*simmers* *growls*

So I woke up this morning to a rejection, which is pretty common actually because I think all editors are vampires and only work at night. This one was for Jack of All Trades. Possibly some of you remember when I was writing it last year--more likely you don't, because I only kinda sorta remember blogging about it--but I did actually intend the book to be a series of stand-alone short stories with a linked theme. It didn't quite work out that way: none of the stories are really stand-alone, but they do feel like short stories in that each chapter concludes its own events even if they do resurface later as part of the overall plot.

In short, it's episodic, which is pretty much what I'd intended. The characters are sweet, the setting interesting, the tone light, and it's only 60k words. And I knew going in that it would be a hard sell. So I wasn't surprised to get a rejection this morning, but I was surprised at what the editor said.

She said my writing needed work. Then she explained why, and her explanation was all about the plot. With links to writing websites. Because apparently she does not know how to explain the difference between prose issues and plot construction. Oh yeah, and she attached a file to "help me" with my writing, which mostly covers basic grammar. I think that's what infuriates me the most.

So, editor, come back when you work for a real publisher instead of a rinky-dink epublisher who doesn't even pay to have your authors' books copyrighted. I tell you, that's the last time I send a manuscript to a small publisher. As I've said before, if small publishers were any good, they'd be large publishers.

Oh yeah, I know it's unprofessional to rant about rejections. I don't care. I have opinions and that's what this blog is for, after all.