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After reading about so many rejected famous authors, I thought you might draw enough inspiration to keep writing and illustrating and continue to submit after reading this post.

REJECTED:

Author Dick Wimmer passed away on May 18, 2011, at 74 years old. He received 160+ rejections over 25 years! He spent a quarter of a century being told “no.”

He could have quit after 20 years, or 150 rejections, and no one would have blamed him. But he kept submitting. Maybe he had his own list of famous author rejection letters to keep him going!

Finally, his novel Irish Wine (Mercury House, 1989) was published to positive reviews. The New York Times called it a “taut, finely written, exhaustingly exuberant first novel.”

REJECTED:

Dr. Seuss got rejection letters, too. Here is one:
“too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling.”

Here’s a rejection letter for THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK:
“The girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the ‘curiosity’ level.”

Madeleine L”Engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME was turned down 29 times.

Jerry Spinelli was rejected for 15 years, before getting his first book contract for SPACE STATION SEVENTH GRADE.

THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT was turned down so many times, Beatrix Potter initially self-published it.

Rudyard Kipling received this: “I’m sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don’t know how to use the English language.” Editor of the San Francisco Examiner.

H.G. Wells had to endure the indignity of a rejection when he submitted his manuscript, “The War of the Worlds” that said, “An endless nightmare. I do not believe it would “take”…I think the verdict would be ‘Oh don’t read that horrid book’.”

And when he tried to market “The Time Machine,” it was said, “It is not interesting enough for the general reader and not thorough enough for the scientific reader.”

Here is a rejection letter for Harry Potter:
30 June 1997

Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms./Miss J.K. Rowling:

At this time, we must decline your submission of HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE. Unfortunately, the manuscript reeks of being completed on a manual typewriter. For heaven’s sake, it is 1997. Do you own a computer?

The second major problem with this manuscript is its sheer length. Who do you think you are, Charles Dickens? We don’t pay by the word here. Plus, how do you expect parents to muddle through 309 pages to explain the characters, plot, subplots and themes to their children? What if the child has to do a book report on this thing? Can you imagine how long the CliffsNotes would have to be? Also, if parents and children spent time actually perusing the book together, the hours they would be stuck in the same room would be agonizing. Bringing families together is not something you would like to have on your conscience, I guarantee it.

In addition, the subject matter of HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE leaves a bit to be desired. Why would children want to read about a dorky, bespectacled tween’s experiences with the world of wizards and magic? And what about the lightning bolt on the main character’s forehead? What does it mean? How did

Just wanted to point out that SCBWI members can log into www.scbwi.org to see a list of publishers with the books their editors have brought to market.  This publication is a useful tool in targeting your manuscript submissions. By providing you with information about each publisher/editor’s tastes and acquisition decisions, this document can help you determine where to submit your manuscripts and/or illustrations.

Listed under each publisher’s or editor’s name are the books they listed as indicative of their preferences, tastes, and sensibilities. Understanding these editors’ tastes can help you better target your submissions—not by duplicating the books on their list, but by learning what types of stories and voices interest them.

Here is an example of what you will find in the Resource Library Tab and Getting Satrted.  If you are not a member you this is a good reason to join.

The DISNEY CHILDREN’S BOOK GROUP – Disney-Hyperion

Stephanie Owens Lurie, Editorial Director

»» Hothead, Cal Ripken, Jr. with Kevin Cowherd

»» A Friend for Einstein, Charlie Cantrell and Rachel Wagner

»» You’re Finally Here!, Melanie Watt

»» The Heroes of Olympus Book 1: The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan

»» The Enemy, Charlie Higson

»» The Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast Book 1: Aliens on Vacation, Clete Smith

»» Blackout, John Rocco

»» Dinosaur vs. the Potty, Bob Shea

»» The Ring of Solomon, Jonathan Stroud

»» Apple Pie ABC, Alison Murray

Emily Meehan, Executive Editor

»» Hush, Hush

»» Crescendo, Becca Fitzpatrick

»» Elixir, Hilary Duff

»» It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer Jenny Han

»» Lost In Time, A Blue Bloods novel, Melissa de la Cruz

»» The Wolf Pact series, Melissa de la Cruz

»» Beta, Rachel Cohn

»» Eclipsed, Erin Downing

»» Black is the Color, Alexandra Bracken

Abby Ranger, Editor

»» The Gray Wolf Throne, Cinda Williams Chima

»» The Near Witch, Victoria Schwab

»» Fetching, Kiera Stewart

»» Vanished, Sheela Chari

»» Life Eternal: A Dead Beautiful Novel, Yvonne Woon

»» The Hop, Sharelle Byars Moranville, Niki Daly

»» One Special Day, Lola M. Schaefer, Jessica Meserve

»» Goodnight, Dragons, Judith L Roth, Pascal Lemaitre

»» The Darlings in Love, Melissa Kantor

Christian Trimmer, Editor

»» Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, The Graphic Novel, Rick Riordan, Adapted by Robert Venditti, Art by Attila Futaki, Color by Jose Villarrubia Misguided Angel, a Blue Bloods Novel, Melissa de la Cruz (October 2010)

