We rejected a manuscript today. It was a well-written piece of women's fiction.
Question: We put SO much time into this. Read the query; loved it. Read the partial. Ditto. Read the entire manuscript. Why did we turn it down?
Long Answer: We hated the characters. There was nothing to hang onto. They were simply awful women.
Think back to your school days. Remember the gorgeous girl who seemed to want to be your friend? You were pleased and flattered. She was smart, beautiful, funny and had lots of other friends. Then you really got to know her. You saw the cruel trick she played on the fat girl in algebra. You heard her lie to the teacher. You saw her cheat on every test. You even saw the nasty note she wrote about you! You began to dislike her very much and soon you moved on to a new circle of friends.
That's how this book made me feel. It's women's fiction. Ya' gotta' give me something to love, people!
BUT on a positive note--We took on a new author today. The book is funny, sweet, and fabulous. It concerns golf, the 60s and a dog with great power. I'll tell you more about this project in weeks and months to come, but let me just say, reading this manuscript was a pure delight. I've been chuckling all day.
2 days ago
2 comments:
Did the book give any insight into why the characters were like that? As a reader, I can deal with characters--even 'protagonists'--who are arseholes if I can at least understand why they are.
But it might just be me.
Hmmm. Danielle Steele and Taylor Caldwell get published, and I NEVER like any of their female characters... nor, do I think, do they!
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