood. Write no more than ten tweets.
