I’m going to guess that most authors have a few unsold manuscripts on their hard drives, under their beds, in their closets. I’m going to guess, too, that most authors don’t sell their first full length novel. Some will, but most won’t. I did sell my second, but there was a world of difference between the quality of that one and the one that had come before. That sale was to a small print publisher. It took me three years to make my second sale, that one to Harlequin, and during the interim I learned even more about craft. Since then, I’ve continued to sell on proposal, with many a blind option book tacked onto my contracts.
I have only the one full manuscript that never sold, but I do have several partials. Most I’ve let go. Some, I just can’t. They’re stuck in my head – and in my heart – and nothing will shake them. I love them and can’t let them go.
My experience with working over old ideas, however, is not particularly positive, yet neither has it been so negative that it’s turned me off doing so. I have a Harlequin Blaze release that was rejected by one editor, then given life by another eight years later. Admittedly, I’d never done enough work on that story in the first place, so when I resurrected it, the experience was incredibly painful. Thinking I knew it well, I failed to give myself enough time in my schedule to write it. That was a huge mistake. I turned in the manuscript knowing my hero was an ass. The first revision words out of my editor’s mouth were, “Your hero is an ass.” (Okay, maybe not verbatim, but it was the same sentiment.) I rewrote about half the book, a task that threw off my next contracted book for this same editor, but I had no choice. My hero was an ass.
The only other idea I’ve sold out of my story graveyard was one which had been rejected by every single title editor in the business on the query alone – this even though it won several RWA chapter contests. It was an action adventure romance, 
and in the early nineties, no one was publishing much in the way of action adventure romance. (Timing, timing, timing.) My rejections all said just that. We love this, but we have NO idea what to do with it. A dozen years later, I used two characters from that idea as the basis for my action adventure Smithson Group series from Kensington Brava, and eventually wrote the original for Brava, too. It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever written. It was too short. I wrote it during a horribly stressful time in my life. I couldn’t thread the subplot as skillfully as I wanted to, so at the last minute I yanked it. The book saw print, received decent reviews, generated appreciative reader feedback, and at least my hero wasn’t an ass. In fact, he’s still one of my favorite heroes ever.
Right now, I have a proposal being shopped that is the best thing I’ve ever written. Trust me. It is the BEST, and it’s something I started working on over ten years ago. Ten. That is a long LONG time. It went out originally to five editors, then four more, then another, and I’m waiting to hear on a recent additional query. I want to write this idea more than anything I’ve ever put together. I love these characters more than life itself. I can see them, hear them. No other set of characters has ever been so real to me. It’s like they’re people I truly know, not a figment of my imagination. They’re my friends.
What have my rejections said? (Some details redacted to protect the work.)
“Alison is a lovely writer and there were several nice elements here. However, in the final analysis, I am not sure that the premise here is strong enough to stand out on the crowded contemporary romance shelf. For this reason, I am afraid I must pass on this particular project.”
“Alison is obviously a seasoned professional but, with some reluctance, we are going to pass. Her writing was nice, and I like the character of [...] a great deal but we generally steer clear of stories with [...] plots. I did appreciate all the realistic detail about [...] though.”
“I loved the details of [...], and I think her premise is a good one–she manages to combine very different heroes with a variety of skills, yet still give them the bonds of brotherhood. That said, I don’t think this one is for me. Despite some strong moments, I didn’t quite fall in love with the writing, and ultimately don’t think I’m the best editorial champion for the series.”
“I’m actively looking for contemporary romance, particularly with this kind of feel, so I was really hoping to fall in love with it. Alas, I’m afraid I have to pass as I just didn’t find it compelling enough to pursue for our list. Too much of it felt like set up for the series, backstory and introducing characters, rather than a page-turning story where the reader meets the cast of characters along the way.”
From my agent on another: “She decided not to pursue it because she didn’t find it high concept enough. But she wants me to keep her in mind for anything else you work on because she thought your writing showed a lot of talent.”
One of the original editors to get this package still has it, as does an editor who requested it after a lunch pitch by my agent. Then there’s the query that’s still out there, so I haven’t yet given up hope. But I may have to. I want to sell this story / series. I want to write it more than that, but my financial situation isn’t going to allow me to spend the time unless I’m being paid to do so. I don’t want to let it go, but if it comes down to it, do I have a choice? How do you know when it’s time to tell a beloved project good-bye?
(Oh, yeah, the current WIP? It’s one more I’ve resurrected, but the last one worthy of my time and attention. *g*)
If You Love Somebody and Fly Little Wing photos by lepiaf.geo
