Thbtbtb to the universe.

[resonant]

We had our mail held while we were away, so today a big crate o' disposable paper items arrived from the post office. Amongst the incredibly numerous items-to-throw-away (how the hell did we get eleven newsletters in just under two weeks?!) was ...

A rejection letter from Silhouette.

OK, apologies for my naivete. Yes, I truly did expect to sell my very first novel to the very first publisher I offered it to. I didn't write a fantasy trilogy with a beautiful misunderstood telekinetic heroine named Axa; I wrote a category romance. I thought that was enough being realistic.

Oh, well. I'll find someone with category romance experience to critique the synopsis and the query letter, and I'll remind myself that it wasn't rejected because of flaws in the manuscript (since they haven't seen the manuscript), and I'll find another publisher to submit it to. Tomorrow, or maybe next week, or the week after.

Right now I'm just going to eat key lime pie and be depressed.

Comments

[laurenmitchell.livejournal.com]

We had a publishing seminar at uni the other day and the guy basically spent most of the time NOT telling us how to get published, but whining about how many times he got rejected before he got published. I guess the worst case scenario is that you end up with fifty gazillion rejection letters before someone accepts you, and then you too can get paid to "teach students the important facts about becoming a published author!", which apparently was an euphemism for "bitch like hell about how publishing companies suck".

[dementordelta.livejournal.com]

Do it tomorrow, sweets. Don't put it off. You *will* get published, if you truly desire, because, yes, you are that good. You just have to convince them what the rest of us (who *have* read your stuff) already know.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Well, I listened to you and right away contacted the only person I could think of who might have advice. And she said, "There will be published authors in your local chapter of Romance Writers of America who can help you." So I guess I know what my next step is.

And thanks!

[dementordelta.livejournal.com]

*does happy Res-is-not-giving-up dance*

Keep us posted, sweetie!

I know how much this means to you, and I truly want you to be happy in it. Even if it means (sob) writing less HP fiction.

[ptyx.livejournal.com]

I think you are too good for them.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks! But I want their money anyway. I'm not proud.

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

Oh hon, I'm so sorry!!! I know there is that myth that everyone should just toughen up and deal with rejection letters, but they hurt and I think it's OK to acknowledge that. (Regardless of that stupid supposedly funny post that went around a while back.)

And it is even worse to get rejected without them having *read* it (not the same, but Modern Fiction Studies had one of my articles for 9 months and then sent back a letter telling me that their backlog didn't allow them to read it...needless to say I cancelled my subscription :-)

Enjoy your key lime pie, and I hope you'll have a person who knows this stuff and can walk you through translating their letter. All I can do is send hugs and lots of love your way!

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! You are now in the same boat as most of the prize-winning writers of history. Really, I wish I were in your shoes -- it would mean I had *finished* my novel and had something to send to a publisher!

The first rejection letter is the worst, because everyone who ever wrote *anything* has that little bubble of hopefulness. Just remember that Frank Herbert had 18 rejections for Dune, and Tolkien was once told that Lord of the Rings would never sell more than a hundred copies because there was no market for fairytales for adults...

Books get rejected for all kinds of reasons. Maybe they're having a budget crunch. Maybe they just bought something that had a similar plot -- and they're kicking themselves because yours is better. Maybe you have the same first name as some editor's ex-wife!

And maybe you are a little too good. Some book lines want a vocabulary suitable for a 14-year-old, and anything written too articulately really is outside their scope.

Try again -- soon... and good luck!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Really, I wish I were in your shoes -- it would mean I had *finished* my novel and had something to send to a publisher!

You know, this really put things in perspective for me. Made me feel a lot better. Thanks.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

oh man. ouch. murder.

>.<

i always thought silhouette just have low standards, but perhaps they're, like, backwards standards. like, maybe they reject *lots* of stuff by people who are really really good, while accepting the dreck they do publish.

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

Oh god, so true. I can't even read Harlequins any more, the standards have gone so freakin' low. I mean, I find more typos in the average Desire than I do in work by several of the better fanfic authors. Do they even have editors any longer?

[cimness.livejournal.com]

oh god, i was reading one of mom's once (she's an addict) and i had to get out a pencil and start adding commas when i just couldn't stand it anymore. there'd be whole PARAGRAPHS without ANY. that doesn't even touch the spelling and grammar. or the "plot."

