As a writer, I know the submissions process can be a huge mental and emotional drain. Not only is it time-consuming and tedious, there are the nail-biting weeks or months afterward waiting for an answer.
If the answer is no, a writer must go through a period of grief and summon the strength to get back out and submit again.
But being rejected often has nothing to do with the quality of the writing.
As the contest creator, I was the gatekeeper and was forced to disqualify stories for the silliest of reasons. In many cases, the writing was great, and it was frustrating because the issues that prevented the story from being in the competition were completely avoidable.
It pains me to see talented writers sabotaging themselves
when it comes to submissions, writers who are racking up needless rejections
that are killing their self-confidence.
So, as a person who not only has suffered rejections, but has also had to read through hundreds of submissions, this is my advice.
1. Not following directions – Read the submission guidelines and contest rules until they’re branded into your brain. Then read them again. Before you send in your manuscript, read them again. Each magazine, agent, or publisher will have slightly different guidelines. Pay attention to requirements for formatting, cover letters, submission length, blurbs, bios, and more. Be especially wary of the next items I discuss in this list.
2. Word count – During our Spring Writing Contest, many submissions were below or above the 1K to 5K word count. I couldn’t understand why. I could only think the writer ignored suggestion #1—carefully read the submission guidelines. There is no excuse to ignore the word count requirement.
If your story is too short, fill it in. Find areas where you can expand. Add some more to detail to the setting. Incorporate a new scene to reveal character.
Likewise, if your story or book is too long, trim some fat. Skim
off anything that is not crucial to the plot. Remove unnecessary description.
Kill darlings without mercy.
If the word count is too far off to feasibly adjust, move on.
2. Mistakes – No matter how interesting a story is, typos and grammatical errors are sure to turn off any reader, especially literary professionals. It says to the organization that you don’t care enough to send your best work—either that, or you’re an incompetent writer who didn’t even realize you made any mistakes.
Being a good writer means you know how to write. This includes grammar and punctuation. If you’re struggling with the technical aspects of writing, take a class so you can execute with confidence.
Then find an editor. Even if you’re an English major, everyone makes mistakes and it’s hard to see them in your own work. Send your work to a professional first.
3. Submitting the totally wrong thing – The contest here at Let’s Get Published was for short stories in any genre of fiction. Short stories are a standalone art form with a very specific structure, yet I received many of what very obviously were chapters of a book. Some authors left the chapter heading in the document! Even the incomplete entries that didn’t have chapter headings were very noticeably just chapters, scenes, or excerpts. I was also puzzled to receive poetry and non-fiction (again, see #1)!
Don’t risk annoying agents and publishers hoping that by some cosmic chance that they’ll be so captivated by your work they’ll ignore the fact that you broke their guidelines. Make sure you’re sending them the material they work with or you’re wasting both their time, and more importantly, yours.
4. Not familiarizing yourself with the agent or publisher – From my personal experience as a writer, I know it’s tempting to jump after every submission call you see. I’ve submitted without ever having read anything from the publishing house, agent, or magazine and ended up rejected. I would have saved everyone time if I had sampled from their stable of writers first.
Read up on the writers your desired publisher works with to see how you compare. Beyond the genre, ask yourself if your style, theme, and subject matter are good fit. What is the publisher known for? Do they have any non-negotiables when it comes to sex, violence, or other graphic material? Do they stick to certain tropes or subvert them? This will help you avoid sending your work into places where it’s not likely to be accepted.
In closing
It’s a shame to think that some talented writers become discouraged or give up entirely because of rejections when they’re only crime is failing to submit properly.
Remember that agents, publishers, and writing contest judges are people too. Respect them and your work enough to be professional. Stop wasting your time and energy chasing after calls that don’t suit your story. Don’t rush to submit or send in sloppy drafts. Take your time. Do your homework.
You might submit less, but you’ll be submitting effectively. This will exponentially increase your chances of getting more acceptance letters and contest wins. It’s definitely a quality not quantity game here. Treat your writing like the one-of-a-kind art that it is.
#PitMad is a pitch party on Twitter created by PitchWars.org where writers tweet a 280-character pitch for their completed, polished, unpublished manuscripts. Agents and editors make requests by liking/favoriting the tweeted pitch.
