The Search for Plupreme

Right from the outset I expected rejections from publishers when I submitted my manuscript for the picture book, The Search for Plupreme. Two more familiar SASE's arrived yesterday.

From Cartwheel Books, I received the following form letter:

Dear Author,

A sincere thanks for allowing us to consider your manuscript. We are sorry to write that we do not see a place for it on the Cartwheel list, but as each publishing list has its own needs, we encourage you to submit your manuscript elsewhere.

We apologize for the impersonal nature of this reply, but we are hoping that this form letter will enable us to respond to authors in a timely fashion.

We wish you the best of luck in placing your manuscript.

Sincerely,
The Editors
Cartwheel Books

Even less personal was this 4" x 6" Authorgram from Boyds Mills Press:

Many thanks for your submission.
Unfortunately, this one didn't work for us.

We are returning your manuscript because
_X_ It's not suited to our present needs.
___ Its language or concept is too mature for
          our audience.
___ We seldom buy rhyming picture books.
___ It needs more character/plot development.
___ We have a very limited nonfiction line.

Sincerely,
The Editors

These rejection notices, while expected, are hardly instructive. I originally hoped that recording them here might be helpful for others with similar aspirations. Instead, they have become redundant and illustrative of what I said all along, that it is an against-all-odds proposition to break into the children's literature market as an unknown. (Notice I don't entertain for a moment the notion that my manuscript is flawed or undeserving. I hope I get credit for that much, at least.)

But Ashley's quest to discover a new color now seems an apt metaphor for my attempts at gaining the favor of one editor. Like my little heroine, it is time now after 10 rejections to consider a completely new strategy. (Although I should be honest: this step too, was predictable.)

So this January I will take a more active role in getting the manuscript seriously considered. There are several local children's literature networks I have yet to pursue, and friends-of-friends in the business who might at least be able to make some calls on my behalf. And maybe it's time to seek an agent. At the very least, failure at any of these strategies will allow me to offer more practical advice to others.

And once I'm published and Ashley helps some unsung illustrator earn a Caldecott Award, I'm a member of the writer's fraternity and subsequent manuscript submissions will be welcomed, if not solicited, right?

Well the fantasy, at least, is Plupreme.