Submissions and Rejections
Continued from Death and Rewriting,
So now that I had a finished manuscript in hand what was I to do?
The standard, well accepted, way to enter the literary world is to submit and then professionally publish your book. So after finishing Luthiel’s Song I tried.
In all, I sent my book off to about one hundred different publishers. And, in all, I received about one hundred rejection letters. Now some of these letters were very kind. They said things like — “This is a fantastic story but, unfortunately, we can’t currently take on another fantasy author. Please submit to us again.” Or things like “We enjoyed your story very much but we don’t currently publish fantasy. Please submit to us again.”
I did, also, receive some rather disheartening rejection letters. One of which even misspelled my name. I’m uncertain if they read my cover letter much less my manuscript.
So as I was going through this process of sending off queries and manuscripts I began to wonder how long it usually takes for a poor writer to publish. I did some research and found that, often, it takes about 6-8 years. I also found that many authors never publish and a good number do so after their death.
I read about a young man whom you may have heard of. He wanted very badly to be a writer and he was very talented. By the age of 17 he’d written three books. Now he wanted to publish so he sent his books off to publishers. Inevitably, he got a large number of rejection letters in reply. Now he didn’t like his rejection letters very much so he hammered a nail into the ceiling of his writing room — an attic. Eventually he filled the nail up with rejection letters. So he hammered another nail into the wall and filled that one up.
And then another.
And then another.
After a long time had passed, he filled up all of one side of his attic with nails full of rejection letters. So he moved on to the next side. And finally after a number of years, the great Stephen King published his first book.
I read another story about a lady who was very talented. In her twenties she wrote a fantastic book and sent it off to publishers. For years and years. And years and years. And years and years. Finally, at the ripe age of seventy six, she published a best selling story.
I read another story about a young man who wrote a fantastic book. Then, after failing to publish, killed himself. His mother went on to publish his book which became a bestseller.
I read about J.R.R. Tolkien whose life’s ambition was to publish the myths of Middle Earth. He died and then some years later the Silmarillion was published.
I read about a man you may have heard of. His name is Mark Twain. He could not get Huckleberry Finn published to save his life. So he did what a number of other rather desperate authors had in his place. He bought a small printing press and published the darn thing himself.
After about a year of massive effort, I thought that maybe, just maybe Mark Twain had a good idea. You see I didn’t want to be 76 or dead by the time I published Luthiel’s Song. I didn’t want to be one of the millions of unnamed authors who’ve never made even a small mark.
So I got some friends and some professionals together and we started a small boutique publishing company called Dark Forest Press.
I wasn’t entirely inexperienced at this time. I’d been an editor for a publishing company up in the Washington D.C. area for a few years and I knew a little about putting a book together.
So my friends and I worked hard. For about another six months — late nights and weekends. And, finally, we produced the book you’ve seen here and on my profile page.
That was in the spring of 2005.
It is truly an amazing thing to have a book in your hands and to know it’s yours. Something with a cover and pages and a copyright. My nostalgia lasted for all of about one week.
So how in all the world was I going to get this thing into the hands of readers??
(to be continued)
August 12th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
LOL - Hi Rob! What a delight to hear how you finally got your wonderful book published!! That’s just awesome
I can’t begin to imagine what it felt like to have a complete work in your hands & not know where to head next - elation comes to mind . . .
I can’t wait to hear the next chapter in this fantastic journey of Robert Fanney! Thank you for sharing so much of yourself & talents with us, your adoring and, might I add ‘hooked’ fans!
be blessed my friend ~
until next time
cre8tiveone
August 12th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Well it took me long enough, didn’t it??
August 12th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
nice story. stephen king did have much trouble though. im glad you decided to not give up and complete yours
August 12th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Hobey ho, Spader! It’s great to see someone from Pendragon here
August 12th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
sometimes that’s what you gotta do…break the norm and do it yourself…then when you’ve MADE yourself…then they all come wanting a piece of the action! Hopefully you’ll have a big enough name at that point that you can dictate terms
August 12th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Bless your heart Rob. You’re right to lable it an epic journey. From reading your blogs, I can get a glimpse of what it must have been like for you. Thank you so much for inspiring so many writers to keep going!
And me one of them!
P.S. I can’t wait to read Luthiel’s Song book 1 and 2!
August 12th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
Great and inspirational story, Rob
I’ve only been through one round of rejections so far, and am building up my courage to try again. Rejection letters are pretty disheartening, but having your ow press is definitely a way of keeping your outlook on the bright side 
Looking forward to the next books!
August 12th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
For Lolita –
After self-publishing, I never looked back. ‘War of Mists’ will be a Dark Forest Press publication.
Best to you and good luck with your submissions!
Rob
August 12th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Thanks for sharing your story. Publishing is a crazy, illogical world. Large mainstream publishers reject wonderful books by new authors, then pay out vast advances for some z list ‘celebrity’ ghost-written drivel which sells a few copies and is remaindered after a month. I was fortunate to find a new independant publisher actively looking for new writers, who gave me a contract to write The Legacy of the Dark Kind series. But I did go through two disheartening years of rejection slips first. Well done with your enterprising solution and my very best wishes for your continued success.
August 12th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
A great story, but the next installment, that’s what I’ve been waiting for!
August 12th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Ah, yes rejection. Something a fantasy author, or any author for that matter fears the most. A dying story to tell, and share with others of the world is something not deserving of rejection. A story told is something valuable regardless of a profit made. Anyone with a story trapped and locked away from the world becomes part of a dying tale.
