Remember that manuscript I wrote for over a decade? That "masterpiece"? Well, it never got off the ground.
But don't feel too bad. I still call it a "masterpiece" because I learned so much through the process.
Shortly after it was reviewed by my writer friend, CH, I fixed what I thought I needed to and sent it to Writer's Edge Manuscript Service. Basically, this company reads three sample chapters from aspiring authors (along with some basic author info), and they decide if the manuscript has "publishing potential" or not. If it does, they send a "back-of-the-book" blurb in a newsletter to seventy-five Christian publishers (and that's not including all the agents that receive the letter too). If any publishers are interested in pursuing the book, they may contact the author directly.
I'm excited to say that a major, traditional publisher in the Christian realm contact me to see my first three chapters and a one-page synopsis. I was THRILLED! I thought that this was my break!
I sent it to the editor and waited. .... And waited. .... And waited. I forget the exact amount of time, but it was several months. I was worried that they'd lost my submission! Turns out it was just a busy season in publishing, so the editor wasn't able to read my work immediately. And when I received the editor's response, I found it to be a very polite and vague rejection letter.
At first, I was very disappointed.
Had I done something wrong? Maybe I shouldn't have emailed to ask if she got the submission...
Did I write the proposal wrong? What if my synopsis went on and on and on and bored her to death?
My most recurring thought? CAN I HAVE A DO-OVER??? I'll fix everything and send it again!! Just tell me what I did wrong, and I promise I'll fix it!
But that's not how publishers work. You get one shot in a situation like that. But truth be told, I learned SO MUCH from that encounter. I realized that the book was hopelessly flawed--not that it's a bad story; it's just not the type of story that publishers will want to sell.
And you know... after much deliberation. I was fine with that.
So I started over. After another year or so of contemplating, sifting through the characters and plot lines "marinating" in my mind, a new idea for a manuscript surfaced--one that I feel is publishable. Marketable.
So in August 2011, I began writing. I also read a bunch of writing books. Stein on Writing by Sol Stein, A Novel Idea, Writing the Christian Romance by Gail Gaymer Martin, and The Writer's Compass by Nancy Ellen Dodd, to name a few.
I took a little time off of writing to devote myself to school (I was still in college), and then hit the keyboard hard when summer rolled around. I typed the final word in my manuscript in August 2012.
Then came the editing process (By the way... is that process ever really over?).
I sent it to Writer's Edge and also to Christian Manuscript Submissions, a similar company, and began the waiting game. Meanwhile, I've been working on ideas for the rest of the series!!
Now, I'm working on query letters to agents. And I'm excited to see where this story will take me! If you so desire, please pray with me about this endeavor.
If you are just joining my blog, please check out my first post, "Always".
