Have you ever received a rejection letter because your story was too original? That’s often code for something that can’t be easily categorized and pigeonholed.
Then it occurred to me that there are lots of authors out there whose works are being rejected simply because they have dared to go against the norm. The following is a case in point.
A few weeks ago for my Zetta’s Desk blog, I wrote about how you can create an original story by changing your point of view. I even provide a short example of what can happen simply by telling your story from another perspective.
Different CAN be good. A market CAN be found. Everyone is NOT the same. Thank goodness.
Read how award-winning author Peg Herring struggled to get mainstream agents and publishers to take her new character and story idea seriously. Peg’s determination and belief in herself made her Loser a winner.
“Sorry. Not for us.”
By Peg Herring
That was the message I got from agents when I pitched my newest mystery, KILLING SILENCE. Once there was this handwritten addendum: “We don’t think readers are ready for a homeless protagonist.”
I kept imagining Mary Shelley telling her editor, “But readers love a unique protagonist,” and the editor responding, “We don’t think readers are ready for an obsessed scientist with a reanimated sidekick.”
News Flash: Readers are always ready for a good story with a compelling protagonist, and Loser the loser, who lives on the streets of Richmond, Virginia and gets involved, quite unwillingly, in solving a murder, is as compelling as they come.
I pitched KILLING SILENCE to several agents at conferences and by mail. While they all liked the book and the writing, they couldn’t see how it fit the marketing schemes of the major publishing houses. These days, the big guys look for books that fit a formula based on what sold last year, so mysteries tend to come in sub-genres like romantic suspense, cozy (is there a craft we haven’t covered yet?), police procedural, and international intrigue. If a book doesn’t fit into one of those categories, it isn’t considered marketable, and agents, who look for 15% of something big, won’t touch it.
I write mysteries that put unique characters into unique situations. They don’t fit easily into one of the above slots, so my queries for KILLING SILENCE brought notes that said, “We like the idea, but this is not for us.” I found myself asking how many wonderful books would never have come into print if the thinking of today’s big publishers had dominated the publishing of the past.
Luckily for me, I met Jim and Zetta Brown at a conference in New Orleans a few years ago, and I knew LL-Publications looks for books that are different from the run-of-the-publishing-mill. They liked Loser and her story immediately, and we made plans for a three-book series, beginning with KILLING SILENCE this fall. Thanks to LL, readers will soon meet a woman with problems who will steal into their hearts and curl up there, trying not to take up too much room.
Anyone who has spent much time in large American cities is familiar with the sight of homeless people on the streets, but have you thought about what it’s like to be homeless? Where do you wash up? Get clothing? Find food? Sleep? Spend your time? How do you protect yourself from danger? From the elements? And who do you call friend?
A few years ago, I spend several months in Richmond’s Fan District, where the juxtaposition of large, elegant homes and sad, desperate street people struck every time I went to the drugstore a few blocks from my daughter’s home on Grace Street. I’m not sure when the idea of using a homeless protagonist in a book came to me, but when it hit, I knew I had to do it, despite the fact that I’m in the middle of two other series. These days, Loser is so real to me that she and I could have a conversation—at least, we could if she'd answer me.
Loser doesn’t like to talk much. She isn’t comfortable with people, and she can’t sleep inside a building. Her fears, irrational to us, are real to her. As you journey with her through KILLING SILENCE, you’ll come to understand her psychoses and cheer for her as she struggles to overcome them. Of course, she has lots of other things to struggle with as well, including a nasty cop, a little girl in trouble, and a couple of murderers. It’s a lot for a street person to handle, and Loser is pretty sure she’ll fail. All the way through the book, I had way more confidence in her than she had in herself.
Oh, and by the way, I was recently contacted by an agent who loves the idea of a homeless protagonist. She suggested she could hook me up with a major publisher and I could “take the next step.”
Sorry. Not for me.
