TWO days until SAINT SLOAN, my second novel, is released! EEEK! To celebrate, I've asked a lot of awesome authors to come over and share how they got published. I hope you are finding them informative, insightful, and encouraging. Don't EVER give up on your dreams!!! Sherry Gloag is here to talk about how she got published. She faced what we all face: r-e-j-e-c-t-i-o-n. I saw a sign today that said, you don't lose when you come in last, you lose when you quit. So don't quit, and you'll never lose...
Here's Sherry...
As I worked on my manuscript, I knew exactly which publisher I hoped would accept it. I spent hours, weeks; months studying their submission requirements. Not only for the line I was targeting but for some of the others too to highlight possible traps I might fall into. And the story took almost a year to write. It wasn’t my first full-length novel manuscript but it became my first published one.
After my target publisher rejected my offering with some comments that hurt, I dug a hole and disappeared with my tattered pride, battered self-belief and the overwhelming need to indulge in the mother-and-father of a pity-party.
Soon I began to feel angry. Not because of the rejection, well not entirely, but because I wondered how I could have got my research and efforts so wrong. And if that happened with this publisher what chance did I have of convincing another in the future?
Then I got mad all over again. I would show everyone I could do this, including myself. For the next few months I cut and tweaked, wrote and rewrote, and then spent hours online looking for e-publishers. (Astraea Press didn’t exist at this time.) I chose The Wild Rose Press and submitted my story.
It came back.
But this time the wonderful editor included such an encouraging email, I contacted her directly and she gave me some fabulous advice, and a couple of recommendations of where to try next. I followed her advice, tried another line of The Wild Rose Press and was accepted. In October 2010 The Wild Rose Press published my first book, The Brat.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Brat-ebook/dp/B0044XV850/ref=la_B0042QD6S6_1_1_title_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1361629610&sr=1-1
And
http://www.amazon.com/Brat-Sherry-Gloag/dp/1601548257/ref=la_B0042QD6S6_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361629610&sr=1-1
~~~
I submitted my next book to the same publisher but it didn’t quite fit their remit, so I looked and was accepted elsewhere.
During that time I had heard of and followed the launch and growth of Astraea Press, but was already involved in writing a novella for a Valentine anthology which was followed by a short story for yet another anthology. This was rejected, so I rewrote it and asked a friend if she would read it for me. I didn’t know at the time she was and still is an editor with Astraea Press. She liked it enough to suggest I extend the story, and let her see it. So I did, and then using her advice I submitted it to Astraea Press and From Now Until Forever was accepted. Since then Astraea Press has published another novella, His Chosen Bride, the 2nd in my Gasquet Princes series, and my current full-length Regency romantic suspense novel, Vidal’s Honor.
SHERRY'S BLOG: http://sherrygloagtheheartofromance.blogspot.com/ SHERRY'S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE w/ buy links: http://www.amazon.com/Sherry-Gloag/e/B0042QD6S6/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1361841669&sr=1-2-ent