How do you get an agent to tell you if you suck?

I suppose it's like this....if an agent has invested significant time in reading most or all of your ms, he/she is most likely to offer some criticism with the rejection. However, if an agent has only read a chapter or two and dismissed it then and there, they will be loathe to throw any more time at you.

If you have had an agent provide you with some feedback on a rejection, take heart that the agent thought you were worth spending the time doing that.

One thing though....you should really get someone else to beta read your work before sending it out to pros. Really.

If an agent is interested in your work, they'll most likely offer feedback or criticism. If your stuff sucked, then the agent didn't get too far into the ms. or query or whatever and thus isn't going to spend time giving you feedback or criticism. You have to be good (have a good ms.) for an agent to look at your stuff and tell you it sucks (though other agents might tell you it's good, or some might send you a form rejection because they weren't interested in it enough). Hopefully that makes sense.

They're agents, not editors. Plus, they're busy and don't have the time or inclination to offer your feedback.

Hi Stacey,
Well, for a short while, Miss Snark was offering honest feedback on her blog, but alas! she stopped. Torgo, who's an editor, has a blog called Honest Critiques, where he'll give honest feedback on short selections, though it may take a few weeks for him to get to it.

Have you considered posting some of your work on the Share Your Work board here? Or checking out one of the online workshops, like Critters or OWW? Just reading and critiquing other people's work can give you a fairer idea of the quality of your own.

-Barbara

An anonymous NY agent who calls herself Miss Snark (www.misssnark.blogspot.com) will critique the first page of your manuscript on her blog. She only does this from time to time, so wait until she announces the next "Crap-O-Meter" competition.

Jackie

In general, you have to believe in what you write. If you can't stand to read it, that's a good sign it needs more work. "Well, maybe readers will like it...maybe editors will fix it..." Generally, if you get to the point where you love what you've written, you are on the right track and only need confirmation that you have good taste.

I think some people think more about their goal than the reality of what they are crafting. "I wanna be a writer...famous...rich...and if I put enough words on a page, I'll get there!"

Some people are self-deluded. I have more experience in music than writing. People would hand me self-recorded stuff that made me want to gag. I couldn't imagine why they weren't embarrassed to let someone hear their stuff- droning, boring, painful to the ears.

You don't have to talk people into liking something. Both of my sons played with a group that was virtually on the level of Dave Matthews band in terms of musical talent. It didn't take long to get noticed. You didn't have to poll people to ask, "Do you think they were good?" The crow reactions were self-evident. For the record, the band self-destructed because of personal problems. But my one son was asked to tour with a signed band, but chose to go on for his master's degree instead.

In general, you don't need an agent to tell you that you are up to speed. There are people here who are able to give you a real good idea if your writing is up to snuff. It isn't hard to get people here to look at your query or samples of your WIP. There is a place specifically to share your work. However, you must also realize writing is a salt to taste thing. So, all criticism must be taken with some grain of salt.

Do you have Beta Readers, people who love to read who would look at your work- not a best friend who wants to spare your feelings.

In general, if a well-read person will keep reading and commenting on your piece, it must have some merrits. Unless of course, they are tortured souls who self-flagilate. People will show disinterest if something is truely boring. But you have to read their expressions and not make them feel like they are inflicting mortal wounds when they are being honest. You have to make it easy for them. What parts did you like best? What parts did you like least? What characters would you like to see more of? Less of?

No one has seen my full WIP. But I had enough people saying, "Publish this...this is great...you remind me of...I can't wait to see more..."

But that didn't mean everyone liked everything. My battle scenes were clunky. I didn't have to ask the Beta readers if they liked it. They simply weren't enthusiastic about it. "Well, I don't really like battle scenes that much..." Translation- fix it.

Then when you get comments, "Poor Mike..." "Oh that's horrible..." you see you are on the right mark, because it's causing a visceral reaction.

Stacey Sweeney said:

Now I'm curious, do most agents just send out form letters if you suck royally and a personalized rejection if you have hope? Or did I find the only agent the first time around who tries to help authors?
I decided to not do the beta reader thing, but would LOVE some constructive criticism from a pro. Is there a way to get the agents to personalize the rejection letter? (I am hoping of course that an agent will like my book, but....) I don't even care if the rej. says "You suck, get a real job." or "Dear god, are you trying to kill me with this crap? I've read better stories on bathroom walls?" I just want some feedback.

Click to expand...

Stacey, there are some agents out there who may give personal feedback on a requested partial or full (on the query, though, is very rare in my experience). But these gems are few and far between. They have stacks of material to pore through from prospective clients, as well as their current clients' work, as well as their other duties as an agent. They simply do not have the time to give personal responses to all prospective clients.

