What Does A Rejection Mean?

There are few experiences more crushing for a writer than his or her first rejection. The first rejection is bad enough, but when he or she begins to receive rejections in the dozens, it is possible to begin to question whether the manuscript is ready to be published. This is especially true for writers who may not have previously received publication.

Do not take a rejection personally. Although receiving a rejection is a painful experience, the publisher or agent does not mean a manuscript is not worth being published. It means that they are not the right person to help you with your publishing experience. It is important to research agents or publishers carefully before submitting. Agents and publishers look for manuscripts they know are well written and have high marketability.

One of the more common causes for rejection is because the guidelines that the agents or publisher have set were not followed while submitting to them. Many individuals start to wonder when they should start revising their manuscript or query again, or if they should give up hope. If enough rejections are received, try to identify the cause (i.e. the query letter or first ten pages or equivalent of the manuscript). However, any writer submitting should make sure they do not change their manuscript because of rejections if only a query has been viewed and not the actual manuscript itself.

There are many reasons that a manuscript may be rejected. Properly identifying the reason behind a rejection may help in future endeavors. The market is controlled by the readers, and as companies and businesses, agents and publishers, have to find what those reader will want and release it with proper timing. Researching the market can be very important, but even more important is finding the niche of that market that your novel fits into and the agent or publisher that can help you get there.

If proper preparation has been taken including writing classes, proper editing, professional workshops, and there is 100% confidence in the manuscript, keep that confidence. Know your genre and keep faith in your heart. Keep in mind that often the individual you are submitting to is not necessarily the one doing the initial evaluation. Therefore, never give up and continue to try with confidence while learning along the way.

Best of luck!

The Bokheim Chu

Writing Your First Novel

When writing a first novel, the experience is similar to having a child or a beloved pet. You write the words and suddenly something completely extraordinary blooms from the once blank pages. Suddenly it is your baby and you put all of your love into it. You dream of its future and setting goals. Unfortunately, many author’s first novels never reach publication. Do not let this discourage you. It is not a negative thing to experience, only a stepping-stone to improving your writing, plot structure, etc.

Some individuals may try to get their first novel published and find that it is far more difficult than they had imagined. This is usually true for every individual. A writer’s job does not finish once the last page has been penned or typed. Instead, the quest for the perfect query begins. Many publishers now refuse to accept unsolicited queries because of the grueling process so many have to go through. As a result, many with talent have gotten lost in the ever-growing slush pile.

When a novel is finished, an author is then asked to write a query letter – a synopsis covering the full range of the novel, including any additional information and qualifications. For some authors, they begin to wonder if they are selling their novel, or their qualifications. At Bokheim Publishing, we prefer to allow your novel to speak for itself. What we need is a well-written manuscript that fits our guidelines and preferences.

This can mean anything from a Young Adult Urban Fantasy to Christian Memoirs. We try to give a fair chance to every submission that follows our guidelines and we make sure that accepted projects receive the attention they deserve. This might not mean your first novel is published, but hang in there, because with each finished novel a writer can grow. Before you know it, just as with the transformation of those blank pages you watched bloom into something new and amazing, you may find yourself blooming into a published author.

If you have any questions concerning the process, or merely a question you have always wanted to ask a publisher, please do not hesitate to let us know here or e-mail us at submissions@bokheim.com. We will even post your question along with our answer anonymously in order to allow others to benefit who may have the same questions.

Check out our submission guidelines at http://publishing.bokheim.com! Best of luck with your writing!

The Bokheim Chu

Becoming an Author

Becoming a writer is a life-long dream for some individuals. For any writer who dreams of becoming an author, the first step is to believe that he or she can accomplish that dream. Confidence shows not only in person, but also in how a writer’s work is viewed. A similar example would be someone preparing for a job interview.

It is important to note the difference between becoming a writer vs. becoming an author. Being a writer is a passion, but being an author is a career. As with any career, it is important to maintain an air of professionalism. Agents and publishers want to know that writers can be professional authors. The interview process begins with the query and ends only when the contract between publisher and author has been signed.

