Straight Talk from the Editor, 18 Keys to a Rejection-Proof Submission
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend It's rare for a writer to receive a reason for rejection. Often my rejection letter simply states, “We considered it and it's not right for us.” As a book acquisitions editor, I tell you six keys why book ideas are rejected, six keys to guarantee rejection then six keys to guarantee an editor's attention. Whether you use one or two or all six of these keys, I know it will make your pitch distinct from anything… Product details and pricing info |
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27 Customer Reviews Posted
- A Little Obvious
- I thought that he offered a lot of great advice, but in all truth if most writers don't already know these things, they aren't going to pick it up from a brief article like this. I think it's nice that editors want to help writers achieve more opportunity, and as I said he did pinpoint some great advice, but there are a lot of things myself and other writers would be much more interested in learning than these starter basics.
- 2007-05-04, 2 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Some Good Points
- This is a concise booklet that would be very beneficial for the new author. As others have said, hopefully published authors know not to make the mistakes outlined in the text.
As an Editor, I've received submissions with many of the pitfalls suggested. My name has been spelled numerous different ways--and it's an easy name!
I can be turned off immediately by a poorly written query letter; I'd have liked to see more tips in the piece about how to write a query that won't be rejected immediately.
All in all, this was an accurate look into the world of publishing. Some of his points were very valid: I'm much more likely to look at a book where the author has a marketing plan. One that writes me with "How will you market my book" is going to be rejected out of hand.
Writers tend to not send in what an editor requests; another pet peeve and almost always sure to get a rejection--at least from me. If I ask for the synopsis and first three chapters, don't send me chapters 1, 12, and 40. It doesn't show me that you can follow guidelines, let alone your plot!
Good job, Editor! Some of the ideas, though, for those not in the publishing business are a tad confusing, I'd imagine. - 2007-04-27, 4 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Good for beginners
- This is a good article for beginning writers; for more established authors, though, there is nothing revealing here. You should know all of this by now.
- 2007-03-20, 2 of 8 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Don't overlook this little gem--INVALUABLE!
- Terry Whalin wrote another gem--STRAIGHT TALK FROM THE EDITOR, 18 KEYS TO A REJECTION-PROOF SUBMISSION. At 49 cents (yes, 49 cents) it's a steal! This is THE booklet to refer to on what you should do, and what you definitely should not do, when submitting your work. Twenty-two pages of his experience and knowledge of the publishing world are read within minutes. And I'm a slow reader. This is definitely underpriced for all it offers!
Another MUST HAVE by Terry Whalin, BOOK PROPOSALS THAT SELL. One of the best investments you'll ever make for your writing career! - 2007-02-25, 4 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Make your first impression a lasting one! Outstanding tips for those all-important query letters!
- Through my many years of editing, publishing* and writing, I've built a collection of over 100 "How-To" writing books ... from Stephen King's ON WRITING to HOW TO WRITE ATTENTION-GRABBING QUERY & COVER LETTERS. Of course, I learned something from each one, but considering the time invested, I learned more from W. Terry Whalin's 18 keys.
Heaven knows, I've had my fair share (and more) of rejection slips before finally getting three books published, but I truly believe if I had used these keys in the past it wouldn't have taken me so long to get published, AND I might have drawn the attention of more mainstream publishers.
At present, I'm in the process of finishing another book, so I'll hit the NY Biggies (my pet name for mainstream publishers) with query letters that follow Whalin's expert advice. I'll let you know if it works; in fact, if I get a New York publisher and/or agent, I'll shout it all over Amazon.
Thanks, Mr. Whalin. I truly appreciate this little gem of a short story and look forward to reading your books in the near future. Incidentally, I would love to have this man as my editor one day.
* I formerly founded and owned a Union newspaper based in Silicon Valley.
SIDENOTE: You may have noticed that Amazon has made some changes to its website. If it looks the same to you right now, look out for a new format that will be rolling out gradually in the weeks to come. If you can see the changes, especially the review format, I'd like to know what you think. Please leave me a comment with your opinion.
"Love the new look" or "Hate the new look" comments are perfectly acceptable.
My e-mail address is at top of this review. Thank you for your time." - 2007-02-25, 6 of 7 people found this review helpful, Rated:
