Resubmitting Rewrites #2

Let's pretend I sent you a manuscript and your company liked it enough to ask for a rewrite. Then let's pretend the rewrite got lost in the cracks: the editor who asked for the rewrite changed jobs, the rewrite sat somewhere in the office for several months and then was rejected after I called to inquire on its status.

Fast-forward several months and now let's pretend the rewrite has been reworked, had professional input and editing, and is even better and tighter than before.

How would you want me to ask you for the chance to resubmit once again?

Okay...forget pretending. It really happened and I really want to resubmit it.

Okay, this is a slightly different question from the last one. Based on the timing of events, your rejection may have been a matter of cleaning house, rather than a true rejection based on the quality of your book. This happens sometimes when editors leave. It's not fair, but that's the way it is.

My first suggestion would be to try to track down your first editor and see if the company they're with now publishes stories like yours. They might remember you and be eager to see your rewrites.

If that isn't a possibility--because they're in a different specialty or a different industry--then send a query reminding us that we'd liked the original enough to ask for rewrites, and that you've now done those rewrites based upon our previous recommendations. Give a few specifics about the changes.

This would be one of the few times I'd suggest sending the entire mss (or the first few chapters) vs just a query because the first thing I'm going to do is check my log. If my comments aren't glowing, I'll reject on the query. But if you've mentioned the issues in your query that I have listed in my log, and if I have a few chapters right there on my desk, I'm going to accept your challenge and read a few pages.