A very nice rejection...alas

[clarentine]

The agent who'd requested a partial of Cavalier Attitude sent me a rejection this week. It's never fun to get those envelopes you've addressed and stamped, hoping never to have them come back, and I regretted seeing this one (not least because I really do think Cavalier is the strongest book I've written thus far). Alas. But it was a very nice, very helpful rejection letter, and I appreciate the kindness that went into its composition.

"While the tone, flow, and voice hit all the right notes for me, Cavalier runs the risk of being sub-categorized to death - a fantasy novel, a high fantasy novel, a gay novel (and more, a novel about gay love and its proscription) - which I fear would limit its audience from the start. I simply can't be confident that you'll find publication at a trade publisher; it's the sort of project that would do quite well at a small press, and it doesn't suit my time or yours to involve me in the hunt for the right place."

Good thing I got today's words in before the mail came. I have a feeling I'll be mulling over that bit about small press publication for quite a while.

Comments

[jmeadows.livejournal.com]

Well pook. Nice buts are nice, but... *sigh*

It's a step forward! You'll fine one who falls in love! Onward!

[clarentine]

Thanks. One writes what one writes and finds the market afterward, right? ::sigh::

I need to ask in chat what people think, if they have an informed opinion, of a first novel being published in small press--what, if anything, that does to one's career. I knew going in that Cavalier was going to be a tough sell, in part because of the m/m love story subplot. It might just be that Cavalier will not be the first published Chris Coen novel. *g* Bells, the first one I got in draft with novel_in_90, has the potential to be better and more commercially marketable, I think (no icky boysmoochies and a nice, solid adventure plot).

Or, you know, maybe small press's cachet is looking up, and that really is a good idea.

(The first question I asked myself, after rereading the letter and digesting it, was, did I think she was in a position to judge the categorization of the novel? After thinking about it, I decided she was. Though I'm still not sure about "high fantasy novel"!)

At least she didn't call it a romance! *g*

And yes, onward. Ever onward. There is no other direction possible.

[corrinalaw.livejournal.com]

Bummer. :(

If it helps, that is a good rejection.

Dammit, I did get an email lead from somewhere about a publishing looking for books of all genres with gay themes but I think I lost it. I will endeaver to retrace.

The other thought that occurs to me is Ellora's cave--not the erotica end but the genre fiction end, as they know how to get books in the hand of an audience that would enjoy fantasy, high adventure, and be attracted to the gay themes.

Except my knee-jerk response is that she's being awfully limiting. It sounds like she would have said the same about Mercedes Lackey's Vanyel books.

[ter369.livejournal.com]

It sounds like she would have said the same about Mercedes Lackey's Vanyel books.

Probably. Though I don't know how heavy the fantasy element is in clarentine's manuscript. Somtimes, when the fantasy is more the alternate-world setting instead of "magic works in this world", it's harder to determine what aspect to market, which I think is the point in this response. I loooove mixed genre, but I don't see that much of it on the shelves.

Somebody needs to do a Mixed Genre Imprint.

[clarentine]

She recommended I get in contact with Lawrence Schimel, desayunoencama, who has experience on the m/m publication side as well as the small press side (and a whole lot more). I know of him, but have not conversed directly with him.

And yeah, with regard to mixed genre and hard to market. As I said to jmeadows above, I knew starting out marketing Cavalier that it was going to be an uphill battle.

Lackey's Vanyel books had the advantage of being one of the first, if not the first, high fantasies to feature an openly gay protagonist. Plus she had Angst and all those big-eyed horses going for her, and must have been roping in the teen girl readers by the thousands. I'm not willing to carry Dimo over that line. *g* ::hides Angst Queen hat::

[ter369.livejournal.com]

I knew starting out marketing Cavalier that it was going to be an uphill battle.

Another thought: Ellen Kushner's Swordspoint and Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series. I haven't read them, but they pop up in discussions of cloak-and-dagger fantasy with gay characters, or whenever Sarah Monette's books are referenced.

Somebody's publishing alternate-history/fantasy-history adventures with gay characters, not just small press. Both Kushner's and Flewelling's books above are published by Spectra. Maybe you can reverse research and find out which agents sell to Bantam/Spectra.

