Holding My Breath

On Monday I received word regarding a submission I had with Baen publishers. It has been almost 2 ½ years since I submitted it. Last summer I emailed them asking about it and learned that I had been plucked from the slush pile and was in another pile designated “look closely.” I couldn’t believe it. I had made it out of the slush. I had never made it out of the slush of a big publisher before.

When I checked my email Monday night my stomach flipped. Moose could tell how nervous I was and offered to read the email for me. I bit the bullet and opened the email. I always cheat and look at the end because that is normally where the important information is. My book was not chosen. Sigh. I didn’t want to admit to Moose but it actually hurt more this time. I think it would have been better if I didn’t already know I had made it out of the slush pile.

I have always told myself that part of being an author is receiving rejection. The majority of authors have submitted dozens of works dozens of times before it happens. I actually have (somewhere) a binder with all of my printed rejections. I have a half dozen or so which don’t include the electronic ones.

I found it interesting what this particular rejection said. The first was that they thought my characters were too old and that the ages needed to be lowered for a YA audience. (I am trying to decide if this was because my reading a lot of YA has influenced my writing, or what. I want to write for the college age group I think I have heard it called New Adult.) The second was that I have a unique style of writing that the editor just couldn’t get into. The third thing was that the slush editor said she read my manuscript in two days and couldn’t put it down. Now that is a compliment.

I have submitted this particular story again without making changes. If it comes back with a similar critique then I will look into changing it. I mean so far I am fifty-fifty as far as response.