THIS JUST IN: Snoop and I had to delay this round a bit since we just got done with a school visit and WE ARE WIPED. Thought we could go through everything tonight, but realize now that this is impossible! We want to be fresh for your work, so we will be delivering results tomorrow beforeSnoop has to do his thing for Easter. So please bear with us! Good news is THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED. You have until TONIGHT, 11:59PM CST to turn in your stuff.

***************

Snoop says, “RED LIGHT!” Snoop has examined everyone’s work that was submitted prior to last night’s deadline. New and old racers with new works, you will receive entry numbers when Snoop reviews all entries for the next round. YOU DO *NOT* HAVE TO WAIT TO RECEIVE AN ENTRY NUMBER TO SUBMIT YOUR FIRST HALF-PAGE. Just register (if you haven’t already) and send it in.

PICTURE BOOK PEOPLE: Tell your buds about RLGL, the race is still very open for a PB writer to win!

The following racers interested Snoop enough to see where your work is headed. Now that you have an entry number, please include that in the subject line of your email along with page no., book type, and MS title. (i.e. #14. p.2, MG, NO BUNNY’S BUSINESS).

New entrants this round: #141-148

The following racers may submit Page 2 of their ms.

#98-YA*, #129-MG*, #137-YA*, #138-YA, #139-PB*, #142-YA, #145-PB, #147-PB

The following racers may submit Page 3 of their ms.

#126-YA*, #134-MG, #136-MG

The following racers may submit Page 4 of their ms.

#83-YA*, #55-MG*

The following racers may submit Page 5 of their ms.

#102-CB

The following racers may submit Page 6 of their ms.

#76-MG

The following racers may submit Page 7 of their ms. You must get through this next page to make it to the finish line. In the event of a tie, both racers will keep going until one is eliminated.

#63-MG,  #88-MG

The following racers must return to the starting line. You may submit the first half-page of a new work and begin again. Remember: anything can happen to those who are ahead of you!

#54-CB, #103-CB,  #112-PB, #122-PB, #123-YA, #124-MG, #129-PB, 130-MG, #132-YA, #138-YA, #141-PB, #144-PB, #146-PB, #148-MG.

If you do not see your # and you turned in your work prior to April 5th’s deadline, please email snoop at snoop at cynthealiu dot com.

Having fun? Please spread the word about RLGL: We Love Libraries. Remember: EVERYONE WILL RECEIVE FEEDBACK ABOUT EACH WORK ENTERED IN RLGL, regardless of their standing in the race. So keep entering and bring your friends in on the challenge.  Again: the race for a PB win is still wide-open. And you never know what will happen to the novelists!

Support a library-in-need!  Refer new entrants to the original post for full rules and details.  http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/2009/03/26/918/red-light-green-light-we-love-libraries-begins-tonight/

SNOOP SAYS:

Green light! You have until Wednesday, April 8th, 11:59PM CST to submit your stuff for the next round.

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Q: I’ve written a picture book and I’m perusing the CWIM. Many publishers have multiple editors or
people in charge of Acquisition. How do I know whom to contact?

A: Great question. Read my article on submitting to editors here. It details in length how to find which editor to pick. http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/for-writers/step-six-find-an-editor/.

In short, it takes some amount of research, but it is well-worth the effort to target your submissions to a specific editor if you can. If you cannot narrow your choices down to a specific person, then locate the publisher’s guidelines online and send your submission to the contact listed there.

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Q: A book I’ve reads says so many times that it is inadvisable to email publishers as they simply won’t respond. But some publishers say they are open to email submissions. Is it still ok to do so?

A: If the publisher’s guidelines say it is okay to email them, then yes, follow the publisher’s guidelines. The book may simply be advising writers not to blindly email publishers as a way to break in. It is unadvisable if you have not received specific instructions from the publisher or an editor there to email. Your emails will go unheard. And you will surely irritate someone there, receiving the emails. Follow the publisher’s (or editor’s guidelines) with regards to email submissions.

