Turn the Page Blog
Thoughts, Musings & Advice on All Things Writing
Being rejected based on your platform (or lack thereof) does not mean that the literary agent or editor thinks your career path isn’t impressive, you’re not greatly respected in your field, that you’ve accomplished nothing, or that you do not have anything substantive to say. They don’t even think you are lacking in talent, that you should keep your day job, or that there is no hope for you and your book in the wide world of publishing.
If you’ve haven’t yet struck gold yet in your quest to be published, here is my advice: Keep with it! Make sure you are constantly evaluating what is working and not working – can you tweak your query letter? Are people requesting your proposal or manuscript and then rejecting after that (perhaps your first few chapters are lacking something)?
You have signed with a literary agent. You are one HUGE step closer to achieving your publishing dream. But what happens after everything is signed and made official Hopefully your book proposal is in good shape. If it needs some work, your agent will likely tell you what additional information or rewrites they need before moving forward. Once you both agree the proposal and/or manuscript is in the best condition possible, your agent will then start pitching you to editors at various publishing houses. These are editors who have been carefully selected because they acquire books that are similar to yours.
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