Friday, June 12, 2015

If Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder, then your publishing deal is in the Eye of the Right Editor - by Pat Simmons




Pat Simmons
Discouraged because of receiving one rejection letter after another? Are you wondering if your time will ever come? Before you give up, be encouraged by what Pat Simmons shares today about her own personal journey to publication. ~ Dawn

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In late 2006, I was about to give up on ever becoming a published author. I had exhausted all leads on agents and editors for my debut Christian romance novel Guilty of Love. I could recite the opening lines of rejection letters with my eyes closed. As a matter-of-fact, when I got the email from Editor Joylynn Jossel, I was already rehearsing the greeting: Thanks Pat for submitting Guilty of Love for our review. Although I enjoyed the story, I...

However, instead of a rejection, I got an offer. Rewind and re-read. Yes, Joylynn saw the beauty of my Christian inspirational novel filled with colorful characters like Grandma BB, a challenging storyline and African-American genealogy. Yes, she became the Right Editor. It was the right manuscript at the right time, seen by the right person. But wait, there’s more.

In September of 2007, I received another rejection letter. It came on the same day Guilty of Love hit the store shelves.  Another editor finally got back to me, concerning Guilty of Love. This time, my heart didn’t drop. Instead, my lips curled into a smile. What God had for me wasn’t that editor. Guilty of Love broke sales records with that publisher and sparked a series with nine books and counting.

Timing is everything. I was ready to move from that small publisher and expand my readership with a bigger publisher. Before electronic submissions, a writer had to print out full, partial or sample chapters to publisher. I had mistakenly printed one too many manuscripts and I refused to discard it (think cost of paper and ink), so I submitted it to a publisher who had already rejected Guilty of Love years earlier by default just because. Mind you, the proposal was to continue the Guilty series.  At the time, publishers were hesitant about picking up a series rather than starting a new one, but the editor LOVED the proposal, the storyline, characters, etc. She offered me a three book deal. My timing with her years earlier was wrong.

The Right Editor is waiting for that right manuscript to cross her desk and when it does…well, the rest is history.





When do you know the most important decision of your life is the right one?

Reaping the seeds from what she's sown; Cheney Reynolds moves into a historic neighborhood in Ferguson, Missouri, and becomes a reclusive.

Her first neighbor, the incomparable Mrs. Beatrice Tilley Beacon aka Grandma BB, is an opinionated childless widow. Grandma BB is a self-proclaimed expert on topics Cheney isn’t seeking advice.

Then there is Parke Kokumuo Jamison IV, a direct descendant of a royal African tribe. He learned his family ancestry, African history, and lineage preservation before he could count.

Unwittingly, they are drawn to each other, but it takes Christ to weave their lives into a spiritual bliss while He exonerates their past indiscretions.



Pat is the multi-published author of several single titles and eBook novellas, and is a two-time recipient of the Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance. She has been a featured speaker and workshop presenter at various venues across the country. As a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth, Pat is passionate about researching her ancestors and then casting them in starring roles in her novels. Pat is currently overseeing the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions and has a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.

Read more about Pat and her books by visiting www.patsimmons.net or on social media.


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https://www.facebook.com/theguiltyseries                 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Carmen-Series/842963302426493?ref=hl