I need a hug: I got my first ever rejection letter today...

[Missy Vixen]

I'm now a writer. I've been rejected from a publishing house. :cry:

An editor from St. Martin's asked for a partial and synopsis of my book in April. I sent it off in June with fear and trembling -- it's scary to show someone else your work! I got a rejection letter today, but it's a personalized letter, thoughtful, with many positives. She loves my main character, she loves my narrative voice, but she wasn't quite sure it was the book for them. :cry:

I'll be gratefully accepting hugs and positive reinforcement. In the meantime, tomorrow's another day, and I'll be submitting the book to a different editor as soon as possible... :cry:

Julie

[ZombieNixon]

1. Aww...Julie...

:hug: It's OK...my mom's a writer and she got a million rejection letters before she sold her first book. The fact that you got a personalized letter is very good sign, because it means that the editor saw potential in your book. Oftentimes certain publishers aim their upcoming catalogs toward a certain genre or audience, so being rejected doesn't mean there's any serious fault with your writing. Take any suggestions there might be in the letter, update your story with them, then shop it around to other publishers. And don't just look at the big houses, either...often, small, independent publishers are eager to publish work by new authors. Good luck. :) :hi:

[Missy Vixen]

18. Thank you, ZombieNixon

I didn't know your mom's a writer!

One of our friends is a former editor. I called him a little while ago and read the letter over the phone; he called it "impressive" and said that the editor I got it from actually pointed me in the right direction.

Thank you for the hug :hug:!

Julie

[pitohui]

31. be cautious with some of that

Take any suggestions there might be in the letter, update your story with them, then shop it around

i wouldn't be too quick to take any suggestions, reason, those personal letters are not really as personal as you think they are, they're pretty much a form letter that with aid of the computer and a quick skim can be made to look warm and personal

i've seen a warm "personal" rejection letter side by side with the same letter sent to someone else with the names of the main character changed, hmmm

publishers are in the business of selling books and pissing off readers who want to be writers (a huge part of the market) is not a good thing, so they have this down to a science

but unless the editor says, specifically, re-write this and we'll re-consider it, or well, we're buying it but you have to change this -- DON'T change anything on the basis of a rejection letter without VERY careful consideration -- at best you are probably just wasting your time, at worst you could be changing away what's special about your story



i found that changing things, except for an editor who was already committed to publishing the work, was a complete waste of time

the better way is to find the one publishing company (there won't be more than one) that is truly in sync with your vision

again, good luck, but just...be very very cautious about some of this old-fashioned advice about how to respond to rejection

if it is a fiction proposal, your work was almost certainly not read but merely skimmed to pick out a name or two and something nice to say

as an exercise, have a friend send his work to the same editor and see what his rejection letter says

we did this exercise and even in the 80s, it was sobering, it was word for word except the names of the characters were put in

[speedoo]

2. from a wannabe writer...

:hug:
and best wishes. Sounds like you've got something good. Hang in there!!

[Missy Vixen]

19. Thank you

:hug:

Julie

[johnnie]

3. Oh, sorry to hear it

Just hang in there. I don't know much about that field so I really can't share any advise, but I still will give ya a hug. :hug:

[Missy Vixen]

20. I will do that

>Just hang in there.<

Thank you :hug:!
Julie

[Haole Girl]

4. Here's another one...

...:hug:

Hang in there! :hi:

[Missy Vixen]

21. Thank you

:hug:

Julie :hi:

[leftofthedial]

5. get used to it

I've been a professional songwriter for well over a decade. If it wasn't for rejection letters, there would be months when I'd have nothing to eat . . . (actually, I don't get rejection letters; rejected songs just get swallowed by the great unknown.


oh . . . :hug: and congratulations!

[Missy Vixen]

22. I can join the professional group of my writer's guild now

One has to get a rejection before they'll let you in. :rofl:

Thank you, and I hope you'll be getting great news sooner than later.

