The dreaded "I just didn't connect" rejection and how to up your chances!

How many times have we heard that standard rejection, "I just didn't connect with it" or heard the word "SUBJECTIVE." These are realities in the publishing world. They're legit reasons for rejections even if we don't full understand them. 

Truth is, sometimes there is nothing you can do to make a particular person love your work. That's the nature of art.

 Some people are going to love it, some are going to hate it, some will be neutral (this is a life lesson all authors learn when they start getting reviews!) So sometimes that's what we mean when we say "it's subjective." I'm sorry, you're just not "the one". 

During #pitchwars someone compared the slush pile to dating... and boy what an analogy! So let's play with that, shall we?

Sometimes mentors, agents or editors have to say no to books that they know are fantastic. Books they know deserve to be chosen. Because there is another book that just connects... for whatever reason.

Let's think of submitting your work like a first date, and all the things you should keep in mind to up your chances of a love connection-- do's and don'ts.

Step one: Basic hygiene

This one is simple. Wash your hair, brush your teeth, wear deodorant. In publishing? This can translate into grammar and punctuation or even into character motivations that make sense, staying away from cliches, plot that moves forward etc.

Step two: Be Interesting

On a date, if you have nothing to say about anything, we may start getting bored. Naturally, people are going to be more drawn to someone like, say, a fire fighter, than an accountant who has no hobbies-- simply because they want to know more about them. "Is it scary?" "Have you ever saved someone's life?" if exciting questions start running through someone's mind, that's piquing their interest and they'll hang around a little longer to see what's around the corner. 

In publishing, this is premise and the promise of plot. Something that makes us want to keep reading just to see what's going to happen. 

Step three: Personality

Here's where things get sticky, because there isn't one right personality. 

 You might be funny, or witty, or sarcastic, or deep, or intelligent. The main point is that you stand out and draw people in. That people enjoy talking with or about you.

This is the voice/tone of your story. You know that guy who everyone else thought was hilarious but really just annoyed you? Or the weird girl no one else understood but was your absolute best friend?  We are all drawn to different things. We come at it from different perspectives so we see things differently. That's okay. Just makes sure you HAVE a personality. 

Some people like spicy, some prefer sweet, some love sour, and some want savory. Don't add chocolate to your curry sauce just because someone wants something sweet. Your goal is simply to not be bland.

The last and most important step is.... Emotional connection

That thing that's SOOO important but SOOOO difficult to pin point. I'm not even going to try to come up with dating examples because I'm pretty sure I'll fail. It's that thing that takes you from stranger to relationship. From crush to a meaningful part of your life. In books, sometimes it can be kind of accidental, you just happen to hit the right topic or remind the reader of something that really resonates with them. Sometimes we can't do anything more to help someone fall in love, we just have to wait for the right timing. 

But I'll tell you a secret.  Most of the time it comes down to relating to the characters and their goals. So how do we do that? Here's the part you don't want to miss. 

The thing that is most likely to HOOK those readers at all levels, to give you the best chance at falling into love: 

Emotional stakes

So you know how in pitches we tell you we need to know what happens if they fail? The world ends, they freeze to death in the icy tundra, deadly virus spreads across the world, dictator gains power and enslaves millions etc etc. But it can't be only physical. There needs to be emotional stakes also.

Don't just think about the premise as the idea- the logical "will this concept sell?" because just as important (sometimes more) is that you aren't just hooking the head of your readers-- but their heart.
Sort of like the hot millionaire who loves puppies- he sound *amazing* on paper. But it's the broke musician who steals your heart and won't let go. Don't be the millionaire. Be the musician. (I mean, be both if you can but if you have to choose...)


So, I don't care if you've written a survival story where the whole point is them making it through the icy tundra to safety, there still needs to be something emotional at stake. There's a sick little sister with you  and your mother just left you both but you haven't told your sister yet so that's hanging over your head, and all the while you feel responsible for her but your afraid he's going to let her die less than two days into that responsibility *weeps*. All this on top of freezing temperatures and fighting off wolves etc. (also mind you that it doesn't need to be sad like that, there are a million types of emotions you can use) The DEEPER you go with those emotions the more likely you're going to connect to someone

The Waiting Game

Publishing is a lot of waiting.

