Editors/Publisher....Denyed for content. Many Questions

jwbajorek · Jul 7, 2008

Okay, thank you for reading and all of your comments [for starters].

I am a new writer. I wrote one novel before (not published) that was more of a suspense type novel. But my heart and soul were poured into my latest novel, which because of its genre/content has been denyed by 3 editors/publishers.

I am not an english major [actually i am a finance/econ duel] so because of which my grammer and all is a bit off. But the content of the novel and purpose of the novel (in my opinion as well as 11 out of the 12 people who have read it) say it is quite amazing.

The problem is that it is very gay. I am a 20 year old gay guy who grew up in a very rural, homophobic, religious hometown. Growing up in such a mentally depriving area truly hindered my thoughts of acting upon my true self. I learned a lot in college and have lovely friends to help me through some of my current and previous issues. The novel is a romantic-fiction though I have interpreted a lot of personal fears, issues, and insecurities within the book. There are a lot of personal issues that are depicted within the novel such as self-destruction [bulemia, self-mutilization, etc] that we all struggle through. The main issue going through the main characters head [as well as that of mine at points in my life] is whether or not life is worth living because no matter what I accomplish I will eternally be seen by society as the faggot. A lot of the novel is psychological rantings/venting that I personally wrote during moments of struggle within my own life. But it also ties in romance through the main character being in a relationshsip but being cheated on and at the end realizing that true love can exist beyond the physicality of life. And through the novel characters develope [obviously, lol] and sadly the novel revels that not all of us are capable of working our way to peace with society's hatred. One character who struggles endlessly with being gay does kill himself at the end [which is another reason one publisher wasn't interested for it wasn't "a truely happy ending"].

But. My main questions.
1) Any recommendations for an editor/publisher that may not deny me. I am not ashamed of being denyed it is just frustrating to be denyed by "romance" publishers because it is gay themed.

2) Is private (self) publishing worth it? My friend published his novel (science-fiction) through Publish America but i have read some nasty things about them.

Thanks

-Jwbajorek

veinglory · Jul 7, 2008

Is it genre romance? If so you only need to select a genre romance with a gay and lesbian section (Samhain, Ellora's Cave) or a gay publisher with a romance line (Romentics, PD, 7th Window). My examples are small press because I am more familair with that level, but larger presses cover the gay romance genre also.

t0neg0d · Jul 7, 2008

Quick question, for clarification:

In the responses to your query, they went as far as to tell you (for example), 'Due to the homosexual nature of the submitted material, we are sorry to inform you that we will be pursuing other efforts at this time. We wish you luck with future submissions' etc, etc? Or is this an assumption on your part?

Will help you to get accurate responses here by clarifying this.

As far as self-publishing goes: I hear (have never pursued) that this is a tough road if you do not have the time/effort to put into self-marketing, etc. I, for one, pursue efforts in many different arenas of art, as well as work and have a family. I could never afford the time to go this route.

Calla Lily · Jul 7, 2008

First,

to AW.

Second, I know there are pubs that take gay romance. A friend of mine just pubbed her first ebook with that theme. Check out the Bewares and Background Checks forum and of course Preditors and Editors for reputable publishers.

Third, have you given the book to a couple of beta readers? There's a forum here to ask for betas. I swear by mine--they rock, and are not afraid to tell me what's wrong--and what's right.

Third--maybe it's the query that isn't working for you. Check out the Share Your Work forum, especially the stickies at the top on how to write a query. Then, if your rhino hide is in place, post your query there. We hurt with kindness.

Good luck!

veinglory · Jul 7, 2008

My impression is the manuscript has yet to be submitted. I would ask where you queried. If it is gay romance and they do not publish gay romance, well... they odds are they won't want it. But there are 30-40 publishers I know of that are active in that genre.

IceCreamEmpress · Jul 7, 2008

I don't think that the issue is necessarily the gay content. All mainstream publishers in the US publish gay fiction. There are also several specialty gay and lesbian publishers, and a trade association called The Publishing Triangle for GLBT folks in the publishing field.

And there are publishers who focus only on gay romance as well. Google "gay romance publisher" and you'll find literally dozens.

Where I think the problem is is here:

A) Your manuscript isn't ready for publication. If your manuscript includes the kind of grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation errors that your post contains, it's not ready for publication. Publishers want manuscripts that are already coherent and polished.

B) You don't understand how the publishing process works. It's not a question of being "denied", for one thing. It's a question of being accepted. Publishers get many, many more good manuscripts than they can possibly print each year; yours has to stand out in that group of polished, carefully-written manuscripts.

jwbajorek · Jul 7, 2008

Thanks all.
I will look into your suggestions.
Well I did submit (as they had requested) the first couple chapters (since my chapters are quite short). My favorite authors often write short chapters (such as Joseph Finder <3 him) and to me that is the more natural way of my writing style as well.
But they have read it and one publicist said it was 'good' but not their genre and to pick a publicist who might be more inclined to publish a novel that is more into this type of work [or something to that regards]. They specificially did not imply "no because you are a faggot" but that is the assumption that i have gotten.

