Thanks for having me here Carrie! I'm so excited!
I racked my brain trying to think of a great publishing story, one filled with laughter and fun. But alas! My road to publication wasn't that funny. I cringed, I cried, I yelled, I danced, I cried some more. But after sifting through my submissions packet I found something that made me crack up. Yes. Crack up.
I'm glad I kept the email submission for a short story dated November 26, 2006. This was my first attempt at publication as an adult. Yes, an adult. Laugh at will.
Here's what I wrote.
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Dear Editor:
I've attached a copy of a short story for your review.
In all honesty, I have no idea what message to include in the email but--Enjoy!
Respectfully,
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I learned this is really not the way to go when submitting your stories. Though the editor did respond with kind words and a detailed reason for rejection that did not include the writing of the cover letter.
Lesson learned: You can only get better.
About Elizabeth:
Elizabeth has worked in the community for the bulk of her professional career. She enjoys quiet moments, action flicks, and dancing with her four-year-old. THE SECOND SIGN is her debut novel. You can find more information about Elizabeth at:
About THE SECOND SIGN
Category: YA
Genre: Dark Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing
Bred to believe in the war between angels and demons, Gabby has come to the conclusion that love is responsible for war, jealousy, and all the other deadly sins she can think of. So when she’s exiled to the middle of nowhere for getting kicked out of her fifth school for fighting, she doesn’t expect to meet Jake. Much less fall in love. But Jake is quickly drawn to the eerie beauty of her violet eyes while Gabby is unsettled by their undeniable connection.When a demon guardian comes to collect her soul, she refuses to give it up. She’s not a demon. She can’t be. Her father and twin brother are angels. The demon gives Gabby twenty-four hours to decide her allegiance, and then starts killing her short list of friends, leaving a message behind: She is the Second Sign.
As Gabby and Jake begin to unravel the mystery behind the Second Sign, she learns Jake may be the key to saving her soul. But it means a sacrifice has to be made that will change their lives forever.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Book Trailer:
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Have a great week, guys! :)
28 comments:
You were short and to the point though!
lol. Hilarious. Thanks Alex. =)
LOL. Oh my. That is, by far, the most awesome submission letter I've ever read. =)
Ah yes, remember how earnest we all were in the early days, when we had something shiny and new and wanted the whole world to see it? I cringe to think of the queries I sent out way before I or my ms was ready. Luckily, I didn't give up. I'm glad you didn't either! Congrats on your release and may you have great success!
lol. Thanks! =)
LOL - That was totally worth the visit. We all have wayyy to many of those moments in our past.
Best of luck, Elizabeth.
Yes, the 'I have no words, but wrote words' approach! lol I loved this, and think it sums up how many of us truly feel when we write something. "What's it about?" -- "Well, I'm not sure how to describe it, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless." :-D
Very cool trailer for the book. One of the better ones I've seen.
Aw. That cover letter rocked! Way cool trailer.
Love it. You can't beat honesty! Good for you and thanks for sharing. XX Anecdotes for a lifetime, see, you knew it would come in handy one day. Rock on!
Oh my gosh! Toooo funny . . . thanks for the laughs:-) Looks like you've come a long way!! ~Congrats
I know I've sent a ton of cringe-worthy emails. And some recently, LOL!
Well, we gotta start somewhere, right?
Looking forward to reading your book!
Oh boy, that's just the type of email I would have written.
lol. We do start somewhere. Thanks!
LOL! That is freaking awesome! I wish we really could write queries like that. It'd be awesome!
lol. Yeah...try sending that to Query Shark. Let me know how it goes. LOL
The things we learn along the way… :-)
I like your query. If I were an agent I'd give you lots of points for honesty!
Great to see Elizabeth's book everywhere.
unless you have a connection or hook, a cover letter is yadda yadda to them probably anyway... wheres the beef!
more congrats to elizabeth!
Sounds exciting. Glad you figured out the query so we can get to enjoy the book! Best of luck to you.
Thanks. We live and learn. =)
Thanks for sharing...those first attempts can be quite cringe worthy! Look how far we've come though!
Hah! That's awesome. I think we've all done things that later on down the road we realize were not the way to go! Thanks for sharing!
Ha ha, I have been very tempted to write that in a submission letter too!
Awesome story, and congrats on your book release, Elizabeth! :)
Only if it was this easy. If maybe, just maybe, they'd take pity on us. lol. Not.
Thanks for your wonderful support!
LOL to that letter! Totally laughing...
Great post.
(And Carrie, TWO WEEKS?!?!!?!? Gaaaaaaah... !!!!!!!)
Gaaaaaah, indeed! :)
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