Bronwyn Stuart - Romance Author
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Another rejection... Kind of.

9/29/2010

7 Comments

 
So this last month I've been flogging my entry in Mills and Boon's New Voices contest and sadly didn't make it to the final 10. First, thanks to Nikki Logan who helped me out with polishing my entry until it sparkled. I won a kind of mentorship type thing with her at the Romance Writer's of Australia conference in August (through the Ovarian Cancer charity fundraiser) and it was a pleasure to work with her.
Secondly, I want to thank all of my amazing friends and family who stopped by and left a comment and voted. It's really, really awesome to know how many people support me in my endeavor to be published.

Now, do I take this as a rejection? There were over 800 entries and some were really, really good. Only 10 were chosen to advance on to the next round and since I wasn't one of the 10, was I rejected? I'm not sure. I stopped to think about the thousands of submissions each line would receive every month and out of these, how many debut authors would be signed on and given a slot. Competing with how ever many authors they already have and are committed to publishing, the chances of being picked up through the contest were actually considerably higher than my slush pile chances. But I'm still not feeling rejected. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I can still submit my historical to New York, whether it's because I already have a partial on Sally Williamson's desk that I haven't heard back about yet or maybe it's that I want to write single title not necessarily category. I keep thinking that Harlequin would be a fantastic place to start out as an author and learn the craft and hone my abilities but is it what I really want?

I have no freakin' idea!

I'm far past the stage of subbing to anyone and everyone just to be published somewhere. I've got my three houses that I would climb over the bodies of my fallen fellow writer's to be published with and I won't stop until I achieve that goal but with the rising ebook trend and the emergence of Carina Press and other smalled publishers, am I aiming too high? Does wanting to be pubbed with Avon, Berkley or Harlequin seem like an unachievable goal? At the moment? Yes! I feel like I'm standing in Hawaii with my hands in the air waiting for it to snow. Is this how everyone feels? I reckon so! I've said it before to people who after a bad rejection or a bad result in a contest crack the shits, give up. Go home, tear up all your books, delete your files, throw out your dictionaries and never look back. Not me. Never.

Everyone in my family has something they're good at, artistically speaking, and I despaired of ever finding my thing. That thing that sets me apart as a person, as a contributing member of society and as a successful individual. For me, that thing is writing a cracking good yarn! I've been at this for about six years now but I stopped along the way to have two babies, move house, change jobs and study. I figure that still leaves me about four years to reach the contract stage since most published authors I speak to took about ten years. Four years? It's not long on the bigger time line of my life. I'll be thirty-two. I've got about four complete and an unknown number of started manuscripts under my belt and more ideas than I'll be able to write in my lifetime. Can I do it? Am I close? You betcha ass I am! =) Now I'm going to turn off the internet, close all my browsers except for a Word document and I'm going to write my little heart out because this is who I am.

I'm an Author! 


7 Comments
Tamara Gill link
9/29/2010 12:47:02 pm

Hi Bron.
Bugga on the HM&B contest. But like you said, keep going you'll get there.
It could be worse, you could be me who was told today by an online cp that my plot is floored and would never happen and that she hates my heroine.
Fun times.
Tam

Reply
Evangeline link
9/29/2010 04:12:00 pm

I am so with you Bronwyn! After I came down from the high the the M&B contest, I returned to the same dilemma: which path is best for my career?

1) With Harlequin Historicals there is the distribution (my books would never be subjective to bookseller orders or area demographics), the gorgeous covers, the openness to different settings, Harlequin's commitment to e-books, and the easier-to-reach international market. But the financial incentive were a con for me--the advances are usually low and earn-outs are probably low as well.

2) The single-title market gives the potential for more money,, wider exposure (to readers who wouldn't touch anything Harlequin), and more narrative control. But the distribution can be subject to circumstance, e-books are still an iffy market for NY, and international audiences are reached only if your rights are purchased (and I've heard international copies are cheaply made).

3) The e-Book market is growing and they are the home to out-of-the-box books, but the readership is a fraction of print books and the only money makers are those writing erotic, paranormal, M/M, and contemporary.

Right now, I'm working on a novella to submit to Samhain, but frequently, I hesitate to begin a new project, wondering if I am making the correct move for my career. But then again, maybe I'm being more paranoid than I need to be!

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Morton Gray
9/29/2010 06:45:37 pm

Hi Bronwyn,

I too have spent the last month nursing mybaby "Rosie's Mystery Man" on the M&B New Voices website. It has been and experience and I am richer for it in many ways. Support from husband and sons was touching and I was thrilled with the comments I got.

I don't think any of us were rejected for not making the final 10, if anything I think the majority perhaps misinterpreted 'new voices'. It seems that they actually did want something very different and not the usual M&B.

Strangely, although my story was away from my usual historic/timeslip genre, I do actually believe in this one. I can see it finished, published and on the book shop shelves with my pen name Morton Gray on the front.

I am much older than you, but still have all the doubts and on the bad days ponder going back to previous occupations, but no I can't go back only forward as a writer and I suggest you do the same too.

Good luck. I have sent you a Facebook message with a possible puclisher for westerns. Mx

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Eleni Konstantine link
9/29/2010 08:31:47 pm

Definitely not a rejection. Congrats on entering Bronwyn. I thoroughly enjoyed your entry. As to what path you should concentrate on, that is very difficult. What calls to you the most for now? Maybe later on, once you establish a name in one, you can diversify. Good luck :)

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Lyn......
10/8/2010 07:26:36 pm

Hello Bronwyn
Your writing is gutsy and bold. Probably too much for M&B, despite the NEW VOICE idea and I think with a little tweaking, a little pruning...Hmm...SO don't give up on yoru story.

Reply
Bronwyn link
10/8/2010 08:04:10 pm

lol, thanks Lyn! Did you get kicked off the site? Thanks heaps for taking the time to read and give your honest opinion. It means a lot to me =)

Bron.

Reply
Lyn
10/8/2010 10:17:28 pm

Hell no. Just other things cooking but I saw your comment. And I think you have a very clear idea of what makes a story. Look at the exercise you did there on this page.. the face slapper. So you know your stuff. Your story had many great features to it and you certainly shouldn't back burner it if you beleive in these characters. You're welcome to get in touch with me if you want. I can give you an email addy.

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    I'm a published author but I'm still mostly stumbling about in the dark looking for the right paths so this blog is about that, though sometimes something will give the me the shits and I'll have a bit of a rant. I'll try not to be offensive but occasionally my mouth opens without asking my brain's permission so I'll apologise in advance.

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