The Next Circle of Hell, Vol. 2

UV: I sent my agent a new thing about three weeks ago. I expect to hear back in a few weeks.

Sounds like we're in the same boat, polishmuse I'm finding the wait excruciating. How are you holding up?

I'm doing okay. Not getting much done, but that's mostly personal life terribleness and not my agent's fault. Complicated, but hopefully it will pass.

sorry to hear that you're going through life terribleness

Another R from a publisher yesterday. I was almost at the end of my lunch break when I checked my email on my phone & saw an email from my agent. I knew it was a rejection and just had to wait for it to download... yep. I was coming off a night of no sleep, so I had a quick ugly cry in my car on the way back to work.

Doing much better this morning. I vented to some friends and had a revelation all over again about the "it just takes one yes" cliche. It really is true. My novel is written a little outside the genre convention, which is what editors are having problems with. One of my friends said "why didn't your agent TELL you it was going to be a problem to sell like that?", to which I responded "That's what she LIKES about it!" I remembered all the querying I did with this book, all the contests, and all the rejection I went through, from people who didn't like that it didn't fit neatly inside a box. And I remembered how exciting it was to finally talk to an agent who loved it for that very reason. Somewhere, hopefully, there's going to be an editor who is going to be the same, who is going to like it because it's a little different. We just have to find that editor, and get that one yes.

So while I'm still frustrated, and OMG the waaaaaaaait suuuuuucks, I'm feeling a little less "noooo they hate my book I suck what's the point" and a little more "we just need to find the person who believes in this book." Which is a better place to be, I think.

HUUUUUGE hugs Jeneral. I had an R on Tuesday, which the editor liked my writing but thought it would be hard to market for reasons that made me a little perturbed. It's so easy to take things personally, because it is personal AND business all mixed together. I asked my agent to call me and she did yesterday. We had a great chat, I sent her some edits before Round 3 (we've only pitched 10 editors, so I don't feel like going to 3 Rounds is a big whoop). We'll see what she thinks of the changes. (crosses fingers and toes) She also promised to get back to me about new project by next week, so I'll be soon drowning in edit notes, which I don't mind. Not at all.

Aww Jeneral Rejections are always so hard. We've come SO FAR and it feels like a huge loss at this stage in the game. But I agree, it does only take one. My first book weathered A LOT of rejections from agents and publishers alike, but now it's my debut because one publisher said YES enthusiastically. Crazy, right? Hang in there.

And polish, ugh, hugs on your R. That sucks. I'm glad you were able to have a positive and productive chat with your agent. That can really make all the difference during sub.

I just got a R on a query for my first book, over TWO YEARS after sending it. The agent said she didn't connect with my characters emotionally. I'm really tempted to send her my Amazon pre-order link, but I don't want to be petty.

Ugh, polishmuse, sorry about the R. Glad you had a good talk with your agent though...I agree that does help!

Pinkbow, that R is amazing. I agree, I'd want to send a link too, but yeah, petty. Better not.

Hope everyone else is doing well and hanging in there ok. I have RWA this morning, and then it's (hopefully) a writing weekend. Fingers crossed.

I'm sorry about the Rs, Jeneral & Polish. *passes cookies & drink of choice* Is it too early in the season for pumpkin cookies? I'm making some today.

Pinkbow: an agent R after two years? Wow. I guess it's good they're cleaning out their inboxes.

Polish: I hope you hear good news from your agent about your new thing soon!

My agent is on vacation. I imagine her return at the end of the month will result in Rs arriving in my inbox. I hope so. Is it odd to hope for Rs? We've been out for almost 6 months on round one with my latest, but the majority still haven't responded. The slow pace makes it hard to keep hoping someone will love it.

My agent sent my newest adult MS to some intern friends (to see if they could see anything that might hold this MS back). It's always interesting when you get completely different feedback, but I picked through and went with suggestions that I thought could make the MS better. When my agent returns, she'll read again and it's going out for round one. *fingers crossed* this one will do it!

Jeneral and polishmouse - huge hugs to you both. Sorry about the Rs.

Jeneral - I SO get what you mean. My MS 1 doesn't fit very nicely in any box, either. Neither does MS2, now that I think about it. Still, Agent continues to profess his love for the projects (even though I can tell his enthusiasm has waned after so many Rs on MS1 and so much effing silence on MS2).

Pinkbow - wow. Two years. Uh... Better late than never?

Martina - fingers crossed for you!

*

Me - still stuck in a bit of a rut. Not finding the love for WIP, even as I managed to squeeze some revisions in every day last week (like, 20-minutes' worth, if that). I'm stuck in the "what's the point?" stage. I keep hoping it will pass.

(((HUGS)))

for everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ugh, MC, I'm sorry you're in a "what's the point" phase. I really hate that stage. I think it's great that you're able to squeeze in even little bits of work during that stage though, that's a good sign. Keep pugging away!

