Rejection and Submissions

I know, it looks like I got that title backwards. In way, I guess I did. But considering the weekend I had, it's in the correct order.

I received another rejection on one of my manuscripts last week. I'm not going to admit the number here, but I've received several rejections on that particular manuscript. I've worked long and hard on it, and the critique buddies who have read it loved it. The ones who just read the synopsis said it sounded like something they might like to read. Even agents have commented on liking the premise. And yet it keeps getting rejected.

I seem to hit agents with full lists or who just don't fall in love with the story the same way I did. The rejections have been encouraging so I don't feel it's time to give up on the manuscript. If I ever do feel it's time to give up on it, I will. I'm not going to put my writing career on hold for a manuscript I can't sell. I would like to see it published someday, however.

Ever since I received that last rejection, I've been evaluating my writing career and trying to figure out the next step. I have plans for a couple of manuscripts waiting for me to revise and one that I'm still writing. I'm planning to submit a short story just as soon as I write the letter to go with it. And I've decided to keep searching for an agent for now. Yes, I've received rejections on that ms, but I've also received requests. I truly believe the book is publishable; I just need to find the right person to represent it. I've set a number and if I receive that many rejections, I'll take another hard look at the ms. I'm hoping I won't have to do that, however.

I've researched agents carefully and I'm only querying the ones I believe will be interested in my manuscript. I'm impressed by their agenting skills and client lists, but I've also heard wonderful things about them as people. We'll see how the query process goes. In the meantime, I have plenty of writing and revising to keep me busy.

Now for the moral of this post: Don't give up even in the face of multiple rejections. Keep writing and submitting. But it's also important to be flexible. If it becomes apparent you're not going to get anywhere with a particular manuscript, be willing to set it aside. Once you've published a book or two or three, then you can pull out the manuscript you set aside and try again to sell it. The market is constantly changing and evolving, so what won't sell today no matter how good it is could become a best-seller in five or ten years.