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Q: If a publisher’s guidelines says to address all submissions to a general
submissions editor (e.g., acquisitions editor or something similar) versus a specific person, is it acceptable to “break those rules” if I learn about an editor there who has preferences for the kind of work I write?

A: Almost all houses have submissions guidelines that are generic or say to send something to SUBMISSIONS EDITOR, or something like that. So to answer your question, you are “technically” breaking a rule, but almost all houses won’t penalize you for it if you’ve shown care has gone into who you’ve picked to send your submission to. And even if you target the submission to an editor who is not interested, then the worst case scenario is they reject you, pass it on to someone else who might be interested if it’s good enough, or just hand it over to their submissions editor. Most publishing houses don’t have the time to remember who you were and blacklist you permanently simply because you tried to get your story to the right person.

In other words, don’t overthink this too much. If you know something about an editor at a house and think you have a good reason to put his or her name on your submission, you are only being a good, educated writer. You should include that reason in your cover or query letter. See my articles for examples on how to lead-in with your reason in your letters.

What you don’t want to do is blindly send a manuscript to a specific editor simply because you want to put a name on the envelope. Have a reason. Don’t have a reason? Then follow the generic guidelines the house provides.

The majority of well-educated writers target their submissions if they can, regardless of guidelines that request the writer to do otherwise.

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An article by Harold Underdown entitled Editors’ Names on Manuscript Submissions: Required or Not Necessary? was recently brought to my attention. And after reading it, I felt compelled to write a response. Harold is well-respected in the field and I personally adore the man for all that he gives to children’s writers. At the same time, I sometimes disagree with some of the content in his articles. So if you’re looking for another opinion on the subject, here it is.

I want to say I half-disagree with Harold’s article. I believe targeting submissions to editors whom you’ve never had personal experience with can be well-worth the research effort. While it is true that infomation you find on the Internet can become outdated, it is my belief that editor’s preferences for humor versus boy books versus girly historical fiction don’t really seem to change over time. While an editor’s strategic direction may differ from his own personal tastes, more often than not, an editor who appreciates humor now. Still appreciates it later. Or an editor who is THE historical fiction guru is probably not going to be switching to mass-market commercial projects in the near future. It seems to me that more often than not, you can get your manuscript to the person who should be looking at it through simple research. And if you are rejected because things have changed, well, there’s nothing that says you can’t look for an editor who’s a better match later. And if the editor moves? The most standard procedure is your work either gets turned into the slush pile or the editor looks at your stuff and, if it’s good enough, gets passed to someone else.

So yes, I think you can still accurately target editors with the info that is out there. I suspect, in most cases, it helps you versus hurts you. I think this is where I disagree with Harold’s article. And I will also add, I suspect the reason why editors’ preferences aren’t publicly announced to the world at large is because if it were too easy, then…well, you’d get a lot of submissions from people who don’t know very much about children’s writing. These are the folks who send things in on hot-pink paper and write in 36 pt font. And as you might have guessed, there are PLENTY of people already doing that now. Why make it even easier to harrass our editors.

However, you will notice that editor information is readily available through writing organizations like SCBWI, book associations, editor’s blogs, and writer’s websites like the Blue Board. In case you need more help on how to do this reseach, do [read post, how to submit your work to editors or agents->how to submit your work to editors or agents] or [read post, Monster List of Children's Book Editor Interviews, Blogs and More->monster list of childrens book editor interviews blogs and more] as well. In many cases, these editors are the people who are looking for educated-writerly-you as much as you are looking for them. These editors might not find it in their hearts to penalize you if you address a letter to them directly because you took the time to find out they’re interested in quirky picture books. So why not try to make that connection?

I know that I myself and many other writers have developed great relationships with editors just through simple good research. So here’s why you should strive to find an editor match. I personally find that targeted submissions, on average, result in faster response times than being in the slush (and isn’t this biz slow enough?). More personalized feedback. And if the writing holds muster (of course), future invites to send more work. You CAN build relationships with editors more efficiently through #1) good writing (people, don’t forget this!) and #2) a beautifully targeted submission.

