The
acquisitions editor asked for a conference call.
She
said her publication board really liked the nonfiction project, but
also had concerns. Would the author be willing to make multiple
changes?
What
kind of changes, I said. Can you list them?
Let's
set up a phone call, she said.
Turns
out, my client's project encroached on uncomfortable territory. The
denomination had not taken a stand on this point of potential
controversy, and my client's manuscript would make a de-facto
declaration they weren't prepared to take.
I
hadn't expected this. My client comes from much the same church tradition. She had supported this view scripturally.
And it underscored her key message. Still, my client agreed to hear
the editor's concerns.
The
editor found herself in a awkward spot. She really like the
manuscript. She agreed with my client. But she had to respect her
employer's position.
The
call didn't take long. I backed my client's stand not to compromise
her message.
To
her, the project was more than just a manuscript. She'd been living
it daily for decades – and had been writing it for nearly that
long.
Of
all the publishers who'd seen the proposal, only this house expressed
interest. Now we had to tell them no.
Afterward,
my client and I talked for nearly an hour. She'll update her
proposal, including fresh stats and comments from people to whom her
blog had ministered, people from categories of readers she'd not
originally included. Today I researched some other publishers.
I
know many readers need my client's message – unfettered. We trust
that in due time, we'll find a publisher that agrees.
