Somebody remind me why I do this, again...?

[desperance]

God, I'm depressed.

Last night's news we know, that I have been orphaned at Del Rey. Today's news is that we have not sold [another series] to [another publisher], despite crazy enthusiasm at editorial; sales & marketing put the kibosh on it. I hate that in principle as well as practice, that the publishing decisions are effectively made by the marketing people; it's an absolute recipe for more-of-the-same mediocrity, and an absolute slam of the door to my own career.

And yes, I know, other publishers do also exist; and it is of course vainglorious to get tantrummy over one rejection; but if we couldn't swing it past this one, I see little to no hope elsewhere.

*glooms*

Comments

[desayunoencama.livejournal.com]

Abrazos.

Publishing. Feh.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

GRaaargh.

*sends cookies*

[time-freak.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Don't get the glooms... er... *thinking of something non gloomy*.... google search some pr0n for a while to ease the misery?!

[cherylmmorgan.livejournal.com]

Which is of course why some of the best fiction these days is being produced by small presses.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

You have my sympathies.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

What rotten luck. But I'm glad you keep trying, because I am a devoted reader and rely on you to keep me saying "Wow!"

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I wish I could offer something more constructive than sympathy. Publishing is upside down these days, and has been since the 80s. If we only could effect a revolution....

[lcohen]

i hope you get an enthusiastic replacement editor at del rey and an enthusiastic yes at the next publisher you ask about the other series!

[ogre-san.livejournal.com]

It's easy to see why some of the small publishers are becoming mid-and-better sized publishers. They're doing what the mainline publishers are forgetting how to do: publishing the best books they can get their hands on and pushing them.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

Waugh. *hugs*

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

God, I know how you feel.

[tamnonlinear.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. This, in the most accurate and eloquent phrasing, sucks.

[julesjones]

Oh, sod. :-(

Here's hoping a smaller and more flexible press will see an opportunity.

[karenmiller.livejournal.com]

Well, bugger with bells on.

[spaceoperadiva.livejournal.com]

*passes tea and spiced rum balls*

Sympathies.

[wishwords.livejournal.com]

That sucks. I don't know what else to say.

[wishus.livejournal.com]

My comments can only echo what everyone else has said.
Silly bloody marketing departments!

[baka-kit.livejournal.com]

Ouch. (((hugs)))

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Is this the one they wanted you to rewrite, so they could sell it to marketing? They passed on that? Idiots!

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Yup. That's the one.

[gauroth.livejournal.com]

When will the Marketing Departments realise that books are different? They aren't commodities like coffee!

As the Vogon Captain said in a different context: 'Death's too good for them.'

[devonellington.livejournal.com]

When I worked in publishing, I found it infuriating to sit at editorial meetings, where everyone around the table loved a book, and then Marketing would bray, "But I don't know how to market it!" and the book would be killed. My position is fire the marketing people and get someone in who can actually do the job for which they're paid; don't sink a perfectly good book.

But few publishers have an actual vision. They don't bother to raise the eyeballs from the spreadsheets enough. Especially since most of them now haven't come up in publishing, but come out of business school.

Fingers crossed you'll find a new and better publisher soon.