ON REJECTION

 

Most writers, even the most successful, can tell you how many rejections they got before they sold—and even after they sold.  It’s painful, it’s humbling, and if we’re lucky, it’s enlightening.  Instead of crushing your resolve, each rejection should make you more determined to conquer.

 

At a booksigning recently, a writer asked me for advice on how to keep from getting discouraged when rejections came in.  I gave her some advice off the top of my head, and then thought: wouldn't it be fun to get advice from authors who have weathered rejections and made it anyway.  So here follows some nuggets of wisdom and just some fun advice!

 

You have to receive a certain number of rejections before you sell that first book.  You won't know this number until you sell.  So think of those rejection letters this way:  Each one takes you closer to that magic number.  Can you afford to quit when you could be one rejection away from selling? 

 

~Tina Wainscott

 

It may not seem like it at the time, but rejection can be a blessing in disguise.  Fifteen years ago I had a fantastic idea for a story, which was rejected by a lot of publishers.  Last year, after my paranormal romantic suspense, Killing Moon, was accepted as one of Berkley's launch books for their new romance program, they asked me to turn in other ideas.  I went back to that proposal that was rejected and rethought it.  I'm a better writer now.  And my ideas have matured.  My editor accepted the proposal.

 

If a proposal is rejected, it may be something that you're not yet ready to write.  Put it away and let it simmer on the back burner of your mind. When you revisit it, you may find you can do a much better job with the book than you ever could have when you first tried.

 

~Rebecca York/Ruth Glick, KILLING MOON, Berkley, Jun 03

 

Well, keeping in mind that I'm a writer who has made a career out of publishing books I was told would never sell (LOL), I've had a lot of experience with rejection :) In fact, after I sold 6 books, I received the stellar rejection of "No one at this house will ever be interested in developing this author. Do not send her work to us again."

The main mantra that got me through it was...

The only guarantee you have in this business is if you don't send it out, they can't buy it.

A couple of others I've used are:
Time heals all wounds, but only a good bonfire and a pint of Chunky Monkey heals a rejection letter.

You can't succeed until you try.

We all crawl before we fly.

~Kinley MacGregor, Born in Sin, Avon; also writing as Sherrilyn Kenyon, Night Pleasures, St. Martin's Press

 

When I get rejected, I head straight to Chili's for a Molten dessert.  It's chocolate times ten, with ice cream.  Then I go home, high on the caffeine and sugar, and write brilliant ideas for new projects, some of which actually make sense the morning after.

 

~Haywood Smith, The Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch, St. Martin's Press

 

Rejection never really bothered me because I was previously hardened by the art world, where public critique resembles a chum feeding at the shark tank and a really scathing dissection of your work can actually earn applause. Frankly, I was touched by how all the publishing professionals were careful to be so polite and constructive.

I always remained aware that my writing was a work in progress and that I had a long way to go. I was flattered to have been taken as seriously as I was. 

Once you've polished your work to a professional level (and why bother submitting before then?) you find that rejection or acceptance is really a matter of timing. Emotionally, it removes the issue from being a judgment to more of a lottery situation. The right manuscript across the right desk at the right moment--what are the odds? The only way to add an element of control is to be persistent beyond all boundaries of sanity.

 

~Celeste Bradley, The Pretender, June 2003, St. Martin's Press

 

 

Don't take "no" for an answer.  Never, ever give up.  It took me four novels, and thirteen years before I finally got a "yes."

 

~Carole Bellacera , Understudy, St. Martin's Press

 

To take the sting out of receiving a rejection before I was published, I would always make sure I had multiple things out at the same time.  Of course that didn't help when I got five rejections on the same day.  Ouch!  I'd try to remind myself that it wasn't me they were rejecting, it was this work at this specific time for reasons that may or may not have anything to do with the writing itself.  I don't allow myself to grieve more than one day.  I
move on to the next thing.  I have very thin skin, so it's always surprised me how well I handle rejection--maybe it was the practice <g>.  I don't throw things away either.  I've sold several projects that sat gathering dust for years.