[clarentine]

Swordspoint is to die for. Really. You'd like it; Kushner gets the really harsh realities of Renaissance-era urban life, complete with an upper class snobbery that's very well done, and there are swordfights. *g* And Alec, and Richard, who are superbly warped characters.

After she wrote Swordspoint, she wrote Return of the King (or was that Kings?), which went over my head. And some short stories, because no one was ready to hear the last of Alec and Richard. And then she wrote The Privilege of the Sword, which came out last year, and made my day for various plot-related reasons I shall not spoil you on.

The Flewelling books come up simply because the main characters are two homosexual lovers. The plots themselves are okay, and the writing is fair. The settings are interesting. I understand Flewelling's The Bone Doll's Twin is better than the Nightrunner series (it's a single and a duology), but I haven't read it because it lacks the characters I was interested in.

They come up in reference to Monette's book because of her Felix. *g* (Which you no doubt know.) Lovely character.

Maybe you can reverse research and find out which agents sell to Bantam/Spectra.

Good idea! I have a friend who kept an Excel spreadsheet for several years of various SFF agented sales; I bet I can get it sorted by publisher.

[clarentine]

Thanks! It made me happy that she liked tone, flow, and voice, since Cavalier is pretty representative of the way my voice has matured. (Unlike the Canum books, which, while much better polished than they were initially, are still a younger, less sophisticated presentation.)

[clarentine]

And, you know, it's not about the love story. Not primarily. There's a whole real external plot in there! This is where I really wish I could get an agent type to read the entire blinking book...and why I re-did the query letter, to present the external plot almost exclusively and hint at the subplots.

[corrinalaw.livejournal.com]

No, it's definitely not a love story. Even if they were heterosexual leads, I wouldn't qualify it as a romance--the theme is not about how the relationship changes each other, for instance, but how their reactions to the plot elements change your main character.

So, not a romance.

Kristin Nelson reps Linnea Sinclair, who is writing galactic SF with romance subplots. Sinclair is in the SF section. But I've been told that Nelson does like cross-genre and 'quirky' so it might be worth a try there, too, even if you have fantasy and not SF.

[clarentine]

I think I had set aside thoughts of querying Nelson; don't know why now. Maybe she wasn't repping fantasy, or something along those lines. I'll take another look.

[ter369.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling I'll be mulling over that bit about small press publication for quite a while.

rwday and erastes have had novels with gay characters/themes, one historical and one fantasy, published by small press. erastes posts info about small press, and niche topics press in her LJ. I have a copy of her historical fiction novel (1820, England and Europe) setting with a male/male romance ... though romance is a publishing term, more than the tone of the story. If you'd like to read it, to see what's up with small press in this instance, send me an e-mail with your mailing address.

I'll keep an eye out for publishers you might match, too.

Here's Alan Rickman with a sword, in lieu of virtual chocolate.

[clarentine]

Snape! Sword! (Ah, but my love goes out to Sirius. *g*)

I'll email you. I'd like to see the story and how they present it. And thank you for your help!

[ter369.livejournal.com]

(Ah, but my love goes out to Sirius. *g*)

<3 <3 <3

[clarentine]

It's the eyes, and the history. *g* I did say Angst Queen, didn't I?

[ter369.livejournal.com]

It's the eyes, and the history. *g*

He is the wizarding Count of Monte Cristo. Plus, y'know, Gary Oldman.

[clarentine]

Oh, Monte Cristo...oh, oh. I do so love Dumas.

Dumas

[ter369.livejournal.com]

Looks like The Last Cavalier is finally being released this month.

It was lost for over a century, until discovered recently, unfinished. The French publication was a big bestseller. Just the blurb sounds wonderful.

Re: Dumas

[clarentine]

What a good year this has been for new books! (And will be yet, with books to be released.)

[ter369.livejournal.com]

I'll email you. I'd like to see the story and how they present it. And thank you for your help!


You're welcome! I've got the book in a bubble envelope, and lots of stamps on hand.