I'm querying agents, and I've gotten several compliments, but they were still rejections. They said my YA/fiction novel wasn't right for them. Where should I look for that type of agent? I'd prefer if they were familiar with the manga/anime industry. Any suggestions?
Where Do You Go to fing agents That Deal with YA, Fantasy novels?
- Thread starter amerimanga2009
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"Not right for me" is a form rejection. It doesn't mean that the agent doesn't handle YA, or YA fantasy, or manga/anime-inspired novels. It just means the agent doesn't want your work.
(It's possible the compliments were also form rejections - I'd be wary about trusting them.)
I start with agentquery.com. If you do their advanced search, you can choose YA and fantasy, and also ones who are specifically looking for new clients. From there, check AW, their blogs, their website (always check their website if they have one for the most up to date submission info anyway), and interviews if you want more specific information (like if they mention loving manga/anime, but I haven't seen many saying this). You might try selecting "graphic novels" on AQ too, and see which agents want all three, since this would suggest an interest.
Also, I repped you some insider info about one agent. Go to your "User CP" and check it out
Also, I repped you some insider info about one agent. Go to your "User CP" and check it out
I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I worked really hard on my query letter and researched everything I could get my hands on. I'm getting frustrated, but I've talked with other writers, and they say rejections will come along WAY more often than acceptances.
Do you ever worry that you'll eventually run out of agents to query? I'm beginning to think it might happen to me.
I think I'll go post my query and see if maybe I screwed it up and that's why I keep getting rejected.
Some general questions to ask yourself:
1. Is your rejection rate worse than 90%? It's pretty normal to get a lot of rejections, but if you're not getting at least 1 acceptance for every 9 rejections, there could be a problem with your query.
2. Is it your query letter only that's being rejected (in which case workshop the query), or are you sending additional materials (in which case workshop them too)?
3. Are your first pages up to scratch? Have you posted them in critique groups and revised based on feedback?
4. Did you spend enough time revising and do enough rounds of revisions?
5. Did you send your work to impartial beta readers and pay attention to their feedback?
6. Is your word count within appropriate parameters for your genre? Did you obey other genre conventions?
Hope these help you to understand why you may be getting rejected.
1. Is your rejection rate worse than 90%? It's pretty normal to get a lot of rejections, but if you're not getting at least 1 acceptance for every 9 rejections, there could be a problem with your query.
2. Is it your query letter only that's being rejected (in which case workshop the query), or are you sending additional materials (in which case workshop them too)?
3. Are your first pages up to scratch? Have you posted them in critique groups and revised based on feedback?
4. Did you spend enough time revising and do enough rounds of revisions?
5. Did you send your work to impartial beta readers and pay attention to their feedback?
6. Is your word count within appropriate parameters for your genre? Did you obey other genre conventions?
Hope these help you to understand why you may be getting rejected.
Most authors don't get their first book published, tbh. Rejections come waaaaaaay more often than acceptances, that's for sure. And for most authors they come waaaaay more often than requests.
If you run out of agents to query (I'm out of ones to e-query, so I know the feeling), you can always write another book, which will likely be better, and query that one. If you get an agent and sell that book, you can always show the agent the first, only now it's not slush, and they'll actually look at it.
If you run out of agents to query (I'm out of ones to e-query, so I know the feeling), you can always write another book, which will likely be better, and query that one. If you get an agent and sell that book, you can always show the agent the first, only now it's not slush, and they'll actually look at it.
Another good way is to cyber-stalk published authors.
If you read a book that is similar in genre, try to get some info on the author. I would say 99% of the time you will be able to find out which agent represents that author, then query away.
But of course, if the agent represents a best-seller, your chances of getting a request might be more slim since tons of people will be querying.
If you read a book that is similar in genre, try to get some info on the author. I would say 99% of the time you will be able to find out which agent represents that author, then query away.
But of course, if the agent represents a best-seller, your chances of getting a request might be more slim since tons of people will be querying.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I worked really hard on my query letter and researched everything I could get my hands on. I'm getting frustrated, but I've talked with other writers, and they say rejections will come along WAY more often than acceptances.
The most likely outcome for any query is a rejection. The percentage of books published every year that are submitted every year is something like 1-3%. It is an incredibly hard business to break into. I'm not saying this to discourage you further, but to let you know that you are not alone, and you are not running into anything every other writer here has also faced. It's possible to do everything right and still get rejected.
My book must really stink. That agent already denied me.
Not necessarily. I'll be brutally honest here and say, yes, maybe it does, but as I said, you could have a well written book with a good query that just happens to be a story that already has two dozen variations on the shelf. The market is saturated and an agent can't sell it no matter how good it might be.
Do you ever worry that you'll eventually run out of agents to query? I'm beginning to think it might happen to me.
I never worried, because I knew it would happen and it did. If that happens, you write a new book and send that out. Not every book sells, and most writers don't sell their first book. It's takes several before they land and agent and a book deal. But all it takes is one agent to love your work, so you just keep trying until you've exhausted the list. And there's always submitting directly to publishers after that if you really feel the book has potential. Not all publishers accept unsolicited/unagented submissions, but some do.
I think I'll go post my query and see if maybe I screwed it up and that's why I keep getting rejected.
This is a great idea. SYW can be incredibly helpful.
It's a tough business, and rejection is part of the process. I know it's hard not to take it personally after pouring heart and soul into a novel, but it's important to remember it's not personal. Agents don't feel anything bad about you, they just don't feel they can sell the book you submitted to them. That's all. My agent rejected me twice before she signed me. Took me three books to find one she liked and felt she could sell.
Just keep writing, keep querying and keep improving.
The most likely outcome for any query is a rejection. The percentage of books published every year that are submitted every year is something like 1-3%. It is an incredibly hard business to break into. I'm not saying this to discourage you further, but to let you know that you are not alone, and you are not running into anything every other writer here has also faced. It's possible to do everything right and still get rejected.
My book must really stink. That agent already denied me.
Not necessarily. I'll be brutally honest here and say, yes, maybe it does, but as I said, you could have a well written book with a good query that just happens to be a story that already has two dozen variations on the shelf. The market is saturated and an agent can't sell it no matter how good it might be.
Do you ever worry that you'll eventually run out of agents to query? I'm beginning to think it might happen to me.
I never worried, because I knew it would happen and it did. If that happens, you write a new book and send that out. Not every book sells, and most writers don't sell their first book. It's takes several before they land and agent and a book deal. But all it takes is one agent to love your work, so you just keep trying until you've exhausted the list. And there's always submitting directly to publishers after that if you really feel the book has potential. Not all publishers accept unsolicited/unagented submissions, but some do.
I think I'll go post my query and see if maybe I screwed it up and that's why I keep getting rejected.
This is a great idea. SYW can be incredibly helpful.
It's a tough business, and rejection is part of the process. I know it's hard not to take it personally after pouring heart and soul into a novel, but it's important to remember it's not personal. Agents don't feel anything bad about you, they just don't feel they can sell the book you submitted to them. That's all. My agent rejected me twice before she signed me. Took me three books to find one she liked and felt she could sell.
Just keep writing, keep querying and keep improving.
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