~Sylvie Kurtz, Under Lock And Key, Harlequin Intrigue, May 2003

The first time I got a major rejection, I spent days going through a grief process - stages of denial, despair, acceptance, etc.  Now, when I get a rejection, I still feel the pain just as keenly, but over time I've learned to process it faster - sometimes as quickly as a minute or less.  Of course, sometimes I think I've processed it, only to find my thoughts returning to it when I least expect it.  When all is said and done, I don't think rejection
ever gets easier - you never submit a piece of work expecting it to get rejected, so it always comes as a blow - but experience has made me a lot tougher and better at handling it. ~Toni Blake, Mad About Mindy ... And Mandy, Harlequin Duets, April 2003

 

Back when I mailed off my first few manuscripts, I immediately addressed a mailer to the next publisher on my list, hedging my bets.  (I didn't have an agent for my first half-dozen books--this was in the very early 80s.) I got lucky and wasted a few mailers, but I always felt better having that bit of insurance.

~Dixie Browning-Undertow Silhouette single title, July 2003

After one particularly scathing rejection, I channeled all of my infantile anger into an essay about the whole ridiculous cycle of query letters and rejection.

 

The Eminem Query (At hip-hop tempo)

                        Your form letter dissed me

But you’re *%!@&^ gonna miss me

When another mutha picks me

And you’re SOL

Yo!

Your head I’m gonna clobber

Till over me you slobber

Cause I write like Nora Roberts

You raggedy ho!

Okay, so maybe I don’t write like Nora Roberts.  But this still makes me laugh.

~Susan Donovan, Knock Me Off My Feet, St. Martin’s Press

 

Don't dwell on it!  Rejection is inevitable--it's the way we deal with it that makes it disabling, educational or a big ho-hum.  Early in my career, I would take months to recover from a rejection and get geared up for the next project.  Soon I learned that the best medicine was to get on with it as quickly as possible.  These days, rejection doesn't even leave a bruise--because I'm moving too fast for the blow to land."

~Carrie Alexander, The Chocolate Seduction, Harlequin Temptation

 

I possibly win the prize for the worst rejection comment ever from my very first contest entry: "Don't quit your day job.  Leave writing to those who can."  Thank you so much, Judge #12.  That was the first time I'd been brave enough to put my work out there, but instead of crushing me you made me so angry I started pounding my keyboard like a writer on steroids, sent my work out to every editor on the planet, and within two years sold my first book to Harlequin Duets.  The moral of the story: turn negative energy into positive results. :)

~ Candy Halliday, Are Men From Mars?/Venus, How Could You?, Harlequin Duets,  July, 2003   

 

Rejection is nothing more than a connection to the fear inside you.  Think about it.  If you "fear" rejection, why do you fear it?  Because rejection is confirmation that your work isn't good enough.  If you're crushed by rejection it's because that rejection is validation of what you already believe and know inside of you:  your work is not good enough, it's not worthy of publication, it's not marketable.  Yet.

Here's a good rule of thumb.  If you are sending manuscripts out with the attitude of "I know they won't take this" or "I know this isn't good enough to sell" whoa.  Stop right there.  If you know it, I guarantee the editor will know it also.  Your work is not yet ready to be seen.  You shouldn't even have picked that melon yet.  It's still green.  Leave it on the vine awhile longer.  Translation:  Your manuscript needs more work and you know that.

Once you've got a manuscript where you KNOW it needs to be, it's like falling in love.  You just KNOW.  You no longer expect rejection.  And if you receive one, you take it in stride.  You are not crushed, not at all.  For what you know is this:  Maybe your story didn't click with that particular editor.  But it definitely will with another one.  Because you are now presenting them with a luscious, perfectly ripe melon at the height of its sweetness.  

~ Barbara Meyers, Training Tommy, Avalon

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Essential Characterization Hints

According to Tina Wainscott

 

 

Know your character well before you start to write.  Spend some time with them, have conversations with them that don’t relate to the book.  See them in scenes not in the book.  Interview them.