I myself am one who suffered from that very fate. Rejection although has enabled me the chance to rework allot of my own stories concepts to something I am a little more satisfied with.
Still working vigorously to one day become accepted by a good publisher.
August 12th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
I have to tell you that story is inspiring , but like you I don’t want to be sixty to start my own work , I’m not inspiring to be a writer , but I am trying to get in animation like Final Fantasy or some other course in the field or create the next sponge bob, I hope I get as lucky as you did creating your own publishing company, who knows maybe I should get a couple of my friends and make an animation company ,
But there is the matter of the money LOL
Good luck
August 13th, 2007 at 7:15 am
As the old adage goes, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” In as to continue, sometimes we must add, “Anything worth doing right we must do ourselves.” It feels to me that the world, in that meaning society, in general has made itself to complicated to the point of suffocation. Sophisticatedly too grand so that it has caused the stifling of its own forward movement. How is this good? It is not. Now those of us who still remember the simple virtues must struggle to the point of exhaustion just to reach the first level of communication. Let alone any level for that matter. Let I please though give you some encouragement on this matter. What feeling of worth, of completion, of accomplishment will be entrusted to you after you have scaled the mountain thrown before you. To do so with tools of your own making, how greater the levity of your achievement. Giving you that much more knowledge, strength, and ability to go further. Beyond those stuck in the complications of society they feel compelled to believe in. You have struggled hard my friend to sever the bonds of this complicated creation of society, so now you have made yourself free. Free to soar to greater endeavors and immaculate heights, and with that also becoming a beacon for lost souls.
With that, I must Thank You Robert Marston Fanney. Your inspiration of commitment and devotion helps compel us to endure through our own struggles, knowing that we too will succeed. Knowing that you stand with us, beside us, along with us, strengthens all to completion. For that knowing, we will all succeed. Thank You.
August 13th, 2007 at 8:09 am
I sent in my submission and synopsis to one publisher about a week ago. Now that I read your blog, I can know what to expect. Whether the outcome is good or bad, it should be a good learning experience.
August 13th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
YAY! I’ve been checking a couple times a day, waiting for a contintuation post…you’ve got me hooked on your fascinating story.
It’s awesome how persistent you were…I don’t think I could deal with being a writer. Oh, MAN, I can’t wait for the next book. *wiggles excitedly*
August 14th, 2007 at 2:16 am
Ohh wow, I don’t think I could handle being rejected when I try to publish my books. But I’m happy that you could publish yours
you spent a long time to produce Luthiel’s Song and I can only hope I am half as good as you.
August 14th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Great story so far! Can’t wait to see how it ends.
And thanks for posting about all those authors who struggled for many years. Having just lost another writing contest today, it’s actually very encouraging to hear that the greats had to struggle too.
August 21st, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Oh dear I know how that feels I too have manuscripts and written works for children . But I am just afraid to seriously pursue. I know the ideas are fresh and I know theres nothing out there that hints about what I write about but how and where to start. Failure is all part of it and I take nothing for granted. However I believe its the luck of the draw . Similar stories , scripts, prologue have since been written. Thanks for the encourage and the sharing of your experince. And Thanks for posting here
Moe
August 24th, 2007 at 12:23 am
Awesome! Soooo, when I finish my manuscript is Dark Forest Press accepting submissions?
August 25th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Hi Rob!
I went straight to self publishing Time Masters, though it will probably be re-released next year under traditional press. At any rate, I’m glad you took the route you did! Otherwise we’d all still be waiting for Luthiel’s Song!
August 26th, 2007 at 2:45 am
For Ryan –
I would like nothing more than to be able to publish new authors through Dark Forest Press. Unfortunately, it takes a bit of money and effort to put a book out there and, right now, I have a huge handful working on Luthiel’s Song.
That said, if Luthiel’s Song continues to be successful and to grow the way it has, I think we will, at some point, be able to accept submissions and publish a few promising new authors
October 13th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Nothing is quite as heart-stopping as a rejection letter, is there? Well, maybe, but I know every time I get one I feel like someone kicked me in the gut. But I am a big fan of King’s, and I took his story to heart. I’ve saved my rejection notices…and I’m framing the first one I ever got. And I know it wasn’t my book, when I got Luthiel’s Song in the mail, I could kind of vicariously live through you…imagine what it would be like to hold my own novel in my hands. I think, even if you never made any money from sales, it would be worth it just to hold it in your hands and see your name on it. Congratulations.
May 6th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Hi,
(No doubt you’ve heard this a dozen times already!XD) Your story was very inspirational and has given me an idea. You see I’ve just finished writing a story of my own and as soon as I finally get the thing printed (I’ve only been telling myself to get a printer since January! Luckily I’ve got one now!) I was thinking of sending it off and trying to get published. However, I don’t know that many publishers who accept unsolicited manuscripts, so I was thinking that if I keep trying to get published professionally to no avail to try self-publishing. I was just wondering whether it would be best to go down this route first or to just cut out all the hassle and just go slef-published from the start. What would you say was best?
Thanks! Keep on writing!
May 6th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Go ahead and try to submit, it can’t hurt. If you get an early break with a big publisher, this will be a lot more effective than self-publishing. Give yourself a little time as well — maybe six months to a year. If you can’t drum up any interest from a pro publisher, the self-publishing route can’t hurt. But if you do decide to self-publish, make certain you have all your ducks in a row before you jump. A sloppy book can only hurt both your standing as a writer and your will to continue.