I'm thrilled to have beta bud, Scribo Pen Sister, & awesome author, Jennifer Eaton here today!!! Wisdom (and great stories) flow from this woman's fingertips, so take notes folks!
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Writing
is a subjective business
First of all, a big congrats to Terri Rochenski’s two little
girls for achieving the honor of becoming BIG SISTERS a few weeks ago. Yahoo!
Big excitement in the Rochenski household!
Now that obligatory congrats are out of the way, let’s talk
about the word “subjective”
From Dictionary.com:
sub·jec·tive [suhb-jek-tiv] adjective
1. existing in the mind; belonging to
the thinking subject rather than to the object of
thought (opposed to objective ).
2. pertaining to or characteristic of an individual; personal;
individual: a subjective evaluation.
3. placing excessive emphasis on one's own moods, attitudes,
opinions, etc.; unduly egocentric.
4. Philosophy
. relating to or of the nature of
an object as it is known in the mind as distinct from a thing in itself.
5. relating to properties or specific conditions of the mind as
distinguished from general or universal experience.
Now let’s think of this in relation to writing, or more
specifically, to authors SUBMITTING their manuscripts.
First of all, you need to have a great piece of
writing. If you are trying to submit
your first draft, or never been critiqued or had a beta partner, you might want
to think this over. If you don’t have a
high-quality product out there, it is going to be rejected. Period. What I am
talking about here is well-manicured novels that are out for submission and
getting rejections.
Publishing is a subjective business.
What does this mean?
Let’s look at the definition above. #1 and #2 in my opinion say basically the
same thing. The agent or editor/publisher
has an idea in their mind that has nothing to do with your manuscript. That particular day, their boss may have
said: “No more stinking alien stories. I
want dragons. Find me dragons!” Now, you may have a spectacular alien story,
but on this day, you are going to get a rejection. It’s the THINKING of the
person you submitted to, not your story.
#3 has to do with moods.
Again. Have you ever opened up your work email when you were angry? Tired? Not in the mood to work? You look at
things in quite a different light, don’t you? If you catch the agent/editor on
a bad day, you could be rejected just for being at the wrong place at the wrong
time.
#4. Okay, there’s a
reason I did not take philosophy in school.
I have no idea what that said.
#5. “The universe of experience.” This is why we are going to
editors/publisher/agents, right? They
have experience. If they are worth your effort, they have a
nose for what will sell. This is, after
all, a business. If they think that the
day of the vampire story is over, then there is nothing you can do to change
their mind. You may have a GREAT vampire
story, but if they think it won’t sell well by the time it gets to market, you
are skunked. (By the way, don’t get mad at them for that… in effect, this is
the knowledge we are “paying” them for, right?)
All this to say… If you are a new author, or maybe even a
seasoned one, and you are getting rejections, don’t fret over it.
Someone may have spilled their coffee on their laptop.
Someone may have just signed a novel about robot gangster
cowboys in New York City. And you just happen to also have a novel about robot
gangster cowboys in New York City.
Someone may think the genre is dead.
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
However…
Someone may just have finished the greatest cup of coffee
EVER and are all juiced up to read a great book
Someone may have had an odd dream, and decided what they
really want is a book about robot gangster cowboys in New York City. (Hey, it
could happen)
Someone may have just gotten out of a business meeting where
they discussed Robots are the new Vampires.
The truth is… You just never know.
So keep trying!
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| Click on image to add on Goodreads |
First Day of the New Tomorrow
Maya dreams of perfect skin, beautiful hair, good grades, and Eric Brighton—the boy she’s been crushing on since middle school. No matter how hard she tries, all these things elude her, but when a creepy college recruiter arrives with news that Maya has omnipotent powers, things change quickly.
Having everything she wants is a lot harder than Maya expects, though. Will she give it all up for the chance to be normal again, even if it means losing Eric?
Having everything she wants is a lot harder than Maya expects, though. Will she give it all up for the chance to be normal again, even if it means losing Eric?
Purchase Links:
Short Links. Just copy and paste!
Full link to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-M.-Eaton/e/B00BEP9L1E/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&qid=1375545914&sr=8-4&tag=jennifermeato-20
Full Link to Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/jennifer-m.-eaton
Full Link to Muse It up: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/young-adult/the-first-day-of-the-new-tomorrow-detail
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Jennifer M. Eaton is a
contemporary blender of Science Fiction, Dystopian, and Romance. Her work ranges from the sweet contemporary romances
of Paper Wishes, to the dystopian society of Last Winter Red and Optimal Red,
with a dusting of young adult paranormal just for fun in The First Day of the
New Tomorrow.While not off visiting other worlds, Jennifer calls the East Coast of the USA home, where she lives with her wonderfully supportive husband, three energetic boys, and a pepped up poodle.
Full time team leader, full time mom, and full time novelist... what more can you ask for? Writing help did you say? Well, sure! Jennifer hosts an informational blog aimed at helping all writers be the best they can be. Stop on by and chat. She loves to hear from fans! http://www.jennifermeaton.com/
Her
contemporary sweet romance, Paper Wishes is currently available in ebook
format. The Dystopian novelette “Last
Winter Red” is available as part of the “Make Believe” Anthology. Each title is available from Amazon.com and
Barnesandnoble.com and Smashwords.
Paper
Wishes: Jill has no idea what she wants
for Christmas, but when it looks like her best friend Jack is going to get
exactly what he asks for, Jill makes a Christmas wish that will change both of
their lives forever.
Last
Winter Red: In search of a husband, Emily leaves the
safety of the city and risks her life stepping into the outside world. What she finds there will question the
foundations of everything she believes in. Available as part of the Make
Believe anthology.
The
First Day of the New Tomorrow:
Maya dreams of having everything she wants, but when she gets it, she can’t
give it back fast enough. (Coming in September, 2013 from Muse It Up)
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