As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I have a proposal out on submission to a few New York houses. Or, I should say, had. Yesterday was the official close date for the project, and although I haven’t received a no from everyone yet, more than half the editors who had it have passed.
But the reason authors need Prozac isn’t because rejection is depressing, even though it certainly is a bummer. No, I think authors need Prozac because publishing professionals (be they agents or editors) can seem so oddly bipolar.
What I mean is that the aspect that one agent/editor loves about your manuscript is very often the element another one cites as the reason for passing. Now, of course, agents/editors are under no obligation to give you a reason for rejecting your work, so I’m always pleased when they go out of their way to try to explain their decisions. It’s just rattling because you hope for a rejection that can help you figure out how to do better next time, but when you have people passing for exactly the opposite reason (love premise/hate execution vs. hate premise/love execution), it definitely leaves you shaking your head.
And wishing for a nice dose of Prozac. Or barring that, a lot of alcohol.
Everything goes better with Xanax! 😛