ALMOSTS, REJECTIONS, BINGO!
After years of writing and sending my work out, more notes of "almost accepted" and stacks of rejections, I met a lady publisher, Ann Philipps of Southern Star Publishing. I say I met her but we have never seen each other face-to-face. I found her though an online call for stories for an anthology she was publishing; she wanted Southern stories--romance, mystery, whatever. Right down my alley, huh? So I submitted a mystery story set in one of my favorite cities, New Orleans; it was accepted and I was published in my first anthology.
We kept on chatting online and while sharing the saga of my attempts at finding a publisher for a short story collection, Ann sent me the email that set me on the road to becoming an author of a successful book. She could help me become publsihed. Ann does POD book publishing. Yes, I paid to have my first book published and would do it all over again. "The Quilt Maker" has been a success and is still selling on Amazon.com after three years. I have had emails from all across the country regarding that book; one instructor emailed requesting permission to use one of the stories in a class for nursing students as it emphasized the caring of medical personnel. A teacher called me to express how much she appreciated a story reminding readers how important teachers can be into adulthood. It is a heady experience to receive praise from readers. And, yes, I recouped my publishing money back. And more.
The moral of this is: don't give up. Those "almosts" may lead you in another direction. Enter contests, submit to calls for anthology stories or online publicatiions. Editors of all sort of publications check out sites online just as we readers/writers. You never know when one of them will contact you regarding something you have shared online.
Don't feel that a rejection is personal. The editor is not critiquing you; most of the time you will never know whether they had a similar piece already accepted, if you missed the mark for their publication (always research the publication and follow the guidelines) or if he/she merely had a bad hair day when your submission hit the desk. If your work comes back, send it to the next spot on your list. You do have a list of editors/publishers to send your work to, don't you? Make one for everything you send out in order not to waste your time nursing your hurt in rejection hell.
A very wise man, Andy Byers, editor of "The Great Blue Beacon" newsletter, told me long ago that you should have at least eleven pieces/queries out in the mail. If one is rejected, send it out again--keep that number out. It's in the odds that one of those will sell. He was right.
TIP: Look into all opportunities to write: contests, anthologies, newsletters, everything.
PROMPT: Use your favorite search engine for a list of contests. Pick one. Enter it.
We kept on chatting online and while sharing the saga of my attempts at finding a publisher for a short story collection, Ann sent me the email that set me on the road to becoming an author of a successful book. She could help me become publsihed. Ann does POD book publishing. Yes, I paid to have my first book published and would do it all over again. "The Quilt Maker" has been a success and is still selling on Amazon.com after three years. I have had emails from all across the country regarding that book; one instructor emailed requesting permission to use one of the stories in a class for nursing students as it emphasized the caring of medical personnel. A teacher called me to express how much she appreciated a story reminding readers how important teachers can be into adulthood. It is a heady experience to receive praise from readers. And, yes, I recouped my publishing money back. And more.
The moral of this is: don't give up. Those "almosts" may lead you in another direction. Enter contests, submit to calls for anthology stories or online publicatiions. Editors of all sort of publications check out sites online just as we readers/writers. You never know when one of them will contact you regarding something you have shared online.
Don't feel that a rejection is personal. The editor is not critiquing you; most of the time you will never know whether they had a similar piece already accepted, if you missed the mark for their publication (always research the publication and follow the guidelines) or if he/she merely had a bad hair day when your submission hit the desk. If your work comes back, send it to the next spot on your list. You do have a list of editors/publishers to send your work to, don't you? Make one for everything you send out in order not to waste your time nursing your hurt in rejection hell.
A very wise man, Andy Byers, editor of "The Great Blue Beacon" newsletter, told me long ago that you should have at least eleven pieces/queries out in the mail. If one is rejected, send it out again--keep that number out. It's in the odds that one of those will sell. He was right.
TIP: Look into all opportunities to write: contests, anthologies, newsletters, everything.
PROMPT: Use your favorite search engine for a list of contests. Pick one. Enter it.
posted by Barb | 11:09 AM
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