Notes from a Rejected Writer: But Why was My Novel Rejected?

Getting a novel published is labor of love. You have spent months, in some cases years, pouring your heart and soul into your work. After read throughs, and numerous editing sessions and revamps, your novel is ready to be sent out to find a publisher.

You have done your homework. Hours of your life have been dedicated to sifting through publishers online and in books like the "The Writer's Market." You have dilligently looked to see who is looking for new submissions. Out of that group you have narrowed it down to publishers that will best meet your novel's guidelines.

Your novel has been reformatted several times to appease the submissions requirements each publisher has. You have tweaked query letters, story synopsis points, book blurbs and any other additional items they have asked for. You have come up with a fun and interesting way to talk about your previous writing experience and your motivation for writing this piece.

Then you wait. Some publishers can take anywhere from 90 days to six months (or longer) to get back to you. Finally the day comes where you get your response. If you are lucky, they loved your novel so much that they have decided to publish it. Congratulations, you will now be starting a whole new phase of editing, feedback and rewrites, but in the end you will have your novel out in the world. However, most times our writing efforts are declined. Most times little to no feedback is given, so there isn't much to go on.

Having your novel rejected is not the end of the world. It happens (and has happened) to very talented writers every day. Publishing companies are buried under tons of submissions every year, and they can only pick so many to pursue. Your writing may be phenomenal, but maybe it doesn't exactly line up with the publishers values. Maybe the publisher is going with a particular direction, and your story isn't going that way.

There is a common mistake many first time novelists make that can make or break their chances of getting published. They may have a very well written and entertaining story; however, the story is not marketable. As a writer, you want to have a target audience. Just like with anything else you write, you want to have a particular group of people in mind as an audience, and you want to keep that group of people in mind as you write. Yes, you want your writing to be new and fresh. You want it to stick out from the rest of the writers in the world. At the same time you need to have a big enough mass appeal that your novel will make money. Publishing companies are businesses. If they are going to invest in your work, they need some assurance they will be get getting some return on the investment.

Basically, just because your novel and its subject matter appeal to you and your friends, it does not mean it will appeal to a larger audience. You also do not want to make your audience and your focus to broad. Yes playing with the genres can be very creative, but if it isn't enough like a romance to appeal to the romance readers and a little to fluffy for the people who love the darker story lines, where is you target audience?

Help give your novel a fighting chance. As you write, be sure to always keep your audience in mind. Being creative and stretching genres and conventions is not a bad thing, but you have to remember to keep your story marketable.