Yesterday, I got my first rejection from an agent on my new query letter.
The agent said it was a subjective rejection, that the agent just didn’t connect enough with my material to be the best possible agent for it. It was a subjective response, at least. An encouraging one. One that said “keep looking.” It was nice, and it didn’t seem like a form letter–it probably was; this agent just knows how to portray warmth in these things–and the agent even called me “Ms. Wilson.”
(Yes, I have gotten responses that were just “Dear author.” I think those are the worst because they didn’t even bother to look at your name.)
It’s still hard to get these, though. I’m frustrated because I’m trying to find the agents that would be the best possible matches, yet I’m stuck in this subjective zone, and I have no idea how to get out of it and get at least a partial manuscript request. My writing is solid. This story is solid. I know that. I’m wondering if the right agent is out there though.
This one said they love stories that challenge the reader intellectually and emotionally. It sounded like CURSES was a perfect fit. I want the reader to think, and those who have read my story have said that it made them think for a while after the story ended. I wanted people to feel frustrated with Biddy, to evaluate her actions in terms of their own ideas.
It sounded like a perfect fit. I guess it wasn’t.
I know how subjectivity works in the publishing world. As a former editor-in-chief of the magazine, I saw some amazing pieces of writing get rejected because the staff just didn’t connect with it. It sucked to have to tell the author that there was nothing wrong with their pieces, but it just didn’t work for us. I felt useless. I wonder if agents feel the same way.
I wonder if the agent thought, “This is good, but I just don’t feel it.” I’d like to think so. But I will never know. I don’t know what the agent meant by “material.” What about CURSES couldn’t she get emotionally connected with? Biddy? The narrative? Even the story line? I’ll never know.
I have been considering emailing her back and just thanking her for a prompt, friendly, and warm rejection, though.
Now I must consider my next move.
I can either keep looking, or self-publish and hope people like me enough to buy it, like it enough to pass the word along, and make a little name for myself that way.
Or I can put it aside for now, and just work on my new manuscript.
Everyone says, “It just takes time.” Yeah, well it also feels like I’m running out of agents that seem like a good fit. But still, I believe in CURSES and I think it’s a story that needed to be told. It’s a story that needs to be read. I just haven’t been able to convince any agent yet.
This is my dream. It sucks how people who are in it for money get published before I do. I’m not thinking of any author in particular, but it happens all the time.
Maybe I should write on here what my dream agent would be like. Maybe someone in the blog world could point me in the right direction.
There’s a thought. What do you think?
Sorry to hear that, but you still seem to be in positive spirits, which is a good thing! Keep your chin up!
I’ve only recently heard of and joined NetGalley, but would they have some option that would help get your book read by more agents?
What exactly is NetGalley?
It’s a place where publishers and authors post their soon-to-be published works to have a certain type of reviewer review them. Sometimes they’re looking for professional reviewers and sometimes they accept bloggers…but that’s really all I know about it. Check out the site to see what other info may help you: http://www.netgalley.com.
I think it may be better for review than for searching for an agent, but maybe you can find other publishers to contact?
Ah yes, the familiar sting of rejection. Unfortunately, being a new author in these troubled publishing times is a very difficult position to write from. Couple that with whatever crisis a particular agent is going through at the exact time they read your query and the odds of getting signed become even smaller.
What’s frustrating is your entire writing career is based on the paragraph or two in your query letter. You may think it’s good, I may think it’s good, and a handful of agents may think it’s good, but that sometimes isn’t good enough. Each agent already has a client list and may only be taking on one or two new authors. If CURSES falls into the same vein as some of their other clients, even if they like it, they may pass. The rejections that hurt the most are the ‘I’m very intrigued, but must reluctantly pass’. How close do you have to be to get a rejection like that?
Don’t let it get you down. I’m in the same boat, and still paddling along.
What are your goals with CURSES? If you want to be published traditionally, perhaps a conference or two may help. Keep an eye out for newer literary agents who are building their client lists, or maybe online contests can help. Bottom line is don’t give up. You can’t be published if you don’t try. Self-publish only if it’s a viable option for you and your writing career (my opinion anyway).
I’m rooting for you, and I believe CURSES will find a home. Use each rejection as motivation. Become the best writer and person you can be. Then, they’ll have no reason to reject you. Keep your head up, keep moving forward, and keep smiling. That seems to work for me.
I believe CURSES is a story that people need to read, and I would love to see it in actual print. So, yes, it’s for it to get published. But more so, its for people to read.
I just wish the rejections were a little more constructive so I knew what exactly to work on. I don’t know whats making the agents pass, so I don’t know what to do.
They have us going in, and out, blind. And no matter how many agent blogs/tweets I read, the cover they put over our eyes isn’t taken off.
HI Sarah,
I am in the same boat…lots of rejections, very few were anything more than a form rejection. I did try changing my query a couple of times, and my latest draft garnered some full and partial requests. It made me feel like I may have avoided a lot of the earlier rejections if I had just had the right query letter. Ya never know, maybe it’s worth revising the query again?
Don’t give up…and in the mean time, we unpublished authors will just keep sticking together
~Emily
Thank you for the encouragement! It’s hard to think that I need to revise my query letter again. I had so much help on it and I was so excited when I got the thumbs up that I’m ready. I’m not sure what would be wrong with it. Maybe I will post it to a forum and see what they think.