Waiting to hear back from critique partners.
Waiting to get responses on queries

Waiting to get responses on requested materials

Waiting to get responses when on submission

Waiting for cover designs

Waiting for releases

Waiting Waiting Waiting

So much time spent waiting. And so many parts of the process are out of our control. And even worse the time spent waiting is often for a response we don't want to hear.

I'm not going to lie, it's not easy and I don't have all the answers. I struggle with all the waiting. I get it, agents, editors, and industry professionals are busy and as someone who is querying, I know clients come first. But it's hard to wait months and months and then get the response you are dreading.

So how do we stay positive and make the best us of all that time spent waiting?

I know people say work on the things you can control, i.e. your next project. But what happens when the thoughts of waiting cripple your ability to move onto something else and write something new?

Take a break

See some friends, catch up on TV, relax. You likely just finished a manuscript and spent a ton of time researching who to send it to so cut yourself some slack and take a load off.

Read a Book

Catch up on that to read pile. You know the one that's stacking up next to your bed? Make a dent in it. Reading can be relaxing and inspiring at the same time. Let someone else's stories sweep you away.

Do Research

Just because you feel like you can't write, doesn't mean you can't lay the ground work for a new story. Get lost in the research, it may inspire you to move forward with an idea.

Critique

Spend some time with your critique partners work. It will take you mind off things and help them at the same time. It's a win win.

Regardless the waiting game is hard. Give yourself a break. It's okay to lose it and get frustrated, but also use the time to recharge and find inspiration for your next project. Long and short perseverance pays off. Keep moving forward and don't let the waiting drag you down.

From PB Twitter Pitch to MG Book Deal

When an editor shows interest in your work, what do you do?

If you’re like me, you send what they ask for.

I’d been writing, and making mistakes, and querying and making mistakes (but learning from them) for about two years. Then, in January 2014, I twitter pitched a PB manuscript and received some interest. Although it was not the first bit of interest I’d had from a contest, (I’d entered many and learned from each one) it was the first interest directly from a publisher.

Jessica Schmeidler, an editor at Anaiah Press, asked for a picture book manuscript I’d written about a rude and stubborn cow. I gladly sent it with a query that very day. A few days after that, I received an email from Ms. Schmeidler saying my picture book manuscript wasn’t quite right for them. But, she had seen my twitter bio and visited my website and saw that I also write middle grade. (How cool is that?) So when she asked what I had in MG, I sent her a synopsis of my current work in progress, TREE ROPER, about a one-eyed boy and his summer goal of cosmetic surgery, which I was revising and preparing to resubmit to agents.

She liked the synopsis and asked if she could see the manuscript. I was thrilled, and sent the manuscript. When she got back to me (while I was still in revisions) she gave me an R&R. She liked the premise and much of the story but thought some things should change to reach the audience she had in mind.

Since most of her suggestions for revision were already recommended by one or more of my trustworthy beta readers or CPs, (You absolutely need honest beta readers and blunt CPs if you want to improve) I rolled most of her recommendations into the current revisions I was making and planned to resubmit to her with my next batch of agents I queried. I finished revisions in late April and sent out my agent query letters and also sent the R&R to Ms. Schmeidler.

At this point, I wasn’t expecting much response from her since I didn’t’ think I’d changed the manuscript enough for her to embrace it. Also, she was an editor with a new small Christian publisher and in my mind, my book did not scream religion! Thus, I didn’t think I was a good fit for them.

But Ms. Schmeidler loved the new manuscript and on May 2, Anaiah Press offered me a contract!

 

What the…are you kidding me? Now again, I ask – What would you do?

I know there are scary stories out there about new publishers, and I really wanted an agent to market my book to all the big publishing players. But the reality was, here was a professional editor who loved my book (I could feel the passion in her emails) and who was prepared to champion it to publication. And I, on the other hand, was an overworked stay home dad trying to share a snippet of my family and story with the world. I still considered myself a newbie in the writing world although I’d been writing this particular story (inspired by my one-eyed daughter) off and on for over two years. But now I had a clear looking path to publication!

I asked for two weeks to consider the offer and sent out nudge letters to the nine agents who had my new query and/or revised manuscript.

That two week wait was perhaps the longest, most drawn out affair I’ve ever experienced. I waited, prayed, worried, scoured the contract, researched, and waited some more.

