Earlier in this book I mentioned that publishers reject about 98% of book proposals and manuscripts. It sounds like it must be almost impossible to get published with statistics like that. Actually, things are not so bleak. Many of the rejections will be for reasons that are entirely avoidable. This is a list of reasons for rejection that need not happen.
Many of the rejections will be for reasons that are entirely avoidable.
01
Wrong genre for the house
The author fails to read the publisher’s website and submits the wrong genre of book.
02
Ignored submission guidelines
The author fails to follow the publisher’s submission guidelines.
03
A photocopied or generic cover letter
The cover letter is photocopied or generic.
04
Spelling or grammatical errors
The cover letter contains spelling or grammatical errors.
05
Insufficient postage
The envelope was sent without sufficient postage and the publisher had to collect it from the sorting office in the rain, and had to pay for the privilege.
06
Unedited sample chapters
The sample chapters are not sufficiently edited and checked.
07
Angrily demanding a response
The author angrily demands a response a couple of weeks after submitting the proposal.
08
Talking too much — or too slowly — on the phone
The author phones the editor and talks too much or too slowly, so the editor decides against initiating a working relationship with an author who seems likely to take up too much of their time.
09
Forgetting the commercial positives
The author fails to mention positive factors that might influence the publishing decision, such as guaranteed sales, self-publicity, related external events or previously published books.
10
Evidence that they are clearly mad
The author’s envelope and cover letter displays evidence that they are clearly mad. Using a purple felt-tip pen to address the envelope is a sure sign of this!
11
A hand-written proposal
The proposal is hand-written.
12
Typed on a typewriter
The proposal is typed on a typewriter.
13
No e-mail address
The author doesn’t have an e-mail address. Authors without e-mail cost more to contact and cause delays in the editing process.
14
Quoting other publishers’ rejection letters
The cover letter quotes praise from other publisher’s rejection letters.
15
Recycled, already-returned sample chapters
The sample chapters have obviously been submitted elsewhere and returned.
16
Missing permissions
The author has not obtained permission to use photos or quotes taken from other writings, and the publisher shies away from the administrative hassle and additional cost involved in buying those permissions.
None of these are judgements on the soul of the work. They are signals that the author will be hard to work with, has not done the research, or will cost the house extra time and money. Clear them before you submit. Use the pre-submission checklist to tick them off.