I’ve cautioned in the past about taking special care to read a publisher’s submission guidelines carefully, and yet confusion seems to rear it’s unshaven head on a fairly consistent level.
Small publishers normally have a niche – a specialty – that sets them apart from the herd. Some houses only take mysteries or fantasy/sci-fi. Some have a hankering for romance, and others look for multicultural. Whatever flavor they’re selling, they’re doing it because they feel they have a good eye for those works and can sell it to the buying public better than anyone else.
We are looking for personal journey works where the issues of a character's personal introspection and conflict are the driving forces that propel the story rather than themes of action/adventure or murder/mystery.
My lament derives from the types of submissions that invariably crowd my desk. No matter how concise our submission guidelines are, there is that Cool Hand Luke syndrome; what we have here is a failure to communicate. Because of this, I continue to receive a lot of the classic murder/mysteries, spy/intrigue, anything other than stories where the main character’s personal journey is the driving force behind the story. In response, I copy and paste our submission guidelines in the body of my rejection letter.
If you’re unsure whether your story meets our criteria, a query letter is always welcome.
I’ll give a sample of what I’m talking about.
“Ella Jellyburger lost her prized mink stole in Macy’s during a blackout. Her job as a meatpacker gives her little income, and this mink meant the world to her – especially since she is homeless and sleeps under the Hawthorne Blvd. offramp of the 405 freeway. She turns down offers of blankets and Ug boots. She wants her mink stole. Time passes, and she makes slow attempts to move on, allowing the scabs to heal over her heart.
Seeing Stinky Meatcleaver’s dead body wrapped in a fake mink at her job at WeKillEmGently meatpacking center sends Ella into a deep depression as she relives her own loss. The words “I’ve got your mink” is written in Stinky’s blood, and Ella must overcome renewed pain, depression, and agony in order to find out who murdered Stinky and to find her prized mink.
With every clue she uncovers and the closer she gets to the killer, memories of how her sable kept her warm warp her stability to the point where she ODs on grape slushies at 7-11. There, in the cold section, behind the milk cartons that expired last Thursday, Ella confronts the cold hearted killer…and her mink. Is she suffering a complete breakdown, or has she finally come to the end of a long road of tears and sorrow?”
Okay, this synopsis obviously lame as they get – I’m running on far too little sleep and not nearly enough wine. But what I’m trying to show is that the actual murder/mystery is SECONDARY to the main plot, which is Ella overcoming her personal pain.
In short, writers need to analyze their stories to see if they have the proper elements to fit into a publisher’s guidelines. Sure, I could have simply said that, but reading a bad synopsis was far more fun, don’t you think?
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
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I am confused on another point. When I look over your titles list, I see award-winning science fiction and fantasy. When I read your submission guidelines page, you state you don't accept them.
In a word, "Huh?"
We used to accept science fiction/fantasy. Through discussions with our distributor and editing team, we've limited our acceptance of this genre to those we've already signed. There are publishers who produce and market this genre far better than we can, and we're happy to let them do it.
Thanks for the clarification.
My novel (auto-fiction) is a character-driven story. Although each chapter is not a short story, the book can be picked up at any point. The work is also highly explicit. I wonder what your policy is on literary erotica.
Thank you.
"The work is also highly explicit. I wonder what your policy is on literary erotica."
Anon, we don't publish erotica/explicit. You're better off looking for a publisher who specifically produces this genre.
I can't stand most novels (except for mine, of course) but this GRABS ME! Hubba hubba! When is this book (I assume the title will be THE STINK OF MINK) going to hit the shelves?
I don't want to miss out on the chance to camp out the night before in front of the store door.
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