So anyway, I submitted my query to many agents and a few ebook publishers. After many form rejection emails, yesterday I heard back from Amira Press with a personal note:
Thank you for your submission. I have no problem with a
character being Wiccan. However, I prefer not to have books
that pit one religion against another. It tends to cause
offense among some readers and turn off others from giving
the work a chance. Works that do not center around religion
are more apt to be accepted.
character being Wiccan. However, I prefer not to have books
that pit one religion against another. It tends to cause
offense among some readers and turn off others from giving
the work a chance. Works that do not center around religion
are more apt to be accepted.
My story is about a couple with different backgrounds, which is what life is really like, and how they deal with the people in their lives who have issues with their relationship..if they chose to ignore it or let it destroy them.
I guess this editors comments took me by surprise... and it really made me wonder if other agents are thinking the same thing.
Posts
The problem might not be in the book itself but in the way the conflict is presented in your query.
ReplyDeleteIs the conflict of religion the major plot arc? If not, don't even mention it in your query and take it out of your title.
If you want any help or a review of you query, feel free to email me!
I agree, it might be worth looking at the query.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have a religious element to my novel. I did not write/intend for it to be a Christian or religious themed book. I try for it to be a function of character and not of plot but I know it won't be everyone's cup of tea. Don't worry -- it's just a treasure hunt where we are looking for the perfect fit. This publisher wasn't it - so what, keep looking :)
The religious differences are part of it, but the two were just raised differently in general..she comes from a modest financial background, his family is extremely wealthy. The story is about a couple overcoming their differences, but not specifically the religion thing. The religion thing is a huge deal for his mother, so that aspect does get pulled into the limelight by her toward the end of the story.
ReplyDeleteI have had the toughest time with this query...since day one. Posters on a writing message board told me that since I was having such a hard time writing the query, that obviously I had major issues with the story. I don't agree with that.
In my many rewrites of the query, the religious aspect was brought in and taken out and put back again. (along with the thought that I should change the name of the book. In the end I kept it, as her faith is a big part of my mc's life) The final version of the query has the religion part downplayed incredibly (or at least that's what I was going for). Megan, I think I will email you...an extra set of eyes can't hurt!
It sounds great to me : )
ReplyDelete