Monday, November 10, 2008

This Too Shall Pass...

As I hinted at late last week, I received my first rejection letter for the new manuscript. Surprising? Well, yes and no. I wasn't surprised to be rejected by the first publisher I contacted. However, I was a bit caught off guard by the reasonings.

Ultimately, two factors came into play. One I can understand yet cannot remedy because of the cost of doing so. The second... well, altering that would change the entire premise of the book! It was a long wait for naught, but I remain undaunted by the result. I have gleaned some positive feedback on my material and I know that all will end well. I'm taking a risk with this project and sadly, publishers fear risk. Most authors in the past have dealt with rejection and it's part of the job. Thinking outside the box has its price to pay.

I was disheartened and saddened for all of two hours. I can't allow myself to wallow for long. Besides, publishers are a dime a dozen, right? Someone will be more receptive. I have many friends standing behind me on this project and many others who are very excited about it, so I remain steadfast in my belief that it will become something good. I'll begin going through my list of publishers this week again and pursuing someone with an open mind willing to take the risk.

Meanwhile, I have plenty more writing to finish and places to research. It'll be a busy month again for me, but I don't mind in the slightest.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

As you have rightly said, my dear friend, this too shall pass, indeed. I & many others are thrilled about this book project, as you know, & won't be satisfied till it sees the light of publishing day. I'm glad I was there to give you at least a little comfort--creative folks know all too well the horrid sting of rejection or indifference to one's soul-filled output.

Jeanne said...

What artsyguy said, sweetie!

Cullan Hudson said...

In the meantime, if you feel the volume has merit - and surely you must - you can do what I did and self-publish. Why wait for them to come around? It will take more work on your part, but it can be worth it. I know that with my book, a publisher could have sold some more copies but I doubt much more. There was a finite market for a volume like that and a publisher, working with a distributor would have focused on regional marketing only. In fact, I've managed to get sales from out of the state - out of the country. So, there is something to be said about self-publishing.

Now, for my novel, I will hit the publishers up as anyone will in hopes of greater distribution, nationally... globally. But I may do a limited edition run the self-publishing route also. I know there are those in Oklahoma especially who've anticipated the novel. When it's ready, I don't want them to wait on recession-frightened publishers who won't take a chance on anything.