Peg Herring is the author of the critically acclaimed Simon & Elizabeth Mysteries as well as the award-winning Dead Detective Mysteries. When they’re not exploring the world, Peg and her husband of many years live in northern Lower Michigan, where they garden for the benefit of local rabbits, deer, and elk. Visit her website at www.pegherring.com
I like Zetta's last comment! People might buy your book, but if they find out it's badly written or edited, they won't chance it again. I've talked to many self-published writers who wish they'd taken the time to make their work as perfect as possible before throwing it out there. A publisher, whether small or large, takes some of the responsibility for a book, suggesting improvements and correcting errors. Tastes in reading vary, and a book I hate might be one of your favorites. But there is a place for any good piece of writing and readers who will buy it, so when I'm asked how to succeed as a writer, I answer with one word. Persist.
Having something different isn't bad, and like I say in my intro, an audience CAN be found, but like with anything else worth having, you have to WORK at it. For authors who write pieces that can't easily be categorized, they usually have to work harder to find the people who will appreciate their work. But frankly, any author who just wants to sit back and write and expects someone else to do all their marketing and promotion for them and expect to make tons of "easy" money are fooling themselves.
Sure, mega best sellers will have publishers throwing money at marketing campaigns for those books/authors, but they have to. The publisher has already invested tons of money in the author, so they need to make tons of sales to make a profit.
But the most important thing is the writing. Most of us don't have a fan base with thousands of people waiting for our next book. If your writing is poor, no one is going to want to spend their hard-earned money trying to decipher your work...at least not twice.
Encouraging. Thanks for sharing this.
I got the same kind of rejection letter so many times from mainstream publishers. "It's not just a coming-of-age travelogue, it's not straight journalism, and it's not solely a memoir. We're not sure which shelf we'd put this on..."
That was in 2008. This summer I finally found the right publisher -- Seal Press -- and you're right, it's a joy to finally be in the right house. You're also right that good writing should be the bottom line! And if a publisher does it right, good writing can definitely lead to a better bottom line, even if you have to be a little more creative with the marketing...
Thanks for the enthusiasm, ladies! It will get me through Book 2, which is sorta done but with one medium-size problem to solve!
Just reading about how Killing Silence came about and your experience with getting it published, has put your book on my must-read list. Thanks so much for sharing your encouraging story, Peg.
OK, now this is embarrassing. I do need to wait for Killing Silence to arrive. But, I can pre-order today!
Oops! Sorry Peg. After my post, I saw on the LL-Publications site that you are on #2. Good, because I don't need to wait to dive into the Loser Mysteries.
There's money to be made with high-concept, difficult-topic stories. Good luck in attracting a big chunk with your series.
To be clear, Zetta is the publisher (well, LL-publications is) and I'm the author, currently at work on Book #2 of the Loser Mysteries. And I think your conclusion is correct: many big publishers are only taking on fluff these days. I hope we all prove them wrong when readers like work that portrays women who aren't much concerned with the designer shoes the corpse is wearing.
I understand that profit is the bottom line, but honestly--shouldn't it be good writing that's the bottom line?
Great news, Zetta, that Killing Silence will be available this Fall. So glad that you found a publisher who is as strong as your character, Loser. From your description, she's intriguing and I want to read her story.
Thanks for the reality check. Last weekend I pitched Vagilantes to a senior editor of a womens' lit imprint. (I'm looking for a larger publisher to expand the exposure of this self-published book about pedophiles.) The editor said my topic was too dark. She added a comment like, 'women want to buy a book and leave the store'. The implication, as I understood it, was that women want to escape into fluff with a book.
I believe she is wrong. Women want many things, and sometimes it's a book that leaves a strong impression. Thanks for the promise that Killing Silence will hold my attention long after the last page is turned.
How right you are! finding the right publisher can be grueling. But once you've found them, it is a joy.
Thanks for sharing this! I always think my work fits in the "not for us" category because this seems to be the general consensus among agents I've written to. So good to hear agencies are also looking for something off-kilter.
This is a great site. I already like the exchange of ideas I've seen here.
This is very encouraging! Thanks for posting.
Thanks, Tracey! It was kind of relaxing to make a decision to write what I want to write, not what I think will sell a million books.
I so appreciate your perspective. Thank you. For all of us who don't write about vampires or heart throbbing teenage angst, it can sometimes feel like an uphill battle! My belief is that both readers and authors benefit from putting "unique characters into unique situations." Isn't this exactly what has kept the written word alive? Three cheers for trusting ourselves and our voices.