Got rejected by March Hamilton last night after waiting for 5 months and it was because of the volume of submissions they'd received rather than anything wrong with the manuscript.
The rejection came at 9.59Pm last night though, so working late at night, on a Saturday and saying to resub to them in future really backs that up.
Feeling really low about it, so gonna spend the day crying my eyes out and eating all the chocolate in the house then sub to someone else.
I'm getting so close to being taken on now though after waiting months rather than weeks for the rejection and them replying late at night on a weekend rather than 9-5 on a Monday-Friday!
Ho hum!
Still waiting on 2 agents that I subbed to in September and October 2018 that I haven't heard back from yet and I'm gonna sub to another agent and 3 publishers now.
I will be taken on this year!
Sunday, 6 January 2019
Friday, 4 January 2019
Editing is your friend!
I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but editing really is your friend.
I would never have believed it a year ago, but even if you think your manuscript is perfect, it's not. I promise you that. There will be things like SPaG errors and holes littered throughout it that you are just too close to it to see right now.
BTDT myself.
If you can't afford a professional editor (I can't) then get your editing cap on a year or so after you've written it, distance yourself from it as much as possible then start editing.
It's far from easy to pick holes in your wonderful manuscripts, but the agents and publishers are looking for reasons to reject you and even the smallest mistake will get you rejected and they won't read any further.
Don't give them the opportunity to reject you.
Make them move your first three chapters from the slushpile over the rejection pile and into the "possibly maybe" pile.
I know rejections hurt, but that first full manuscript request will make up for all the pain and tears previous agents and publishers have caused you.
You can so do it, but you have to edit multiple times to get your manuscript to be the best it can possibly be. The longer you wait between the submission and the rejection, the better your manuscript is. I've been waiting for the rejection from two agents since September and October 2018. I would have been rejected within a month or six weeks if I'd sent them a pre-edited version and I got my first ever full manuscript request from a publisher back in August/September 2018 kinda time and I'm still waiting to hear back from them, which is a good thing apparently.
There's no way that they would have made the full manuscript request pre-editing just like all the other agents and publishers I'd sent to, but after at least two major editing sessions, I've got two agents and a publisher possibly interested in my manuscripts. If it can happen for me then it can happen for you too, just make sure you edit every manuscript you send out so that it's perfect and they've got very little reason to reject you.
Get your word processor open and get editing - you can so do this!
I would never have believed it a year ago, but even if you think your manuscript is perfect, it's not. I promise you that. There will be things like SPaG errors and holes littered throughout it that you are just too close to it to see right now.
BTDT myself.
If you can't afford a professional editor (I can't) then get your editing cap on a year or so after you've written it, distance yourself from it as much as possible then start editing.
It's far from easy to pick holes in your wonderful manuscripts, but the agents and publishers are looking for reasons to reject you and even the smallest mistake will get you rejected and they won't read any further.
Don't give them the opportunity to reject you.
Make them move your first three chapters from the slushpile over the rejection pile and into the "possibly maybe" pile.
I know rejections hurt, but that first full manuscript request will make up for all the pain and tears previous agents and publishers have caused you.
You can so do it, but you have to edit multiple times to get your manuscript to be the best it can possibly be. The longer you wait between the submission and the rejection, the better your manuscript is. I've been waiting for the rejection from two agents since September and October 2018. I would have been rejected within a month or six weeks if I'd sent them a pre-edited version and I got my first ever full manuscript request from a publisher back in August/September 2018 kinda time and I'm still waiting to hear back from them, which is a good thing apparently.
There's no way that they would have made the full manuscript request pre-editing just like all the other agents and publishers I'd sent to, but after at least two major editing sessions, I've got two agents and a publisher possibly interested in my manuscripts. If it can happen for me then it can happen for you too, just make sure you edit every manuscript you send out so that it's perfect and they've got very little reason to reject you.
Get your word processor open and get editing - you can so do this!
Wednesday, 2 January 2019
JanNo
I know I should have started yesterday, but if I write 5k words a day I'll be finished in 8 days... wish me luck!
Friday, 28 December 2018
Book review: The BOAT Adventures by Marieke Steiner
⭐⭐ out of 5
This is an OKish book but very very short for a Middle Grade read.
If you're looking for a quick read then give this book a go, just don't expect too much from it is all.
I realise that I live in a different country to where this book is set, but is it really wise to talk about openly carrying knives and even regularly going for a trip up a river in a boat that's ready to be put in the tip? Alone?
There is also a lot of telling and very little speech... the total amount of speech in the entire book should ideally have only covered two or three chapters.
Not only that, but the author seems to be writing for adults and has just decreased the age of the main characters 'cos it's more about what the adults are doing and thinking, rather than the children.
Don't expect much from this book. I was expecting more and have been sorely disappointed unfortunately.
Tuesday, 18 December 2018
Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Just worked out how to...
... hopefully embed a link to my visitors list on Twitter, and I'm about to try it here in the blog too.
Bear with me a sec...
A Twitter List by books4kidsandya
In theory, you just click on the link up there ^^ then sign into your Twitter account et voila!
If my two much-valued members have a Twitter account each, just follow the instructions in the members area and we'll get you sorted!
Bear with me a sec...
A Twitter List by books4kidsandya
In theory, you just click on the link up there ^^ then sign into your Twitter account et voila!
If my two much-valued members have a Twitter account each, just follow the instructions in the members area and we'll get you sorted!
Tuesday, 4 December 2018
Twitter lists
I'm a member of SCBWI and there has been talk this morning of using the list function on Twitter. One of the members of SCBWI-BI posted this URL about Twitter lists so I'm gonna spend the rest of the day working on those.
I'm thinking of four lists atm:
SCBWI
Awesome agents and publishers
Fellow authors
and a private list for my members.
If you want to be on any of the first three lists, let me know your Twitter thingybob (including the @ symbol) and which list you want to be on and I'll get you added!
If my two members are on Twitter, email me with your handle thing and I'll add you to the private list too. Don't tell me you're a member when you're not cos I know who is a member and who isn't 😉 I'm @books4kidsandya if you want to add me 👌
Steve's been delayed so I won't have any interruptions for the next little while at least, so I can concentrate on what I'm doing 👍
I'm thinking of four lists atm:
SCBWI
Awesome agents and publishers
Fellow authors
and a private list for my members.
If you want to be on any of the first three lists, let me know your Twitter thingybob (including the @ symbol) and which list you want to be on and I'll get you added!
If my two members are on Twitter, email me with your handle thing and I'll add you to the private list too. Don't tell me you're a member when you're not cos I know who is a member and who isn't 😉 I'm @books4kidsandya if you want to add me 👌
Steve's been delayed so I won't have any interruptions for the next little while at least, so I can concentrate on what I'm doing 👍
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)