Here i will share my journey of hopefully one day recognising my dream of becoming published writing what i love to read; Romance!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Searching the inbox

About 8 weeks ago i submitted The Price of Passion to Embrace books, an epublisher.
At the end of the allotted 6 weeks they informed me it would take to get back to me, i hummed and hahhed, bit my nails and sent a nice email asking about the status of my sub.
Got a very nice reply apologising for taking so long and to expect a reply by the end of the following week.

Last night i checked my email and there it was.... . I spent a good ten seconds considering not opening it until morning but then curiosity got the better of me.
With one part fear (If it was an acceptance i knew i'd have a whole lot of work ahead of me! If an R, what if there was no feedback for why?), and one part excitement (If it was accepted, my dream would be partially coming true - would still prefer to be published in book form), i opened it.

I got a very nice R.
It was full of constructive feedback such as that i didn't use enough dialogue (something i struggle with!); i had resorted to a cliche with my heroines actions; i have good punchy writing but at the wrong times - i need to slow the pace down at crucial moments, not gloss over the important stuff!
But, the editor said i am readable have a good voice, i just used the wrong conventions.

Now i can take this two ways (there are probably more but i'm trying to keep it simple :D):

  1. Use the feedback and re-write Billie and Cooper's story, or
  2. Use the feedback and apply it to a different set of characters
I think i'm tending towards the second as i have done all i could (at the moment) for Billie and Cooper, and i have other stories on the go. So i'll plod on with those, with the feedback in mind and submit something else when i'm done!

What do you do with your feedback?

9 comments:

  1. Hugs on the rejection, Kerrin. I think it depends on the story. If you love it, rewrite it, though rewriting is tough. Great that you got some feedback though and it's useful!

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  2. It's good that you got enough feedback so that you know what needs to be done to make your story better.

    I try to make feedback work for me, but usually, I put the story in question aside for a bit and then come back to it.

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  3. Feedback on a rejection is always good. If they take the time to comment, then it means it was close.

    When I get feedback, I take a moment (or more) to digest what was said and get over the sting that they didn't think it was the greatest thing ever (I already know this, but one can hope). Then I consider the feedback and whether or not I can see where they're coming from. If I agree, I will rewrite/rework the piece. If not, then I might leave it as is and try submitting it elsewhere or I'll shelve it for now.

    But, if they decided to give such great feedback, it sounds like you might have something here. Definitely use the advice on new works, but keep your options open with the old one.

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  4. Sorry about the rejection! I try to take all feedback into mind and see where the critiquer is coming from. Some advice is worth keeping, some may not be. It's good to see you're taking the feedback well and continuing on. :)

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  5. Sorry about the rejection, but do take heart that the editor liked your ms enough to give you real feedback. That's so encouraging! I find I need to let feedback sit and settle a little before I can actually apply it to the work it related to. Maybe you can carry the comments forward on your new ms and then come back and apply it to Billie and Cooper when you've had some time away. Good luck with putting it to good use!

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  6. (HUGS) on the R but what great feedback =)

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  7. Thanks everyone, I actually feel really good about this R! Okay, so they didn't totally love it, but i've been trying for ages to get feedback and finally i have! Now i know where i'm going wrong with my writing and i will do my utmost to improve!
    On the next one (and shelving this one for now, cos i just can't let things go!)

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  8. Awesome!!

    I see that as awesome. (ok a "you are the next J.K Rowling" would have been better...but...)
    They took the time to read your work and gave you feedback which is totally useful.

    so pleased for you Kerrin, truly i am.

    As for your choice, i don't know but just keep writing.

    HUGS
    sarah

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  9. I got a great rejection letter recently, and I'm about to post about it too :D

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