But i will look into some of those. I could probably use a beta, i will look into exactly what those do and such. I know my work needs editting [spelling/grammer] but i think generally speaking the content flows nicely.

Thanks again

mscelina · Jul 7, 2008

Welcome to AW.

I have to chime in with Ice Cream Empress here--misspelled words, incorrect grammar--all those little nitpicky things will get your query booted before it's read. I'd advise a lot more research into the tools of your craft--learning how to write, grammar, and spelling--and the industry--what publishers look for your genre of fiction--before you throw your baby to the wolves.

IceCreamEmpress · Jul 7, 2008

jwbajorek said:
But they have read it and one publicist said it was 'good' but not their genre and to pick a publicist who might be more inclined to publish a novel that is more into this type of work [or something to that regards]. They specificially did not imply "no because you are a faggot" but that is the assumption that i have gotten.

That's not a correct assumption (unless you were approaching a socially-conservative or religious publisher who has a general policy against publishing gay fiction).

Good luck with polishing your manuscript and submitting it in future.

PattiTheWicked · Jul 7, 2008

And even if they it's "not their genre", it doesn't mean that it's not good. It means you didn't do your homework, and you sent a gay romance to someone who doesn't publish gay romance. Publishing is a weird business, but don't make assumptions.

Good writing and following the rules trump everything else.

Claudia Gray · Jul 7, 2008

There are plenty of gay-themed or gay-friendly small presses out there, and most of the big houses publish some types of LGBT fiction and nonfiction. As Ice Cream Empress suggested, I think you need to look harder at your prose. You mention having problems with your grammar and spelling as though these were minor issues instead of major factors influencing your readability. Work hard on this, get your manuscript in the best shape it can be, and research the publishers and agents who take on this kind of book. There are plenty of them out there.

Doogs · Jul 7, 2008

jwbajorek said:
Well I did submit (as they had requested) the first couple chapters (since my chapters are quite short).
But they have read it and one publicist said it was 'good' but not their genre and to pick a publicist who might be more inclined to publish a novel that is more into this type of work [or something to that regards].

Question. Were these chapters requested after said agents read your query letter, or were they part of the submission guidelines? If it is the former, then I would suggest you revisit your query to ensure it properly reflects your story and its tone.

They specificially did not imply "no because you are a faggot" but that is the assumption that i have gotten.

You know what they say about assumptions. Rejections are a dime a dozen in the writing world. I highly doubt there is any personal bias at work. More likely they didn't connect with the writing or tone, etc.

I know my work needs editting [spelling/grammer] but i think generally speaking the content flows nicely.

Generally speaking won't cut it. Even a great story needs to be honed and polished. How many drafts have you been through?

AdamH · Jul 7, 2008

jwbajorek said:
1) Any recommendations for an editor/publisher that may not deny me. I am not ashamed of being denyed it is just frustrating to be denyed by "romance" publishers because it is gay themed.

2) Is private (self) publishing worth it? My friend published his novel (science-fiction) through Publish America but i have read some nasty things about them.

1. My best recommendation is do your research on the publisher before you send it. The Writer's Market books are great because they can break down what publishers or editors are looking for. Then surf their websites. A quick google search I found this site: http://www.publishingcentral.com/subject.html?sid=167&si=1&kwd=gay+lesbian+book+publishing
See if they've published any gay or lesbian literature along the lines that you've written. Also, another tip: Go to your local bookstore and check out what publishers published those books.

2. I find from talking to other's who've done it that it is worth it. But it's left up to you to promote and sell it. So there's a lot more work involved. Just be careful of places like PA who take advantage of young writers.

Hope that helps.

lawtowriting · Jul 7, 2008

It can be very difficult to take rejection when you've "poured your heart" into a work and it can make the rejection seem very personal. But after having poured your heart into a work, it can also be very difficult to see its flaws. I remember in 12th Grade English class, our teacher (with the student's permission) read us a true story the student had written about her mother getting killed. The story was very mediocre (not saying that your story is), and the teacher read it to demonstrate that just because someone writes something personal, doesn't mean that it doesn't have to still be exceptional writing. Listen to what people have said here and take a close look at your work. Also, have some objective betas read it as well.

MoonWriter · Jul 7, 2008

jwbajorek - welcome to AW.

The fact that 11 of 12 readers liked your story is encouraging. You can't go wrong following the above advice.

Barber · Jul 7, 2008

Hmmm. I wanted to weigh in and say I hope you've gotten away from that atmosphere. Having grown up in a multi-cultural society, I often forget what ignorance lurks in other parts of the world. And in this day and age!