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

i always thought silhouette just have low standards

Well, yeah! That was the point! I thought, "Now here are some people who will pay me to learn to write a novel!" I mean, mine certainly can't be any worse than some of the ones they do publish, where the hero goes from being a confirmed woman-hater to being bent on marriage in about four pages with no explanation other than the beauty of the heroine's limpid blue eyes.

The spouse says, "You're a journalist. Pretend you're writing a story on the romance industry and what it takes to get published there." I say, "I hated being a journalist, and plus I'm a lazy slob."

[cimness.livejournal.com]

yeah. i would have thought that too--that it'd be so easy. i was considering it, for a while! but then i wasn't sure i could bear to write that much het. hopefully it won't take too long to figure out. i'd be interested to know what their standards *are,* out of curiosity. my mom reads tons of that trash. she buys them by the bagfuls at those used bookstores.

[lamardeuse.livejournal.com]

Been there, done that, with both Silhouette Desire and Harlequin...christ, can't even remember. *sigh* My downfall, I believe, was that my hero was an actor, which I found out later is the Kiss O' Death.

Have you looked at the Torquere Press website? You could write such kick-ass homoerotic short stories and novels. *imagines hot original gay smut by Res and acquires dreamy, sappy smile on face*

Just wanted to let you know I sympathize, and wish you happy pie. :) Good luck with the other publishers and keep us posted.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Wow -- that name is new to me. I'll have to look into it. Thanks!

Are you still shopping your novel around?

[kristophine.livejournal.com]

I still haven't heard back from Tor about a sci-fi novel I sent them in August. I'm assuming that's their cowardly way of rejecting me, and I'm too frightened to send them a letter to find out.

It is sorrowful to be so talented and so unappreciated; I understand your pain. This Tor thing is my second rejection, and I write a mean spaceship.

Sigh.

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

Ubil, the TOR slushpile is legendarily high, they're perpetually over-worked. They do, and have, bought stuff out of it that has sat for over a year -- rare, but it happens.

[kristophine.livejournal.com]

Dear God. You've given me hope.

I don't know what to do with it.

Well, I'll translate this in my head to "they may one day reply to me." Thank you.

[kate_nepveu]

(Stopping by friendsfriends)

No, Tor does actual rejections. If you're too frightened you're too frightened, but stuff has sat for over a year:

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004668.html

I know someone who was bought out of the slush, so it happens, though I don't know how long she waited. But work on the next thing in the meantime, so in case you get a "not this one but send us your next thing" rejection (which is what she did), you can send them something immediately--or to another house if it's done sooner.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

But wow -- you're A Person Who Has Finished A Sci-Fi Novel! I'm really impressed by that. I want to be one of those one day.

It stinks if they make you wait so long, though, because you can't really submit it to a new publisher until you've heard from the old one.

dont' be sad, Res baby

[kormantic.livejournal.com]

You'll get published in no time. I'm not just saying that.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Aww. Thanks!

[astolat]

If it's any comfort, I worked for a month as a slush-pile reader in college (all I could take). Almost certainly, the person reading & rejecting the synopsis wasn't actually an editor, but some hapless intern like me or someone getting paid minimum wage, with a giant stack of MS's and queries to go through. It's a miracle anything gets accepted off the slush pile ever -- each submission gets maybe 10 seconds.

Is there a market for short stories in the romance field? Does Romantic Times publish any? You might try doing one or two to get your name in front of some editors' and agents' eyes.

Also, while submitting this novel to a different publisher, why not put together a synopsis and query for a second novel (as yet unwritten) and send it to Silhouette. No reason they might not like a different idea.

*hugs*

[halimede.livejournal.com]

Also, while submitting this novel to a different publisher, why not put together a synopsis and query for a second novel (as yet unwritten) and send it to Silhouette. No reason they might not like a different idea.

Last I heard (from hanging out on usenet, not personal experience) it was a bad idea to submit something that's not written, because if they do accept, it looks very bad if you then have to say 'uh, I still have to write it'. I suppose you could if you were honest about it, but apparently publishers are unlikely to accept as-yet-unwritten projects from unproven authors.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Huh. The language on their website suggests that they accept queries on unfinished novels -- at least, it says that one of the things a query letter should include is "whether or not the novel is finished."

