THE ONE WHERE THEY CHANGED THEIR MIND
Cat/genre: YA Suspense
So here I was, all perky and excited because I knew, and my agent knew, and allllll of my CPs confirmed it, that I was about to go on submission with a damn good manuscript. It had a strong hook, the writing was competent, and the twists were unexpected. We had a GREAT feeling about it!
The feeling was quickly bolstered by the fact that, just a couple of weeks into sub (we did a first round of about 15 editors at a mix of Big 5 imprints as well as big indies), a senior editor at a Big 5 updated to say he LOVED it! He said the twists kept him on his toes and he couldn't wait to share with his colleagues. My agent and I were delighted. This wasn't the first manuscript my agent had taken out on sub for me, so we were both very antsy and very invested.
And it finally seemed as though it was happening!
But then a few days later, the editor updated to say that the reactions from his colleagues were . . . a mixed bag. Some loved it, while others worried that it was too dark.
TOO DARK???
How can a suspense novel be too dark?! GAH. Still, he said he'd soldier on and take it to acquisitions anyway.
Acquisitions came. And went. And it was, sadly, a no. The reason they gave was that because of the #MeToo movement, they were worried that a book showcasing harassment might be too controversial. The editor had argued that, if anything, the book was now even more important, more vital to be read, because it tackles issues of consent, but the marketing team was adamant, and as we all know, the marketing team holds all the cards.
Never mind, my agent said. We're so early into the submissions journey, and the fact that it got all the way to acquisitions was a great sign. So, along we chugged. But as the weeks crawled by, we only received more rejections. The reasons varied (too dark, too commercial, not commercial enough . . . basically, the usual cocktail of rejections that will leave you rocking back and forth in a dark corner, pondering your life choices). Then a few months into the journey, just when I was about to give up hope, another editor gave a positive update.
Actually, it was more than positive. So much more!
This editor was from a huge independent house. They used to have a YA list that had petered out years ago, but now they were going to launch a new YA imprint, and she felt that this book had what it took to be part of their big launch. And, more than that, the entire office had read it and LOVED it!! All they were waiting for was to put their ducks in order and prep all the paperwork involved in making an actual offer. But they were absolutely, positively, definitely going to offer!
This was it.
That magical moment every writer dreams of, and I couldn't believe that my book was going to be part of this huge, exciting launch. To me, it was even better than getting an offer from a Big 5. My agent, too, was elated. We squeed and proceeded to gnaw on our fingernails as we waited for the official deal memo to arrive.
A few days passed . . . and nothing.
A week passed . . . and still nothing.
Then two weeks later, the editor finally emailed.
So sorry, she said, but due to the launch, the company had hired a new editor-in-chief for their YA line, and that editor-in-chief didn't think my book would be a good fit for their brand.
I was sitting down on the couch when I read the email. I remember flopping onto my back and just staring at the ceiling, wondering why this shit had to keep happening. I'd written a good book. I had a great agent with wonderful connections. All of the things that I could control were in great shape. And yet there were still so many external forces keeping me from reaching my goal. The sheer hopelessness of it was overwhelming.
In the end, that first round of submissions did not yield any offers, but eight months after we first went on sub, during the second round, the book did get an offer from a different publisher. And surprisingly, it's gone on to do incredibly well, outselling many lead titles in my debut year. I'm not sharing this to show off (well, maybe a little), but to show that for the longest time, this was a book nobody wanted. And it got a small deal, one of the smallest in my debut year. Nobody expected it to do as well as it did. But this is how subjective publishing is. You just never know what's going to make it.
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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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