Shouts From Down Under

Let's all drive our cars with our heads in the glove box

In the fair and square process of preparing another submission, to be sent electronically, I was studying the typical guidelines that seem to be the same for most book house mobs.

It's all fair enough, and I can see that if I was the other side the desk, trying to cope with all the flood of books from wannabes, that I'd panic a bit too. I might even spill my coffee sometimes.

Yes, there's the rules and tips of what you should and shouldn't do, to give your manuscript the best possible chance.

After these details and other helpful stuff, there are a couple of bits left to the end, and this blog is about these set-in-concrete caveats.

You must abide by the word count. Or within a few hundred words either way. That's fair enough.

But who carves up their piece before having it read and assessed? What's great and what's crap? What's the editor or whoever going to love and hate?

You must send electronically. I prefer to do it this way, and I'm glad I've researched before thinking it would be a great idea to do their job for them, and have it printed out so they can hold it in their hot ink stained, and paper cut hands, and not have to have any vision or skill at prophesy or telepathy.

Still, I suppose it's the words and the effect of your manipulation of them that matters. And I would guess that it's the atmosphere, the immediate feel of your story and the writer's voice they are looking for, not a fancy cover and the sadness in your eyes as you see your hard work shredded, not returned, and know you have wasted all that money and tree material for nothing. Well, you were warned, that much is certain.

You shall not receive any feedback, nor enter into any discussion, nor be given any reason for your manuscript not being accepted.

This is where I have trouble, and no, I'm not published, and may not ever be, if the reality is faced, but does it really take rocket science, or being a published person to see that this lack of feedback is like 7 billion people sitting like monkeys at their typewriters, at night, with the lights turned off, and expecting Shakespeare to come forth from their clacking fingertips?

http://www.allenandunwin.com/default.aspx?page=434

I feel so embarrassingly unqualified to even say this stuff, and perhaps there are plenty of places to see samples of feedback such as I'm talking about here. Are there?

I confess, OK? I do confess, that I have not had the time to sift through all the stuff on the publishers websites. No I've not had time to do all that. I've been busy with research and immersion in my story, the characters, scenery, setting, plot with all it's twists, the back story, overall message, and so it goes on, and on, for the past 5 or 7 years.
And it's plain to see from people's frustration and taking the wide road to self publishing, that I'm not the only one who finds this situation ridiculous.

It's like the Lion who became cross when he ordered soup, and the other animals in the restaurant brought Mr Lion everything they could think of, but they couldn't please him no matter how they tried. He just became more angry.
Finally he roared that he didn't have a spoon.
Wouldn't it just be easier if he'd said that in the first place?

Any help on this, seriously, would be appreciated. How does anyone know where they went wrong, or why their work was rejected, why it wasn't the "trend", why it wasn't popular, why it wasn't PC or whatever else is the reason?

General feedback would at best only be on someone else's work.

Individual assessments are the only answer.

Even the best author could put out one great book and the next one be a clunker.

Am I the only bloke (or blokette) that feels like the entire population of writers is working in the dark, looking in the rear view mirror (other author's works that we've read to get some idea of what publishers want) and trying to drive our literary vehicle down a street with no map, no headlights working and with every swerve of the steering hitting potholes, posts, trees and the occasional mid air void where there is no bridge?

The vehicle of publication that most of us try to start, has a flat battery, with the only other option...the cranky handle.

At least there is beautiful scenery here to sooth the soul, fish to catch, thoughts to collect, ready for the next effort at submission.

Ulverstone: 8:45 pm Tuesday 14th January 2014

I know my novels are good.

But, publishers. Do you?

Sparky