Julie

[bertha katzenengel]

6. A writer writes. Always.

:rofl: Sorry, you're probably too young to remember "Throw Momma From the Train." One of the main characters was a talented but unpublished writer who taught creative writing at night school. This was his regular mantra, his parting phrase at the end of each class. He was an earnest little goofball, perfectly portrayed by Billy Crystal.

Seriously: keep plugging. You will succeed!

And thank you for the reminder. I still working on my character sketches . . .

[Missy Vixen]

8. Bertha, I do remember "Throw Momma From The Train"!

>A writer writes. Always.<

You're right. It's like breathing to me. I have to do it. I've been writing since I could clutch a pencil in my hand, and I'm sure I'll be writing till they pry the keyboard from my cold fingers ;-).

Julie

[SeattleGirl]

7. Aw, Jules, I'm so sorry.

But it's definitely a positive that the letter was personal, and that there were a lot of good things in it. Hang in there! Rejection sucks, I know, but keep at it, and take heart from the positive feedback you got in the letter.

:hug:

[Missy Vixen]

23. Thank you, Seattle Girl

I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow, especially with all these nice hugs! :hug:

Julie

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. I have no advice, my dear Julie.......

Just these: :loveya: :hug:

[Missy Vixen]

24. Thank you, my dear CaliforniaPeggy!

:hug: :loveya:

With all this support, how could I go wrong? :grouphug:

Julie

[RevCheesehead]

10. Hey, look on the bright side....

The rejection letter didn't come from Fitz! :loveya:

Just wait. Someone out there is eagerly awaiting your manuscript! :hug:

[Missy Vixen]

16. Oh, I WOULD be crying then!

>The rejection letter didn't come from Fitz!<



"Julie. I know you're a really nice girl, and I'm flattered by the attention, but really. You need to get a hobby that isn't me. Really."

Julie

[Floogeldy]

11. You had better buck up right now or else change professions.

That letter was only the first of what could be many, many.

I have only one word for you: Dedication.

[Missy Vixen]

13. I opened this letter less than two hours ago

I can feel badly about it for one evening. Tomorrow, I'll be back at them.

>I have only one word for you: Dedication.<

If you read what I'd written above, you'd know I've been writing since I could clutch a pencil in my hand. I've been previously published, multiple times. I'm attempting to get published in a new genre. I'll keep at it till I do it.

Julie

[fudge stripe cookays]

58. I think she's taking it very well, considering.

And being a writer myself, I know how brave she was to submit the manuscript in the first place.

Superior much?

[NanceGreggs]

12. Consider yourself ...

:hug:

Picture yourself on Letterman or Leno, promoting your fifth best-seller in a row, regaling the audience with the story of your first rejection letter. Picture the audience's astonishment as they think, "Wow, who'd have thought someone with HER success ever got a rejection letter!"

It happens all the time. It's not an end to anything (though it may feel like it right now); it is actually the beginning of something that will come to fruition in time.

[Missy Vixen]

25. Nance, bless your heart

I love your writing. I truly enjoy reading it. :hug:

In the meantime, I write single title contemporary romance. One of the better-known authors of the genre is Jennifer Crusie. (MULTIPLE New York Times bestselling author.) She told some attendees at the conference I went to in April that one of her editors had just rejected one of HER books.

I asked her later if the editor was on crack. ;-)

Julie

[pitohui]

33. read my other post 31, our experiment was in the romance genre!

my actual pro writing was in a different genre, but i used to be friends w. a romance writer, and well, somehow that's how the experiment started

i am sorry to say the "personal" letter is prob. not "personal" at all

and unless things have greatly changed, you simply can't sell a first romance novel without writing the whole thing, a proposal was fine for my first book but it was nonfiction where the idea is all

romance, the execution is all, and they really have a surprisingly tight formula depending on the line

anyway, you can't take advice from an editor of one romance line and change up your story and then send it to the editor of a DIFFERENT romance line, they all have subtle but to them important crucial differences in style, how much sexual blah de blah

what you need to do is identify the single line that is most in line w. your vision and then keep aiming at them with carefully crafted stories

the days of sending the same story idea around to dozens of houses is DEAD, it just doesn't work that way any more, because if it is right for a certain line it won't be right for other lines

anyway, good luck, i hope i'm not sounding like debbie downer but much of the advice i see being given to new writers is quite dated

there is an idea that spewing hundreds of dollars in postage guarantees success, er, noooo

target yourself!

