Wednesday, August 29, 2012

A Lid for Every Pot

I might have mentioned I finally threw away all those old rejections I had filed away when I cleaned my desk. Though cleaning my desk is a form of procrastination, it's something I always do when I finish a project before I move onto the next. But this time I went deep into the stacks and files.

I have some thick and battered manila folders where I'd carefully stored rejections. When I received them my email, I used to run off a copy. I told myself it was a good way to keep track of editor and agent names as well as keep their words of advice and encouragement close. As I tossed them into the trash, some were over five years old, I reread the ones that weren't just form rejection letters. And laughed.

Some editors and agents were kind enough to remark on my work. Let me give an example for the very first romance novel I shopped around, The Greater Good. One editor told me the world building was wonderful and my characters lovable, but my writing needed to be tighter. Another editor told me my writing showed talent and a strong voice, but she found my world building needed work. If I had combined all the praise I'd been given on the book into one letter, it was the perfect novel. If I combined all the criticism, the was nothing right about the manuscript. Fortunately, New Concepts Publishing, thought the book worthwhile taking a chance on.

Reading through the rejections reminded me of a lesson I learned back when I received my first contract. Tell a good story, edit your work to as perfect as you can make it, and you'll find a way to get it published. Yes, my contracts are with small indie presses, but I like them. I love the personal contact. I love the way they teach me more about the industry. Recently, I found another small press who is taking on my newest epic fantasy series. As my grandmother used to say, 'There's a lid for every pot.'

Perhaps the 'lid' for your work is to self-publishing. I'm involved in that also with my first fantasy series that I took back my rights for from a small publisher that wasn't helping my career along. It was the right path for me.

So have you found a 'lid' for your writing? Do you think the state of the industry provides more opportunity to new writers now than in years past? Have you learned anything from your rejections? Ever get conflicting rejections?

16 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Those two contradictory letters are funny!
I've found my lid with a small publisher and I'm happy with it.

Tonja said...

Great advice to write a good story and perfect it as much as you can. That probably is the best we can do. Awesome that you kept going despite the rejections - just the inspiration I needed this morning (every morning).

mshatch said...

I don't even look at my old rejections anymore. I just keep writing.

Talli Roland said...

A big yes to conflicting rejections! It's so hard to know what to do with those ones.

Right now, my 'lid' is self-publishing, but I'm keeping my options open!

David P. King said...

Awesome post. I look forward to the day when I have enough rejections to wallpaper an entire room with like Stephen King did. Whether I do that or not is yet to be seen.

Btw, I tagged you on my blog today. :)

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

I hope I find the right lid before all the juice boils out of my pot!

Golden Eagle said...

I think there are a lot more opportunities for writers now than there used to be. Which makes for an interesting publishing dynamic!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I think the options are so open for writers now. There are still steps to follow though.

momto8 said...

interesting!!! i submitted 1 writing sample and got dissed practically immediately. I started my blog the next day and just realized I have procrastinated doing anything else ever since...and I never realized that until this moment.

Christine Rains said...

I always find it interesting to listen to other writers' experiences. I've gotten conflicting rejections too. Right now the 'lid' for me is self-publishing. I need a flexible schedule for my life and it works. Plus, I like the control it gives me.

Unknown said...

I've yet to find a lid, but I imagine it'd be a small, local publisher. If the Big 6 wanna take a chance on me, though, who am I to stop that train?

Anonymous said...

I've wallpapered my house with rejection letters. Cheaper than wallpaper and less messy than painting.

Anonymous said...

I always thought I'd frame my rejections but then I see how few I have and realize I haven't been putting myself out there.

I'm in awe of prolific writers.

Lynn Proctor said...

the last time i had someone critique my work, they had many things they found wrong but i was pretty excited about the good words---i only had it done because it was a contest :)

Arlee Bird said...

I think there are a lot more very good alternatives for writers these days. And the way I see it a bunch of rejections would be better than none because you'd never submitted anything.


Lee
Tossing It Out

Maria Zannini said...

This business is so subjective. I've stopped worrying about any one opinion and concentrate on the consensus.

And small presses are the best. They do all the work, and they are personable and hands-on. Win-win.