So I said I half-disagreed with Harold’s article. The part I totally agree with is that if you have NO idea whom to send to at a particular publisher, you should follow the guidelines. It’s not a bad alternative. It can be a great one! It could be a way to start making the editorial relationships that will later turn into submissions where you will include a specific name. And if you simply can’t bother to do the research, by all means, happily submit to the slush pile or get an agent. Everyone has their own process like Harold says. Do what suits you best.

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Under [submissions->submissions], you’ll find another popular series of articles (Anatomy of a Query Letter, Synopsis, etc.,. You’ll learn everything you could possibly want to know about submitting to editors and agents, down to the WEIGHT of the paper to use and the # of the envelope. These articles are that detailed.

Have a suggestion for an article? Can’t find your answer here? Leave a comment.

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Do you know the difference between a status query and a status update? It goes something like this:

• status query: you are asking about the status of your manuscript. You hope information will come back.
• status update: you are notifying someone about the status of your manuscript. You do not require information to come back.

If you want to learn more about status queries and how I feel about them,  read post, status queries: when and how to do it.

So you want to do a status update? Let’s make sure any one of these situations apply.

• You failed to set an expiration date on your exclusive to a publisher or agent. Too much time has passed and you want to remove the exclusive, or at the very least, get them going.
• Your manuscript is being considered by an agent and you’ve gotten word another agent is seriously interested or offering representation
• Your manuscript is under consideration by an agent and you’ve received word an editor wants to a) see the whole book based on a decent sized-sample she’s already read b) take it to acquisitions, or c) buy it.
• Your manuscript is being considered by an editor and you’ve gotten word another editor wants to a) take it to acquisitions. Or b) buy it.
• Your manuscript is with an editor who wants to a) take it acquisitions or b) buy it. You’ve just acquired an agent or want to acquire one.
• You wish to withdraw a manuscript from consideration.

Alright. So you’re in one of these situations. We can do a status update.

Remove exclusive/or extend exclusive

• If you’ve had email contact with the agent or editor before, you may send this update via this channel unless the recipient told you never to email them again. In general, they’ll want to know this information in a timely manner so they don’t let the manuscript sit there forever thinking it’s protected when it’s not anymore. If you’ve never emailed them before, then do it by letter. Read post, anatomy of a cover letter if you’ve forgotten what a business letter looks like. In the body of your cover letter or email, you’ll want to be BRIEF AND POLITE. I’ll say it again. BRIEF AND POLITE.