While I'm thrashing away at this new first draft, I realized yesterday that I miss my book that's on sub. It's been rewritten a million times, but I miss the characters. I opened up the MS the other day to refer to something, in order to answer a question for a friend who's drafting a romance, and I wanted to re-read the MS so badly. But I knew if I did I would want to tweak it more, and that way lies madness. Then I had a Brilliant Idea (possibly) (probably not) for a change I could make that would address editors' rejections... nah. It probably wouldn't. Quit stalling and write the new thing.

But I am SO BAD at first drafting. Ugh.

Jeneral said:

Keep pugging away!

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Please, please don't fix this typo because it makes me picture joyful little wrinkly dogs cheering us on. Which we need. What a great mascot.

I'm working a bit on a new thing that's kind of fun, but then I've started getting ideas for a sequel to the book that's on sub. I think I'll try to sit down and plunk out an outline for a possible sequel because, well, it makes me feel like the thing on sub is still loved. Which it is. Poor on-sub MS. All of my nervous feelings get shoved onto it.

In other news, supposedly going to get notes on Book 2 this week, but I'd be okay if they waited even another week down the line. Things are crazy with day job right now!

Many hugs, pugs, and drinks of choice to all of you.

Goodness, polish, that wasn't a typo! A bunch of us had a pug thing going on for a while in the Daily Rejection thread. I 'm glad Jeneral hasn't forgotten how to pug along...

Yeah, the pugs are mostly Funaek's fault.

I'm losing my hair and seriously considering either a wig or hair pugs. Any suggestions?

Hats are fun.

PHEW. I joined without pugging along in DR first, so I'm glad to be ushered into the puggy world. Thank you, friends!

Jeneral said:

Yeah, the pugs are mostly Funaek's fault.

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Yes. But wasn't Wendy's kid obsessed with pugs, too?

And weren't you going to write a pug romance????? (Nope. I'm NOT letting you forget that! I want to read it!!!!)

Spike and polish, glad you've joined our pugsome world. Everyone is welcome.

(Where IS Funaek, anyway???)

Moonchild said:

Yes. But wasn't Wendy's kid obsessed with pugs, too?

And weren't you going to write a pug romance????? (Nope. I'm NOT letting you forget that! I want to read it!!!!)

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Yes. Yes, he was. He actually just wore his "P is for Pug" shirt to kindergarten orientation today We caved and got the kiddos gerbils, so nowadays, that's the latest obsession around here.

And, yes! I still want to read that pug romance, too!!

ALSO! After all those years talking about MS1, my time travel novel that got me an agent, went on sub, didn't sell, which I then cut down to novella-size and started subbing on my own... Today I had my cover reveal for it! We've got a Goodreads giveway going on until Sept 6. (LINKY)

Hah, I love that! I am so going to use 'pugging' today if I can

Wendy, congrats on the cover reveal!! I RTed it yesterday on Twitter... it's a gorgeous cover. Hope the folks at WWP have been treating you right. They're a good group over there.

Pug romance is on the back burner until I can think of a plot that is more than "someone owns a pug." But I'm working on it! I think I still have the link of Wendy's kid singing the Pug Song he wrote. Sometimes when I'm really tired I catch myself singing it.

One of my friends in my RWA chapter has started a 100 words for 100 days challenge, where we have to write at least 100 words daily. It's gotten my butt in the chair every day, so that's something. Some days I quit after that 100 words or so (last night I was dead tired and managed like 121), but other days I keep going and get a few hundred. So it's forward motion, I guess.

I get frustrated that this first draft is going down so slowly and so... badly. The book that's out on sub was written during a NaNo, and it poured out so easily. And then I remember that that story cooked in my head for something like 20 years, so maybe I should cut myself some slack. But do I? What do YOU think?

Also, no word on any editors. At this point I'm not expecting to hear anything before Labor Day. I'm hoping September is a busy month.

Yesterday's rejection kind of demoralized me, and I haven't yet had the motivation to resubmit, so I only have four active submissions at this point instead of five, which is my goal.

Jeneral said:

Wendy, congrats on the cover reveal!! I RTed it yesterday on Twitter... it's a gorgeous cover. Hope the folks at WWP have been treating you right. They're a good group over there.

Pug romance is on the back burner until I can think of a plot that is more than "someone owns a pug." But I'm working on it! I think I still have the link of Wendy's kid singing the Pug Song he wrote. Sometimes when I'm really tired I catch myself singing it.

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Thanks!

And yes, I've really pleased with how things have been going with WWP so far. The folks there are awesome, and from what I've heard from authors w bigger publishers, it seems like I've had a lot more say in the process, which I think is just what I needed right now -- to take back a little control over my writing career.

I'm a pug and you're a pug and we're all pugs, pug pug pug pug...