Yesterday I received an e-mail from Blair partnership. This is what it said...
Many thanks for getting in touch with us in February with your submission. We are very sorry to say that we will not be offering you representation for this work. We are truly sorry for the disappointment and as this is such a subjective industry we would strongly recommend that you contact other agencies.
And then....
As J.K. Rowling's agents, we think it's worth noting that some of the elements of your proposed story line seem to bear some similarities to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter stories. That said, we and J.K. Rowling's office have not seen the full manuscript and hope that it is sufficiently different but wanted to flag for you, that if you intend to distribute your book commercially that you should make sure that there are no copyright issues in this respect.
I have no magic school, never mention the word wand, Jacob would not even know what a professor is, they travel in and out of mirrors as a broomstick is for sweeping the floor as far as Erica is concerned and the only thing that is fluffy in my book is Lilly’s pink cushions in her bedroom.
I have closed my web site down and started the process to remove the book from Amazon. I have also sent Blair partnership the full MS and asked that they look for themselves.. No copyright. This is out of respect for Ms Rowling.
It was as if the pathway to publication was paved in glass, no matter how gingerly I walked the floor was bound to shatter beneath my feet.
Like a demented wandering soldier my finger now hovers over the delete button, eager to extinguish all life from the manuscript. I then turn and read a quote. Do less and achieve more or do more and achieve nothing. “Who said that”? I did replied my conscience.
The pain of self publishing.
Damien
I must say...this doesn't surprise me.
I have not read your work so am not commenting on your writing skills -obv. However I did raise concerns on another thread that your site made it seem like another HP rip off. It may even be that they were aware of the sorta falsified quote you had...but that really is speculation!
Above you list lots of reasons that make your work, although in the same category, different to HP. These are the points you need to focus on. Your USP. What makes your story different, good, a must read?
Also rather than giving up, perhaps you just need to leave it alone for awhile. Write something else, refresh yourself, then have a good, critical, reread after a few months.
Best of luck :)
Hey Damien,
That is a bit worrying :/
I would love to have a read is there any way I can see this?