Every unagented writer is welcome to pitch. All
genres/categories are welcomed.
#PitMad dates 2020
March 5, 2020 (8AM – 8PM EDT)
June 4, 2020 (8AM – 8PM EDT)
September 3, 2020 (8AM – 8PM EST)
December 3, 2020 (8AM – 8PM EST)
For Official #PitMad rules and the list of category hashtags,CLICK HERE.
About Pitch Wars
Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each, read their entire manuscript, and offer suggestions on how to make the manuscript shine for an agent showcase.
We’re getting ready to launch the Writers’ Mastermind, and as part of connecting our writing community, we’ll be sharing the latest accomplishments of our members.
Today, we share groundbreaking book releases and stunning art from our cadre of creatives.
***Do you have a book coming out? A cover reveal? Has a magazine published your short story? Have you landed and agent? What’s new with your other creative pursuits? Send your news to christa@letsgetpublished.com.
Juniper, the debut novel by Ross Jeffery
After a 7-year writing hiatus, Ross Jeffery is claiming his place on the weird fiction scene with his first book, Juniper. Truly weird and wild, Juniper will keep you rapt in morbid curiosity, even through the moments you want to recoil.
Ross Jeffery
Ross Jeffery is a Bristol based writer and Executive Director of Books for STORGY Magazine.
Ross has been published in print with STORGY Books, Ellipsis Zine 6, The Bath Flash Fiction Festival 2019, Project 13 Dark and Shlock Magazine. His work has also appeared in various online journals such as STORGY Magazine, About Magazine TX, Elephants Never, 101 Fiction, Ellipsis Zine, Soft Cartel and Idle Ink.
Ross lives in Bristol with his wife (Anna) and two children (Eva and Sophie). You can follow him on Twitter here @Ross1982
Juniper
Juniper is the first book in Ross Jeffery’s proposed trilogy: a post-apocalyptic horror about an insane American town seemingly at the edge of reality. As Juniper suffers from scorching drought and medieval famine, the townsfolk are forced to rely on the ‘new cattle’ for food: monstrous interbred cats kept by the oppressed Janet Lehey.
But there’s a problem: Janet’s prized ginger tom, Bucky, has gone missing, flown the coop. As Janet and her deranged ex-con husband Klein intensify their search for the hulking mongrel, Betty Davis, an old woman clinging to survival on the outskirts of Juniper, discovers something large and ginger and lying half-dead by the side of the road.
She decides to take it home…
Juniper is surreal, dark, funny, and at times: excruciatingly grotesque. Buckle up for a wild ride through the dust-ridden roads of a tiny, half-forgotten American town…
Charlotta Amato is not only a talented aspiring writer, but she also paints mesmerizing artwork—one of a kind, layers of color, life and livity all combined onto a canvas.
Her exclusive works are for sale. Learn more on her Facebook Page.
Save Game by Joseph Sale
Save Game is the latest novel from brilliant author, Joseph Sale. This book is a fully immersive page-turner, just like it’s subject matter. Most writers will relate to wanting to escape into an exciting imaginary world, never to return.
Joseph Sale
Joseph Sale is an editor, novelist, writing coach and co-host of Monaghan & The Mindflayer. He currently writes and is published with The Writing Collective. He has authored more than ten novels, including his Black Gate trilogy, and his love-letter to fantasy: Save Game. He grew up in the Lovecraftian seaside town of Bournemouth. He edits non-fiction and fiction, helping fledgling authors to realise their potential.
Save Game
Levi Jensen is, by all accounts, a loser. He failed sixth-form, never got to university, and works at a no-future fast-food restaurant. The only thing he’s good at is gaming. When his father starts dying of a new type of cancer, only treatable privately and at impossible expense, Levi’s one hope of saving him becomes the million-dollar cash-prize for winning the dark-fantasy video-game Fate of Ellaria. But Levi isn’t the only one with motivations beyond money for winning. And the price of success in Fate of Ellaria might mean the destruction of what little he has left in the real world.
Save Game is a heart-breaking story of an underdog against all odds, as well as a love-letter to the beauty of video-games. Inspired by the amazing and eclectic everyday people who inhabit the gaming world, and the pain of their real-world lives, Save Game aims to show the courage of those who feel they’ve got no place in reality.
