The TRUTH about Publishers and submissions

When you have something returned from a Publisher, do you ever have this feeling that no one really read it?

Have you ever wished that you could have some device attached to your writing that displayed a message letting you know that someone actually opened the manuscript and read it? It would be like those messages that let us know that someone read out emails.

Here is the TRUTH.

Do you want it candy coated or straight to the point about publishers? Straight to the point?

Great! Here goes...

Publishers are always looking for new talent. There has to be NEW discoveries. If there were no new authors, the book pool would soon become shallow and eventially dry. Authors do not live forever. There has to be replacements.

Here is the bold-print truth: EVERYTHING THAT ENTERS A PUBLISHING OFFICE IS READ. It is some kind of unwritten professional law. If they are a publisher worth their salt, they do have someone read the manuscripts.

Okay, so, if every publisher reads my manuscript, WHY DO I GET REJECTIONS?

It is a number of things. Maybe that publisher is not looking for your type of material. Maybe you did not do your research and know what they are asking for in manuscripts. Maybe you did not follow the submission process correctly. Maybe they want someone more marketable. Maybe the publisher does not have the freedom to choose your work. Maybe the writing style is not what they want at this time. It could be a number of things.

I know that we wish that publishers would take the time to tell us why our manuscript was rejected, but think. They get thousands of submissions and it would take forever to take the time to write "hi." After all, they are not paid to be "pen-pals" to writers. That might sound a little harsh, but they do have a specific job to do and a short time to do it.

If you do get a note on your submission, take that as something good. Make the revision and send it back to the same publisher with a cover letter stating that you have made the suggested corrections and appreciate the time taken to give you advice on how to make it better.

Publishers appreciate the fact that you listen to what they have to say. If they do not publish you, you might have made a valuable contact for the future.

Also, some publishers pay people to be readers and they read manuscripts and make suggestions to someone else. That person, in turn, makes suggestions to someone else, then some are sent to committees that meet once a week. In those meetings, each manuscript might only have a few minutes to be considered. It is a jungle out there and our manuscripts gets caught in the vines.

All in all, most publishers are professional and they like to have authors be just as professional. Keep it professional. Keep it sharp. Impress them with your business sense. They will appreciate it.

Sorry, I am not a publisher. I have never been employed by one. I am just a guy with a lot to say and I hope that it does not fall on deaf ears. I am trying to encourage myself as I work to encourage you.

Keep writing!