»» The Amulet of Samarkand: A Bartimaeus Graphic Novel, Jonathan Stroud, Adapted by Jonathan Stroud and Andrew Donkin, Art by Lee Sullivan, Color by Nicolas Chapuis

»» Bloody Valentine, a Blue Bloods Novella, Melissa de la Cruz, Illustrations by Michael Johnston

»» I Broke My Trunk!, Mo Willems

»» Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale Special Edition, Mo Willems

»» Queen of the Dead (a Ghost and the Goth novel), Stacey Kade

»» Should I Share My Ice Cream?, Mo Willems

»» Deadly Little Voices (A Touch Novel), Laurie Faria Stolarz

»» Ditched: A Love Story, Robin Mellom

Hope this helps.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Brian A Klems wrote an article for Writer’s Digest about the two times he took the NaNoWriMo writing challenge to write a 50,000 word novel during the 30 days of November.  Here are three things he said:

1. It was unbelievably fun.
2. Being that productive gave me the shot of adrenaline I needed to write more.
3. I was terribly unprepared both times and ended up with 50,000 words of useless material.

I have never participated in NaNoWriMo, because I am always under so many deadlines, that I didn’t want to  inflict another one  on me.  But if you think about it, it is only 1667 words a day.  That is like writing one chapter each day, so it is doable and it would be great to get a new first draft completed.  Downside is – It’s November – Holidays approaching and tons of things are flying at you screaming, “You need to do this!”  But I’m starting to think with a little planning, it might be possible to do; end up with something worth keeping and still keep your sanity.

Here are  my ideas:

1.  Pick a theme for your new story.

2.  Decide on your genre – fantasy, sci-fi, historical, adventure, contemporary, etc.

3.  Think about the setting.  Where will your story take place? 

4.  Who is your main character?

5.  What is unique about your protagonist?

6.  Do a quick character sketch.  Describe physical characteristics and personality traits.

7.  What other characters will be needed to tell your story?  Friends, family, teachers, etc.

8.  What does your protagonist want?

9.  What stands in the way? What obstacles does your MC have to overcome to achieve what they want?

10.  What steps does your MC take to get what he/she wants?

11.  Consider some scenes that might show the above.

12.  Think sub-plot. What could be going on in your protagonist life that is not connected to the main plot, but effects the main character and the decisions they make?

13.  What are the turning points in the plot.

14.  On a piece of paper layout a map of the journey your MC will take to get to the end of the story.

15.  Now look at your calendar and layout a time plan. Saying you are going to write 1667 words a day is not going to do it if you are not going to be home on Thanksgiving.

Remember even if you plan, things will happen that will throw you off your game.  Just keep adjusting to try to stay on track.   Most likely, you will not have time to go back and edit as you go along.  I find that I want to read what I wrote the day before in order to get back into the story and then I start reworking sentences, etc.  Before I know it an hour or two has ticked by without anything new added to the story.  That is a pleasure you don’t have with NaNoWriMo.  Just stay with your story map and time map you created before you started.  There will be lots of time in the months that follow to revise.

Click here to read Brian A Klems article or to look at books on this novel in 30 days exercise.

Would love to hear your stories & tips if you have taken the challenge in the past.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

It’s so exciting when you finish writing your first draft, but so many writers think they have finished, when really you need to think of the rewriting process as the beginning.  Please don’t send you first draft out to an editor or agent.  You only have one chance to make an impression.  Make it a good one.

Did you know that some authors actually throw away their first draft and then sit down to rewrite it from scratch?  I am not that brave, but they could be right, since most of what you have written in your first draft needs to be rewritten. 

Here are some tips.  Obviously there are other things you can do when you revise, but if you do the 10 things below, you will be well on your way.

1.  Read through the full manuscript. 

2.  Take your time and consider each scene.

3.  Does the scene hold your interest?  Do you feel emotionally connected to the characters and the scene?  Is the scene needed to advance the story?  Or is it in there just because it is a fun idea that isn’t needed?

4.  Make a list and give each an value number.  Example:  1 – 10. Ten meaning the scene is the best it can be.

5.  Then work on every scene that has a 5 or less.

6.  Ask yourself the following questions:

A.  Does this scene have a single point of view?

B.  Does it have a clear character objective?

C.  Does it present some conflict to the objective?

D.  Does the character have to struggle emotionally?

E.  Have you provided an outcome that forces the reader to turn the page?

7.  First read each sentence and look for places to tighten the text.  Is everything needed?  Picture writer know to look for any word that isn’t needed.  That is what you should do also.  Just because it is okay to write more words, doesn’t mean you need to use all of them.  You may be able to tighten.  This will give you the chance to add more interesting things into your scene.

