Publication narrows through several stages, with rejection possible at each one. General estimates and the author's own unsuccessful submissions show that a proposal may fail to win a contract, while a contracted manuscript may still never reach publication. Edited collections add another risk because one late or withdrawn contributor can unsettle the whole project. Rejection is common and does not by itself prove that a subject is unworthy.
Chapter · 6:17-8:25
Rejection is part of the publishing path
A candid account of repeated submissions shows why a promising proposal, and even a contract, does not guarantee a published history book.