Refrain from constant use of POV character’s name unless clarity is needed.

During first revision, take note of what we notice first about the character.  Is it consistent throughout book?  What do we like about the character?  Count how many things we learn about the character in the scene where we first meet them.  There should be several, and most of those should be internal things, such as conflicts, preferences, attitudes, etc.

Think about who your character loves/cares about, and who loves/cares about them, even your villain.

Give them people in their lives: family, friends, children, etc.  They give your characters human ties and vulnerabilities.

Think about each character’s two biggest actions in the book.  Are they properly motivated?  Foreshadowed?

Their quirk should be evident in every scene, at least once

Look for all opportunities to show characterization.  For example, if the heroine has sneaked into someone’s office and is using a piece of paper from the trash to take notes, make that piece of paper something relevant to the office owner’s personality.  What could it be a receipt for?

Do they expect certain behavior from secondary characters (and each other) based on their past?  Do they ell stories, make references to the past?

Do they react appropriately?  They should always react to everything that happens.

Are there cultural and class differences between hero and heroine that you can explore/exploit?

Are you characterizing using action and not description?

Do you show enough of their jobs/profession to make it believable?

--professions/hobbies color our speech, esp modifiers

And most importantly, are these the kind of people you’d like to spend a few days with?  Because that’s what your reader will be doing.

 

THE TOP 10 REALLY COOL THINGS ABOUT BEING A WRITER

Tina Wainscott

10.    You can explore mysteries, what-ifs and universal truths, and you can solve them in whatever way you want.  You can stretch your imagination to the outer lmits, and make your reader believe, even for a short while, in magic.

 

9.    Whenever you space out and forget where you’re going, or spend two hours in the bath, you can always blame it on the people in your head who at last decided to reveal their deepest secrets.  (Of course, if you tell this to someone who doesn’t write or read fiction, they might send you on an expense-paid trip to the funny farm!)

8.   You can buy books as a legitimate business expense. Better, you can read books as a legitimate part of your job.

7.  You can go to work in your pajamas if you want, or at the least, sans panty hose, makeup and 18-Hour bra.

6.  You can have torrid sex in public (or unlikely) places and not get arrested.

5.  You can be the person you always wanted to be: braver, thinner, sassier, with perfect skin and thick hair.  But, just like in real life, your characters can't be perfect.

4.  You can be the person you never wanted to be: A bitch, psychopath, murderer, even the opposite sex.  You can be whatever you want for a while, without any repercussions.

5.  You learn to develop a balanced sense of self.  You’re dancing with angels when a reader tells you you’re the best thing since the invention of chocolate; you’re in the dregs of self-esteem when your editor tells you your latest book is great—or will be when you've completed the ten pages of revisions she's going to give you.

4.      Your mother was wrong—it’s okay to tell stories after all.

3.  Writing is the one place in your life where you can be god and control your world.  If your characters let you, that is.

2. You can have torrid affairs with sexy men and not risk divorce or the fiery gates of hell.

1.      The best, absolutely number one part is knowing that what you love doing will touch someone’s life and take them away from their troubles for a while.

This was published in Romantic Times Magazine, December 1998.

 

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CAN WE TALK?  Booksellers and Readers Speak Out

By Tina Wainscott and Kayla Perrin

Like most authors, we want to know what readers like.  What better way than to ask them, and make a party out of it?  We hosted our second annual CAN WE TALK? Forum at the 2002 Romantic Times Convention in Reno.  All participating authors donated signed copies of their books to be given away between topics.  Free books, great conversation, and a lot of laughs.  With thirty people in attendance (including seven authors), their heartfelt words and passionate responses opened our eyes about what readers want--from our publishers and from us. 

Sex.-- We decided to get things off to a, er, rousing start with the question of Sex.  How much is too much?  Who likes it hot?

