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Six Months I'll Never Get Back
Which Hazel? got turned down by the publishing house I wrote it for. Mind you, they didn't ask me to write it, I just really thought they'd want it since I'm so great and Hazel is so great and blah blah blah. But they didn't. Which means that this particular house has actually turned me down twice (I sent them Sadie as well).
So...what does it actually mean when they say it "does not fit (their) publishing needs"?
It doesn't neccesarily mean I suck, does it? Or does it?
I doubt it. It probably means something more like "I don't know who you are or what this is, but we don't want to be bothered by your drivel" which at least means it's on them for not reading it.
Then again, Hazel is not really my best work. It's outside my genre of choice and was written for the purpose of being marketable. And it isn't, which I guess makes it a failure on many levels. Then again, even writing a shitty novel is probably good practice. Thankfully, the one I'm working on now is scarier, and much less shitty.
And now...to drown my sadness in a nice nap.
Later I'll get up, write, and maybe have a tuna melt.
So...what does it actually mean when they say it "does not fit (their) publishing needs"?
It doesn't neccesarily mean I suck, does it? Or does it?
I doubt it. It probably means something more like "I don't know who you are or what this is, but we don't want to be bothered by your drivel" which at least means it's on them for not reading it.
Then again, Hazel is not really my best work. It's outside my genre of choice and was written for the purpose of being marketable. And it isn't, which I guess makes it a failure on many levels. Then again, even writing a shitty novel is probably good practice. Thankfully, the one I'm working on now is scarier, and much less shitty.
And now...to drown my sadness in a nice nap.
Later I'll get up, write, and maybe have a tuna melt.
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It may be just that I don't know enough about the genre, and my hostility toward chick lit is apparent. Or it may be that the chances I took (no sex scenes, romance falls apart in the end) worked only to my detrement.
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Out of curiosity, and I'm not asking this to be snarky or anything, but if you don't think Hazel is your best work, why are you submitting it? Even if it seems like a marketable genre, if it's not your best, it's probably not going to sell.
But yeah, shitty novels are good practice--especially since they're usually not as shitty as their authors think they are. ;)
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One of the many published writers I know on LJ hipped me to a house that specifically wants edgy stories about fat girls. Since I consider myself somewhat of an expert, I took some time to write them a story. I also thought the chick lit genre would be easier to bust into than the horror market--especially since the market for chick lit/romance is frakin' huge.
After NaNo I'll look around and see if anyone else might want to take a gander at it. It's not that it's a bad book, it's just not what I'm most comfortable with. From readers, it got a positive response, but it didn't blow anyone away like my first novel did.
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There are plenty of presses out there, don't let one particular rejection stop you from finding a match.
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Send it out far and wide.
Work it girl.
It may never work, but how will you know until you've passed it around?
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It's totally true; I just need to stop feeling so bad. At least I'm a person getting rejections as opposed to people saying "someday I'll write a novel."
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Yes, exactly. Because that other person is currently me, especially after meeting with the undergraduate adviser for English who said herself her dream was to be a writer... and now she's herding snotty kids like me who would all love to be novelists someday through their English degrees that they'll ultimately use to go to law school or something equally as non-novelly. So, remember that you could be the very kindly lady shoved in a room barely big enough for two chairs, a desk, and a small book self asking English majors what their career goals are and replying with, "I always wanted to write." Not that there's anything wrong with academic advisers, but I doubt she has ever written that novel.
My point, because there was one, I think, is that you should not be discouraged! Because yay! You have written novels.
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Hearing the bleating of pathetic people who are not even wannabes (they're more like wannawannabes who claim to want to work and never do) makes me alternately sad and furious. DO it or shut up is my view.
And since you've already done the work, send it around.
The more the merrier.
And if it needs revisions - revise.
but in the meantime get on with the next piece!.
Go go go!
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In fact, my new novel is coming along rather well.
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And beyond the work itself, persistence, critique, schmooze and network are the keys.
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Each rejection just seems to punch me right in the "deep down, you know you suck" button.
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Don't forget that my party is a week from Saturday.
Or that I'm making warm spinach & artichoke dip.
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Don't be so hard on yourself! It wasn't marketable to this one publishing house, which doesn't mean it's not marketable at all and certainly doesn't mean it's a failure!!
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