This came this morning, from an independent proof-reader who has been reading my first attempt at a novel. Whilst it's technically a letter of rejection, I think there are a lot of positives I can take from it. I have removed the names from the letter. It read like this:- Dear [My name], Regarding your submission of [Name of the book]. I enjoyed reading this story, however I would advise you against approaching a publishing company at this point. Whilst the plot of the novel is sound, there are a number of factual inconsistencies throughout which need to be addressed, in particular those relating to [character]'s journey to [location]. I also felt as though the chapters relating [character]'s backstory broke up the flow of the story and were not properly sequenced. I did not realise until [chapter] that what I was reading was not occuring in the present day, which I resented. Finally, I felt that the quality of your writing improved as the novel progressed. It is important to start strongly to give publishers the right impression, so certain parts near the start will need to be re-worked if you wish to pursue this project further. It is clear to me that you understand the writer's craft, but this novel is not yet ready for publication. I would welcome the chance to read a subsequent re-draft of this work. Yours sincerely, [Proof-reader's name]
Congrats!!!!! If you want me to review anything or offer suggestions, feel free to PM me and let me know (don't worry, I don't steal or anything, I just like helping out and reviewing) It seems like you're almost there, then! Yay!
Fantastic, and thank you very much for sharing this with us. Keep it up, and soon enough we'll be reading your acceptance letters in a year or two.
did you pay for this service?... if it wasn't too much, you got good feedback for your money... the writer seems to know his/her business...
Yes, I did pay for the service, but I cheated a little because my cousin knew him, so I got a discount hehe. I figured that getting your friends and relatives to read your work is all good and well, but the only way to get proper impartial feedback is to send it to a proper impartial proof-reader. The most important thing to take from that letter is that the story itself seems fine. The "factual inconsistencies" are silly little things, like in one chapter my main protagonist is 18 years old, and in a subsequent chapter she's 17. I thought I'd ironed out all of those things but evidently missed some. Still - that's why I got it proof-read...
Just curious ... what sort of service were you paying that hinged on a acceptance or rejection? Was this proofer a sort of gatekeeper of sorts? In any case, keep up the great work ... it's a good thing indeed to draw strength from a rejection letter.
I was wondering the same, but took it to be more a "don't send it yet" than rejection from further services, OP am I right? =)