Having said that, try to understand many others feel the same as I do (that there's nothing wrong with being gay). If you can keep that in mind, the rejection won't feel so personal. I worry you might have come at this from a defensive place, thinking that publishers would reject the book due to its gay content.

It sounds almost like you should consider selling this as a memoir, and there are several agents who represent memoirs of the Gay / Lesbian genre. There's a market for gay novels, so don't worry that an agent wouldn't represent it or that a publisher wouldn't publish it.

Strengthen your writing skills; research the places you're pitching to.

Reilly616 · Jul 7, 2008

I wouldn't self publish. Have you tried publishers outside of America? Your novel sounds great, I think it would sell well in the UK and Ireland.

PattiTheWicked · Jul 7, 2008

It could sell well here in the US too, if it's a good novel and sold to the right publisher.

Calla Lily · Jul 7, 2008

What Patti Said.

Reilly616 · Jul 7, 2008

PattiTheWicked said:
It could sell well here in the US too, if it's a good novel and sold to the right publisher.

Obviously. All I'm saying is not to limit the possibilities. If the content isn't being well recieved over there, why not try some other places.

Kitty Pryde · Jul 7, 2008

Don't give up so early in the game, and don't go through Publish America.

Your book is never going to be published by a romance publisher because it doesn't follow the boy-meets-girl-and-their-love-defies-all-odds formula, which is what their customers want. Just like the fact that your book is never going to be published by a science published because it doesn't fit into the smart-person-explains-interesting-scientific-theories formula. It's nothing to do with your writing or homophobia, and it's everything to do with marketing!

Can I recommend you peruse the website of A Different Light Bookstore? (Not a kid-friendly site, possibly NSFW) This is a well-known (in California) bookstore that carries all types of LGBT-interest books. They have everything from kids picture books to mainstreamed lit (Armistead Maupin, David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs) to romance to erotica. I think it's a good place to see who is publishing what sorts of books, and where your books might fit in. Plenty of books have been successfully published about young gay men struggling with their identity and sexuality. It's a matter of a well written story finding its way to the right publisher!

Post your query or a short piece from your novel in the Share Your Work forum and you will get great feedback.

veinglory · Jul 7, 2008

I suspect the three markets tried are not representative and perhaps not the right ones to start off with. I have about 100 gay romances and memoirs on my shelves; although the UK is somewhat disproportionately represented, the majority were published in the US. I know a good dozen writers just on this forum are publishing gay romance with US presses. The issue of whether it is a 'romance' per se or a love story is important too.

IceCreamEmpress · Jul 7, 2008

Reilly616 said:
Obviously. All I'm saying is not to limit the possibilities. If the content isn't being well recieved over there, why not try some other places.

It's not the content. There are many places to publish gay romance in the US.

Kalyke · Jul 7, 2008

3 publishers and 3 editors is not a lot. Look at the great Gay novalists/writers. I think especially of Gary Indiana because I love the way he writes. It could be that you need to study the publishers more and if your spelling and grammar and "expression" are not up to par, you need to go back to school, or read a few books, and so on-- a few classes in that stuff ought to do it. My grammar and writing skills became 90% better when I took a few writing/grammar classes.

Any one of us for any reason whatsoever might be barking up the wrong tree. And it is not all about what you write. It could be that the market is saturated by books like yours is, or maybe they sell poorly, that does not mean that sales couldn't pick up. I have a Gay male friend who reads constantly and is always finding a new book of Gay literature, and there seems to be a decent market for it. I think finding a place for a brooding realistic piece is a bit tougher-- these days people seem to like escapist entertainment--

(Escapism always happens in economic hard times, you may need to wait a few years until we get through this recession)

I think self publishing is good only if you have a ready made market and are writing a cookbook or a church history. I wouldn't touch it for a fiction book.

I'm a bit U.S. Centric because I live here. Sorry.

scope · Jul 7, 2008

You have received excellent advice from a bunch of people. I hope you take it to heart, because the impressions I get from your posts is that you feel close to having produced a well written work ready to try and sell, and which you feel can be sold -- with just a little help. IMHO, I don't see it that way, and I think you owe it to yourself to objectively decide if you know enough about the entire writing process to actually have produced a fine work -- one that a publisher or an agent would react to by saying something like: "Wow." And then there's the art of know the "business" of publishing, because publishing is a very real business, whose base line is to make a profit on what it produces and sells (with a very few rare exceptiond).

I edited because I forgot to ask you something. I realize you must have poured you heart out to write your work, however, when I read your initial post and your description of the story I wind up saying: "So, what else is new?" What makes your work different and more meaningful than others?

Editors/Publisher....Denyed for content. Many Questions

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