Sharon Dow

Now I sat with a completed manuscript on my computer without any idea of how to proceed from here. My husband suggested I contact a friend who had experience dealing with publishers. I’m not good with cold calls, but if I wanted to make this happen, I had to take the steps offered.

I made the call! He was very helpful, giving me the name of a publishing company and the name of the person at the company that I should speak with. He directed me to their website where I could get the email address.

This would be the first foray into the unknown. Could I do it? It’s a strange sensation; putting yourself and your labour of love on the line, out there where no one knows you and will look at your work with a critical eye. But my dream would never be realized if I didn’t take that step.

The email address was easy to find. I worded my message carefully, checked it twice, then hit ‘send’. Now for the wait. To my surprise I received a response the same day. And, he asked me to complete a ‘New Book Proposal’ which he emailed to me. I was ecstatic. I began working on it the same day. I was on my way!

It was a very valuable yet challenging exercise. I had to write a copy line, a one sentence description, a one paragraph description, describe my audience, categorize my work, record the tone, give reader benefits, compare and contrast my work with other published works, prepare a table of contents, write chapter synopsis, as well as a bio. The work was pure joy. Someone wanted to see my work!  Someone other than family or friends.

Would the manuscript be accepted? Would this be my first rejection? Was I prepared for either scenario?

It’s a little bit like life, isn’t it? Some things go the way we want, but at other times we’re rejected or denied our desires. We need to be able to accept both, knowing that both make up the fabric of our lives. Take heart if you have been rejected. That doesn’t have to be the final comment on your life. As the old expression goes, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get on with your life.