before I get stuck in to the edit of D00M v.2

[erastes]

Happy Birthday cruisedirector!!

Oh for goodness sake. I've (mostly) enjoyed The Devil's Whore - it's been one of the best historical dramas I've seen, certainly in terms of clothes and photography and general grubbiness, but why did they have to go and change the ending?  Sexby died (depending on which account you believe, of sickness or insanity(probably assassinated)) in the Tower of London, NOT in the way they've just shown!!!  Very disappointing. I was looking forward to all sorts of slashy scenes in the Tower between Sexby and his former friend Cromwell.  Bad Channel Four. No Biscuit!

I've just spotted this on a submission call:

"Send us a cover letter and please tell us what questionable content may be found within the MS as we do not wish to subject our editors to content that may put them at risk emotionally."

You've got to feel for the poor editors. Perhaps there's a self help group they could join. Can you sue for Traumatic Editing Syndrome?  *pets them*

Yesterday I saw an article over at Dear Author where a woman held a funeral for her writing career after 16 rejections.  Whether or not she did it for publicity or not (which means she'll probably get published now) it made me laugh at first, and then made me think a little.

Writing is hard. But it's not the hardest part of the process.

I know so many people who have written a book (my mother was one of them) but then lost interest after a couple of rejections.  To my mind an author needs to have at least two "heads" - like Worzel Gummidge - and you need, like that silly scarecrow - to be able to swap them around as necessary. 

You need (obviously) to have the dreamer head, the artistic head, the head that creates the world where your characters live and the plots and dramas that they go through. To weave words together and to create something beautiful.  But once that's over and done with that head needs to come off and the tough marketing head needs to take control.

This is where many authors fall by the wayside.  They don't like writing query letters, they can't write 100 words of bio, they write dreadful blurbs (don't we all?), they won't want to send their book out to anyone, they won't go and do booksignings, they "don't like" to self-nominate their books to the Lambdas or EPIC, they feel "shy" about promoting their writing on chatgroups...and so on and so on. 

The thing is, that it doesn't get any easier. It gets more complicated--less artistic and a lot more hard graft as you go along especially when you have a few books out there.  I call it "soot juggling" - keeping the impossible in the air all at once. 

Right now I have:

1. Burgeoning new novel being ground out a few words at a time

2. Editing (and soon promoing) Transgressions.

3. Promoing new release, Frost Fair

4. Promoing Lambda nominee Speak Its Name

5. Continuing to gently remind people about older works (sort of given up with Chiaroscuro, don't know why that one bombed when all the others did so well)

And that's not mentioning the blogs I manage and belong to, the EAA, the I DO anthology....

And I'm not an aggressive promo-er.  I pop on chats about once a month, perhaps - unlike many who are there every time no matter where it is.

All this is pretty basic, but my point is (thank god say you) that YOU HAVE TO WORK AT IT.  You have to. You may--if you are the luckiest author in the world (like Ann Herendeen)-- be approached by a major publisher and they may offer to publish your book.  But this is the Cinderella story. This is the story of the struggling actress who works in MacDonalds in L.A. but ever attends an audition and suddenly Baz Luhrmann appears and DEMANDS she stars in his next epic.  Yes - it happens - but we all know how rare it is. Yes - it eats into your writing time, and when you are rich and famous you'll be able to afford a secretary to do a lot of that stuff for you--but it will be worse then, they'll be wanting you to ATTEND things.  Just look at Neil Gaiman and George R R Martin's schedules and wonder how on earth they ever get ANY writing done.

Sixteen rejections is NOTHING.  I had double that from major publishers from Standish before I gave up. It was only due to the poking from other authors that after a year of "OMG I'll never be an author" I picked myself up and resubmitted it to smaller presses.

Look at this list.

14 Books repeatedly rejected by publishers.  Notwithstanding that I personally consider that most of this list should have followed that woman's example in my opinion and should have been buried (or preferably burned)-- my point still remains that persistence (and rewriting) pays off and if Jonathan Livingstone Seagull and Deathly Hallows can get published, well - anything is possible.

SO DON'T GIVE UP. Not ever.

Comments

[storm-grant.livejournal.com]

Damn. Now I may have to go and count the rejections I've had for Gym Dandy. I know I sold it to the first and last publishers I submitted to. Perhaps we'll just pretend all the middle stuff didn't happen. ;-)

I actually like the query and synopsis stuff. And the writing. And the marketing. What I hate is the editing. I've never been asked to do a major re-write, but I think I'd prefer that to Editor 1 saying "take out all the names and use pronouns" and Editor 2(same story) saying "you've too many pronouns. Put in the names". And on it goes.

Anyway, great post. I shall link to it.

