Well, the bad news just keeps on rolling.
Got a rejection e-mail, this time from publisher Pyr. I’m only waiting on a pass from Ace to officially declare I’m batting .000.
Yes, I’m still on hold from Baen, and no, I have not yet submitted to any small indie markets yet, but once this final, delayed rejection comes in, it puts a cork in my fantasy of being pro-published the traditional way right out the gate. As for the agent hunt, I’ve submitted to 6 major agencies, targeting their newly listed agents who are actively searching for clients. So far, I’m 0 for 6.
I’m still engaged in writing, working on Echomancer, “Bumped”, and “ILYAMY” intermittently, but I really had high hopes for A Sword Into Darkness. I even re-read it this last week and sent it off to another reader who had expressed a fascination with the book. I think it’s good. What could be the factor turning editors off about it? What could I tweak or re-write to make it past those initial gate-keepers?
Ah, well. I’ve pulled down “Bumped” this week and I’m finishing off a re-write now. It’ll go off into the aether this weekend, along with “ILYAMY”. Maybe I can put my count of pro-published shorts to 3 or 4.
Any advice from the internets?
The Improbable Author 
When my agent first shopped DCB around New York, a senior acquisitions editor for a major house told us that she loved the book so much that she had shared it with several of her friends. Then, she informed us that she couldn’t buy the book, because it didn’t fit her house’s lineup. About 18 months later, that same editor contacted my agent and wanted to know what title the book had been published under. Not kidding here… She wanted to buy copies to give as Christmas presents.
Bottom line, the rejection criteria for the major houses is so haphazard that even the senior editors don’t understand it. Keep swinging the bat, Tom. Sooner or later, you’re going to knock one out of the park.
Yeah. Well, you wouldn’t believe the tabs open on my laptop right now: Nook Press, Kindle Direct, Stealth Books, Createspace, Pubit, etc. Not sure how long I wanna keep playing. Honestly, the only thing stopping me from beginning the process now is the “hold on, we’re almost there” I keep getting from Baen.