THE LOST CROWN - A New Novel by Sarah Miller.

[TimM]

Man, that sucks.  It's hard enough to get published without having to fork over ever more money.

[Sunny]

I have never tried yet, so mine are only specultations...
But i really think we ARE OT now

[Olga Bernice]

Aleksandr or Sarushka - if you were to get a book published by a well-known publisher, how much would you have to pay them (or would they pay you for the manuscript)?

They pay you. Similarly, a reputable agent will never charge you any reading fee, and will not collect any commission until he/she makes a sale on your behalf.

That's nice!

[blessOTMA]

Alot of these difficulties will change when an  author can have people down load their works for a fee on to their  e readers. So get writting one and all  =)

[Alixz]

I know this is terribly off topic but because we have been talking about publication, I got out that old rejection letter and, believe me, it hurt just as much to read it today as it did the first time.

Here is a small quote:

With all apologies I am returning ...............  It was read by one of our resident historical romance experts, who found the idea for the novel, "quite good" and aspects of the story "touching", but she also, unfortunately, feels that the pacing is much too slow and that overall the story is too tame to sell in the Historical Romance market.

I'm sorry your manuscript languished in my office as long as it did; it and I seemed to have gotten buried for a while.

Thank you for sending this to us, and I hope you'll keep trying.  You show real potential.

In another letter this was said:

(     ) Production Manager, discussed the manuscript with Dell's Editor in Chief, (          ), who felt the manuscript was worthwhile and had given it two readings.

I would suggest the manuscript be submitted to Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster), New American Library, Ballantine Books and Bantam.

Some best sellers have made the rounds to several publishers before being accepted.

The problem was that no suggestions were given to improve the "pacing" or make the novel less "tame".  We tried our best, but the second time we submitted it it never had another reading.



All of this happened between February 1983 and March 1984.  As I said a very long time ago in a very different world.

[blessOTMA]

I knew it was a long ago before I read the 1984 date because it was so nice and though and someone actually read it , said they were sorry it took so long and had suggestions about where to place it???!!

WOW ....Message from another world as you say   These are actually a very encouraging letters imo.  ..but if I was the author I might fell differently. 

[Sunny]

@ Alixz: well, since i'm reading an historical romance, too, this is quite upsetting O_o
Not because i believe no more historical romance will be accepted - but because i've never tried to publish just because i AM AFRAID to receive an answer like that (not the first, the second... silence in this case is the worst thing...)

[blessOTMA]

One has to get where the pain doesn't stop you ...you just keep going.....it actually hurts less if you do. .... simply  the opinion of an old campaigner.

[Sarushka]

Those are indeed VERY encouraging letters. Editors simply do not use words like "real potential" and "worthwhile" if they don't mean it -- that's what form rejections are for. I've also never seen an editor suggest an alternate publisher.

There comes a point when the difference between acceptance and rejection is only a matter of individual taste, and IMO, your manuscript may have been there. The more widely you submit, the easier it becomes to gauge whether the negative reactions it receives are due to taste or an actual flaw in the manuscript.

The problem was that no suggestions were given to improve the "pacing" or make the novel less "tame".  

In my experience it's very rare for editors to offer specific suggestions for solving the problems in a manuscript. For one thing, they don't have the time to invest that kind of attention in something they ultimately may or may not buy. Revision is a critical skill, and a great many wannabe authors are unwilling or unable to revise satisfactorily. So it's not uncommon for an editor to offer this kind of general reaction and then sit back and see what you're capable of.

We tried our best, but the second time we submitted it it never had another reading.

Did the editors invite you to resubmit? Some do, some don't. Lack of a second reading doesn't necessarily mean your attempt at revision failed -- it might just mean they weren't interested in pursuing the project further.

[Olga Bernice]

Sarushka, did you have to try a few different publishers before you finally settled on Athenum? (Excuse the spelling please - if it's not right, my apologies)

[TimM]

Usually all you get are form letters that tell you nothing.

[Sarushka]

Sarushka, did you have to try a few different publishers before you finally settled on Athenum? (Excuse the spelling please - if it's not right, my apologies)

With Miss Spitfire, yes. My agent initially submitted to three different publishers. Within six weeks, we had three different answers: no, maybe, and yes. (Prior to that I had  submitted to two publishers on my own and was rejected by both.)

My contract gave Atheneum right of first refusal on my next work, so my agent did not have to shop The Lost Crown -- Atheneum bought it based on a 16-chapter sample.

[Olga Bernice]

So what if you didn't right another book? Is there something in your contract that says that you have to write two or three books?

If this is too off topic, tell me and I'll stop =D But it is techincally about The Lost Crown - or your experiences with it

[Sarushka]

So what if you didn't right another book? Is there something in your contract that says that you have to write two or three books?

Nope. All it said was that if I wrote another one, they'd have first dibs.

[blessOTMA]

Thank you for those illuminating  answers  Sarushka . What strikes me is where you are today happened brick by brick, success built upon success and fueled by incredibly hard work ...and that is how it is done really ... there are steps,  and rarely does one get to fly over them.