My Favorite Rejection
*sung to the tune of "My Favorite Mistake," by Sheryl Crow*
In August, I submitted East of Jesus to an editor -- my first submission to an editor. I've been mostly submitting to agents, but I met this editor at a conference, and she seemed like a good fit.
Well, I received a rejection from her this week. And I was so excited, I danced for a good three days.
Because of a rejection, you might ask? Well, yes, but what a rejection it was!
She said my "writing is solid" and that I have "definite talent." She said she really enjoyed my character Grace and my voice. She said, "I recognize that you're a very strong writer, and I think you have a great chance to find an agent." Then she gave me some very specific pointers about which agents to approach.
She also (bless her!!) gave a reason for why she was rejecting it. She said "This is a bit too dark for my taste."
East of Jesus IS dark. Heck, I call it black humor (or women's lit with black comedy overtones). I certainly respect that someone might not choose to work with it for that reason.
And I am SOOO grateful for all the nice things she said as well. It gives me the courage (and the specific direction) to send it out again.
Oh, and I'm really tempted to send her Out of Orderville or Claire, Short for Clairvoyant, both of which are not dark at all. Sigh. If only they were ready to send.
In August, I submitted East of Jesus to an editor -- my first submission to an editor. I've been mostly submitting to agents, but I met this editor at a conference, and she seemed like a good fit.
Well, I received a rejection from her this week. And I was so excited, I danced for a good three days.
Because of a rejection, you might ask? Well, yes, but what a rejection it was!
She said my "writing is solid" and that I have "definite talent." She said she really enjoyed my character Grace and my voice. She said, "I recognize that you're a very strong writer, and I think you have a great chance to find an agent." Then she gave me some very specific pointers about which agents to approach.
She also (bless her!!) gave a reason for why she was rejecting it. She said "This is a bit too dark for my taste."
East of Jesus IS dark. Heck, I call it black humor (or women's lit with black comedy overtones). I certainly respect that someone might not choose to work with it for that reason.
And I am SOOO grateful for all the nice things she said as well. It gives me the courage (and the specific direction) to send it out again.
Oh, and I'm really tempted to send her Out of Orderville or Claire, Short for Clairvoyant, both of which are not dark at all. Sigh. If only they were ready to send.