The Top Five Reasons Editors Reject Manuscripts

The number 1 reason editors reject manuscripts is
because the manuscript is not appropriate for the line
that the editor acquires for.

Rejection proof your manuscript by assuring that your
manuscript is appropriate for a particular publisher.
Visit the publisher’s website. Study the titles
they have published recently. Buy and read several titles.
Know what the company publishes and send only items
that are appropriate to that market. Know which lines
and imprints the publisher publishes and mention the
lines and imprints pertinent to your manuscript in your
cover letter. This alerts the editor to the fact that you’ve
done your homework.

 The number 2 reason editors reject manuscripts is
that the story starts in the wrong place and doesn’t
draw the editor into the story quickly enough to avoid
the hasty rejection.

 Make sure that your story starts with a good hook. Dump
the reader in at the deep end where things are taking a
drastic turn. Manuscripts that begin with long passages
of backstory where nothing is happening are rarely
accepted. Most editors have more manuscripts to read
than time to read them. They do not have time to read a
chapter of backstory before getting to the meat of the
story. When possible weave backstory into the manu-
script where it is needed rather than clumping it all at the
beginning of the manuscript..

The number 3 reason editors reject manuscripts is
that the author has told the story rather than showing
it in rich detail. This can make even the most exciting
and well crafted plot seem dull and boring.

 Make sure you understand the difference between show-
ing and telling and make sure that you show the story
unfolding. Create the scene with as much sensory detail
as you can and dump your character into
the middle of the milieu. Beware of summarizing. Instead
show the story as it unfolds. Weave in bits of character
thought and backstory as you need them to provide moti-
vation for character action.

 
The number 4 reason editors reject manuscript is
that viewpoint problems abound.

When I mention viewpoint problems as one of the main
reasons editors reject manuscripts I do not mean that
we reject manuscripts because the viewpoint shifts.
What I mean is that we reject manuscripts because the
viewpoint drifts. Viewpoint shift and viewpoint drift are
two very different things. Viewpoint shift is purposeful;
planned, and in most cases signaled to the reader.
Viewpoint drift on the other hand starts out with shal-
low viewpoint which never deepens…and it drifts about
much like a drunk driver weaving around making un-
signaled lane changes. Make sure that you have a good
understanding of viewpoint and that you show your
story from within the viewpoints of your viewpoint
characters.

 The number 5 reason editors reject manuscripts is
that character motivation is not clear and charac-
ters seem to act and react without any clear reason.

 Make sure that the reasons why your characters do
things is based within them rather than the outside
forces dictated by the line or by the publisher. If you
know that the line requires a love scene on or about
page 122 start laying the groundwork for it at the be-
ginning so that by the time it occurs the reader under-
stands the character’s motivations and the scene
doesn’t feel as if it has been choreographed.

 Motivation and viewpoint go hand in hand. Consider
character motivation when you consider which view-
point to use for crucial scenes.

Authors who cure the five manuscript Maladies named
above will raise their manuscripts above a great deal
of the competition and will be well poised to turn
rejection letters into publishing contracts.