Nobody likes to be rejected. And having a book you've written rejected again and again begins to feel personal.
What you can't learn from those form rejection slips, you may be able to learn from Mike Nappa's book, 77 Reasons Why Your Book Was Rejected (and how to be sure it won't happen again!). Nappa is the founder and chief literary agent of Nappaland Literary.
77 Reasons is a blunt and basic book for those whose in-boxes and mailboxes are flooded with rejection notes. What follows may be one or more of the reasons behind your publication difficulties, and a few general tips. It's up to you to determine which, if any, of them apply to you.
1. Avoid unnecessary repetition. Not only avoid repeating the same word or phrase [see my controversial post on Stephen King's use of profanity], but you need to beware of repeating effects. Authors and editors Renni Browne and Dave King are quoted: "Whether it's two sentences that convey the same information, two paragraphs that establish the same personality trait, or two characters who fill the same role in the plot, repetition can dissipate your writing and rob it of its power."
2. Don't forget to target benefits to the reader. Most often considered in terms of nonfiction, but applicable to fiction also, what this means is that in order to seduce an agent or editor with your proposal or story, target one or more of these areas: Will your book make the reader feel better about herself (in terms of beauty or spiritual growth, etc.)? Does it offer social satisfaction, such as promising fame or better relationships? Is it a book that will help the reader professionally? Is it a noble book that promises to benefit the greater good?
3. Don't break your promise to the reader. Don't let your digressions or inability to maintain focus stop the reader from reading. If your first reader is an agent, he or she will stop if distracted by your tangents.
4. Dump your first three best ideas. Mike Nappa's boss once told him to come up with his three absolute best ideas, and then to go with his fourth idea. In other words, don't go with the obvious. Be original. That goes for titles, themes, names, anything and everything.
5. Your title may be boring. Choose a great title. Make it into an invitation to look inside. Evoke emotion with it.
6. Forgetting to network socially is NOT an option. As obvious as that is, many writers won't put in the work. Perhaps only one or two out of a thousand connections you make via the internet (or any other way) will turn out to be useful in your writing career. (Especially if you're a shy introvert who hates asking for favors, such as endorsements.) For example, don't ignore your Amazon.com AuthorCentral page, if you've already published something. Concentrate on building a following on one of the major social networking sites. Join online writers' groups and stay involved, and post comments on author blogs.
7. Don't self-publish for professional reasons. Do it for personal reasons, insists Nappa, but not if you hope to then interest a major publisher. You'll hear rare success stories. But if an agent or editor looks up the sales figures for your self-published volume, and the numbers are in the hundreds (which is a lot for most self-published books), they won't be impressed. Quite the contrary.
Copyright (2011) by Susan K. Perry
