It’s the big question, isn’t it?
The big, sad, sorry question.
Sigh.
I have of late been working on the sales page for the Scribbles Academy.
If you run an online biz you’ll know that writing a decent sales page is a massive job.
If you don’t run an online biz let me tell you now, writing a decent sales page is a massive job.
We open our Academy doors soon! July 17, 2020, 6pm AEST!
It’s our ONLY intake for 2020 so it’s a bloody big deal and I want to get as many authors across the line as possible.
I know what’s good for them even if they don’t!
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While pulling together some notes for the sales page I began to think about rejections.
Bloody rejections.
Bloody rotters.
Here’s what I want to say:
I understand your confusion and frustration.
• Maybe you’re fed up with rejections and publishers whose only feedback is ‘no thanks’. Grrrr!
• How can you improve your work when you don’t know what’s wrong with it? Grrrrr x 1000!
I’ve been in this industry for decades and I’ve seen more manuscripts than I’ve had hot dinners. (Well maybe not. I’m actually a really GOOD eater.)
That being said…
I know why most manuscripts get rejected.
Sometimes it’s just bad luck or market forces.
But most times it’s the writing.
Sad but true.
For whatever reason it’s ‘not quite there’ yet.
Maybe it’s too convoluted.
Too quiet.
Too tentative.
Lacks punch.
Has lost direction.
Lacks compassion or nuance.
Fails to evoke an emotional response.
Lacks narrative tension.
And on and on…
Want to know more about Scribbles? Don’t miss out. Remember, this is our only intake for 2020. Join my mailing list and I’ll keep you up to date! CLICK HERE.
The good news is, all these problems can be fixed!
I’ve seen these problems over and over. They’re gremlins. But you really can bop ’em on the head.
When you know what to look for.
When you’re skilled enough.
And, of course, it’s never been and never will be the job of publishers to give feedback on unsolicited manuscripts.
That’s our job.
It’s our job to educate ourselves. To work hard so that we understand what we’re doing, what we’re creating and where our work might be wobbling.
That’s what a professional does. A professional takes responsibility for their work.
That’s why I created the Scribbles Academy.
After reading (and editing) countless manuscripts, it was obvious to me that something was missing in people’s education and in their understanding of creative writing.
Often they didn’t seem able to grasp the ‘creative’ in creative writing.
In the Scribbles Academy I help writers access their talent wholeheartedly without holding back.
My passion is seeing my students SHINE! Helping them reach their goals, realise their dreams and…
PRODUCE BLOODY GOOD WORK!
Want to know more about Scribbles? Don’t miss out. Remember, this is our only intake for 2020. Join my mailing list and I’ll keep you up to date! CLICK HERE.
When I was an editor, I couldn’t stand reading manuscripts where the writer had buried their talent, been too shy to use an authentic voice or pursue oddball ideas or where they somehow bypassed creative bravery and zeal.
It drove me doo-lally!
Darling! Publishers and editors want to fall in love!
They’re friggin’ addicts!
They’re chasin’!
And their drug of choice is beautiful, well crafted words.
It’s our job to supply them.
To be their supplier.
Their delivery man.
Shit. I’ve been watching too much Rake.
But you get the picture?
Publishers want to fall in love with your work.
And they can’t do that if you’re hiding your talent or too shy, scared or lazy to develop it.
In the Scribbles Academy I help writers tap into their unique creativity so they can make their work POP.
Sometimes I have to kid them along, lure them out like timid little kitties.
Inside the Academy, I create all sorts of opportunities to draw out the best in writers who are at all different stages of their journey; aspiring, emerging and established.
It’s my job to empower them.
Support them.
Nurture their talents.
Above all, I want Scribblers to become educated, independent thinkers so they can assess their work intelligently and never, ever have to feel frustrated, resentful or rejected again.
It’s a big dream.
A big goal.
But so what?
I’ve got my sleeves rolled up and I’m takin’ it on!
I hope you are too!
Jen xo
Want to know more about Scribbles? Don’t miss out. Remember, this is our only intake for 2020. Join my mailing list and I’ll keep you up to date! CLICK HERE.
Oh my giddy aunt! The passion and energy and popping and fizzing off the page. I want to sign up and I already have. 🤣 I am so thankful to have found Scribbles and the duck pond. I was so tangled up in all the rules of writing and worrying about my target audience I was frozen stiff. Now I quote Jen Storer-isms to anyone who will listen! Thank you Jen.
LOL! You’re the best, Rhiannon. I LOVE having you in the academy! xo
Tell it how it is. Thanks Jen for your honesty. And sometimes these days I know when something has a zing!@!