[the-sea-to.livejournal.com]

Well said! We are going to have some super linky posts to the meta comm. I think I'll start it up this weekend - what do you think? Still want to make a banner for advertising purposes.

xxx

[crossthebar.livejournal.com]

Love the blue bird! Today I feel like that, only I would add a f*&#ing in there.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

Everything you said.

I'm grinding out half a dozen pieces of indeterminate length, editing on a long novel (90K) and trying to have a life on the side.

Oh, and hyping my upcoming short.

I keep telling myself "And to think that I saw it on Mulberry street" went through 27 publishers...

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I've given up on having a life, I think this is my substitute, perhaps.

:(

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I agree!

Gehayi found this one too. Seems that Bluebirds are necessarily grumpy.



I said that I'd be grumpy too if I had to live outdoors all year, didn't get the chance to bugger off to sunnier climes and had to do everything, including building a house, with my MOUTH.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yes, great idea! I have loads of links to writerly type places too, looking forward to sharing them.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yes. The editing is hell. I just hope to goodness that someone else other than me is going over this proof because there's no way I'm going to spot everything.

And the cats SIT ON ME.

[cruisedirector]

*hugs* Thank you! Hope the season is treating you well! (And I have my own piles of rejection letters though mostly from poetry...)

[the-sea-to.livejournal.com]

Can't wait. Maybe we can do a links table or post or something to the "static" writerly places!

[semioticwarrior.livejournal.com]

That *anything* James Joyce ever wrote found a publisher is amazing to me. *Except* Dubliners, which I thought was an excellent collection of short stories. Just goes to show that it can be a crapshoot sometimes.

16 rejections? Pshaw! If someone is that thin-skinned, perhaps they're wise to pack it in early before they really get hurt. Or hurt some poor, emotionally vulnerable editor trying.

Bah!

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

Ha! Yes! My parents wrote a story, submitted it to the slush pile (which was stupid as they had an editor interested in seeing a story from them but they didn't want to impose on her 9_9) it was rejected and they haven't written a thing since. *shakes them*

The peripheral work around getting a story published is exactly why I haven't seriously been trying yet. I only release a couple stories a year and the rest I just sit on and keep rewriting until such a time that I feel I can put aside other things and really concentrate on getting published.

As long as I'm working full-time and running my business in the rest of my time there isn't room for a serious go at getting published.

That is going to change in 2009, however, as I'll be putting together a graphic novel and I'll be trying to shop it around. Not the same thing as a pure prose book but still a challenge, time-wise, and there are fewer publishers I can approach.

[aliquoricegirl.livejournal.com]

A funeral? After 16 rejections? 16?!
Crikey.
Sorry but, well… Something tells me somebody isn't going to make it as a writer.

[pepperlandgirl4.livejournal.com]

Hahahahahahaha 16 rejections? I know getting a rejection is hard. And it never, ever gets easier. Well, maybe for some people, but it doesn't just roll off my back. 16 is such a piddling small amount. I once saw somebody say (maybe another author, maybe on one of the many agent blogs) that after 100 rejections you're allowed to take a break, retool your submission packet/query letter, and then start up again. If it was 116, I'd have some sympathy for her. But on the other hand, if I ever read a blog from a wanna-be author, and they're seriously contemplating quitting, I never encourage them to keep trying and not give up. Writing isn't a requirement to be happy. Publishing is hard, and it's painful, and it crushes your self-esteem, and that's before the readers get a hold of the book. If they'd be happier doing something else, then godspeed and I wish them the best.

I do think some people refuse to go to small presses and e-presses because they want their first novels to be huge, published in every country, garnering invitations to do Oprah and Ellen, and raking in the big bucks. Which is a nice dream. But it's like the guy who only hits on supermodels, convinced that he's got a shot with them because he's a great guy, and then calls them a bunch of bitches and says that women only want to date assholes when they turn him down. You wonder why he doesn't check out the attractive women who actually have stuff in common with him and might enjoy his quirky brand of humor and his interest in old cars/football/movies/D&D/etc.

You know, I always leave these huge comments on your LJ--but nowhere else. Something about your posts brings this out of me, lol.

[madrigalist.livejournal.com]

Brilliant blog! I agree 100% with every last word. My story is exactly like you. I was being told by the major presses that they adored my writing and story but "with a lack of a name" already established in the business it would be hard to market a continuation of classic lit--even if it was Phantom. Enter one smart agent who suggest a career path... and here we are selling happily so far.

I wanted to give up.
I did not.
I never will.

Kudos to you!

Mav

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Hope you have a good day! Rejection is part of life - and it's GOOD for a writer's personality. I used to collapse like a chocolate fireguard and wail. Now I stare at the letter and go "Idiots!" and send it straight back out again.