[Missy Vixen]

35. Thank you for the advice

The book's been written, and was finished before I was asked to submit the partial. I'm reediting, then will be submitting to another house that is publishing a greater number of contemporary romances per year.

Julie

[NanceGreggs]

34. Okay, now I'm DYIN' to know ...

... WAS her editor on crack?

Glad to hear you write contemporary romance -- not enough romance in the world these days, IMHO.

I'm bookmarking this thread -- just so I can look back on it in future and say, "See, I knew her (that now famous author) when!"

(And when I show up at one of your book-signings, DON'T you dare act like you don't know me!)

--- Nance

[Missy Vixen]

36. Now there's a question!

I don't know if you know anything about Ms. Crusie and her career, but she's sold a metric buttload of books. I love her work because it's funny, inventive and a bit more cerebral than the typical romance. When she said an editor rejected one of her recent works, I muttered loud enough for her to hear, "Were they nuts?" I was afraid she was talking about my favorite book of hers, "Bet Me".

She's great. She turned to me and said, "I'll send you in there next time."

Julie

[judaspriestess]

14. It will be ok, you are selling your book, your idea

you have to remember its a numbers game. You have to go through a few no's to get a yes!! and you will get a YES!!

[Missy Vixen]

26. Thank you so much!

>and you will get a YES!!<

From your lips to God's ear. :hug:

Julie

[reyd reid reed]

15. Good for you...

Keep it out there. Are you querying one at a time?

:hug::hug::hug:

Persistence. Stick with it!!!

[Missy Vixen]

17. RRR, I'm flashing on the line from "Sideways"

where the guys are on the golf course and the cheating guy's advising his writer friend: "Just get it out there. Get it in some libraries or something." :rofl:

>Persistence. Stick with it!!!<

I will, and thank you. I'm hoping to bring much better news to the Lounge on this book soon!

Julie

[deadparrot]

27. I'm sorry, Julie.

:hug:

Hope you find success soon. :)

[Missy Vixen]

29. Thank you

I will do my best. :hug: :hi:

Julie

[u4ic]

28. Awww, Julie

I wouldn't blame you for feeling dejected...:hug:

You've done so much already - you've sat down and actually wrote a novel, and sent it off! You've opened yourself up to rejection, but also to success.

It will come, in time. :grouphug:

Meanwhile, I've heard of some nasty rejection letters; yours sounds quite positive to me! :hi:

[Missy Vixen]

30. I was relieved the editor didn't write something like

"You think you can write? :rofl:"

Tomorrow, I'll feel better.

Thank you! :hug:
Julie

[Writer]

32. Julie, I've gotten a few of those.

Keep trying... rejection is the best motivator!

:hug:

[Missy Vixen]

42. You're right

>rejection is the best motivator!<

I'll keep trying. :hug:

Julie

[Monk06]

37. St Martin's a very good publisher. The fact that they responde at all is

a compliment. There is a very kind and hidden
message however.

"she wasn't quite sure it was the book for them."

This is her way of saying that if the book fit into
St. Martin's target audience in terms of theme, genre
etc it would have been given a second reading with
the editorial board.

My advice is to send a letter thanking the editor
for her kind comments and ask if she could suggest
some smaller publishing houses that might be interested.

[datasuspect]

38. getting a personalized response from an actual person means a contact to

something like that, if one is shrewd, can be developed and utilized to advantage.

[Missy Vixen]

46. Absolutely

I'll do my best to nurture this. :hug:

Julie

[Missy Vixen]

45. Thank you

I appreciate your thoughts. I'm definitely sending her a note to thank her for reading my partial.

