I just received this rejection yesterday from a large publishing house. I think, when I get a rejection from now on, I’m going to post what the rejection says on this blog. Why? So that other authors and aspiring authors can see the reasons for rejection. Also, for those who haven’t started submitting yet, they can see what a real rejection looks like. I’ve placed my comments in caps and brackets. Here’s what the letter said:
Dear Cecelia,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read [NAME OF MANUSCRIPT INSERTED HERE] I really enjoyed this project. Unfortunately, however, the general feeling was that the initial print numbers would be too small for our list. So, therefore, I have to pass.
It was a pleasure meeting you at the Faith and Fiction Retreat in Atlanta. I’m so sorry this didn’t work out for us but I wish you the very best in finding a good home for your work.
Best-
[EDITOR’S NAME HERE]
I’d submitted this manuscript on June 20 and I think this editor was nice to respond within three months. I’m glad she gave me a compliment. Although rejections stink, it makes me feel good when an editor for a large publishing house has something nice to say about my work.
I keep a spreadsheet with all of my submissions so that I can track them. I have more than one manuscript floating around out there now since I want to find a home for my books! After I receive the rejection, I keep it in a file and I remove the line from my spreadsheet since I’m no longer tracking that submission. I also try to keep track of where I’ve submitted a project so that I don’t make the major mistake of submitting a manuscript someplace twice!
Do you keep track of your submissions? What do you do to keep track of your manuscripts? If you have an agent, does your agent keep a similiar spreadsheet to track the status of your manuscripts?