Manuscript Rejection

When Children of Artifice was out on submission, in 2017, I spent a nail-biting few months waiting for responses from editors. And, slowly but surely, they filtered back in, one ‘no’ after another.

It’s a difficult thing, when you’ve poured blood and heart and soul into a story, but it’s critical to remember is that it’s purely professional.

It’s not you. It’s not even them. It’s just the industry.

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If you’re submitting to trad pub, then we should be past the basics (the manuscript is finished, the spelling and grammar are as immaculate as they can be, and you’re familiar with standard industry formatting and the relevant agent’s/publisher’s guidelines), So, there may have been another reason.

To start with, a book is often just too different.

Trends are powerful things, with publishers are looking for manuscripts that will capture the right/relevant market (and the sales to go with), which usually means more of the same. If you’ve written The Throne of Snot of Bollocks, then tight now, you may be a shoe-in, but if you’re trying to pitch a leftfield adventure fantasy, when the publishers are looking for romance, then you may well be out of luck.

The same rules can apply to a book that’s a little too niche, or trying to be too clever. Maybe it’s doing something that falls between the cracks of different genres, or target audiences. If the publisher or agent doesn’t know where they’re going to sell your book, then sadly, they’re not likely to be buying it.

And sometimes (just to be contrary) your book could be too much the same.

We know there are only so many plots and so many ideas, and that (particularly) genre can be very derivative. But, while you need to spot and know the trends, you also need to display your own take on them. More than anything, you need to be confident. Your plot, characters and your tone of voice must all be strong. If these things don’t come across, or they aren’t well-enough defined, then your book may be too lacklustre.

Navigating between these two points is challenging, steering close enough to one to secure a readership, and close enough to the other to be loud about being yourself. However you steer, though, and whatever the result, do remember that publishing is a business. An agent accepting submissions (just for eg) can look at one to two thousand individual samples in the course of a single week, and, if you don’t leap out grab the first one, then please don’t worry.

And please keep trying.

There are lists of top authors who faced multiple rejections. Stephen King’s Carrie was famously turned down thirty times. Dr. Suess’s first book was turned down twenty-seven times. Twilight hit fourteen, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was called ‘an absurd story’, with one publisher suggesting that he’d ‘have a decent book if [he’d] get rid of that Gatsby character’.

Children of Artifice did find its publisher, in the end. And there’s no reason to quit, when you’ve put in that much work.

Playing: finishing Sniper Elite, and starting the new Oblivion game, which is staggeringly pretty, but seems quite buggy. Gorgeous backdrops, and some classic RPG gear, classes and level-ups, though the ‘interaction’ wheel does throw me a bit.

Reading: the ‘Covenant’ (not that one) series of WebToon GNs by Lysandra Vuong. Artwork is wonderful, and the story covers religious trauma and queer awakenings, both with excellent sensitivity. Much as I steer away from romance stuff, these re really lovely.

Watching: starting season three of Picard, which has a very different vibe (and intro) to the other two, must faster and much higher stakes. We always cheer at seeing the TNG cast, and Jeri’s return as Seven is superb. Looking forward to seeing where it goes!

Danie’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.