THE ONE THAT’S NOT SUGAR COATED
Category: Adult SFF
Fair warning, this is not a happy sub story, but I think it’s a common one. Too often people don’t want to publicly share their failures until they have a success to show their worth at the same time, leaving publishing advice with a heavy side of survivorship bias.
I was one of those writers with a long journey to being agented—over a decade in the trenches with multiple books, always coming close but never signing. When I heard those stories as a baby, then wizened, writer, they always ended with “but after I got my one yes, I sold fast!” Then once I did finally sign with an agent and go on sub, author friends (very successful, knowledgeable, hitting-the-lists-level friends), assured me that even though a lot of agents didn’t quite get my work, editors would jump at it.
And I believed them, because why would I not? They all knew their stuff.
Timeline wise, I spent a few months in revisions with my agent, and off we went to a round of 12 editors, both big 5 and mid-size. There was some fast movement on both ends of the spectrum, including a trip to acquisitions in the first two weeks that ultimately ended in a no. Despite the disappointment, I was bolstered—one editor had loved my work enough to want it, and even if their wider team didn’t, chances were good another editor would also feel a spark.
Over the first three months, rejections came steadily. Not enough worldbuilding. Too much worldbuilding. Heaps of praise ending with “not right for our current list.”
We sent out another round, still aiming for larger imprints. Again, an editor was in love! And again their team was not. Both excitement and rejection came very quickly (6-8 weeks) for this round overall, and when it was over, my big 5 dreams were dust. When the last rejection for rounds 1 and 2 came in (a form at that, yes, you will still get form rejections on sub), I cried.
After discussing realistic prospects for the book at this point, my agent and I decided to aim for reputable small presses. We put together a third and final round. During sub I’d also finished another project, one that wouldn’t overlap with the editors for book 1, so I went out with a second book at the same time.
Book 2 got me a lot of praise for my craft but no offer, citing lists and market. Book 2’s sub journey ended quickly (fewer editors due to it being a niche subject, and amazingly fast reads), but I was fine because book 1 was still out there being read and it was truly the book of my heart. Heart books are special and get picked up, right? That’s what social media tells me every time I log on.
Yet round 3 was almost entirely silent for months. A year out from initial sub we were down to just a handful of probable ghosts, and I had yet another new manuscript almost ready to go. To put book 1 out of its misery, we set a closing date and alerted all the editors who had yet to pass.
No one replied.
No one cared.
Sub ended with a resounding feeling that I had offered my heart to publishing, and publishing yawned and asked if I had a better heart to offer.
All those things my friends told me at the beginning? Still absolutely true. My books are good.
And now, about to go on sub for a third time, I know that being good doesn’t matter.
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The stories on this blog are posted anonymously so that authors can speak candidly about their experience. If you have a sub story you’d like to share, drop me an email at: katedylanbooks@gmail.com
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