A mixed bag of emails
A mixed bag of emails awaited me this morning. The first was a very nice start to the day - a note from someone who had read e-luv:
Dear Mr Roberts
I got hold of your book via The Guardian and I have to say it was the first book for a long time that made me laugh out loud. Excellent.
Then things took a downhill turn, as I opened a FORM REJECTION EMAIL (it was the "Dear Mr Dave Roberts" bit that gave it away) from a publisher, whose name I have not deleted, thus probably ruining my chances of ever getting a deal with them:
Dear Mr Dave Roberts,
Many thanks for sending your proposal for us to consider for John Blake Publishing Ltd.
Judging by the details you have provided, your book sounds a very interesting and insightful one and you must have felt great enjoyment and satisfaction in writing it. Although I have no doubt it will prove a popular read when published, I am afraid that due to a recent shift in demand we are looking to commission in specific genres that we publish. Currently we are focusing on our popular culture and sports biographies over the forthcoming months. With this in mind, we do not feel that this proposal is quite right for our list on this occasion.
I am sorry that we could not provide a more positive answer but I would like to thank you for thinking of us. I wish you the very best of luck in finding success with the publication of your book in the near future.
Yours sincerely,
Vicky McGeown
Editorial Assistant
But THEN, a much better one, from a publisher I sent my book about teenage misfits supporting rubbish football teams, saying he was going to make me an offer next week.
So, a good start to the day. But I am about to meet my mother-in-law for the first time, so that could all change. She has flown over from the US and I am frankly terrified.
Dear Mr Roberts
I got hold of your book via The Guardian and I have to say it was the first book for a long time that made me laugh out loud. Excellent.
Then things took a downhill turn, as I opened a FORM REJECTION EMAIL (it was the "Dear Mr Dave Roberts" bit that gave it away) from a publisher, whose name I have not deleted, thus probably ruining my chances of ever getting a deal with them:
Dear Mr Dave Roberts,
Many thanks for sending your proposal for us to consider for John Blake Publishing Ltd.
Judging by the details you have provided, your book sounds a very interesting and insightful one and you must have felt great enjoyment and satisfaction in writing it. Although I have no doubt it will prove a popular read when published, I am afraid that due to a recent shift in demand we are looking to commission in specific genres that we publish. Currently we are focusing on our popular culture and sports biographies over the forthcoming months. With this in mind, we do not feel that this proposal is quite right for our list on this occasion.
I am sorry that we could not provide a more positive answer but I would like to thank you for thinking of us. I wish you the very best of luck in finding success with the publication of your book in the near future.
Yours sincerely,
Vicky McGeown
Editorial Assistant
But THEN, a much better one, from a publisher I sent my book about teenage misfits supporting rubbish football teams, saying he was going to make me an offer next week.
So, a good start to the day. But I am about to meet my mother-in-law for the first time, so that could all change. She has flown over from the US and I am frankly terrified.
posted by Dave at 5:20 PM
3 Comments:
Huge congrats on all three - even the rejection was positive ;-)
x
How. That is a huge day! That first email is great.
Consider yourself lucky that you were turned down by John Blake Publishing. My book sold 20,000 copies and 4 years later I still have not received one penny in royalties.
Blake is a shyster and a charlatan.
He even forged the contract I had with him in a court case I brought against him in order to obtain my serialisation money from the Daily Telegraph.
Luckily the judge saw through his lies and I won my case.
Even though my contract was with John Blake Publishing, it was being sold in the name of Blake Publishing, another of his companies, in order to defraud me.
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