• Readers thought that books should put them in the mood, just like a good man should. 
• There is room for all levels of sensuality within romance.  But writers should remember that most readers don’t need a manual.  “After all, we’ve been doing it for a while!” one reader said.
• Half of the room liked hot books, and booksellers said that the new Brava line is doing well in their stores.
• The author’s writing style is important to a successful love scene.  The language shouldn’t detract from the scene.
• Love scenes should move the story forward and not seem thrown in.

Age – How old is too old for a reader to identify with the heroine?  Too young?

• Women of “a certain age” can’t relate to the mores of young characters.  One reader skips over any mention of age and translates the age to something closer to their own.  Half of the room agreed with this.
• Some readers felt that the age wasn’t realistically portrayed.  For example, twenty-something heroines were much too wise for their years or were too advanced in their careers than they could be at their age.
• Authors were warned that if they are going to write young characters, they should keep up with trends relating to that age group.  Particularly, their values, language, and activities.
• Many readers preferred the characters to be in their late twenties at the youngest and into their mid thirties.
• There seems to be a gap in romance for young adults, though one young lady in the group didn’t think teens would read young adult romances.

Chick Lit – Hip, young…horrible?

 

• Readers found the heroines of these books too self-absorbed. 
• One young lady said the current books were “horrible.  I hate them.”  She thought younger people preferred romance.  “Chick lit treats relationships in a less serious manner.”
• Booksellers won’t promote chick lit to their romance readers, because they would be disappointed.
• One lady’s seventeen year old daughter loves them.
• One reader said, “They’re too realistic.  I have my own dating misery!”

Give me More – What readers like and want more of

• One bookseller’s customers love the royalty books/series, though she has never read one.
• Strong heroines
• Paranormal elements
• American and post Civil War settings
• Books set in the 1920’s.  “It’s time to move up what publishers consider historical.”
• Dark or wounded heroes who have an inner alpha

 

No More, Please! – What readers hate or are tired of

Hate:

• Static characters who don’t grow by the end of the book
• Advertisements in the middle of their books.  “It jars me right out of the story.”  They didn’t mind if the ads came at the end of the book.
• Heroes who treat women badly.  There is a difference between an alpha male, who is strong but sensitive.  Some writers make the heroes rude for strength, and that’s unacceptable.
• TSTL heroines (Too Stupid To Live).  Writers need to find better ways to put the heroine in danger than having her check out the noise she hears in the basement when she’s all alone during a storm with the phone lines out…well, you get the idea.
• Inconsistency in continuing characters.  Readers pay attention to these details. 
• First person narratives in romances
• When the characters tells someone else something they already know just to inform the reader. 
• Bad editing
• Inaccuracies and historical anachronisms
• Poor writing quality. Are writers writing too fast? Sacrificing quality to get more books out there?  These readers preferred to wait for better quality.
• Reissues! (in unison)
• When the covers and/or blurbs don’t match the story
• When there is a big age difference between the main characters, May/December romances
• Books that are written all in the heroine’s point of view.  They want inside the hero’s head, too.
• Too much description

Readers are tired of:

• The British Isles as a setting
• Identical twins, particularly when the plot revolves around mistaken identity and/or when they switch places
• Heroines dressing up as men.  “Come on, any smart man will know it’s a woman!”  They were particularly tired of the homosexual conflict when the hero starts getting feelings for the “boy”.

How many bad or mediocre books is a reader willing to give an author before giving up.  Readers are somewhat forgiving.  They’ll give an author two or three books before moving on.

Covers – Don’t judge a Book…

• Readers thought books looked too much alike these days.
• Covers sometimes don’t match the mood, thus misleading the buyer.
• Historical cartoon covers got a big thumbs down.  “It misrepresents the book as a contemporary and also as a lighter book.”
• Readers hate when publishers clothe the characters in the wrong time period.  Someone mentioned a cover with the wrong type of kilt.
• Please, no boobs on the men!
• Readers don’t want to read quotes on the back cover; they want the blurb.  Some will put the back back on the shelf without investigating further.
• As is often the case, half the room liked the clinch covers and half didn’t.  Good thing there’s something out there for everyone.

Speaking of covers – What makes a reader pick up a book?