Sandra Hould is a stay at home mom, environmentalist, karateka, artist, book addict and future writer. She is always exploring new ways to express herself creatively, no matter how difficult the quest may be.
My art will be raw, imperfect, unapologetic and real, just like life.—Sandra Hould
***Do you have a book coming out? A cover reveal? Has a magazine published your short story? Have you landed and agent? What’s new with your other creative pursuits? Send your news to christa@letsgetpublished.com.
I hope your 2020 is going well and that you’re being productive and feeling inspired.
A big thank you for helping me with your suggestions
Thanks to those who participated in the survey I sent out last month. The results were enlightening and I’m using your feedback as I develop the site. You can see in the graph below what our writers’ biggest concerns are. I’ll be addressing these topics first as I line up the curriculum.
Psst… The first class is almost finished, but I will wait to announce the subject at a later date 😉
You can still leave your feedback in the survey by clicking here.
An apology for the delay
The start of the year has been hectic, and the launch of the Writers’ Mastermind group is behind schedule. I am building this platform on my own from scratch, and personal issues keep popping up.
I’m trying not to dwell on how frustrating the interruptions are and keep focused on how excited I am for the future when we go live. Life doesn’t work on our schedules, unfortunately, so we just have to do the best we can!
But we’re making progress
The good news is I have laid out the foundation of the membership area of the site! I’ve acquired a powerful combination of Divi from Elegant Themes and the Memberpress plugin to create a visually appealing and well-organized learning experience for you all.
So, what’s next?
I’ll be working on finishing and testing the site during the next month. I’ll be traveling and limited to what I can accomplish away from the office, but my goal is to have our new launch date in April 2020.
Get your hair did. We’re having a soirée, and you’re on the VIP list!
If you’re on the wait list, you’ll be invited to a virtual pre-launch mixer where members all over the world will get together in a live video conference, enjoy their beverage of choice, and talk about their writing.
This is going to be a massive event since it will be the first time I speak live with writers who’ve been my close email and social media pals for years. I’m freaking out a bit about that! 🤯 But that’s the purpose of the Writers’ Mastermind. No more isolated writers’ syndrome!
Are you on the wait list?
I’ll be closing the wait list this week. Those on the wait list will get the pre-launch price of $9 a month. This price is locked in for a lifetime.
Those who sign up after the wait list closes will pay regular price of $19 a month. So get in now! SIGN UP FOR THE WAIT LIST.
Originally hailing from the UK, David Antrobus makes his home in the Vancouver area of Canada. He is an eclectic editor and writer who works with many aspects of the written word, from all types of fiction to most types of nonfiction.
Though his editing and writing interests are comprehensive, his greatest love is working hands-on with authors in the genres of crime and speculative fiction, helping to hone and polish their manuscripts to their full glorious potential.
His skills include developmental editing, substantive/stylistic editing, copyediting, and proofreading.
David likes to claim he is fluent in three languages: UK English, US English, and Canadian English.
The Web of Words
“Why a web? Well, you could have the tiniest filament of an idea, one that may require a significant amount of spinning, or you may have a fully-developed lattice of the finest silk, one that only requires a few drops of dew and just the right light. I am able to do either, and everything in between. To switch metaphors, I will engage in your project at any stage, whether you need me to create (or help create) the recipe, to bake the cake, or to merely add the icing.
In more concrete terms still, I can pore over your written work, fixing spelling and grammar, adjusting syntax, suggesting vocabulary, establishing tone, and overhauling structure. Or, where appropriate, I can tweak the formatting (fonts, font sizes, tables, spacing, alignment, etc.) for consistency. And, plainly, the gulf between these requirements demands flexibility in pricing. You can be assured that I will discuss, ahead of any job, the criteria within which your unique project is framed, ensuring prior mutual agreement.
Bottom line: I care about the written word. My words, your words, everyone’s words. Without imposing my own, I will do my utmost to work with you and help your unique style shine as brightly as possible.”
David Antrobus was a finalist in Let’s Get Published’s Spring 2019 Writing Contest with his story, The Nowheres.