:hug:
Julie

[WritingIsMyReligion]

39. Congratulations--in that twisted writerly way.

So many writers have had what would later become classics rejected at first--it takes tenacity, and the knowledge of whether or not letting go is best.

:)

:hug:

[Missy Vixen]

48. Thank you

It's all about tenacity. This was a big step for me, and I'll keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Julie

[Skittles]

40. you want I should kick some ass, Julie?

you just say the word my sweet; in the meantime, you just keep on plugging - you were bound to hit an asswipe sooner or later, ya know?

[Missy Vixen]

43. Thank you, Skittles!

>you just say the word my sweet<

You'll come to the contract negotiations when I finally sell the book, right ;-)?
"This is my agent, Skittles. Don't mess with her."

:hug:
Julie

[RebelOne]

41. Don't be discouraged.

I have been in publishing for almost 30 years. When I worked for a city magazine in Miami, one of my duties as editorial assistant was to send out rejection letters. I would usually read the articles sent in. One article was so good that I begged the editor to please not reject it. But he said no. Well, a few months later, that story was published in the Saturday Evening Post. Don't be discouraged just because one publisher turned you down. Keep trying.

[Missy Vixen]

49. Thank you so much!

>Don't be discouraged just because one publisher turned you down. Keep trying.<

I will do that. I appreciate your thoughts!
What did the editor that rejected the article later appearing in the "Saturday Evening Post" do when he or she found this out?

:hug:
Julie

[Midlodemocrat]

44. Aw, sweetie, I'm sorry.

But, keep at it! It sounds as though your book just isn't the type of book that particular publishing house publishes.

You'll find the right one, I know you will!


:hug:

[Missy Vixen]

50. Thank you so much

>You'll find the right one, I know you will!<

When I met with this editor, there wasn't a lot of info on what she's interested in buying. I found out afterwards that she wants a genre I don't write in (paranormal romances,) and that she likes "dark heroes". My hero is definitely not dark.

It's cool. Everyone wants something different. Doesn't mean my book's bad; I have to find someone who loves it.

:hug:
Julie

p.s. I am so hoping that things are going better for you and your family. I have had all of you in my thoughts and prayers over the past few months. :hug: :hug: :loveya:

[GumboYaYa]

47. You aren't a writer until you get a stack of rejection letters.

Don't even sweat it at all. Just keep plugging away. Eventually good content finds an outlet.

[Missy Vixen]

51. I'll keep at it

>Eventually good content finds an outlet.<

I hope so!
Thank you, :hug:
Julie

[miss_american_pie]

52. Hang in there

As rejection letters go, that's a pretty good one to get. :hug:

[nosillies]

53. From one writer to another...

:hug:

If it makes you feel any better, I really admire your rejection letter. I haven't gotten the balls yet to get one of those. I write lots, and get paid for it, but I only go for the "safe" assignments that I know I can get. I haven't put myself "out there," or buckled down and finished my novel yet. I admire your effort!

[LostinVA]

54. You didn't get a form letter -- rejoice!

I'm serious -- that's a great sign.

Try to get a legit literary agent -- that'll make loads of difference in getting your stuff read.

[applegrove]

55. That is tough. A very tough career.

[BluePatriot]

56. A personal letter is a VERY good sign! :)

Maybe what you wrote just isn't what their house needs at the moment. Do try again with another one, and good luck!

[DrDan]

57. here's a hug from another reject

received my first 10 years ago - it was a blow to my ego

[Phillycat]

59. Some famous writer wallpapered a room with rejection letters

It was like Kerouac or someone. Right back on the horse, my dear. :D

[fudge stripe cookays]

60. You RULE!

Don't forget that, and keep telling yourself that if you feel low. St. Martin's would be my publisher of choice too. It would be hard, that first one.

Just think of it this way...keep doing what you're doing, and you'll have an excellent new theme for the new bathroom wallpaper! (I keed!)

We're behind you. Just keep writing!
fsc :hi: