Hey readers, happy Monday! Annette here. This week we're continuing our series from Editor Nick Harrison (Harvest House) on why publishing committees reject manuscripts. Remember, they're not in any particular order, but they're all key. We can learn a lot from this seasoned pro. Read on!
Seven Reasons the Committee
Says No :Part II*
Says No :Part II*
by Nick Harrison
Reasons two and three why the committees reject manuscripts:
The topic is not of interest in the current market. I see some fine proposals for books that are not presently selling in our market. Twenty years ago, it may have been hard to sell an Amish-themed novel. Now it is not all that hard (if well-written). Currently, contemporary suspense does not sell for us, though apparently some other publishers are finding some success with that genre. Fantasy does not do well. In non-fiction, personal stories don’t fare very well. Related to this is when a book’s potential market is too small. A good example is a well-written proposal I saw a few years ago. The proposed book was for Christian grandparents who were raising their grandchildren because their own adult children had defaulted on parenthood. I’m sure there are many grandparents doing that, but not enough for us to reach effectively through our channels of distribution.
The proposed book is not a good fit for our publishing house. This follows perfectly from point two. We’ve had success in areas where other publishers have not. Others have had success where we’ve failed. This is why I often stress the importance of sending a proposal to not just any publisher, but to the publishing house that is successfully publishing what you write. Do your research.
Join us next Monday for more on this series. Great information, huh? Learn more about Nick at his blog.
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* This post originally appeared on Nick Harrison's blog. Used by permission.
