Saturday, April 28, 2007

Bah, humbug

I just received a rejection from Jim Baen's Universe for "Rules of Engagement," but I have to say it's one of the better rejections I've received. The editor told me exactly why he passed on the story--"more telling than showing and not enough conflict"--and went on to basically say that he's only one editor, and the next editor might view it differently. I appreciated the personal comments so much that I broke a writer-rule and sent him a reply telling him so. I'm not going to change the story quite yet, though. It's a chick-lit-meets-fantasy story, and it must be said that the editor that passed it on to Mike at Baen's is a woman. My point is, sometimes chick-lit is more-tell-less-show, and if the right editor gets her hands on it, I think I have a shot with it as is. So, back to the drawing board on "Rules of Engagement."

2 comments:

Kelly McCullough said...

Sorry to hear that. But yeah, the game is all right story, right editor, right day, and you just have to keep picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and throwing the thing in the mail again.

Kelly Swails said...

Yeah. Having lots of stories out in the market-verse is a double-edged sword. I have to believe having multiple stories under consideration helps my odds. However, more stories=more rejections. What can you do? Keep on keepin' on. I forget who sang that ... Steve Miller Band?