• Eye-catching covers/colors
• One author finds new authors through Romantic Times’ reviews, though ratings didn’t matter to half of the group.
• Quotes from other authors don’t make a difference
• One bookseller’s customer only buys award winners, but most don’t care about awards.  Romance Writer’s of America’s RITA award, however, did help with a new author.
• None of the women present would buy a book simply for the model, though one used to buy all of Steve Sandalis’ covers.

 

Follow Me – Will readers follow their favorite authors when they cross over to another genre?

• Many will follow if it’s not too radical of a change
• Readers miss the historicals when those authors cross to contemporary.  Most lamented that the authors never return to their roots.

 

Give me Fantasy – or Not

• Too much reality in historical romances wasn’t desirable.  Readers don’t want to know about the lack of hygiene in olden times, for example.
• In romantic suspense, readers want that reality. 
• Readers don’t want books to be too gritty, too graphic outside what is necessary for the story.
• Two books were cited wherein a heroine is raped (by someone other than the hero).  Overall, this wasn’t acceptable.

 

We were surprised that several of the readers present peeked at the ending to make sure it was good. 

We would like to extend an invitation to all authors (published and unpublished) planning to attend the next Romantic Times Convention to join us for this forum.  Not only was it a learning experience, but a great way to meet readers and booksellers.  Several people told me that they would buy my books since they had met me. 

It also turned into an opportunity to teach them things, too.  Many were surprised, for instance, that we had nothing or little to do with our cover or back cover copy.  And many didn’t realize the power of writing a letter to a publisher to voice a request, opinion, or complaint.  Most importantly, we emphasized that if they want their favorite sub-genre or midlist author to survive, they must buy books new to send a financial message to the publishers.  Please contact Tina at Twainscott@bitsmart.com with questions and topic suggestions.

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Essential Characterization Hints

According to Tina Wainscott

Know your character well before you start to write.  Spend some time with them, have conversations with them that don’t relate to the book.  See them in scenes not in the book.  Interview them.

Refrain from constant use of POV character’s name unless clarity is needed.

During first revision, take note of what we notice first about the character.  Is it consistent throughout book?  What do we like about the character?  Count how many things we learn about the character in the scene where we first meet them.  There should be several, and most of those should be internal things, such as conflicts, preferences, attitudes, etc.

Think about who your character loves/cares about, and who loves/cares about them, even your villain.

Give them people in their lives: family, friends, children, etc.  They give your characters human ties and vulnerabilities.

Think about each character’s two biggest actions in the book.  Are they properly motivated?  Foreshadowed?

Their quirk should be evident in every scene, at least once

Look for all opportunities to show characterization.  For example, if the heroine has sneaked into someone’s office and is using a piece of paper from the trash to take notes, make that piece of paper something relevant to the office owner’s personality.  What could it be a receipt for?

Do they expect certain behavior from secondary characters (and each other) based on their past?  Do they ell stories, make references to the past?

Do they react appropriately?  They should always react to everything that happens.

Are there cultural and class differences between hero and heroine that you can explore/exploit?

Are you characterizing using action and not description?

Do you show enough of their jobs/profession to make it believable?

--professions/hobbies color our speech, esp modifiers

And most importantly, are these the kind of people you’d like to spend a few days with?  Because that’s what your reader will be doing.

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Build A Writing Resume
by Robin Bayne

Publishing credits in the small press and on the Internet can add substance to your writing resume. Although not always as impressive as book-length credits, they demonstrate your ability to follow through on a project and that someone liked your work. Editors are always looking for well-written short stories, and some are prepared to pay for them. For two years, I edited and published a small press literary magazine. The experience was enlightening in many ways. Not only did I meet other writers and readers, I met and corresponded with many other editors of the small press. Many of them were writers as well; most also held full-time positions unrelated to writing. They understand our busy schedules, and they want to discover a great story by an unknown writer. As the saying goes, they are overworked and underpaid. In fact, most are not paid at all, some even fund their ventures personally.

