I started writing a fantasy novel in 1990. I finished it about '91 or '92 and submitted it to a few publishers, but it was declined. I decided it needed rewriting. I was content, generally, with the plot and the characters but what the magic could and could not accomplish needed work. I set it aside and did not work on it until 2014. I finished the rewrite and was pretty pleased. I also added some good details and characters in the second half, and the story is much better than it was. Most of my submissions were simply a synopsis plus the first ten pages, or twenty pages, or first three chapters, and I continued to accumulate rejections. Then I received an e-mail add for Autocrit, a software editing program. While researching it on the internet I discovered ProWritingAid and a few others. If you're interested, just type in "manuscript editing software" in your browser and you'll find plenty of info. I decided I liked ProWriting Aid for a couple of reasons. ProWritingAid highlighted overused words, adverbs, passive voice, possible writing style defects, and other things. It called for some rewriting, but after I was finished the manuscript was much better and about 6,000 words shorter.
Since I had received rejections from so many publishers, I submitted Witchery to Double Dragon Publishing, the same one that published Prophecy of Honor. I received an acceptance e-mail in less than a week, and I've now signed the contract.
But here's a funny thing: Back in March I submitted the total manuscript to a small press publisher. Their website predicted a 2-3 month waiting period. In late July I sent them a follow-up inquiry but received no reply, so I just figured they weren't interested. Just a few days after I received DDP's acceptance I got an e-mail from this publisher. They were going to start reading it but wanted to know if it was still available.
I explained that the manuscript they had was no longer valid because of the massive edit I'd done since, and that they were just over a week too late.
As soon as Witchery has a scheduled publication date I'll post it here and on Facebook.
Since I had received rejections from so many publishers, I submitted Witchery to Double Dragon Publishing, the same one that published Prophecy of Honor. I received an acceptance e-mail in less than a week, and I've now signed the contract.
But here's a funny thing: Back in March I submitted the total manuscript to a small press publisher. Their website predicted a 2-3 month waiting period. In late July I sent them a follow-up inquiry but received no reply, so I just figured they weren't interested. Just a few days after I received DDP's acceptance I got an e-mail from this publisher. They were going to start reading it but wanted to know if it was still available.
I explained that the manuscript they had was no longer valid because of the massive edit I'd done since, and that they were just over a week too late.
As soon as Witchery has a scheduled publication date I'll post it here and on Facebook.
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