Marketing is important for spreading the word about the author. Promoting a novel by joining a social network, posting on forums and simply making one’s voice heard are some of the best marketing methods available. Having a website ahead of time can be very helpful to this process. Many agents and publishers do check to see if a writer has already taken the effort to create and maintain a professional website for his or her career

However, getting a website for a book specifically may not be the best course of action due to changes that may occur during publication. Although, once a proper title is agreed upon, it is always a good idea to secure a web address for the marketing purposes. Even if the publisher requests to maintain the website, the domain will be readily available.

Remember to be professional at all times and always be courteous, even if a rejection is received. Whether writing fiction or non-fiction, even if a writer is rejected he or she will benefit from the reputation that is developed over time. This includes manuscripts, queries and any online presence including blogging or social networking. Work hard and have faith!

Best of luck!

The Bokheim Chu

Seeking New Authors

Bokheim Publishing is a relatively new publishing house. However, there are decades of combined digital and print publishing knowledge our employees utilize to make publishing with us one of the most unique and pleasurable experiences of any writer’s career. For potential authors, this allows us to open the field to new possibilities.

Why is this? Here at Bokheim Publishing, a manuscript, even if previously published in print, receives the attention it deserves. Bokheim authors are entitled to special benefits. We offer higher royalties than most and more rights to Bokheim authors. Bokheim will always offer the full resources at our disposal to anyone who signs with us.

All authors can expect personalized attention for their manuscripts, including your own personal editor and marketing team. We currently offer 35% royalties on every sale we make. Bokheim Publishing also provides a 3-year initial contract for digital rights only, giving authors the right to publish their manuscripts in print with whomever they wish. At any time during the 3-year period, authors have the right to opt out of publishing with us. Authors who continue past the initial contract will be given higher royalties and even better benefits.

Many individuals wonder why e-books are becoming so popular. There are many reasons, which include less environmental side effects, lower costs, which help individuals suffering from the side effects of the recession still be able to have reading as their outlet and the vast change in costs for producing the products themselves. By offering a manuscript in e-book format, more individuals and their families will be able to enjoy the wonderful creation that authors have created.

Although some authors are hesitant about offering their books on the internet, there are many advantages to offering books in e-book format. The internet has received more attention than any previous industry in the history of business. Knowledge and entertainment is readily available to thousands of individuals all around the world. We market carefully, offering our books not only through our own publishing website, but also among other selected businesses. All of our books are suitable for any age group and do not have any derogatory terms.

For authors who find our invitation appealing, we hope they will take the next step and allow us to review a query. By publishing with Bokheim, we will be able to open up a new world that is yearning to read new manuscripts. Join us in giving the world your book and a tomorrow filled with the joy of reading!

Please review our submissions policy at http://publishing.bokheim.com today and e-mail your queries to:

submissions@bokheim.com

Thank you,

Bokheim Publishing

Writing Tips When Submitting

Few challenges a would-be author will face in his or her writing career will match the anxiety that writing a query can bring. A writer can have one of the best manuscripts ever available to submit, but if his or her query does not give justice to the manuscript, it may never be given a chance. Therefore, for our blog readers, we would like to offer some suggestions that we hope might be helpful in future endeavors.

As when writing any letter, be sure to address the correct individual or publisher. A common mistake that happens daily is for writers to submit query letters en masse. By that, we mean a single query letter is written, the name of the first intended recipient is added, and the query letter is sent out to all future possible publishers with the original publisher’s name still on it. Not only is this unprofessional, but it can also open up questions as to the manuscript itself.

Although some writers may believe that they are the future J.K. Rowling, Danielle Steele or Stephanie Meyers, telling a publisher this will not impress anyone. Originality is highly prized in the publishing world. While publishers are running a business, and therefore are desiring to make sales, they want to hear that a writer is going to be great and offer something new, not something that has already been done before.

Submission guidelines are offered to save publishers and writers time. They exist to provide writers the opportunity of locating the best publisher for their work and to provide publishers with the specific area they are interested in publishing. If a publisher is not interested in a specific genre (i.e. submitting horror to a romance publisher), it behooves the writer to find an appropriate publisher.

Poorly written query letters will make publishers think the manuscript is poorly written. Most queries are a few paragraphs long, a page at most. If a writer did not check for spelling, grammar, or if his or her query message comes across clearly on such a short length query, most will assume the manuscript is similarly written. Always edit a query and have a second, third and possibly even fourth person check it.

Remember, queries are about the manuscript. If written well, a manuscript will always receive the attention it deserves.