Rejection

At the beginning of April, I finally started sending submissions to publishing companies for my Dark Water manuscript. I had targeted small Canadian publishing houses that support crime fiction, choosing eight companies.

Some of the publishing companies had an online process where I filled out a form, attached a bio, full synopsis, and the manuscript. Almost immediately, I received a confirmation with a note that informed me that it could take four to six months to hear back from them.

One publisher wrote to me to let me know that his company only accepts submissions in February, and that if I hadn't found a publisher before next year to resubmit Dark Water. I knew, from the company's Web site, that submissions were accepted in February but I had sent mine, anyway, because you never know.

One publishing house—one that I secretly hoped would be interested in my book—didn't have an online process for submissions or even for queries. But I did find an e-mail address and wrote a query letter that included a synopsis.

A few days after sending the e-mail, I received a reply. The marketing director told me that Dark Water sounded intriguing, and asked for the manuscript, as well as my bio.

I sent everything off right away. The marketing director responded, letting me know that she had forwarded everything to the publisher.

By mid May, I hadn't heard anything so I reached out to the marketing director, asking if there was any update from the publisher. It took almost a week to hear back, but the director told me that she'd check with the publisher and get back to me.

That was more than a month ago and I've heard nothing.

I've convinced myself that no news is good news. They were probably busy with other authors and my book was in a queue.

I have no idea about what I should do. I don't want to be a bother but I'm curious as to whether the publisher has looked at my manuscript. Other publishers expressed that it could take four to six months: could this publisher take just as long?

Meanwhile, I've heard back from one of the other publishing houses in the form of a rejection letter. It explained that they can only publish so many books each year, and that they have to say no, adding "we must even forgo accepting work that we deem quite excellent."

I'm going to read that as them liking my book but still declining.

In truth, this publisher was a bit of a long shot. They are located in British Columbia and their site states that they specialize in west-coast fiction. I submitted Dark Water anyway because they do specialize in crime fiction.

I still have five publishing houses that have not responded to my online submission and one publisher who told me to try him next February. And there's the publishing company that asked for my manuscript but hasn't given me any news since.

When I submitted my first novel, JT, to publishers, I received a lot of rejection letters. No one wanted to publish a novel about teen suicide.

I was saddened by all of the rejection and seriously considered giving up. But then I received a rejection letter that gave me hope.

It was a standard message on company letterhead that said they didn't think my book fit their catalogue and that they were declining it, but the person who actually read my book wrote in the margins of that form letter, telling me how she really enjoyed the story, as sad as it was.

She told me that I am a good writer and to not give up, to keep writing. I took her words to heart and kept writing. I still think of her kindness to this day.

So I'm not taking this recent rejection letter for Dark Water too harshly. I'm believing that they found it "quite excellent."

And I'll wait, patiently, for responses from the other publishers.