You Win Some...And You Hope to Win Some Later

I was trying to decide whether I should share this news with you just yet or not. Finally I decided that yes, I should. After all, it's part of the writing process. Are you ready?

I have been rejected.

Sort of.

That is to say, at first, there was the possibility that Magination Press was going to take my picture book. The editor asked me for a rewrite with certain changes in December, and I sent it back to her with changes made. She liked the changes, but I had to wait for the editorial board to approve it at the end of February. February came. February went. Still I waited. I decided that no news was good news, because editors are quick to let you know when they don't want something. It meant they were still thinking.

Yesterday the email came. It was a very nice letter, especially considering how much time editors don't have to spare writing to authors whose books they are not planning to publish. In short, they loved the story, laughed at the story, but could not quite, after much deliberation, actually print the story. Magination Press specifically prints self-help books that equip children to deal with psychological issues, and my book lacked the psychological depth for what they need for their line.

I have to admit, nothing could have been further from my mind than psychological depth when I was writing it, but since the main character deals with sibling issues, I thought it might squeak through anyway.

Still, it's a great story, and it's very encouraging to survive the slush pile and have the first editor who has seen it want to publish it, at least for awhile.