Something To Blog About

*dusts off page*

I finally have some news on my book baby, though sadly not as good as I could wish for. The last time I updated you guys was way back in September - all of five months ago!- but to be perfectly honest, there really hasn't been anything to report. Several times I stopped by, opened up a 'New Post' window, then left. After all, what on earth could I say when I was still in the land of Limbo?

The beginning of January arrived, and I'd yet to hear from either of the two publishers that I submitted to, so I figured it was time for a gentle pester. The minimum 16 weeks had passed, you see, and while there are those who say 'no news is good news', I'm more of a believer of the 'no news is wearing on the nerves' train of thought.

Both publishers replied, asking  for a little more patience as my manuscript was currently under review with their editors. Great news, I thought! At least it wouldn't be too much longer until I heard anything. Two weeks late I got my first official rejection, and it sucked, despite having more or less expecting it. Still,I wasn't disheartened.

This week, on Wednesday to be exact, I got my second rejection. Boo-hoo!! I was gutted, obviously, but again I wasn't overly surprised. I was also really encouraged though, because despite getting turned down, my book baby actually did rather well. Although the rejection email was pretty much a form letter, it did tell me that my MS had reached the acquisition team, and that the entire book had been read by a number of people. My understanding of the process is that you need a 'yes' from an editor, and one from a member of the acquisition team. If the team member passed on it, a second member would also read to give it a fair chance. Two agreeing votes are needed to decide the outcome. So, unless I completely misunderstood, I was literally one vote short. Bummer, huh?

Now, despite the disappointment, I was fairly buzzing. I'm new to all this, but I know that getting this far, especially on a debut submission, is really good news. It would have been helpful to know WHY I didn't get my final 'yes', but feedback is rarely provided, so it's just one of those things.

My guess is that my feline fairy godmother is is the culprit. That's going to be a hard sell, and I've always known it. But as a good friend pointed out to me - and I fully agreed with her (she's a Smart Tart, after all) - it is this hard selling point that will probably be the 'win' factor if and when I eventually get a 'yes'.

So I will keep plodding along. In fact, I've already submitted to four more publishers! Unfortunately, I've already received a pass from one of them, but again, it was an encouraging rejection. That particular editor was already working on a series that was similar apparently, so she declined before reading the full MS. Having sent the blurb and first three chapters, though, she also commented that she thought it was a 'fun' idea and that she 'loved my voice', which was AWESOME, as I finally had a teeny tiny bit of feedback.

This leaves me with three queries currently pending, and as soon as I have anything of any interest to report, I shall be back. In the meantime, I need to continue working on the sequel - something that is loosely based on the Beauty & the Beast story. After all, this is a series I am trying to sell, so it stands to reason that I need at least one more book written and polished ready to submit as soon as I get a 'yes' for the debut, right?

*positive thoughts*

Belle, the muse for my Muse character, fainted with shock at the news that her mistress's book got so far!