What does "No" from the editorial board mean?

Rejection is hard. Writing a book can be a vulnerable process and any kind of rejection must be difficult for an author. Most often, that rejection happens fast when the publisher rejects the initial proposal. But I think a rejection after some involvement from the publisher must be harder.

Last time, I wrote about How we're improving the speed of the editorial board ?using one-pagers to get decisions to authors faster. I only take projects formally?when I'm very confident in the decision, partly because it's a lot of work for me and the author to put the full documentation together, and also because I don't want to disappoint authors. But our new method is more informal, and because it's about testing ideas, the fail rate is much higher.?

If the editor has engaged with the proposal and thought it was good enough to take to the board, why has it been rejected? Some authors can find this difficult and even though I give as much feedback as I'm able to, they want to discuss it more to understand the decision or feedback so I thought this might be useful.

When I'm assessing a project, here are some questions I ask of the idea:

• Do we publish this subject? Is it business, management, personal development, finance, investing, or some skill that helps me do my job better or improve my life chances?
• Is it 'Pearson'? Does it help the reader learn how to do something or improve a skill? We don't do biographies and we don't publish anything...salacious.
• Does it have a new angle? Given the short list of topics above, we do publish several books on one subject. So does the book offer something new or marketable?
• Does it have longevity? We don't want fashionable books that age too quickly. We wouldn't publish anything that doesn't have a shelf life of a few years at least.

If I have positive answers to the above, I would now take the project as a one-pager to the board. But even if you tick all of the above, the other decision-makers on the board might feel it's not a good fit for Pearson. They might disagree with my assessment of the project and a lot of the time, their decision relates to one of these questions:

• Would it sell? It might be a great book, but is it going to sell enough copies to be commercially viable?
• Is the new angle or take strong enough? Perhaps it doesn't feel strong enough against other available books in the market?
• Is there a robust and strategic author marketing plan? They might feel that the plan is strong enough and ask for an improved plan.
• Is it too niche or too broad? This is always a bit of a head-scratcher - too broad and perhaps it appeals to no one because it has no hook. Too niche and the market is too small because the focus or audience is so narrow.

Sometimes, the board will offer ideas to adapt the book idea to be publishable for Pearson, but the author might not want to make these changes. Whether it's the title, the audience, or committing to buying copies, they may feel it's not the right direction for them.

So hopefully this might clarify what happens at Pearson if a book is rejected by the editorial board. However, I think it's really important for authors to remember this is just a Pearson perspective. They could have as many different responses from other publishers and I always encourage them to try elsewhere. Just because it won't work for Pearson, it doesn't mean it won't work elsewhere and you should stay positive.

The Pearson Business Book Club

The Pearson Business Book Club is open to all who would like to learn more about our business books or a particular topic, and the webinars are free to attend. You can also view the on-demand videos of previous sessions on the Book Club website.

Our Business Book of the Month for August is The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring by Ruth Gotian, Ed.D., M.S. and Andy Lopata . Their webinar is Meaningful Mentoring: Creating Valuable Mentoring Relationships as a Mentor or Mentee. Join us on Thursday 27 August 2024, at 2 pm (UK time) and register at https://www.pearson.com/en-gb/higher-education/students/careers/book-club.html , and let me know if you have any questions in advance.

Just Published / Noteworthy books

The New Business Road Test by John Mullins (FT Publishing, 2017)

ROAD TEST YOUR IDEA BEFORE YOU LAUNCH YOUR LEAN START-UP

Thinking about starting a new business? Stop! Is there a genuine market for your idea? Do you really want to compete in that industry? Are you the right person to pursue it? No matter how talented you are or how much capital you have, if you’re pursuing a fundamentally flawed opportunity then you’re heading for failure. So before you launch your lean start-up, take your idea for a test drive and make sure it has a fighting chance of working.

The New Business Road Test is the essential handbook for anyone wanting to launch a start-up. The new and fully updated case studies – Ella's Kitchen, Whole Foods, eBay and more – and the ‘seven domains’ framework will help you avoid impending disaster and enhance your chances of achieving your entrepreneurial dreams.

This book will help you answer the live-or-die questions:

• Are the market and industry attractive?
• Does the opportunity offer both customer benefits as well as competitive and economic sustainability?
• Can you deliver the results you seek?

The accompanying app (available on iTunes and Android) makes it easy to assemble all the evidence you need for your road test, wherever you are. www.newbusinessroadtest.com

“A must-read for all entrepreneurs thinking about a lean start-up.” Steve Blank, father of the lean start-up movement and author,?The Start-up Owner’s Manual

“Mullins has hit the nail on the head. I wish this book had been given to every entrepreneur who appeared before me on Dragons’ Den.” Doug Richard, entrepreneur, angel investor and founder, School for Startups.

John Mullins?is a veteran of three entrepreneurial ventures and a professor at the London Business School where he teaches and studies entrepreneurship, venture capital, and the management of rapidly growing businesses. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a PhD in marketing from the University of Minnesota. He is co-author of three other books including the widely acclaimed Getting to Plan B: Breaking Through to a Better Business Model.

What am I reading?

I am really enjoying About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks by David Rooney. It's not about how clocks work but about their social impact and history. One of those books where you share facts that are news to other people too! Time balls, water clocks, the speaking clock, slow-running factory clocks...I'm learning a lot!