• • • Likely outcome: The agent or editor will zip you an email (if you include this on your cover letter) and ask you for more time. Or the agent will put you up faster on her reading list since the manuscript is no longer exclusive. Either way, you win. BUT DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, do a status update like this if you haven’t let a reasonable chunk of time elapse. For agents, this is usually one to two months, UNLESS you already know they will take longer. (If the recipient asks for something like three months–after you’ve sent off your work–at that point, you can let them know you can’t grant the exclusive for that long and he’ll probably still try to read your manuscript in less time. Use your judgment though. If this is the number one agent on your list, you might allow them more time. But no matter what, don’t be a pushover and give them something like six months or a year to look at your work, okay? Demand some respect. And if the agent can’t respect your time as much as you do his, maybe he’s not the agent for you. As for editors, you should give them more leeway before you remove an exclusive, I’d say two months minimum before you remove an exclusive (unless you already know it takes them longer to review exclusives).
    • Your other option: give the agent or editor another couple of weeks and let them know the exclusivity ends then. Like so…
    • When I say interest, I do not mean another agent requested your manuscript off a query letter. You don’t want to ping agents every time your ms is requested. Why? Chances are if one agent requested it, so did many more. Agents already know that.
    • When I say interest, I mean an agent is seriously thinking about representing you. The agent might have emailed you asking for a phone meeting. Or she might have said, “OH, I like this – let me share it with my boss for an approval.” Or she might have said, “I want to rep you.”
    • This is when you let the other agents know an agent is seriously interested. WHAT? you say. You mean I don’t accept the offer on the spot? Yes, that’s what I mean. Read post, how to submit your work to editors or agents for the reason why. Now…you want to make an informed business decision. So you give yourself the right to choose your agent. You status update the others. Try not to send the update by mail. This stuff is time-sensitive! If you can’t find the agent’s email address, resort to the letter and get it out quickly. But in almost all cases, you should be able to get an email address for an agent. I don’t know a children’s agent who is that firmly ensconced in the dark ages.
    • This also assumes the agents you are contacting have already received your query at the least. It’s too late now to bring new agents into the picture. If you find yourself wanting to do that, you didn’t do your agent search in the right order, now did you? Cynthea will not advise you to start cold calling or randomly emailing your number one agent because you thought you’d query your least favorite agent first. [Read post, how to submit your work to agents->how to submit your work to editors or agents] on the importance of prioritizing your agent list.
    • Your email will need to be extremely polite and again BRIEF. You’re interrupting his or her work day, remember?
    • Likely outcome: The agent will respond very quickly and let you know they’ve bumped you up on the reading list. Or the agent will ask for your work ASAP (if they don’t already have it). Or the agent doesn’t respond. (This didn’t happen to me, but I’m sure if the agent was in Tahiti those weeks, it could). No matter what, you win all around by speeding up the entire process and getting answers quickly. The agents win too because you’ve helped them point out there could be a salable work in that giant slush pile of theirs. Great agents will recognize this benefit instantly and won’t fault you for the nudge. And if they do, their bad. Not yours.
    • Warning: If you choose to follow this advice, you must be prepared to handle all the possible consequences and what-ifs. What if your #3 agent wants to rep you and you never hear from agent #1 after the nudge? OR what if the agents you nudged decide it’s too late for them and forget all about you? Can you live with that? The C LIU take? Don’t sweat it. This is all part of the process. It’s not your fault an agent dropped the ball on you. Decided they didn’t want to get back to you. Or failed to see how brilliant your work was. Sign with the agent who’s enthusiastic about your work, has the track record and the experience in your genre. Don’t worry about trying to get as many offers as you can. That is not the object of the game. The object is to find the best agent for your work.
    • So you might ask: How on earth does this happen? Wouldn’t the agent know of an editor’s interest? Let me explain. Remember how long it takes for editors to get to that slush pile? Sometimes, you might decide you’re ready for an agent when you’ve already got your manuscript out there.
    • Say you query a few agents. All of them are sitting on your manuscript right now (or at different stages of the query process). Then you get an email from an editor asking for a small revision request before they take it to acquisitions. Maybe the editor says, I want to buy it. Do you notify the agents this happened?
    • Cynthea says, yes. Why? Help the agent out by letting them know your work is drawing significant interest. If your story is their cup of tea, they’ll move you up in the reading pile. Most agents like information that lets them know they might have a hot one on their hands. They’ll dig up the query letter they haven’t read yet or take a peek at your mansucript (if they have it) to see if they agree.

    Example (if email, title it something like…Status update for YA MS TITLE)

    Dear Ms. Agent:

    I wanted to let you know an editor from [insert house] has expressed interest in buying my novel MS TITLE. At your request, I have already sent the manucript to you in August and would love to secure representation. If you need more information, please let me know.

    Thank you for your time and consideration.

