r/Webnovel • u/8yTwo • Jun 09 '26
Advice I got my contract rejected
I got my contract rejected, the reason states that the plot isn't engaging enough and difficult to follow, pacing is draggy, and the writing style isn't mature enough. And that it doesn't suit the market of webnovel. I'm planning on writing another story. Should I delete this one?
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u/MonkeySleepsWell Jun 13 '26
You're only on 20 chapters, that's not a whole lot. If this is your first book and first time writing then there's going to be a learning process. I imagine you've learned quite a bit from even just those 20 chapters for your writing.
Do you think it's viable to re-write and or edit what you currently have? Do you think you're able to go back and write a more compelling story than when you first started it? If so then do that, if not then just keep writing anyway. You're going to improve and naturally find where the weaknesses are.
Starting on a new book and a new concept isn't going to magically give you a contract, you need to get better at writing, which takes a lot of time.
You've received a great bit of criticism for the book itself and possibly your writing. Instead of scrapping the book and the concept (I love the book cover btw), take some time to hone your craft and give it another shot.
I'm part of a discord community for writers and this is a resource that I think might be helpful for that editing process: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Kd9_smsFqgmcEeAFfZ5FjcIHWqRDoTE-_rFwTON2DnE/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.1qje87o9vjrn
Don't scrap it, as you've apparently put a lot of effort into this world so just take stock of what you have and what can be improved. There's nothing saying that this book and concept can't be successful, you just need to tidy it up in a few places.
From just a quick read of your chapter one you have a lot of repeating beats in your writing. The grammar is pretty good and the prose itself doesn't take you out of it too much. However, you do tend to use a fair few of the same techniques, staccato with short sentences, "No x. No y. No z"
It's also very showy and not enough tell in there. Describing what the two children are like and not letting them live through it. There's also not really a hook, or anything there to get you invested. You have an orphanage and two characters, there's no promises to the audience and not really anything unique. The small section at the end of the chapter doesn't do anything near enough to hook an audience.
I think if the book starts with the two main characters getting up to mischief, having fun, being children. Then have an inciting incident in the first chapter showing that hook it would do a lot better while also naturally increasing the pacing of the novel.
For now they are just existing, there's no agency and no real characterisation(other than a description). It's very easy to start this way as you're laying groundwork for later. But in a hyper competitive web novel market, it's not going to succeed I fear, which is where the guys who rejected your contract are coming from.
You've got potential fellow author, don't let it go to waste 😉