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

[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.