Be patient..

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A contract, but is it worth it?

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Alistair Roberts

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Or, be prepared to try and try again, perhaps hundreds of times. Or, DON'T GIVE UP.

I have been aware for over two years since I started my first novel, that it's not easy to get published. I was once shown a list that included J K Rowlings getting something like 15 rejections, Stephen King got 25 and tossed his first novel away. Luckily for him, his wife saved it. So have a look at this page >

http://www.literaryrejections.com/best-sellers-initially-rejected/

What really stands out might be this cheeky test >
"To prove how hard it is for new writers to break in, Jerzy Kosinski uses a pen name to submit his bestseller Steps to 13 literary agents and 14 publishers. All of them reject it, including Random House, who had published it."
Yes, rejected by his OWN publisher who had already published it lol.
So, don't give up, we all could get lucky, and only those who keep trying will succeed. I'm still holding my breath on a publisher who over a month ago asked to see my full novel. ;)
 
I stopped reading the list after the first fifty or so. Quite depressing.
 
Would you count the DNR's (did not reply) as rejections? I've lost track of how many companies I've contacted over the last year or so, only had a handful say 'thanks but no thanks'. Have had 2 offers but I couldn't afford the contributions they were asking (I was later advised to be wary of companies asking upfront fees). Seriously, do publishers assume that, since you have the time to write a book, you must be absurdly wealthy with plenty of free time? Or have a high paying job and low expenditure?
 
That's what I don't like about the process, though: that it may come down to luck. Given the effort it takes to produce a novel you'd hope it may be judged on merit at some point.

Bah humbug :(
 
Firstly the Did Not Reply(s) has probably exceeded 40 in the last two years. I'd count them as partly rejections and partly agents who no longer exist, as often the web information is out of date. I know (cough) one website that lists a sole agent who has actually passed away!
As for finding the list depressing? Actually, more the other way around. I'm like many, struggling to simply survive at the moment, you know how it is, nothing is going right etc., plans don't work out as you'd like. Read that list and you realise that there is hope yet. If the best have a struggle to get published, maybe we are also the best? Well, you can hope, but the point is that patience and perseverance does have its reward. The other point is not to wait to get published but to keep writing and editing. :)
 
I can't get over the idea of being rejected by your own publisher, haha! Thanks for posting this. I'm still sending out KDD (I only started in October) but I'm also writing a new novel that doesn't go over the word limit in any way, shape or form! I actually planned to write it after I'd finished the KDD series but I doubt anyone will be interested in a sequel to a book they didn't want to buy! So, this one next it is! :p
 
Back in the day I racked up something like 230 rejection letters for one manuscript and it's "revised" edition. That book went through several more revisions, and eventually went on to become His Majesty's Secret, my first published book at Siren under Carolyn Rosewood. But if I'd given up… :)
 
Back in the day I racked up something like 230 rejection letters for one manuscript and it's "revised" edition. That book went through several more revisions, and eventually went on to become His Majesty's Secret, my first published book at Siren under Carolyn Rosewood. But if I'd given up… :)
Thanks for that, Tara!
 
Atm I'm sending out to approx 10 companies every three months or so, have done for eighteen months, always hoping the next one will be 'the one' to accept
 
Only sending to 3 per month? Hm, I think I do about 12 per month, as I don't have that many years to spare and I want to get published so I can write a whole lot more lol :D
 
i wasn't sure how many to contact in one go, but i've been thinking lately about definitely increasing my communications. Some agencies don't like you to contact more than one at a time, and i loose track of who i've already sent to, who wasn't interested.
 
Ah well, I keep lists of who I sent which synopsis, when, and when rejected. I only once was honest and said I'd also sent it to others, so they promptly refused to even consider it! Honesty does NOT pay, look out for number one, yourself. So, what's the worst that can happen, 2 agents offer to take it on, like that's really a problem? lol
 
Ah well, I keep lists of who I sent which synopsis, when, and when rejected.
Same. It's the only thing in my life that I'm organized with, haha! I create little folders titled with the agency name and date sent, and inside I have what I've sent them. If I hear back, I edit the name of the folder with the date I heard back from them. As well as this, I have a small notepad where I list the agency and agent I've sent to. I strike through with red when I hear back. It sounds overly cautious but I'm dizzy a lot and I live with this awful fear I'll accidentally approach the same agent twice!

I need to start sending out to more agents also. It's just such a kerfuffle. Meeer... But, if resident writing machine @Tara Rose pushed through a bunch of rejections, I'll roll my sleeves up and keep going, too!
 
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