A redundant rejection is something that should never happen. Sadly, in the publishing industry, it's commonplace. These rejections are too often taken personally and interfere with even the most ambitious writer's hopes.
They are often the result of poor research into the publishing companies. It may be due to laziness or egotism, but whatever the reason, they are always avoidable. You can save yourself time, frustration, and money by doing all you can to ensure it doesn't happen to you.
You see these situations all over the internet. Many writers are excited when an agency or publisher announces they are accepting new work. This is where most mistakes happen. Instead of researching the prospective company or agency, hopeful writers automatically start preparing a query. This rapid and chaotic process almost always results in a rejection or unexpected details the writer is unhappy with. There are several things to consider before you leap at any opportunity.
Points To Consider:
1. You aren't the first person to learn of the announcement. There's no reason to rush your query or submission package to them. Chances are that many writers have prior knowledge before you.
A successful agency or publisher usually receives 25-50 queries daily from new writers, regardless. Posting news of "seeking new clients," will only double, or even triple, the already heavy numbers. Rushing through everything will only open hundreds of doors for mistakes and errors in your package.
2. If it is an agency, see who they represent! Successful agents will blatantly promote their authors on their site. They will have a list of whom they represent and what works they've gotten results from. Pay attention to their genres of interest.
3. If it is a publisher, see what they've published! Publishers will have a catalog of books they've published online. They should have summaries, titles, authors, and a place to order. Do their accepted books match the genre of your own?
4. Don't let arrogance ruin your query. Don't believe that a romance publisher will just love your Science Fiction or Mystery so much they'll immediately accept it. Don't believe that a Horror publisher will accept a book of poetry.
No matter how good you think your work is, you must look at their previous books and audience. They won't jump genres, lose their targeted audience, and all the profits they are reaping from those sales for a publishing experiment.
5. Be a Professional. Publishers and agents want error-free submissions. Don't fall into the "comfort zone," and assume they'll just correct it themselves. If you are a professional it will show in your work and this is something they know. If you treat it like a hobby, they will assume you merely write for a hobby. If you treat it like a valuable and disciplined business proposition, it will be regarded in a different light.
One of the most arrogant and damaging excuses to be a lazy writer is, "If they like my book, they'll overlook the mistakes." They shouldn't have to and they know it. There shouldn't be any mistakes to begin with. This also applies to every other written work: short stories, poetry, non-fiction, reference, etc. Mistakes can make you look like a bad writer.
This is not to say you should agonize over every word, you shouldn't lose sleep over writing. But you should stay informed of grammar and refresh your knowledge at least once a year. DO NOT rely on a spell-checker to check your writing, get ready to re-read your work again.
6. Research as much as possible! Know the company. If you can't find any information on them, write or email their offices. If they don't have submission guidelines posted, ask for them. If they don't have any concrete information on their site, ask. It is much better than receiving a needless rejection you could have prevented.
7. Know for certain the ad is legitimate! Never allow spontaneity to rule your craft when it comes to professionals. Be sure this is an actual ad from a successful company and not a scam artist.
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