: Re: Will the publisher/agent tell me what to write? I recently read this answer, which suggested that an author's first novel will be rejected, and the publisher will instead get the author to write

@Moriarity138

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This is not some unwritten rule. It just so happens that most first novels are not good enough to publish. We all think we'll be the exception to the rule, but 99% of us aren't. I know it was a rude awakening for me when the first novel I poured my heart and soul into was rejected. That doesn't mean you might not be that one writer out of a hundred (note: these numbers are wholly rhetorical). And it definitely doesn't mean you shouldn't try to be that writer. But you also shouldn't feel defeated if you aren't.

It would be very unusual for a modern publisher to tell a rejected author what to write, because it's a buyer's market. There are enough writers out there whose writing is both market-targeted and well-polished that publishers these days won't even touch anything that isn't 100% ready to go, even if it shows potential. They also won't touch anything that doesn't seem likely to sell. Be aware --if your book isn't something a publisher would buy, it's also not likely to sell itself as a self-published book. Don't self-publish unless you are a good, enthusiastic and dedicated salesperson and self-promoter.

What is more typical is that you learn things from the process of writing a book and getting it rejected that can go into your next book --both about writing itself, and about the business and the market. But don't think this means your worldbuilding will be wasted. Your second novel might be a completely reimagined version of your first.

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