I’m slowly making my way through the many books I have stored on my Kindle. Some of them I’ve purchased while others have been free ones.
Before I hit the buy with one click button at Amazon, I check out the look inside feature and read the first couple of pages. Most of the time that’s the deciding factor for me. Other times, I’ll check the reviews.
The amazing thing about reviews is no one seems to have the same opinion about the plot, the characters and the story in general. You’d even think that some were for two different books. The other surprising thing is, there’s no middle ground when it comes to reviews…or at least the ones I’ve been reading. It’s either hate it or love it.
All this got me thinking about getting published and that reviews are a clue as to why it’s so tough. Well, at least for fiction. Fiction isn’t so clear cut when it comes to someone’s opinion on what makes a great book.
What one editor loves, another one might hate. Getting published is really down to the luck of the draw. The first editor you contact is the one who loves it. If you’re not so lucky, it’s the 50th.
Editors all bring their likes and dislikes to work with them. Maybe you have a great story but one of your characters reminds the editor of their ex. Back comes your manuscript.
When you submit to larger publishing houses, you face more of this dilemma because it’s not always one editor’s decision. It happened to me, twice. I had editors who loved my story but it had to be passed onto a senior editor before they could offer me a contract. On both occasions, the senior editor didn’t like it as much. Back came my manuscript.
Reading reviews has recently reminded me that rejections aren’t always due to a bad story or terrible writing. Sometimes it’s a case of not being lucky enough to find the right editor.
The right one is out there waiting to read your book, so don’t stop sending out your manuscripts.