I have been anxiously awaiting a response from Andrea Welch, editor of Beach Lane Books based out of San Diego, for my submission of Penguin & Peacock. She gave me some great feedback during my consultation at the SCBWI WWA conference in April, and I made revisions and sent it back to her in June, then resubmitted it again in September just for good measure. As soon as I saw her name in my inbox today my stomach dropped. I just had a feeling it wasn't going to be good news. Rejections are always tough, even when you prepare yourself for it and try not to get your hopes up too high. The email did have some positive notes to it, including an invitation to send more of my work in the future which is great! But I can't help but feel like one of my favorite stories I've done so far is now dead :(
But I'll keep pressing on. Becuase I want to be a published children's author. I want it more than anything.
Best rejection letter yet:
Hi Jessica!
Thank you for the gentle nudge. I’ll be honest—this one didn’t get lost in the summer shuffle. It’s been sitting on my desk in my “Keep Thinking About It . . . ” folder. There’s so much I like about this story; the characters and the voice are completely lovely and charming. But I keep hesitating because the project somehow feels a little too quiet. I worry that I wouldn’t be able to publish it successfully in the current extremely competitive market. So at this point, I think I should probably pass.
Thank you, though, for your patience and for giving me a chance to consider this manuscript. It’s one of the best I’ve seen from that terrific Seattle conference. I hope you’ll keep me in mind for future stories!
All my best,
Andrea
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