Finally

Do you have any ideas or suggestions for future newsletters? Did I strike a chord with anything in this newsletter? Is there a business book you've enjoyed recently that you'd recommend? Add a comment or email me at [email protected].

Last time, I wrote about How we're improving the speed of the editorial board ?using one-pagers to get decisions to authors faster. I only take projects formally?when I'm very confident in the decision, partly because it's a lot of work for me and the author to put the full documentation together, and also because I don't want to disappoint authors. But our new method is more informal, and because it's about testing ideas, the fail rate is much higher.?

If the editor has engaged with the proposal and thought it was good enough to take to the board, why has it been rejected? Some authors can find this difficult and even though I give as much feedback as I'm able to, they want to discuss it more to understand the decision or feedback so I thought this might be useful.

When I'm assessing a project, here are some questions I ask of the idea:

• Do we publish this subject? Is it business, management, personal development, finance, investing, or some skill that helps me do my job better or improve my life chances?
• Is it 'Pearson'? Does it help the reader learn how to do something or improve a skill? We don't do biographies and we don't publish anything...salacious.
• Does it have a new angle? Given the short list of topics above, we do publish several books on one subject. So does the book offer something new or marketable?
• Does it have longevity? We don't want fashionable books that age too quickly. We wouldn't publish anything that doesn't have a shelf life of a few years at least.

If I have positive answers to the above, I would now take the project as a one-pager to the board. But even if you tick all of the above, the other decision-makers on the board might feel it's not a good fit for Pearson. They might disagree with my assessment of the project and a lot of the time, their decision relates to one of these questions:

• Would it sell? It might be a great book, but is it going to sell enough copies to be commercially viable?
• Is the new angle or take strong enough? Perhaps it doesn't feel strong enough against other available books in the market?
• Is there a robust and strategic author marketing plan? They might feel that the plan is strong enough and ask for an improved plan.
• Is it too niche or too broad? This is always a bit of a head-scratcher - too broad and perhaps it appeals to no one because it has no hook. Too niche and the market is too small because the focus or audience is so narrow.

Sometimes, the board will offer ideas to adapt the book idea to be publishable for Pearson, but the author might not want to make these changes. Whether it's the title, the audience, or committing to buying copies, they may feel it's not the right direction for them.

So hopefully this might clarify what happens at Pearson if a book is rejected by the editorial board. However, I think it's really important for authors to remember this is just a Pearson perspective. They could have as many different responses from other publishers and I always encourage them to try elsewhere. Just because it won't work for Pearson, it doesn't mean it won't work elsewhere and you should stay positive.

The Pearson Business Book Club

The Pearson Business Book Club is open to all who would like to learn more about our business books or a particular topic, and the webinars are free to attend. You can also view the on-demand videos of previous sessions on the Book Club website.

Our Business Book of the Month for August is The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring by Ruth Gotian, Ed.D., M.S. and Andy Lopata . Their webinar is Meaningful Mentoring: Creating Valuable Mentoring Relationships as a Mentor or Mentee. Join us on Thursday 27 August 2024, at 2 pm (UK time) and register at https://www.pearson.com/en-gb/higher-education/students/careers/book-club.html , and let me know if you have any questions in advance.

Just Published / Noteworthy books

The New Business Road Test by John Mullins (FT Publishing, 2017)

ROAD TEST YOUR IDEA BEFORE YOU LAUNCH YOUR LEAN START-UP

Thinking about starting a new business? Stop! Is there a genuine market for your idea? Do you really want to compete in that industry? Are you the right person to pursue it? No matter how talented you are or how much capital you have, if you’re pursuing a fundamentally flawed opportunity then you’re heading for failure. So before you launch your lean start-up, take your idea for a test drive and make sure it has a fighting chance of working.

The New Business Road Test is the essential handbook for anyone wanting to launch a start-up. The new and fully updated case studies – Ella's Kitchen, Whole Foods, eBay and more – and the ‘seven domains’ framework will help you avoid impending disaster and enhance your chances of achieving your entrepreneurial dreams.

This book will help you answer the live-or-die questions:

• Are the market and industry attractive?
• Does the opportunity offer both customer benefits as well as competitive and economic sustainability?
• Can you deliver the results you seek?

The accompanying app (available on iTunes and Android) makes it easy to assemble all the evidence you need for your road test, wherever you are. www.newbusinessroadtest.com

“A must-read for all entrepreneurs thinking about a lean start-up.” Steve Blank, father of the lean start-up movement and author,?The Start-up Owner’s Manual

“Mullins has hit the nail on the head. I wish this book had been given to every entrepreneur who appeared before me on Dragons’ Den.” Doug Richard, entrepreneur, angel investor and founder, School for Startups.

John Mullins?is a veteran of three entrepreneurial ventures and a professor at the London Business School where he teaches and studies entrepreneurship, venture capital, and the management of rapidly growing businesses. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a PhD in marketing from the University of Minnesota. He is co-author of three other books including the widely acclaimed Getting to Plan B: Breaking Through to a Better Business Model.

What am I reading?

I am really enjoying About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks by David Rooney. It's not about how clocks work but about their social impact and history. One of those books where you share facts that are news to other people too! Time balls, water clocks, the speaking clock, slow-running factory clocks...I'm learning a lot!

Finally

Do you have any ideas or suggestions for future newsletters? Did I strike a chord with anything in this newsletter? Is there a business book you've enjoyed recently that you'd recommend? Add a comment or email me at [email protected] .