Wondering if this is really a rejection

SlushPile · May 8, 2012

Hi. I'm new here.
I received a response to a manuscript eight months after I sent it in. It said, "I am extremely interested in your work....although I cannot definitely say yes, a yes is definitely forthcoming should our funding situation work out...."
I briefly corresponded with the writer of this message (two emails), and then she dropped off the face of the earth, won't answer my emails, blah blah blah. I consulted with another writer who said this was actually a rejection.
Any thoughts? Direction I should take? Should I move on or pursue this person to the edge of perdition?
Thank you.

Bulletproof · May 8, 2012

Hi SlushPile and welcome.

Frustrating situation for sure. How long has it been since the first email from your contact? Are you sure she still works there?

As for moving on, I hope you've been sending the manuscript out and haven't been waiting? Is it a rejection? Well, technically. Reminds me of high school dating!

Calla Lily · May 8, 2012

SlushPile said:
a yes is definitely forthcoming should our funding situation work out...."

Welcome!

The quoted part above is the key. I gather this was a startup press? I think you dodged a bullet because they apparently didn't have capital to fund the press. That's probably why they dropped off the face of the earth.

Sage · May 8, 2012

It's not a rejection, but... it does sound like the publisher wasn't really ready for the biz. So on one hand, yay, not a rejection. But on the other, you probably wouldn't have been served well by going with them anyway.

SlushPile · May 9, 2012

Thanks for answering.

It's not a start-up. It's quite a legitimate press. It's still publishing people, and still seeking submissions. The woman who answered me OWNS the press. She's published herself, reviewed in the NY Times, recipient of fellowships. It's a very good looking operation and its authors are relatively well known among writers. I haven't heard from her for about two weeks.

Yes, it's just like dating (and not necessarily in high school). But if I wanted to date, I'd still be single.

SlushPile · May 9, 2012

P.S. Can't send the manuscript anywhere else; it's been rejected everywhere else. And I do mean everywhere.

Calla Lily · May 9, 2012

If the press isn't a startup, then yes, I'd treat it as a rejection. Sorry.

Filigree · May 9, 2012

I agree with Calla: it's still a rejection.

Whether or not the press is established or reputable, if they are having funding issues, they aren't a good home for your work at the moment. Funding deficits can mean no budget for editors, marketing, or payments to authors. Small presses drop in and out of viability all the time. I'd say wait until you can verify they are on an upswing, before you even contact them again.

Set this one aside to percolate, and write something else. If it's been rejected 'everywhere else', there may be a structural reason. Once you have some emotional distance, you can look at the mms again and decide if the rejections had any merit, and what to do about it.

Jersey Chick · May 9, 2012

Even if I didn't think it was a rejection, I'd be hesitant to accept an offer from a press that readily admitted to having funding issues. That would be a red flag for me.

augusto · May 9, 2012

SlushPile said:
I haven't heard from her for about two weeks.

Two weeks hardly seems like 'dropped off the face of the earth.' I'd be more worried about the funding issues than a two week gap in correspondence.

thothguard51 · May 9, 2012

Jersey Chick said:
Even if I didn't think it was a rejection, I'd be hesitant to accept an offer from a press that readily admitted to having funding issues. That would be a red flag for me.

This^^^^

When I read the funding issue my first thought was, well why would I want to go with you then?

Wondering if this is really a rejection

SlushPile

Bottom of the Barrel

Bulletproof

live every week like it' shark week

Calla Lily

On hiatus

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

SlushPile

Bottom of the Barrel

SlushPile

Bottom of the Barrel

Calla Lily

On hiatus

Filigree

Mildly Disturbing

Jersey Chick

Up all night to get Loki

augusto

thothguard51

A Gentleman of a refined age...