Mine wasn't, and I said so. Wonder if that was my problem?

[halimede.livejournal.com]

What I've heard is that publishers are less likely to accept unfinished proposals from authors who haven't finished at least one novel, because a lot of people get stuck and never *do* finish the novel they want to write. Could be a contributing factor (along with the submission reader's cold, traffic adventures earlier that day and the weather).

I've seen various authors take the view that you'll collect X number of rejections per acceptance. Like with job applications, you count on a certain number of rejections and keep writing letters until you find the one that sticks.

BTW, one other thing: I've seen people in the comments say that the stuff this publisher puts out is 'bad' i.e. not to their taste, when your stuff is. Perhaps you'd have more luck selling to a publisher that puts out stuff that people who love your stuff love? Jennifer Crusie comes to mind.

Oh, and the one piece of writing advice that I see over and over online, especially when it comes to romance, is that you should write what you *want* to write, because if you don't have that passion for this particular story, it will show.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Cynthia Sterling's Romance Market group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cynthiasterling) says that there is indeed a market for romance short stories. I've never written one, though -- the aim of this little exercise was to learn to write a novel. (And rejection or no rejection, at least I can say I did that!)

[celli]

*hugs*

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

Aw, have a hug. Maybe they're just trying to subliminally tell you that you shouldn't waste your tremendous talent (because you are tremendously talented! I just re-gushed over Transfigurations in my lj) on category romance.

Good luck selling it to another publisher.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I do know that category romance is less than serious; on the other hand, I don't want to waste a great idea for a real book because I don't have the skill to write it, so it felt safer to me to practice on something that I didn't have Ambitions for.

But I appreciate the encouragement!

[beledibabe.livejournal.com]

Man, rejections suck! (Looking at my pile.) Have you considered joining Romance Writers of America? They have some kick-ass lists and workshops that would probably be helpful. I'm not a member (since I'm writing mysteries more than romances, and am very involved in Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime), but I'm taking one of the RWA workshops in May. Just a thought.

And, as others have said, send it out to another publisher Monday morning.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'd never even thought about it, but of course this is the obvious answer. (Though alas, the nearest chapter is 45 minutes away.)

The Science Fiction Writers of America (http://www.sfwa.org/)association is even cooler; they've got lots of great resources on agents and publishers to watch out for.

'course, if I sold a book, I'd have some money in the budget to join associations ...

[jood.livejournal.com]

You are a wonderful writer and you will be published.

You will.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Aww. Thanks!

[giglet.livejournal.com]

Wow, that sucks.

But you know that there's a zillion reasons *that have nothing to do with your proposal* why they might have turned it down.

Be careful whom you trust to critique it. I've heard some appallingly stupid critiques in my time.

*hug*

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah -- since they didn't see the manuscript, it could be anything from "we've got two books in the hopper already with restoration experts in them" to "OK, girls, for the next six months we're turning down everybody who's not already published, because I just do not have the time" to "man, I hate stories about houses."

I wish they'd sent me a more useful rejection letter.

On the plus side, the local chapter of Romance Writers of America has several Silhouette authors as members, so I'd be able to get a critique from someone who's actually succeeded in selling them a book.

On the minus side, the "local" chapter of RWA is in Bloomington, so I'd have to drive 45 minutes to go to a meeting. Oh, well, they've got better shopping over there, too, and better restaurants.

[derora.livejournal.com]

Sorry :( Keep plugging - I'll keep sending good thoughts your way!

A different approach

[grey-bard.livejournal.com]

Everything that I've heard says: Get an agent. For books, a real one won't charge you any fee at all, just a percentage.

It isn't as impossible as it sounds. There are lists of them and their specialties out there.

Do yourself a favor. Most unagented novels are rejected sight unseen, because publishers have very little time to spend on slush, when they can get agents to do the weeding for them. Whereas it is in an agent's best interest to *want* new talent to promote to publishers.

P.S.

[grey-bard.livejournal.com]

Agents *do* want an author's first fiction book to be finished before it hits their desk. Forgot that bit.

Still. *Worth* it.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I'll look into it, but one of the reasons I wanted to start out in series romance was because I understood that it was a field where a writer could succeed without an agent.