tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post5957183743854501513..comments2023-10-28T07:51:34.413-07:00Comments on Mama Needs A Book Contract: Stepping past rejectionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-32120667281624517772008-06-09T19:07:00.000-07:002008-06-09T19:07:00.000-07:00Jon and Lucy have offered some really good advice....Jon and Lucy have offered some really good advice. <BR/><BR/>Personally, I find writing rejection quite easy to take... I have two ways of looking at it:<BR/><BR/>1) I'm one step closer to an acceptance.<BR/><BR/>2) It's only one person's opinion. <BR/><BR/>Of course neither of those absolve me from going back and taking another look at the piece. <BR/><BR/>You are right Kai, it is just a stage of the journey. It's a time for rest and reflection... but if you stay there too long, you'll never want to get up again.RedWritingHoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00041884148793397823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-71094263575889830352008-06-09T17:26:00.000-07:002008-06-09T17:26:00.000-07:00As a humor columnist, I query editors all the time...As a humor columnist, I query editors all the time, by phone, by mail, by foot. And I get rejected more times than I get a, "By golly, we were just sitting here talking about how we wished someone like you would find us!"<BR/><BR/>I get past rejection by 1) reminding myself that they are not rejecting me and/or my work, but that the timing wasn't right. Their paper is full, they already have a humor columnist, or their budget won't allow them to pick up anything new. And 2) I make a mental or written list of all of my publishing accomplishments, including complimentary rejection letters.<BR/><BR/>Then I get back out there and plug away, because if I don't give anyone a chance to tell me "No," then I'm also not giving him a chance to tell me "Yes."<BR/><BR/>Good Luck!<BR/><BR/>Lucy Adams<BR/>Syndicated Columnist<BR/>Author of If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny<BR/>www.ifmama.com<BR/>lucybgoosey@aol.comAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18276125041686069253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875264211659505702.post-9302864942787843802008-06-09T14:34:00.000-07:002008-06-09T14:34:00.000-07:00My first advice is to determine whether the proble...My first advice is to determine whether the problem is your story, or the way it's being presented. From our experience, the vast majority of unsolicited submissions never make it to an editor. They're flagged by an assistant and slapped with a form rejection.<BR/><BR/>Often, it has nothing to do with the quality of the manuscript. Some typical causes:<BR/><BR/>* Incorrectly or sloppily formatted<BR/>* Over/under the word count<BR/>* Targeting the wrong age or genre<BR/>* Poorly crafted cover/query letter<BR/>* Sent to the wrong editor<BR/>* Is of a genre not published by the company<BR/><BR/>....and so on.<BR/><BR/>Editors might want to be able to dig out diamonds in the rough, but they truly don't have the time. If the manuscript isn't just right (and to make it just right, get the publisher's guidelines and follow them to a T, plus we have a DVD that's specifically about this subject) your story won't get a serious reading.<BR/><BR/>The good news? If you can master the art of submitting a manuscript properly you'll leap over the vast majority of the competition!<BR/><BR/>So start there before you fret about whether the manuscript itself is the problem.<BR/><BR/>All the best,<BR/><BR/>Jon Bard<BR/>Managing Editor<BR/>Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers - <A HREF="http://write4kids.com" REL="nofollow">http://write4kids.com</A><BR/>The Children's Writing Web Journal - <A HREF="http://write4kids.com/blog" REL="nofollow">http://write4kids.com/blog</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com