Seniors who attended my U3A class yesterday in Writing Memoir were fascinated by a member’s explanation of how rejections in the publishing industry works. This member was once employed by a prestigious publishing company and knew all the ins and out of the business.

To summarise what she told us:

There are automatic responses sent to newbies – and some oldies too.

1. The rejection letter is addressed to ‘Dear Author’.

2. The rejection letter is addressed to the author by name.

3.The rejection letter suggest a big rewrite and suggests you resend.

4. This letter tells the author that the ms will be sent to a number of reviewers before an acceptance is decided upon.

5. Your ms is accepted. (you should be so lucky) This is where the marketing people have the final say. If you as a person is not seen as ‘marketable’, even if you are a hidden genius, your work will be rejected. 

If writers are aware of these almost insurmountable obstacles, they should be extra thrilled to have their work published. Others should take heart when their ms is actually opened and read and resent to you in your name. Many are not. Many never get beyond rejection No 1. ( see above)

Good luck everyone. You will need it.