Rejection is not a word that an author wants to hear or read. This publishing decline can assume many forms: “doesn’t fit with our current offerings,” “our publishing schedule is full,” “you work is too [long or short],” and “your work is interesting, but …” Think of rejection as a job hunt. You’re going to have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince or princess.

All of which brings me to my tentative publisher rejecting my manuscript despite early interest. With this refusal comes a couple of warnings:

• Send your proposals to a number of publishers — there is no need at this stage to contact one publisher at a time.
• Beware of publishing houses that offer a variety of services for fees. This is more like a vanity press that will edit and market you work as a means to improve your status or show off your knowledge. Think of politicians who want/need a book to get voters attention, sell their ideas, and/or add money to their campaign chest.
• There are many self-publishing companies that will present your book without editing or expert review. This may be considered as a last resort measure to create interest in your work.
• Be very careful about pitching your book to an academic publisher such as the University of Prominent School Press. These publishers are more focused on promoting the work of their own faculty. Writing for an academic audience is very different than writing for a broad class of readers. This can be done with some effort. Your research should be from books, private collections [the letters and diary of historic person], and copies of newspapers. Avoid sources from the Internet. Citing Wikipedia, on-line dictionaries, or other web-based publications should be avoided. Academic publishing involves a gauntlet of peer and faculty reviews.  This is like a Good-Housekeeping Seal of Approval. This process can take upwards of a year and may conclude with a rejection. Which brings up another problem. University presses want to see your expertise by obtaining a doctorate in your subject area. You may be a self-taught expert, but reviewers want to see if your credentials fit with their other authors.
• There are always exceptions to my suggestions, so use my comments as suggestions or cautions.

Let me hear your thoughts on these suggestions.