    Sincerely,

    YOU

    • Paste in a copy of your query letter below this so the agent can refresh her memory on what your story is about. Don’t make her search if she doesn’t have to.
    • Please don’t take this to imply I want you to run an auction on your own. But it could make sense for you to let an editor know (who already has your book) that another editor wants to a) take your book to acquisitions. Or b) buy it. NOTE: If you have an agent, the agent will do this for you.
    • If you don’t have an agent already, a situation like this might also be a great time to step up your search for an agent. [Read post, how to find a great agent->how to find a great agent]. If you go this route, you’ll want the acquiring editor to know you plan on securing one if things are a go. Read the next section for an example of this type of notification.
    • Say you don’t want an agent. You are capable of representing yourself. Then you need to put on your agent hat and act like one. If you get serious interest for a manuscript, you have to decide if you should let other contending editors know what is going on or not. Sometimes letting other editors know of another editor’s interest can backfire. Some editors don’t want to compete or know they can’t compete so they give up. Others will fight to the finish for your work (depending on how good it is). You have to be your own strategist. I can’t tell you what your strategy should be. (I have my own agent and let her decide that for me.) You have to figure that out for yourself. And what you tell those editors is completely up to you. My gut impression is, if you decide to notify other editors, you should be pretty sure a deal is going to happen AND you should be polite, professional, unassuming, truthful, and brief.
    • If you find yourself scrambling for an agent because an editor wants to extend an offer on your book, you’ll want to let the editor know this is your plan. Please don’t communicate this in a snotty way as if the deal has already been inked. Communicate this professionally and politely.
    • This information is relevant to the acquiring editor. And it’s also your right to have an agent or literary attorney present to represent you if you’re not comfortable with legal talk and money talk should things go that way. IDEALLY THOUGH, you get an agent first and you never end up in this situation where your dropping bombs on people last minute.
      
    • Did you hear me? If you want an agent, YOU GET AN AGENT FIRST BEFORE YOU SUB YOUR WORK TO EDITORS. No one likes surprises or dealing with sometimes sticky situations.
    • Some people may forget about this one after a contract has been signed. They’re too busy partying it up to remember their manners. BUT PLEASE, do this. You don’t want an editor all gung-ho about your work only to discover it sold two months ago. The same is true for agents. Use email if you already have an email relationship. A letter if you don’t.
    • NOTE: Do not withdraw manuscripts before you have a signed contract. You never know if a deal will fall through last minute. Also, there are some other situations which might require a manuscript withdrawal. Say, if your book has rotted with the publisher for over eight months, and now the manuscript is twenty-thousand words longer and features a bunny as an MC versus a car. Let your own judgment be your guide on when to withdraw. You don’t want to ping people like crazy because you repeatedly send out your manuscripts before they’re really done. Not good.

  If email, give it a fairly useful title like Status update for MS TITLE

  Dear Ms. Editor:

  I want to thank you for considering my middle grade novel INSERT TITLE which I sent in August. However, now that a month has passed (or X months), I am afraid I must remove the exclusive soon. It will expire on X date (allow a couple of days for mail time and add two weeks). You are welcome to keep the manuscript under consideration as long as you wish. I will update you should another editor express serious interest in the work.

  All best,

  You

  Inform an agent of another agent’s interest

  Example

  Title the email with something useful. Like…Status update for ms TITLE

  Dear Ms. Agent:

  I wanted to let you know another agent has expressed serious interest in my book INSERT TITLE. (Details like “She wants to schedule a call for tomorrow” will help support your claim. DO NOT LIE THOUGH. If the agent has already offered representation, then say “another agent has offered representation.”) However, I would still like you to consider my work. (read between the lines: I want to give you a fair shake at winning my business.) I have let the agent know I am taking a couple of weeks to make my decision.

  Sincerely,

  YOU

  Inform an agent of an editor’s interest

  Inform an editor of another editor’s interest

  Inform an editor you have (or will have) an agent

  Example:

  Dear Mr. Editor:

  I am so pleased you will be taking the manuscript to acquisitions. If you will be able to extend an offer, I want to let you know I intend to secure an agent. I didn’t want you to be surprised with this information later.

  Thanks again for championing my work. I look forward to hearing from you.

  Sincerely,

  YOU

  Withdraw the manuscript from consideration

  If email…title it something like: Withdrawing mg novel TITLE from consideration

  Dear Ms. Agent (or editor):

  Thank you for considering my novel X TITLE which I sent to you in September. I am writing to let you know I have secured representation for my work (or the book has been sold).

