I have been trying to get this Steampunk/Historical Fantasy/Fairy-tale Retelling novel published for what seems like forever. It's been though edits, and total rewrites, and of, course, a myriad of rejections. Not terribly many, though it feels like a million. But what struck me this week was that I got two rejections within hours of one another, and the reasons for rejection are so...contrary.
One publisher said there was so much to love about the book. They gave me a long list of the things they had liked about it in the two months they had it. Ah, that's nice. But then there was a long list of things they didn't like and felt would require too much revision. One stood out. They said the setting seemed like 'window dressing', and they would have liked to see more world building. Huh.
The other publisher said that there was too MUCH detail, and they would liked to have seen details shaved down to concentrate on the plot. That was the SOLE reason they gave for rejection. To be fair, it IS a 99,000 word book. There is probably some room for tightening, but...really? That's all you could find wrong? You couldn't assign an editor to work with that? But, seriously? One wanted more, the other less.
It's enough to make one drink.
It reminded me of the absolute subjective nature of publishing. Even myself, when I'm looking for books to acquire for Palomino. I read a lot of YA speculative fiction, so I know what the market is doing. I kind of look for something that will sell, of course, but mostly I look for manuscripts that I can't put down, that have great voices and that I can't live without. We've all read or heard of books that, well, we think are just awful. That a lot of people think are awful. But somewhere along the line, and editor read the manuscript and thought it was GREAT, then managed to convince other people it was GREAT, and managed to convince the accountants that it would SELL and MAKE MONEY. And then that awful book hits the shelves, and my manuscript is still unpublished. I mean, it's okay, it's the way publishing is. It's not personal, it's a matter of taste. Of one or two people's taste.
I'm going to go find that drink.
8 comments:
Oh, Christine. I'm so sorry it's been so frustrating! Don't take that drink, though; write more. That's what we writers do, right? (Write?) It will find a home.
And here. I'll raise a glass to the fact you have written it, that what didn't exist before exists now. That, in and of itself, is the true victory - whether or not an editor and accountant agree and it finds its way into the market. Today, there's a story that exists that yesterday, did not. Huzzah.
I agree with Noony. Keep writing!
I've also know what you are going through. Actually, we are living the same life. Hang in there!
Hugs,
Kimberley
I think it's a pretty common problem in today's publishing industry. Editors don't want to spend time actually EDITING a book and nurturing a writer's talent. They basically want something they can spell check and shoot out to the unsuspecting public. Craft? What's that? *sigh*
Your story will find a home, and if it doesn't self-publish. One day all those people who turned you down will be signing your imitators--because they know your type of story will sell!
What's worse is you have to be polite about it and pretend you're an adult, when all you want to do is grab the scruff of the neck and make them justify their decision to each other.
I recommend a few margaritas and more writing. Eventually the right editor will come along. Then you'll be happy you didn't have to deal with the ones who didn't get it.
That was you sitting next to me having the exact same experience? Pass the margarita pitcher and let's start discussing our inevitable sequels, because these will find a home, I know it!
~X
Thanks, ladies! I was on vacation while you were commiserating with me. I know the book will find a home - even if I have to acquire it myself for Palomino.
FWIW, that first publisher said I could resub if I made all the changes. But they also want me to change the ENTIRE ENDING. Mostly so it fits what they expect to happen, and this is a romance publisher. I LIKE my surprise, so that's not happening. I used to feel like I'd bend over backwards to get in with a publisher like this, now I'm saying 'hell no, I'll find someone who likes it the way it is.'
Others DID like the ending but wanted a little more substance to the second relationship. THAT I can work with.
Yeah, that's a tricky one. How badly do we want the project with that channel, vs. putting it with this channel and keeping its integrity? It's different for each project, I expect. I changed BB quite a lot because we knew it was our entre to the marketplace and I don't regret that decision, but I dislike some of the cuts we were forced to make.
The nice thing is that even the "big boys" go through this. I love Preston and Childs; they have an entire section on their website where they rebut bad reviews. How cathartic and create-focused is that? Awesome. http://www.prestonchild.com/
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