Another Rejection

I had a depressing Dear Jane email today, a rejection from the literary agency to which I had sent a partial mss of my children's fantasy novel some 10 weeks ago.

As time stretched on, I had foolishly allowed myself to hope that someone at the agency had actually read my submission and was thinking seriously about asking for the rest. But of course I was wrong. They just hadn't got round to rejecting it yet.

So now I have to go back to the list of literary agents that deal with children's novels and pick another. I feel reasonably philosophical about this latest rejection, since I know it's a common enough thing for writers to get knocked back by agents and publishers, but at the same time I am still human and it is hardly confidence-inspiring. This is only the fourth agency to look at my mss, but since each one takes roughly three months to 'consider' my submission, and I then take another few weeks to do some rewriting and sort out another potential agency to approach, the process could easily take years. By which time I will have little enthusiasm myself for the story.

Of course, I should be hard at work on another novel, not worrying about the one I've already written.

But I have many unshirkable demands on my time, and poetry is uppermost in my mind at the moment, especially with this series of readings from BOUDICCA & CO taking place over the next month, so the opportunity to spend several hours a day writing prose is not exactly easy to come by. I do have an intriguing idea for another novel. Then again, my confidence is so low after all these rejections, I do have to wonder whether I should give up trying to write for children.

On the other hand, children's fantasy fiction is something I have consistently enjoyed reading over the years, so I'm delighted to be writing in that genre. Besides which, I love poetry, and things do seem to be going well for me in that department, but poetry alone is not going to pay the bills ...

Forthcoming Readings from BOUDICCA & CO

Jane will be reading at
THROCKMORTON'S BOOKSHOP
Atherstone
Saturday 28th April
Time: 2pm
- books will be on sale,
plus open mic

Throckmorton's Bookshop
16 Market Place
Atherstone
Warwickshire
CV9 1EX
Tel: 01827 717570
Email: throckmortons @ gmail.com
Web: www.atherstonebooktown.net/throckmortons.htm


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Jane will be a guest poet at
SALT MARGINS II
Whitechapel Gallery,
London
Thursday May 3rd
7pm
Free entrance

Also reading that night:

Cult author Amy Prior presents her latest book I Can’t Believe How Great I Feel with live drawing by Sarah Doyle. Stuart Taylor premieres Metropol, his poetic exploration of the city. Plus up-and-coming poet and novelist Joe Dunthorne.

Organised by Tom Chivers, Salt in the Margins.


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CB1 Poetry & Music
Tues 8th May
8pm start
CB1 Cafe (Mill Road, Cambridge)

Guest poet - Jane Holland, reading from her new collection, BOUDICCA & CO, published by Salt.

Plus supporting sets by local poet Nick Jones and musician Patrick Shiel.


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Jane will be performing as Guest Poet at
THE POETS' CAFE
in Reading,
organised by AF Harrold.
Friday 15th June
Further details to be announced