  Sincerely,

  YOU

Example:

Dear Mr. Agent (or Editor):


I want to thank you for considering my middle grade novel INSERT TITLE which I sent in August. However, now that a month has passed (or X months), I am afraid I must remove the exclusive. You are welcome to keep the manuscript under consideration and I will update you should another agent (or editor) express serious interest in the work.

All best,

You

Order WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE

• Happy “status updating,”

  Cynthea

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So things haven’t gone as you’d hoped. Your manuscript went off months ago, and your phone didn’t ring off the hook with five editors or agents vying for your awesome book.
You find yourself wondering – what are they doing with my manuscript?

Did it get lost in the mail?
Did my dog Rufus eat my rejection letter?
Did I even include my manuscript in the submission?!
Status queries is a touchy subject where people will have different opinions. Especially about:

1. When to query for status
2. How to query for status

I’ll give you my take on status queries.
I don’t status query.* (See below for one exception.)

Q: Gasp! Why?
A: I view status queries as a waste of time for both you and the editor or agent. You can also be an annoyance if:

1. You’ve status-queried too soon from the editor’s or agent’s point of view.
2. You’ve somehow given the editor or agent the impression that you can’t trust her to get to it when she gets to it.

You will never be able to control how an editor or agent will interpret your status query. While it is doubtful that editor or agent will reject your submission simply because you queried for status, it’s not exactly a positive interaction to have with him or her. At best, it is a neutral or a negative one. But more importantly, this is about you and your anxiety over something that is beyond your control.
Trust the system.

Q: But how do you get your questions about the status of your manuscript answered?
A: I make logical assumptions.

1. If my book had sold or if the agent had wanted to rep me, he would find a way to reach me via email or phone. (The magazine market is a bit different though. I’m only going to speak to the fiction book market). Therefore, if the person had responded by mail, and I didn’t get it somehow, it was probably a rejection one way or another.
2. If I never hear from them, no biggie. There are plenty of agents or editors in the sea. And there is nothing that precludes me from sending a different book to them – into the black hole – if I so wish. Getting no response has only happened to me once. I learned from Blue Board that other people never heard from this editor either.
3. This brings me to a relevant point: there is a trend with many publishing houses and literary agencies where editors and agents will not respond unless they are interested.
4. Finally, there’s one more conclusion I can draw. The editor or agent hasn’t gotten to it yet. Bingo!

Please note: If you simply must, must, must have closure, do what you need to do. Sometimes things do get lost in the shuffle, but always make sure you check the publisher’s guidelines and wait beyond the expected response time before querying.

* There is one case when I do a status query:
The editor or agent has specified that she would like me to do so if a certain amount of time has passed (not too common). She wants me to nudge. I will perform the status query as the editor or agent requests, either by phone (yes, they sometimes ask for a call), by email, or by letter.

Q: But what if my manuscript is on an exclusive and they’ve had it forever?
A: Perhaps you haven’t read this post, Exclusive Submission or Simultaneous Submission?. If you had, you would have known to set an expiration date on your exclusive. This date either matches what the submission guidelines were for the recipient. Or it was a date established by you if there were no guidelines and you had to grant an exclusive because of certain circumstances.
Setting an expiration date eliminates the need to let the editor know that the exclusive no longer applies. There is also no need to nudge or status query.
If you did give an exclusive and you’d like to set an expiration date with the editor or agent, then you need to give the person a status update. Read my related post, Status Updates: When and How to Do It. This article covers the cases in which you should contact the editor or agent post-submission.

Return to step nine – wait if you are taking the crash course.

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Say you’ve just realized you made a bunch of typos in your manuscript or you forgot to enclose an SASE AFTER you sent the whole thing off. Should you try to contact the editor or agent and correct your mistake? Um….no.