During that time, gracious agents congratulated me on my offer and bowed out for various reasons, and although I hadn’t heard back from all of them by the end of the two week stretch, I knew I’d be going with Anaiah Press and senior editor Jessica Schmeidler. I felt that they were the right publisher to help me get TREE ROPER out into the world.

Now, I just shake my head. It still doesn't seem real. Who knew when I set out to twitter pitch a picture book in January about a stubborn and rude cow, I’d make a connection which would ultimately land my debut middle grade novel deal? I didn’t, but I think that’s pretty cool. Thanks, Jessica Schmeidler and Anaiah Press!

Woot! You're on submission! Erm...now what?

As many of you are familiar with, the querying process is largely a waiting game and it feels like for the most part you are just sitting on your hands. This should be expected! After all, agents are people too, and their schedules are filled to the brim with work involved with their current clients, so filtering through an inbox of query letters takes a lot of effort!

I'm sure you also realize that the same goes for editors at publishing companies! There's a reason why this industry is a slow paced game. There's a limited amount of hands and a bazillion (yes, that number is accurate for this blog entry) manuscripts waiting to be read.

Now that I'm finally part of the submission process, I'm beginning to understand first hand that the publishing process really is a waiting game. And the key is to be as patient as possible. Surprised?

You've edited your manuscript, and you've gotten the all clear from your agent. Your proposal is glistening, and you couldn't be more proud of it. Now it's time to kick back, and let your agent get to work. He / She already has their sights set on a slew of editors that they think will be interested in your epic masterpiece.

So now what do you do? Much like querying, it's time for you to relax a bit, and take on some new projects. And I'm sure your patience will be well rewarded when you get that awesome phone call from your agent. 

Since I'm currently riding on the submission train, I'll let you in on what I've been doing to keep myself busy. Feel free to apply any of these methods to your "waiting game", whether it's during the submission process or the querying process.

So what do you do?

1) WRITE A NEW BOOK!

That's a given! Come on people, we're writers! It's what we do! At the moment I'm working on three books...that's right three. Am I crazy? Yes, of course I am. I've got the sequel to COPERNICUS NERDICUS in the works (which will most likely change if / when I get a publishers lol), and I'm also working on a brand new MG series as well as my "famed" Villain Intern book. 

Let me tell you how hard it is to jump from writing MG to an adult black comedy...it's impossible. A book has never stressed me out as much as NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. Ah well...

Seriously though, keep your creative juices flowing and get to writing a new book!

2) BETA FOR YOUR FELLOW WRITERS!

There's no better way to improve your craft than to beta read for your writer pals. I've got two beta reads to complete and I apologize again to those waiting on it, but I tell ya, you learn a thing a two from doing it. I notice so much more about my own writing through others. Not to mention, it makes me realize how many awesome writers I'm actually associated with. 

The writing world is huge, so get to know your writers through the best means possible. READING THEIR MANUSCRIPT!

3) TAKE ON A NEW HOBBY

I've taken this opportunity during the submission process to really get back into my artwork (unfortunately now, my PC that I use for art has been on the fritz for over a month and I need to build a new one....). But yeah, I've discovered my passion for drawing again, which is a great thing because I actually want to do a MG book with illustrations in it shortly.

Dawn has brought up that she has been wanting a choose your own adventure styled book (those were the best), and doodling again has help me come up with a few ideas. We'll see where it goes.

But seriously, pick up a new hobby to kill time. Try baking, sewing, a new sport (go go hockey), anything to kill time!

Just don't take up drinking...come on, Indy.

4) TAKE A VACATION

Seriously, you've been working so hard for so long, you've deserved a break. Go on a trip, and forget about it all for awhile. You need to get your mind off things and let your brain reset. Everyone deserves a little R&R, even us crazy writers.

So jump on a plane, and go somewhere. (I suggest Sardinia off the coast of Italy. It's breathtaking!)

5) ABOVE ALL - DON'T STRESS OUT

This is the most important thing to do. Just relax. There's no point on focusing on the "what if's..." - just let things happen on their own. You're going to end up killing yourself by stressing out so much during the submission process. You need to be patient. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE!!! (I've learned that from the Ultima video game series lol).

Seriously though, if you let the submission process get to you, you're going to end up like this....

And nobody wants to see you like that..

So what do you do to kill time during the submission process? (or the querying process!)