Published Book Authors: How Many Rejections Before First Acceptance

About a dozen agent rejections before I just started looking for a publisher myself. I sent to two publishers, had two ask to see the manuscript. This was my first completed book, but it went through quite a few wringers before I started to submit it.

Now I'm on my next book, and still no agent bites. Well, that's not really true. I had two request partials. One rejected it, the other still no word. And two rejections by nonresponse (I really hate that!)

(See below for book info)

The stack of rejections is about an inch and a half tall, from several different manuscripts. I made the mistake of starting with the big New York publishers, avoiding those who took agented submissions only. I finally succeeded with a small press in Idaho.

After the book's official release in February of next year, I'll resume shopping around a few other manuscripts, including Gulliver Mouse and Farmer Fox and I'll begin work on a picture book mentioned in the book below.

I can't speak for the novel market. But both of my non-fiction titles were instantly snapped up by medium-size publishing houses. How to, and consumer warning books are pretty popular, I guess. No trouble at all. After 14 novels, I'm still waiting for that hit, even though I've published 15 short stories in the small and slick mag markets.

Tri

No trouble at all with the first novel. One rejection and then it was accepted by a boutique small press in Colorado (specializing in Colorado history, which it was). Second and subsequent books were sold through an agent, so don't know if you want that info.

My children's non-fiction books have all been solicited. I didn't have to do a query. For the first one, I was recommended by an editor I had worked with before on a health encyclopedia for junior high. One day I got an e-mail that basically said [Editor's Name] thought that you might be a good person to write a book for our new series [series title]. If you're interested, send me a cv. So I did, and was asked to do 2 books in the series. The third book in the series I suggested and wrote about a 3 paragraph pitch. Then I sent the first book to a publisher of similar books and asked if they had any work and was given the choice of 3 topics for another junior high series. I'm just finishing that one now, and have a more or less open invitation to do more work for them. Of course, junior high and high school non-fiction is not exactly high profile, but the work is steady and I feel like I am doing something useful. However, my teenage daughter still asks when I am going to start writing "real books" For my adult non-fiction, I got an agent on the first query, but she didn't sell the book. She only wanted to deal with the top houses. I think I made a mistake not pursuing smaller houses on my own.

My first book, a YA, made the rounds of publishers for six months. Started with the big houses that accepted unagented ms., then worked my way toward the smaller publishers. As soon as I did that, a small pub in Michigan picked it up. At that time, they were looking to expand into the YA and younger market.

Sold the first article I wrote.

Sold the first book I wrote.

Been rejected since.

Many rejections...

I had well over 100 rejections before my first hardcover sale. But I wrote this particular ms for my publisher. It never received a rejection. In fact, most of my accepted work does not receive rejections. Isn't that weird? I've sold three picture books to my publisher. Also, my very first paperback (emergent reader) got accepted on the first go round BUT I simultaneously subbed it and it received one reject, one no response, and one acceptance.

For my magazine work, rarely does the accepted piece ever get rejected. But I do have some things that have suffered many rejections and then I've put them away.

I am stubborn, though, and will not give up on a piece if I think it NEEDS to be published. I have friends whose ms's suffer many rejections (close calls) and finally find homes. I hope that happens to me one day!

http://www.pamcalvert.com

pam said:

Also, my very first paperback (emergent reader) got accepted on the first go round BUT I simultaneously subbed it and it received one reject, one no response, and one acceptance.

http://www.pamcalvert.com

Click to expand...

Which is exactly why no one should get too bent out of shape over rejections and non-responses. Editors needs and tastes vary so much that what is
be trash to one can be treasure to another.