Why? Mistakes will happen no matter how hard you try to make it perfect. RESIST THE URGE TO MAKE IT RIGHT. Trying to apologize will only point out your error and demonstrate to the editor/agent how neurotic you are. So if you mess up, don’t say anything by clogging the recipient’s mailbox/inbox with more messages from you. Instead, hope he doesn’t notice or care. Or maybe….he’ll even understand you’re only human. Oooohhhh!

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No one can read more into words than a writer. It makes sense. Why? We write. We play with context and permutations of words every day. So it’s perfectly logical we’ll analyze any letter from an agent or editor better than a forensic analyst working for the FBI.

Like so…

Did the editor sign her name by hand? (She loves me!) Did she include my name in the header? (She knows me so well!) Oh look! She used the word “enjoyed”!!! (SHE REALLY DOES LOVES ME and she probably wears a 6 1/2 shoe and weighs 115 pounds.) OMG!!!!!!!

While most of this analysis is fairly useless, it’s what we writers do over and over again. So without further ado, I present to you “The C LIU Rejection Ladder”. This is how I define rejection.

PLEASE NOTE: Examples of real-life rejections are provided in the paperback version of the course.

• Form rejection – (the lowest rung on the rejection ladder, next to NO rejection at all which means the editor or agent doesn’t even respond). Usually a xeroxed form. Or a tiny scrap of paper.
• Form rejection PLUS – with nice wording, but the words could apply to anyone and/or the editor signs it. Maybe you’ve heard the same letter was sent to your writer friend. Your MS TITLE and your name could be on this rejection. BUT NOTE: THIS IS STILL A FORM REJECTION, according to C LIU standards. *Some editors will say a signature means something, though.
• Personal rejection – the rejection is personalized with SPECIFIC reference to the CONTENT of your story. There is also a clear indication that the manuscript is not right for them and they state why (that’s the rejection part). This could be something as simple as a note handwritten on the form. Or sentences typed into the letter that showed the editor was paying attention. If you can’t tell if your rejection is a personal or a form, assume it’s a form. You’ll know when you get a personal. Or ask a buddy skilled in the art of rejection analysis to help you figure it out.
• Personal rejection PLUS – includes an explicit invite to send more work or open-ended suggestions to change the work. The editor or agent also might wish you best of luck no matter what you decide to do. If you choose to take the suggestions, you’ll want to do the right thing and give that editor or agent a first-look at the changes. [Read post, exclusive submissions or simultaneous submissions->exclusive submission or simultaneous submission].
• Revision request – a letter that says “can you change this or that? I’d like to take a look at it again. Share with other editors/agents/take it to acquisitions.” It’s more of a commitment from the editor or agent. For editors, do not miscontrue this as “I’m so close!”. For some houses it may not be that close at all (depending on the bureaucracy at the publishers). For agents, do not miscontrue this as “I’m so close!” For some agents, you may go through several rounds of revision and still not please them. C LIU views revision requests as a great way to improve your manuscript. It is neither a rejection nor an acceptance. You’ll want to give that editor or agent an exclusive though if you do decide to take the suggestions. [Read post, exclusive submissions or simultaneous submissions->exclusive submission or simultaneous submission].

How much should I read into each of my rejections?

• Unless your rejection is a long-detailed letter describing all the ways you can improve your manuscript, the editor or agent probably wrote your rejection in less than a minute (maybe less than ten seconds!). So should you spend one hour rereading every word? Probably not.

If you’re getting “formed” like crazy…

• However, if you’re getting a lot of forms (form or form-plus)- say, 6 or more for the same work, then you might want to stop sending that puppy out and take stock. Is it too soon to jump to the submissions process? Perhaps you need to [read post, get a second opinion->get a second opinion - critique partners, book doctors, editors, and more]. Or [take a crash course->take a crash course] to see if you’re targeting the wrong people. Most of the slush pile is comprised of writers who were overly exuberant about their work, spammed the world, and had no idea if the book was any good or not. You don’t want to be that person. Do your research first before sending out your work. Submitting prematurely can lead to wasted time and expense for both you and the recipient. But more importantly, all those forms can break your heart.
• Why can’t I just believe I haven’t connected with anyone yet? You can do that if you want, but this is C LIU’s opinion, remember? My belief is if your writing is decent and your story ideas aren’t totally out there, there’s a great chance you’ll get personals. Personals are your indication that you’re doing something right. A long string of forms (IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE YOUR RESEARCH) probably means you need to stop the violence, versus blindly send out your work to more people. Do more research, get more opinions, improve your writing. If you’ve done all that and you still think your work is marketable, then keep looking for that match.

