I called last year the year of rejections. Good rejections, mind you. The type where a publisher graciously comments on how much they appreciated your story, but regrets to inform you they cannot offer publication. As far as rejections go, these are the type I prefer to receive.
And yes, rejections are part of the journey for anyone writing for publication. They can be discouraging, draining and time consuming, but ultimately one rejection doesn't mean the end of a project or even the failure of a story. More often than not, at least in my experience, it means either the story isn't ready yet, or that the right match of publisher to book hasn't been found.
So although I was receiving more rejections than I'd like, it didn't stop me writing or re-submitting stories. (The occasional bunch of flowers and block of chocolate from my husband helped keep the chin up too!)
And then, just before Christmas, I received a couple of emails from the publisher at Wombat Books. One, about my final unpublished Tania Abbey novel, and the other about a new picture book I'd spent 2016 trying to find a home for. The publisher said she'd really like to publish both stories, and before I knew it I was looking over contracts, signing them and starting work on the pre-publication edits. At this stage the Tania Abbey novel is due for release later this year (2017) and the picture book in 2018.
It was a rather lovely way to end the year. I'm really thankful for these opportunities, and am looking forward to working with the team at Wombat Books as we bring these two special stories to print!
It just goes to show that all those rejections and all that waiting (as well as the chocolate and flowers) was worth it in the end.
And yes, rejections are part of the journey for anyone writing for publication. They can be discouraging, draining and time consuming, but ultimately one rejection doesn't mean the end of a project or even the failure of a story. More often than not, at least in my experience, it means either the story isn't ready yet, or that the right match of publisher to book hasn't been found.
So although I was receiving more rejections than I'd like, it didn't stop me writing or re-submitting stories. (The occasional bunch of flowers and block of chocolate from my husband helped keep the chin up too!)
And then, just before Christmas, I received a couple of emails from the publisher at Wombat Books. One, about my final unpublished Tania Abbey novel, and the other about a new picture book I'd spent 2016 trying to find a home for. The publisher said she'd really like to publish both stories, and before I knew it I was looking over contracts, signing them and starting work on the pre-publication edits. At this stage the Tania Abbey novel is due for release later this year (2017) and the picture book in 2018.
It was a rather lovely way to end the year. I'm really thankful for these opportunities, and am looking forward to working with the team at Wombat Books as we bring these two special stories to print!
It just goes to show that all those rejections and all that waiting (as well as the chocolate and flowers) was worth it in the end.
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