8.  Look for places where you could move sentences around and doing so will make the scene stronger.

9.  Look for any spots where you can add the following:

A.   Weather:  What is happening weather wise?  Would adding some detail about the weather add anything to the  scene?

B.   Character details:  Would adding any details about each character in the scene make it richer?  Can you add a gesture, or an action that will show a deeper layer to the character or characters?

C.   Environmental:   Example: surroundings.  Could adding some small detail about the surrounding help your scene?

D.   Sounds:   Example: What can be heard in the scene?  traffic, birds, insects, water, clocks, footsteps crossing a wooden floor.

E.   Touch:   Example: Your character touches the railing walking up the steps.  What material is the railing made out of?  Is it metal?  Is it cold?  Is it wet? Is it made of wood?  Is it smooth?  Is it rough?  Is it carved? The touch of raindrops. Can any of those details foreshadow another scene?

F.   Taste:   This doesn’t just have to pertain to food.  Tears have taste.  Sweat has taste.  Saltwater has taste.  Fear has taste.  Some smells have taste.  The mucus in the mouth as taste.

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5 Comments on Are You Ready To Revise? 10 Tips, last added: 10/22/2011

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:Donna Marie said, on 10/19/2011 10:12:00 AM

Lovin’ this Thank you, Kathy! I absolutely adore revision, but am a sucker for line editing as I go. It really can slow things down. Discipline! lol

buzzwordsmagazine said, on 10/19/2011 7:45:00 PM

Thanks for a great post. Very useful tips plus the added guidelines. One of my favourite blogs. Thank you.

Janet Wong said, on 10/20/2011 6:17:00 AM

I love those really concrete tips for adding details about sounds, touch, and taste. Very helpful advice, Kathy…and goodness knows we can’t have too many reminders about revising!!

kathytemean said, on 10/22/2011 12:55:00 PM

Janet,

Sometimes, I think the revsions will never end. Look for what you sent me to show up this week on my blog. It went into Sprouts Magazine, too.

Kathy

Janet Wong said, on 10/22/2011 2:04:00 PM

Thanks, Kathy! Funny thing about revision: it’s so hard to know when to stop. Years ago I read an early draft of BUZZ to a workshop audience, then read the final draft, and had them vote for their favorite. This was a couple of months before the book was due to be published, so it was too late to change anything. You can imagine how disappointed I was when they voted for the “reject”!

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One of the things we discussed at the Writer’s Retreat was how to get noticed. There were lots of questions like, “Do I need a Webite?” “What about a blog?” I pointed out how much Twitter changed things for me.  Blogs were around before Twitter, but they were not easy to find.  But Twitter entered the mix and very quickly started driving traffic to websites and blogs.  It also has lead to many other Internet options bloggers can use to increase traffic to their sites. If you have a website, I would add a blog, as long as you can tie in content that your visitors would be interested in reading.

If you don’t have a website and you want to build name recognition, I would seriously think about developing a blog.  The nice thing, blogs are free. Well, free as far as money. Not so free when you consider the time you will spend trying to provide the content you’ll need.

First, decide on the theme of your content. Then decide how much time you can devote to blogging. Let your readers know when you plan to post – once a week, twice a week, three times a week, every day. Then stick to your schedule and try a few things from this list  below to help people find you.

• Turn your articles and blog posts into PDFs. Then submit your PDFs to document sharing sites like Scribd and DocStoc.
• Order some T-shirts and have your website or blog’s URL printed on them and give them away. People will check out your URL!
• Submit your blog to social bookmarking sites like Digg and StumbleUpon.
• Hold a contest and give prizes to your readers. Use social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to let people know about the contest. A good contest with good prizes will attract a lot of people.  Great idea for your new books.
• Write articles that are educational, informational, and not self-promoting, then build a wiki page for your blog.
• Turn your articles into videos and submit them to video directories such as YouTube and DailyMotion.  Animoto is a free video creation service you can use.
• Readers love posts like “10 ways to make money” or “15 ways to write a better novel.” List posts are amongst the most popular kinds of posts, and people tend to share them with others more often than they do other posts.
• Post often and on a regular basis and establish a schedule, but don’t sacrifice quantity for quality. Both search engines and visitors like to see fresh, quality content. The more content you have, the more chances you have of search engines picking you up.  This means more traffic.
• Use Squidoo to make a few lens and place a few links back to your blog.
• Submit your blog to search engine directories relevant to your niche.  Example: InsLink.com
• Submit your blog to search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Or use something like AdMe.com
  to submit your site to over 25 search engines for free.
• Answer questions related to your niche on YahooAnswers and other Q & A sites.  Include a link to your blog in the resource box.
• Have your posts automatically post on Facebook.
• Do the same with Twitter.
• Make use of plugins such as, “Like it” or   14 Comments on 39 Clues To Drive Traffic to your Site, last added: 10/19/2011