Has anyone ever asked you why you decided to self-publish instead of going the traditional route? For some, it's creative autonomy or because a shorter timeframe is appealing to you, but for some, it's because querying publishers can be THE WORST.
In my debut novel, I didn't care. I had a story to tell, wanted to write it, and went with the easiest way to publish. That doesn't mean I didn't pour myself into it, because I did. But then I settled for one of those publishers that some call Vanity Presses, but it was extremely affordable, and they did the editing, published my book, and did some marketing.
But then I wrote my second novel and took the million things I learned from writing my first novel. After editing it close to ten times on my own, I hired a developmental editor. He was excellent and went through the manuscript and suggested areas where I could strengthen it, add to the plot, tighten up my language, and create a better story. After many more edits from me, I hired someone to do a line edit. Then after that, I hired someone to research the best publishers in my genre who accept non-agented manuscripts. She then assisted with writing query letters. My point in telling you all of this is, I have a very strong manuscript that I believe in.
Then I queried. I sent exactly what they asked for. Some publishers want the entire manuscript. Some want a three-page synopsis, some want the first few chapters. And a few even require a small fee to query them.
Two weeks ago, I sent about eight query letters out. I've felt good. Again, I feel so strongly about my manuscript and the story. The entire reason I'm querying is because I want as many people to read it as possible. The story is dear to me. And I think it's good. I believe in it.
Today I received my first response.
- Trouble getting hooked on the characters and narrative
- Deepen the POV
- Writing relied on telling and not showing
- Story started in the wrong place
I won't lie. . . I spent hours after receiving the rejection doubting my manuscript. Wondering if I should rewrite the entire thing, sit on it longer, start the story in a different place, or just give up altogether.
But here's what I've realized. To put ourselves out into the world guarantees some level of rejection. What we write may not be for everyone. In fact, just because a publisher rejected my manuscript doesn't mean that the story won't do well once published. Some well-known authors get rejected several times before hearing YES. I may never hear yes. But for each query, hopefully, I'll get nuggets of advice like I did today that tell me what I can strengthen. Maybe writing is really just about continuing to get better. The journey, not the destination.
The advice I would give to everyone is:
Decide which publishing route you most want. If you're fine finding alternatives to traditional publishing, perhaps don't put yourself through the heartache.
Take the advice publishers give you, but believe in your work enough to leave behind the advice that isn't helpful.
Believe in yourself and the story you are telling. It won't be for everyone. What's that saying about opinions? Oh yeah, they're like assholes. . . everyone has one. :-)
And finally, don't let anyone's rejection or words stop you from remembering why you started writing in the first place.
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