Friday Fun Facts: Rotten Rejections

You know the story: debut author lands six-figure publishing deal, followed by a movie and then a second smash novel, and the author is appropriately, charmingly, and nauseatingly humble, saying, "Well, I did get about 100 rejection letters before I finally found the agent/editor/publishing house that was willing to take a chance."

Once we get past our envy of their huge success, it's worthwhile to listen to what many authors have to say about surviving the rejection letter - sometimes multiple times. Yes, the best authors have been rejected, often many times. So I try to take heart from their experiences - and surfing the Web to find some of those classic "can't believe this author EVER received a rejection letter" can bring a smile to anyone's face, I think.

In that spirit, here are a couple of sites that feature rejections of the famous and not-so-famous, all of which should make you chuckle and remind you to keep on keeping on! Write (or fill in the blank here_____) because you love it. Because you can't imagine NOT doing it. The publication (or fame, or money, or whatever else you're seeking) will come......

Rotten Rejections - My favorite here is about Carrie by Stephen King: 'We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.'

Famous Rejections - Starts with Dr. Seuss ("too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling")and moves on from there. Another funny one: "It is badly written and the hero is unsympathetic" (Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead)

And finally, from my own files (I save all my rejection letters), this one from an agent about Summer's Song: "Unforunately, I don't think your writing is strong enough to be publishable." (I will tell you, I still use this one in the back of my mind to motivate me, and to remind me that publishing is subjective, and never to allow one person's opinion to shape my own writing career.)

Carry on, and happy weekend!

Writers' Wednesday: Another Submission

Submitted my novella "Tequila Sunrise" to Samhain last night. Fingers crossed! If they're not interested then I'll probably try my former editor who's now at Carina Press.

And now I really have to decide what NEW project I want to take on for the summer. I need a new story to lose myself in!

Monday Mentionables: Short Reads!

Happy Monday!

For all my writer friends, The Long and the Short of It is seeking out short, sweet romance stories for their "Thrifty Thursday" blog posts. Info here:

The Long and the Short of It is looking for short (1300 - 1500 words), sweet romance
fiction for our Thrifty Thursdays, where readers can come and read for free
(http://tinyurl.com/njyoeh

In exchange for your short romance story, we offer $5 (payable on acceptance and
via Pay Pal only) and a free ONE MONTH book cover or banner ad (a $10 value).
The author may also choose to substitute a TWO MONTH cover/banner ad (a $20
value) in lieu of monetary payment. The author will also receive a link on our
website to their personal webpage and/or blog.

All genres are welcome as long as the story has strong romantic elements.
Additionally, all the stories accepted at Long and Short Reviews MUST have love
and romance as central. A "Happy Ever After" (or at least "Hopefully Ever After"
) is also a required, fundamental part of all the stories we publish.

More information, including how to submit your story, may be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/29p5gba

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And speaking of short/free reads, many authors swear by them, to keep readers interested in between longer releases and/or just to whet the interest of new readers. Check out my friend Liz's blog for one that does just that: link here.

And I'm curious: what do you think about free reads on websites/blogs? Do they make you want more from an author? Have you ever bought a book/story because you first read a freebie by that author somewhere?

(P.S. - It''s yet another maketing tool, for all you authors out there!)