A client of mine just got a very disappointing rejection letter from an editor at a top publishing house–a woman her agent was certain would love her book. Everyone had reason to at least start chilling the champagne glasses. The editor is passionate about the topic and knows a lot about it–a subject that’s fringe at best and not often covered in the press. And yet, it’s a fascinating, in-depth look into a world with few insiders but many whom aspire to be. If written well (and the book is!) a title like this could have MASS market appeal for many reasons. And, if you ask me, and the agent, it’s cinematic (think: spin-offs and movie deal!). Needless to say, we were ALL looking forward to celebratory good news.
This rejection stung in great part because the feedback felt deeply flawed. Here, in a nutshell is what the editor said: “The world already knows all about this topic since it’s been so heavily covered in the press.” Huh? What the bleep? Or as Scooby-Doo says, “Ruh-roh.” This is so not my experience, nor that of the agent or the author–one of the foremost authorities on this topic in the world.
Ever notice that publishing, like life, is highly subjective???
This reminds me of two rejections I got on my first book [Lives Charmed: Intimate Conversations with Extraordinary People], on the same day in 1996 from editors at BIG publishing houses. I don’t feel like rummaging through my files this am to find the exact quotes, but I’ll give you the gist:
The first one: “The people in this anthology are too famous and the world already knows too much about them. I’d rather see a book about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”
The second one: “The celebrities Linda has written about are not famous enough. She needs bigger names to make this something I’d be truly interested in.”
Alrightythen. It was a dreary, cold day in Northern New Mexico. I was sitting in my old Ford Bronco in the parking lot of my then post office, which serviced the town of a whopping 200 people (yep… we had one street light) holding these letters in my shaking, mittened hands. All I could think was: “Are you kidding me? This is madness. These are two top editors at top publishing houses are yet they’re saying the OPPOSITE thing about the same product. WTF?”
As I imagined my options, I started to cry. I could never ditch all of the hard-won celebrity interviews I’d done over the years and painstaking put together in this labor of love and start over with a bunch of people I’d yet to meet or hear of. And, I had little faith I could rustle up a few more superstars to chat with, having recently left the city to live in the sticks. Jennifer Aniston (ala Rachel Green) was all the rage at the time and there was NO part of me that longed to book a flight to LA, break onto the set of Friends, and stick a microphone in her face while she got a blow dry.
As my thinking spiraled into crazed thoughts of chasing celebrities into yoga classes and out of grocery stores so that my little book would be more star-wattage worthy, I started to laugh.
“Okay. I get it,” I thought. “This is a subjective game I’ve thrown myself into and the players are going to radically disagree. I will listen to their wisdom, filter it through what I believe to be true, take advice from my agent, and in the end I WILL FOLLOW MY GUT AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD UNTIL I FIND MY DREAM PUBLISHING TEAM. I’VE PUT EVERYTHING INTO THIS BOOK THAT I CAN, AND I WILL REMAIN OPEN AND TRUST THE UNIVERSE TO HANDLE THE REST. PERIOD.
A year later, after interviewing two more celebrities (yes, they DID show up without any stalking on my part, as if by magic), I found my publishing dream team at Health Communications, Inc. (Original home of Chicken Soup for the Soul.) They became family to me, and all these years later, Lives Charmed is still in print (a miracle). HCI remains one of my favorite publishing families. (I have been blessed to have several.)
With time, this publishing book stuff has gotten a lot easier and way more fun. Case in point: There was GREAT book-deal news over here at bookmama this week for THREE beloved clients. Here’s what I can share so far:
1. Carmel retreater Elizabeth Murray’s book, Living Life in Full Bloom, just went up for pre sale. So exciting. Isn’t this cover GORGEOUS?! Rodale has big plans for this book and we’re all elated. (See the author’s testimonial of Carmel below.)
2. Jena La Flamme (and my dear agent buddy, the wonderful Laura Yorke) just had a delicious bidding war for her book, Secrets of Pleasurable Weight Loss (working title), which was bought by Sounds True for a January 2015 release:) I got goosebumps when Jena emailed me this testimonial a few days ago:
Whatever you do, just remember: HOLD THE VISION. Trust yourself. And let us know how you’re allowing the universe to do its magic in your life.
Yours,
Linda
xx
P.S. I’m doing my first ALL-DUDE retreat at my home in Lake Arrowhead January 16th. If you know a brilliant boy who could use some writing love + space, please share the news:) xo
P.S.S. Book deal testimonial: “I had so many ideas, but wasn’t sure which was the BEST one—what to focus on to be a winner. I heard an interview with Linda, called her, prayed for guidance and decided to cancel everything, make the big commitment, and attend her Carmel retreat the next day! I have already written several books, I live down the street, and have wonderful women friends. I even lead retreats—so what I wanted was to be supported to take a dramatic leap into a much more personal voice with clarity, depth, and a good business sense of what would sell. Linda is a bit of a psychic, and zeroed in on key things that made my project much stronger. I’m delighted to say I’ve found a dear friend in Linda and am very appreciative of her support and direction professionally and personally. She has helped bring me to the next level; through her editing, brainstorming, and business acumen, I got a great deal with a formidable publisher (planning to also promote my book in their national magazine). In Linda you can find a wonderful partner to help bring your book forward into the world!” ~Elizabeth Murray, author, painter, photographer, Monet gardener, and now author of Living Life in Full Bloom (Rodale, 2014), Monterey, CA