:)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I have to agree. I've always been convinced that Joyce was having us all on, bless him.

*dies laughing at your second paragraph*

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yes, now that's another thing "not wanting to impose" I agree that you shouldn't ask for favours if you just happen to know someone in The Biz, but if someone DOES show an interest? GRAB IT!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Couldn't agree more!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Nod nod. And the whole publishing thing is something I'm going to be blogging about in more detail too in a few days. Not everyone bursts onto the scene with advance money spilling out of their pocket so coming in gradually, via the back door as it were, no pun intended, often works, if you work at it.

Well done you!

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

I think the drawback with Chiaroscuro was that it was just one story in a collection and the cover was, forgive me, repulsive. Ye Olde Swimming Hole of Bloode, yuck. If it hadn't been for your story I'd have clicked away posthaste.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I find it does get easier, though. I used to crumble to pieces and get sulky and sad, but now I simply shrug, mutter "their loss" and send it back out. I'm more upset by agent rejections these days because I sort of thought it would be easier to get an agent AFTER I'd done all the hard work and found a mainstream publisher - but it seems NOT.

I agree with you re your 2nd para, completely. Authors have this fantasy that unless you don't make it big with your first book it's not worth doing. But I'd point them to JKRowling;the series didn't start making waves until book three- and to Jim Butcher who has continued to improve in his series of books about a Wizard called Harry until he's now top of the charts every time.

I'm most happy that you do leave lovely big comments! Thank you!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

well--one didn't like to say... :) When I can get the rights back, I'll rework it in the way I wanted to do, make it a bigger story and see if I can sell it elsewhere.

[mongrelheart.livejournal.com]

I have 1 rejection, so only 15 more to go and I can retire, hahah ;) But seriously, thanks for a great post!

[crawling-angel.livejournal.com]

TES>>> *snorts and rolls eyes* That's difficult to do at the same time! Almost as difficult as reading a story with a sad ending *sob*

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

I keep getting dragged into having one. Four kids are good at that.

[eternalism.livejournal.com]

16 rejections? O_o Now, I'll grant you I haven't tried yet to submit anything for publication (and thus haven't been inevitably rejected, because I know it'll happen :p), but from what I've heard from well-known authors who've had multiple books published is that a lot of them, in the beginning, could have wallpapered entire rooms in their rejection letters! 16 rejections is absolutely nothing! It takes a buttload of hard work to get something published,and you're right; that means more than just writing it. Pimping it out, from what I hear, is one of the harder parts of a new author's career. They have no one to pimp it out for them, no one who'll be kind enough to stick ads on websites saying that so-and-so's book will be outon X-date, so they have to do it all themselves.

I wonder if that woman did anything like that, really? Hung around appropriately-themed message boards, built up hype and potential fans and friends who might be interested in reading her novel, all that stuff.

...I now wonder if I could actually get enough rejection letters for something that I could actually wallpaper a room in them. I think it would be rather funny t do so! Take pictures and show it off to other aspiring authors who think that 16 rejections is actually way too many. :p

[zamaxfield.livejournal.com]

I think so many people think once you get accepted the hard part is over. Bravo for pointing out that it's not. Plus, even once your book comes out and (hopefully) successful, you have to write the next, and bang the whole thing starts again! It's a hard thing.

I liked Chiaroscuro, BTW.

Yeah. Jonathon. Am I soulless for not caring what seagulls think? (Or if they think?) OKAY. I get it metaphor. (That was like my mother's favorite book in the seventies... we waited in line for a signed copy... like... FOREVER. Yeesh.)

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

I love the grumpy blue bird. :-D

About the marketing stuff: having your own business is an excellent training area for that. It's fine to plan your funeral in a moment of frustration, as long as you plan the resurrection as well. *g*

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Hah! I love it!

[angelabenedetti.livejournal.com]

"Send us a cover letter and please tell us what questionable content may be found within the MS as we do not wish to subject our editors to content that may put them at risk emotionally."

o_O WTF are these people doing editing erotica, romance, horror or thrillers, or just about anything else for broad-audience adults if they're that freaking delicate?? I think the overly sensitive ones should move over to children's books, or maybe inspirational books, and let the rest of them get on with the slushpile. Good grief....

About the sixteen rejections, yeah. It's got to've been a publicity stunt.

I remember reading a writing book where the author said that before you can consider yourself a "real" writer you have to accumulate a thousand rejection slips. He didn't mean it literally, but the point was that you have to keep writing and submitting and writing and submitting, and getting rejections is part of the process of learning and gaining experience and persevering. It was also a sorta-fun way of looking at each rejection as a positive rather than negative thing -- woohoo, three more! Only need another 892 rejections and I'm a real writer!! ;D

Angie