The start of another month means one thing: Fiona Cassidy’s next installment about what it takes to become a published author. If you’ve missed Fiona’s previous entries you can read them here: Where It All Began and What’s The Story? and Agent Provocauthor. We now present to you the fourth article of twelve… enjoy! Our thanks, as ever, go to Fionnuala for writing this series for us!

I am sure that anyone waiting for news will tell you that it is usually the nervous anticipation that nearly kills you. It’s that gut wrenching yearning for a reply and the knowledge that a ‘yes’ could be life changing whilst a ‘no’ can and inevitably will be life and confidence shattering. Would-be authors are no different to anyone else in this predicament. In fact I think they suffer more than most in their quest for a positive response as they put their heart and soul into putting a sample manuscript together before lovingly sending it out into the big bad world on a wing and a prayer (or in my case a novena or three.)

If you’re wondering what you’re required to send check out the Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook or the agent’s or publisher’s websites for guidelines on what genre they accept, how many chapters to submit, whether or not they need a synopsis or overview of the storyline and how they like it to be presented. Presentation is extremely important and I would tend to adhere meticulously to their specified instructions…font 12, double spacing etc and whether or not they need it to be sent in hard copy by mail or alternatively can accept electronic format or submissions on disc. Every company has their own preferences and likes and dislikes. REMEMBER these people will be doing everything in their power to try and find a reason not to offer you a contract (not because they don’t want to but because they are extremely busy and need to weed out the time wasters or those who don’t follow instructions!) So do yourself a favour and don’t annoy them by presenting your work in an inappropriate way in a fancy font they don’t like whilst using the wrong spacing. I would also always enclose a covering letter out of courtesy, with a short explanation on what you have sent whilst thanking them for their time.

Waiting for a response once a manuscript has been sent to an agent or publisher can be the most soul destroying experience in the world. Think of…waiting to hear whether or not you were successful in that job interview. Think of…wondering whether or not you’ve passed your driving test. Think of…waiting for those all important exam results….and then multiply the combination of vomit inducing nerves and impending excitement at the thought of a positive result by about 400 and you might come close to experiencing what every author feels when they see a new email or receive a letter with a familiar looking and important logo on it. Once you’ve stared at it for a while, knowing that it could possibly create havoc (both good and bad) you then click or rip it open (with one eye open and the other shut…or maybe the face screwing was just me) and then read the contents with great gusto. Letters or emails that begin with the phrase ‘we have read your manuscript with interest but on this occasion feel….’ are never a good sign. Alternatively others that tell you that ‘while we found your work pleasant we were not passionate about it…’ are equally as bad. My personal favourite, however, and I know this from disastrous experience is….’you write well but we are not currently looking for new clients at the moment as our list is full.’ I called those ones PFO’s…PLEASE FECK OFF. What? You seriously mean to tell me that if the next Cecilia Ahern was to come knocking at your door that you wouldn’t find a gap in your list…somehow I think you might. Sorry it was just little old me instead…the blood…the sweat…the tears…the Ben and Jerry’s (or perhaps vodka) that must be consumed to begin the healing process.

Getting rejections is an all important part of the writing process and an experience that is to be expected. It is not pleasant or nice but essential in my view as with every negative response you learn something. Some agents are kind enough to give you feedback, especially if they have requested the full manuscript after reading a sample, and even though they may have turned you down it is important to always take something positive from it. Sure, they didn’t like it. And, sure, you could simply dwell on that but why not, instead, concentrate on the fact that maybe they’ve told you that your writing is warm and funny or that your timing and flow are good but that you need to work on your character development or add more dialogue to help the story appear more real to the reader. They’re telling you that your writing is good but in order to make it better and increase your chances of getting a ‘yes’ in the future you need to revise the areas they have suggested.

This is a lesson that is not easily learnt and one that comes only with time, perseverance and a willingness to succeed. It is very easy to look at things from a negative point of view, get disillusioned and be prepared to give up but if writing is the one thing in the world that you feel passionate about and want to succeed at…then keep at it. Don’t give up!

A very wise person said one day that ‘a rejection is simply one person’s opinion and that opinion may not be shared by another.’ You only have to look at the evidence from the great writers of today who have been rejected outright but have then gone on to be more successful than I’m sure they ever could have dreamed. I’m sure the many agents who dismissed JK Rowling and her Harry Potter manuscripts have had a regret or 600 million (that being an estimate of what she is now worth as a result of her books, film deals and much merchandise.) Not, mind you, that writing is about what you earn. Writing, for me, personally, is about the satisfaction of seeing your work in print. Writing is about walking into a book shop you’ve gone into for years and seeing your creation on the shelf. Writing is about not giving up…taking the rough with the smooth…and realising that if you want something bad enough…it might just eventually happen if you open your mind to the advice and guidance of others.

So…what happens when someone actually does give you the thumbs up…you’ll just have to wait until next month to find out

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