Writing Blog

20220907 Future Rejection

September 7, 2022, 3:00pm

Well, this is new.

I got a rejection.

Okay, that bit's not new. It happens. I have a success rate for submissions of around 20%, so 80% are rejected. That is a normal rate for someone without a "name". In fact, 13 O'Clock Press say that anything above 10% acceptance rate is really strong.

That's by the by.

This rejection was... well:

We feel that your work is not for us. I feel I should clarify - none of your work is for us. The piece you submitted follows the guidelines well and I would normally be happy to negotiate a contract, but it has come to our attention that your are working on a book that goes against the ethos of our company, and there is a chance that this book will be accepted by another publisher. It makes us feel that the work you submitted to us is not genuine.

And then there was some guff about being a good writer, apologies, etc.

So... what was what?

They are a Christian speculative fiction company. The work I submitted to them was a Christian horror story, where a guy gets redemption by saving an angel from a demon in an urban setting. She seemed to like that book. But the book she didn't like? I was stuck. Was it the next book coming out through Little Demon Books? That one is about a demon who punishes some young adults through the Corporal Works Of Mercy before being defeated. No; the bad guys lose.

Then I realised what book it is. It's my Genesis book. I sent an email to the publisher who has accepted that on in principle (it has not been formally accepted yet) and discovered that the person who runs that company and the person who runs the Christian publishing company share warehouse space, along with a few other companies in the area. They also share a truck when going to conventions and the like. They talk about upcoming projects, publications and authors they have issues with (do not get yourself a bad name in the publishing industry!) and my books and submissions came up.

The Genesis book, for what it's worth, is still possible. I have to finish it and they have to like it, but they want first dibs at it. I could imagine the company head laughing when he typed:

If it's going to get this amount of hate sight unseen, I can hardly wait until they read it!

Love to be the centre of a controversy... and to be rejected because of the future...