Along with inspirational publications, there are literary, mainstream fiction, and many magazines considered “small press” that exclusively publish genre fiction such as romance, science fiction and fantasy. However, many others will consider genre stories if they are done well and appeal to a wide audience. Non-fiction stories of personal experience have become a hot trend in the inspirational market. Credits in these publications are of interest to editors who acquire book length manuscripts. On-line magazines offer a whole new market, and in some cases, less competition for a new writer while the off-line world catches up.

Most publications offer both regular submission guidelines and contests for specific categories. Reviewing the publication prior to submitting is a must, but with so many websites available, samples as well as guidelines are sometimes as close as the ‘print’ button. Payment is typically in copies of the published magazine, or a token payment, but writing for guidelines before submitting will clear up any confusion. Some small press publications pay well. For example, creative non-fiction stories accepted by the Chicken Soup for the Soul series pay $300.00, but the competition is fierce.

I selected stories (and poems) to publish that created visual images, flowed well from beginning to end and featured believable, likeable characters. The writers that submitted work to my magazine ranged from raw-amateur to near-pro. As in any business, there were a few bad experiences with unpleasant personalities. Overall, I learned a great deal about editing practices related not only to small press but to publishing in general. Here are a few do’s and don’ts to keep in mind:

—Don’t submit before requesting and reading the publication’s guidelines, or thoroughly exploring the website. The porno submissions I received went right back into the mail.

—Do include a brief cover letter with your best publishing credits. Leave out jokes, puns and family anecdotes. Do note any relevant experience you’ve had.

—Don’t instruct the editor to “enjoy your work.” One editor confided that enjoyable reading for him is “Cosmopolitan,” not writer submissions. Others just resent the presumption.

—Do put your name and address on every page (of short pieces). If you submit electronically, make sure to include both e-mail and regular mailing addresses. I had an author who waited months to see his work published, but I had no address or phone number.

—Don’t call the editor unless asked-- it catches her off guard and is annoying. Please write. Use e-mail if it’s provided as an acceptable means of contact. Remember, most of them have other occupations as well as publishing.

—Do send an SASE with every regular mail submission and inquiry. No exceptions.

—Don’t submit cute items with your work. I received so many tiny, origami objects while I edited. Photos are okay, but not ones of your dog.

—Do be sure to identify your target market and send only appropriate material.

—Don’t assume your editor is a man. I didn’t look favorably on letters addressed to “Mr. Robin Bayne.”

—Do submit the hard copy of your work, with disk to follow if requested. Follow the guidelines the editor provides?they are designed to save you time and money.

—Don’t hand-write it! Don’t send a dog-eared copy that’s made the rounds fifty times. We can tell.

—Do send a thank-you note when you receive the finished copy of your work. It will be remembered. It also may get your name mentioned in the magazine again.

—Don’t send out submissions by Certified Mail or any service that requires a signature. If your editor has to traipse to the post office to sign for your submission, you start out with points against you.

—Do inform editors if you are simultaneously submitting your work. I once had to pull a story from my publication after typing and set-up. I found it in a competing magazine.

—Don’t burn your bridges. Keep those nasty thoughts to yourself, so that next year they don’t come back to haunt you. Better yet, record them in your personal journal. You’ll feel better.

—Do consider those small press credits as real publishing credits. Even if you’re not paid, keep in mind that for every story accepted, many were rejected. Each acceptance letter is a major accomplishment.

—Don’t be discouraged after a few rejections. I had to send back many stories I liked, but simply didn’t have room to print. Even online, space is limited.

—Do be wary of magazines that state “not copyrighted” in their guidelines. You still have rights in that situation, but the protection is considerably less.

—Don’t worry about copyrights in most magazines. As a publisher, I was required to send two copies of the “best edition” of each issue to the Library of Congress Depository. Any magazine that published work identified by the © copyright symbol must make the deposit, even if it does not officially register and pay the fee.

—Do send out your best work. You never know who may notice your work, or where your favorite editor may end up.

© Robin Bayne
(Revised 10/02. Previously published in Writer’s Journal, November 1997)

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