Q&A Thursday

you are not a failure edition

Hey friends,

It’s been a heckuva week! I’ve been all in my feels. So has this author. Let’s help them.

B asks: My editor recently turned down my option book, and I feel completely humiliated and dejected. I sold my debut last year very quickly, in a six-figure deal, as a lead title to a big 5. Fast forward to this year: my book is in production for publication in 2026, and we sent my fully finished option book to my editor, hopeful that we could set the rhythm of putting out one book a year. Except my editor said no. She said she just “didn’t fall in love with the characters”. Being rejected by my own editor, before my debut has even come out, is a pain that I was not prepared for. For weeks afterward I could not write a single word. I heard that the sales conference or launch meeting (not sure which) for my season took place recently, and I have a hunch that a business decision was made to deprioritize my book, because it has gotten zero buzz since it sold. No foreign sales, no options, nothing. I’ve also heard that the big book clubs and book boxes make their picks a year in advance, so I’m assuming I haven’t made the cut for those, either. My agent thinks I should keep sending new pitches to my editor until we land on one she likes, but the idea of doing that really hurts my pride as an artist. At this point I am convinced the publishing house has lost its faith and investment in me, and I feel the same in return.

Ugh, I’m so sorry. This is so hard and I know it really knocked the wind out of your sails. But you are not out, not by a long shot. Your publishing career started with a bang, so it’s natural (though not fun) that it would hit a bump in the road. No one’s career goes up and up and up and up.