Rejections - Reading Skills Matter

I am starting to think that there is a large population of authors out there who like negativity. These are people who like to be told they are a loser and they are not worthy. I am betting these are the people who show up to conferences and writing groups being stoic and showcasing how they are still fighting though the unfair world of publishing. These are the authors who like to speak up in a workshop talking about the number of rejections they have received and how they are not going to give up until they convince agents and editors they are making a huge mistake passing on their works. 

As I was answering submissions this last Saturday, the majority (and I am not talking about 50% +1) of the submissions were projects that I do not represent. 

All of these authors proclaimed the time they spent researching their writing; the great feedback they have received from their beta readers; their past writing successes (which they never state specifically); the number of books they have written already (never stating these books were published); and more to the point, how, after researching my agency, how my story fits with the similar books I have sold. 

And yet, I don't represent that writing. 

As the title suggests, reading skills DO matter. 

I have said this before and I will say it again. Editors and agents put on their websites everything you need to be successful. We tell you what genres we represent and what we do not represent. We tell you if we are open to submissions or not. We tell you our preferences and the tropes we fall for and those that turn us off. We post frequently #MSWL ideas on social media.

Those of you relying on the large databases and websites that claim they have a one-stop shopping approach to finding editors and agents are not helping you. These sites DO NOT have all of the information you need. You have to visit the site.

Now, I have had authors tell me that researching each editor is too time consuming. How do we expect them to spend the time researching when they need to be writing and sending out submissions? Well, the simple answer is: YOU NEED TO. 

Unless you are using those rejection letters to wall paper your bathroom.