You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him wash the pots.
Another rejection sticks a red hot poker up my jacksey and twists. I was kinda holding a candle for these guys too, (I think I should stop involving myself emotionally in every publishing house I write to, it's probably for the better.).
Pill Hill Press, those flagrant heart breakers, are a publishing house that specialises in horror and they sent me this lovely Dear John, I mean rejection email:
"Dear Richard,
Thank you for your submission. Your novel sounds interesting, and starts off very well, but I don't believe it is a good fit for Pill Hill Press at the moment.
I wish you the best of luck in finding a home for this novel soon.
Sincerely,"
******* *******
As dismissals go it isn't a bad one.
They were quick to reply, only took a week and you have to admit it, it’s very polite.
But I’m still gutted. They’re a good firm with a good name and I wanted to be there with them, building something special, getting to know and care for them. Maybe share a picnic and drink a glass of wine together, or walk hand in hand along an auburn sunset beach… Goddamit, I loved you guys and you threw me away like a used sheep!!
I feel so exploited and dirty. ;-)
No I don't, I don't know why but I'm hyper at the moment. Must have been the great practise we had tonight. Tomorrow I'll be crying in my porridge.
Ah well, back to the drawing board.
I’ve had an idea about simply making a website and selling it as a download; then spending all my spare time trawling the social websites, (Facebook and MySpace) and just making friends with people on the off chance they download it.
E-books are big now in America, apparently… so all the experts are telling me… whatever, at least it’ll be out there.
Set the website up with a Paypal and credit card link, open a new account at the Post, (free banking in Germany) and just let those pennies roll in.
I can imagine the scene now:
“Oh, wow, who’s this Division of the Damned guy that wants to be my friend on Facebook? Oh neat, it’s a book about vampires in the Third Reich and it’s only a 3 Dollar download! Cool I’ll just do it, what’s a couple of Bucks to a guy like me? I know, I’ll tell all my friends blah blah blah”
And lo and behold, Gingerboy is a Dollar thrice richer… until the taxman hear’s about it.
What do you think of my idea?
Answers on a postcard to:
Reg Jones.
“A Dollar Thrice Richer”
Salzgitter Institute for the Criminally Insane
Jolly Old Germany.
Bah. I wish Pill Hill had said yes :-(
Reg.
6 Kommentare:
So whats the food like in Salzgitter then babes? Do you wear one of those white jackets tied at the back?
Do you cackle manically? :-)
I swear, I think the publishing world is like one big crazy jungle and you have to try and find that single untangled vine that will lead you to the other side.
I'm so sorry about the rejection--although, I do kinda like your idea. These days, I think you have to try and make your way, and considering everything is going electronic, maybe it's not a bad idea.
Don't know what to say to you about that, as I never reached the point you're at. I can understand that after some rejections... you just feel the need to get published no matter how or where... Maybe it's a good idea... don't know much about it to be honest.
I don't know how I will cope with a year or two of rejections... but I think that I would want to be writing my second book by then, third, fourth, and so on, until I get the grips of it and my luck turns. I've read about many authors that did it only after their second or third drafts... and the first ones were never good enough... so...
Why not work on another book to stop you from focusing so much on that one? They say your second book is always better written and you'll have more chances to get accepted.
Hugs from Ireland.
V, I've been writing my second book, and my third for ages now. I have sudden bursts of Eureka-like inspiration that over take everything and I have to write something down.
Then I start to lose interest, or I have a week where I have literally no time to myself, (I know that sounds ridiculous but believe me, shifts, kids, house and drums take their toll on my free space) and I get bogged down and then stop.
Another reason I haven't given up on it is that it's not in my nature to give up on something when I've started it.
Stubborn, stupid, vain, idealistic, call me what you will but I don't think I've exhausted all the avenues with Division and until that point comes, I'll just keep sending it off, reworking it to fit the publisher's needs and praying, lol.
I'll be honest though, though the kudos is in paper, online at the moment is looking mighty fine...
;-)
Oh, I was not advising you to give up on anything. Just to focus on another novel and send that one around, because from what I've been reading is common to get better on your second manuscript and only achieve publication with that one. If you're already doing that, great!
I believe you when you say you don't have time to write, but if you're working towards publication, you know you are selling yourself as well, and, from what I've been reading, showing you do have time to write other novels and that you haven't stopped writing, has to be part of the picture somehow, in order to get a contract.
With that said, I don't know how I would manage with two kids AND shifts AND a band. So praises to you! :P
Now that is a VERY good point on the, "showing you do have time to write other novels" front.
I never thought of that at all!
The depths of my ignorance are sometimes unfathomable!!
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