If you’re getting “personaled” to death…

• This is how C LIU deals with that. I revise my manuscript if someone has made a suggestion that speaks to me–suggestions I believe will make my manuscript better. I try to keep an open mind. I let the ideas simmer a bit before I decide whether or not the suggestion will work for my manuscript. (My first reaction though is to BALK. Then dye my hair a new color before I get to work.) If I’m lucky, several editors will give me personals for the same work. I can look at the comments as a group and go from there.
• The main idea is not to be pig-headed about suggestions. Or feel personally offended when your work comes under scrutiny. Of course, you can’t help but feel wrecked when that personal comes in. (Hopes dashed and all.) So be sad, mad, and all that. But know you will come back to look at it more objectively. When the rejection demons are gone, you will respect and appreciate the editor/agent for trying to encourage you. He or she is telling you your writing shows promise…There’s a story in your work worth writing about.
• And remember: a personal is just one opinion. It is not the end-all, be-all judgment of your book. If you don’t agree with the suggestion after consideration, then move on. Think about sending that editor/agent something else though when some time has passed.

If you’re getting invites to send more work with those personals, but no deal on the work you’ve been sending out…

• Switch widgets – What’s a widget? Anything you put out there to sell. While I sometimes refer to my own work as babies (when I’m feeling very good about them), I will often call them widgets in my head. I credit editor Wesley Adams of FSG for being very frank about what this business is. IT’S A BUSINESS. This is how important it is to be writing a lot. Chances are you are not the miracle writer who will land a giant book deal on the first manuscript. From an economic POV, you as a writer are producing a product you hope will sell. If that widget has no buyers, you present a new one and hope that takes. You keep pumping the widgets out until you land that buyer. (In essence, writers are entreprenuers who don’t give up.)
• When you land your first book contract, then you can pull out the old widgets that never would have sold as the first book and try to sell them again. (hahaha). It worked for Jerry Spinelli. You don’t have to give up on your old stuff if you don’t want to. But it’s wise to keep the widgets coming…That’s the C LIU word on that.

If you think you’re getting close, but you’re not sure…

• If you’ve done the research, you’ve gotten raves from your educated critique group, several cheers from editors and so on, THEN you’re looking for that connection. You’re always keeping an eye out for ways to improve the ms, too, but keep sending that widget out. It is not uncommon for writers to hit up twenty editors (OR MORE!) before the book finds its home. The hunt could take a while. But don’t forget what I just said, write other stuff, too. Not only will you be productive, but you’ll also have something else to think about while you wait for your match!

ABOVE ALL ELSE

• You are a writer with your own writer-compass. Each of you will have your own path to success. One editor’s or agent’s opinion, is just an opinion. That includes your critique partners viewpoints as well. But it is my hope, you will keep an open mind. And when you don’t know what you should be doing, trust yourself to know that answer.
• Finally, climbing up the rejection ladder is not just about selling your work. Your goal should be to write the best work you can, then hope it sells. Not the other way around. I’ve seen and heard it happen – getting pulled in all different directions because of other peoples’ suggestions. Don’t lose your writing-compass because you want to make that sale. It could end up hurting your book and hinder your progress.
• So enjoy your rejections – rip them up, hold them dear to your heart, use them for wallpaper. OR if you’d like, you may send them to Snoop. He will eat them upon request.

If you’re taking the crash course, [go to step ten->step ten - get a response].

Order WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE

Happy writing,

Cynthea

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