TRANSCRIPT

In previous videos, I talked about respecting the submission guidelines for publishers and agents. I think it’s also important to talk about respect overall throughout the submission process.

When feeling frustrated, perhaps by another rejection or a pass on a requested manuscript, you may be tempted to share your frustrations on social media.

My short advice to you is don’t. Nothing positive will come from this. You may get a few sympathetic comments that make you feel good temporarily to see that others are in the same boat as you.

But no agent or publisher is going to see your comment and re-think their decision about rejecting your manuscript. In other words, posting like this on social media won’t bring you any closer to your goal of becoming a published picture book author, so it’s simply a waste of time.

Even worse, a post like this could impact you negatively. Suppose an agent does see your post. They may recognize your name from past submissions and think, “I wouldn’t want to work with this person; they complain too much.”

So in addition to this, also be respectful and courteous when communicating directly with editors and agents who do show interest in your work. If they ask to see your work, send them what you have with a gracious thank you. Don’t try to sell them on anything. If your work is strong, it will speak for itself.

So I would love to get your thoughts on sharing your feelings on social media. Let me know in the comments.

Thank you so much for watching. If you got any value out of this video, like it, subscribe to my channel and share the video with other aspiring picture book authors.