What I Learned by Being on a Pub Board

I was flattered to be asked to serve as a pub board member for a small publisher. I’m no expert. I just love to read. My stint was a short one, but my time spent reading submissions was eye opening, and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to serve in this way.

From the beginning, I was curious to see what types of manuscripts would make it that far and eager to absorb as much information about publishing as possible. I thought it would be easy enough to read and give my opinion. It was, in some ways. But I was surprised by how difficult it could be to judge another author’s work.

It’s hard to say no.

The most difficult part of the job was saying no. 

I didn’t want to say no. I am painfully aware of the amount of effort that goes into writing a book. Still, if a manuscript wasn’t ready or wasn’t appealing, I had to be honest with feedback for the acquisitions editor.

For most authors, rejection is a constant. Publishers often say no, because they have to, for various reasons. That doesn’t mean anyone enjoys being part of giving a pass.

Maybe I’m just a marshmallow, but being a reader for a pub board helped me to understand how hard it could be to reject a novelist’s book baby. I developed a measure of sympathy for agents and publishers, which made my personal collection of rejection letters easier to deal with.

Contest winners don’t always translate into acceptable manuscripts.

Winning contests can give you a leg up. They are a great experience, and there can be tremendous value in entering contests. 

But winning or placing is no guarantee of publication. 

The completed novel needs to follow through on the promise of the opening. If you’ve won a contest, that’s huge, and a wonderful starting place, but don’t neglect the rest of your manuscript. Finish polishing, or developing, the entire book. Contests tend to focus on the first three chapters. Reading contest winners that didn’t quite deliver what I expected taught me to examine every chapter in my own novels.

Landing your dream agent does not guarantee publication.

Having a well-known agent can get attention, but if the person reading your chapters isn’t captivated, or if the execution of the story needs a significant amount of revision, they’ll be forced to use caution. There’s only so many books a publisher can take on. Acquiring an agent is only one step along the way.

Don’t take feedback or rejection personally.

When getting a rejection or comments, don’t take it personally. Rejection is hard, but becoming angry or upset will not change the publisher’s mind. It’s fine to disagree, but try to view feedback objectively, with a goal of understanding why the reader had those opinions in the first place. There could be many reasons why a book isn’t marketable at the moment.

Be authentic.

If an author cannot relate to the main character, they shouldn’t try to write them. If an author uses a set of traits and characteristics to define a character but has no true understanding of the character’s viewpoint or experience, it simply will not work. The story will be off kilter. Lack of authenticity will sink the story. 

Research subject matter, time period, and so on.

The more integral research is to make the story function properly, the more important it is to be accurate. When writing about a segment of society you are not intimately privy to, use multiple sensitivity readers and resources.

The most surprising thing I learned was that some authors at this level may still forgo using sensitivity readers and/or doing basic research. 

I’ve noticed plenty of this in the early beta stage, but didn’t expect to see it in a submission to a publisher. Don’t forget to do all the needed research, fact checking, and use sensitivity readers. I feel it’s one of the easier parts of writing a novel!

Use the best editor at your disposal.

It would be heartbreaking if work was passed over because the publisher felt it had promise but the editing phase had been rushed. 

Be encouraged.

Pub boards are hungry for good books. Remember, publishers are in the business of producing novels and are always looking. Your story might be the next great book!

Also In This Series

What I Learned by Entering Writing Contests

Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.