What's more, I've learned that many will not do this because it may open the door to future conversations about this work -- which they have already rejected -- which they do not want to discuss any further. Some authors get downright nasty with agents.

Agents work on commission. Time spent on a manuscript that doesn't work for them (for whatever the reason) is not going to give the agent anything other than a warm, fuzzy feeling. Maybe that makes for good karma, but it doesn't do much for business.

Your best bet, if you're looking for feedback, is to join a writer's group. There are a number of them available online, but you may want to find a local group and do it face to face.

Good luck.

Be careful what you wish for. An agent with a small client list may just have the time to tell you what she thinks. A good ole form letter might be better for your emotional health. One of my fellow agents says that form rejections don't bother him a bit. It's the ones that are full of praise that depress him--"If my book's that good, and is still rejected, I'll never sell it."

.

If an agent says yes, you don't suck. If they say no, you do.

If an agent says yes, you don't suck. If they say no, you do.

Click to expand...

There are quite a few published books that I think suck, but other people think are great. And vice versa.

Finding the right agent is like finding a business partner or marriage partner. They have to believe in you and have nothing else in their life like you.

I was reading an agent blog the other day and she was saying how she will turn down good books because she already has something like it on her list. It wouldn't be fair to her other clients if she was trying to sell two books from different authors that were completely identical.

I think that's another issue that also makes finding the right agent difficult.

They have to love your book, be sure they can sell it, and have nothing else quite like it. We're not talking same genre, we're talking same subject. Like two young adult vampire novels. Those would conflict.

Agents

And agent who says nothing is speaking very loudly.

Cover your ears.

scarletpeaches said:

If an agent says yes, you don't suck. If they say no, you do.

Click to expand...

Stacy, do not listen to this quote. Just because an agent rejects your work doesn't mean you suck. Now, there is a possibility that the work you submitted...well...sucks. But that doesn't mean you can't write a number one best seller. I would like to suggest you check out another thread in the writing novles forum entitled New Content Site started by mrs75. I think you will find it helpful. In my opinion, that thread provides a golden oppretunity for aspiring authors.

I didn't read the thread just the title. But I had to reply. This is like a blond joke. How do you get an agent to tell you your story sucks.........you send it to him...Sorry. Truth...I got about 400 rejections for every interested party.

My agent told me...

When I first submitted my novel, the agency with whom I eventually signed sent me a very honest letter of rejection, specifying clearly why they were saying "no".

Essentially the novel was 1) too short, 2) had spotty character development, 3) suffered plot holes, 4) had too many typos, 5) had cliched' dialog.

I studied their letter carefully, looked at my novel, and found myself agreeing. I sent them a thank you letter, and asked whether they'd reconsider if I put the book through a rewrite and expansion.

They said, "sure, but no promises".

Thanks to them I did a total rewrite and found the book vastly improved. I sent them a new copy and they signed me a few months ago. No sales yet but they are submitting to lots of publishers and keep me updated.

So I got lucky.

I've just had a similar thing to Katdad happen to me--actually I'm in the beginning process of ping pong back and forth with a new agent. I sent him an email query, and I guess he was impressed enough to ask for the full hardcopy manuscript right out of the gate. I panicked because I was currently brushing it up for the fourth rewrite. I did get it to him five days later. After day nine of waiting he called on the phone and had to leave a message. He suggested that I had a slow part in the first chapter and another scene about midway that was small and didn't make sense. He said regardless of a decision he wanted to call me again and speak further about changes. Unfortunately, the message cut off and I didn't hear the last minute of conversation. Damn.

It sounded exactly like a rewrite request and he obviously read the whole thing.
Now here I am stuck wondering if he rejected this manuscript at the end of the conversation and I didn't hear it. My Spidy sense tells me I've snagged him with a rewrite, but you know what? There's 10% of me that is paranoid. And this is the second time he's called me!

Have you ever heard of anything like this before?

Tri

Send 'em a copy of any of my manuscripts.

caw.

Trying to figure out what an agent or editor really meant by what kind of rejection you get is a kind of fortune telling called Rejectomancy. It's a bit less accurate than your newspaper horoscope.

Anything that isn't "yes" is "no." File it, and move on.

Info on agents that might help

Most aspiring authors begin their careers with little or no understanding of how to go about finding an agent to represent their work. They quickly learn that most major publishing houses only accept submissions through literary agents. So, with great anticipation, they begin sending query letters to agents and usually get a cool reception, or even hit an impenetrable brick wall.

To understand how authors can improve their odds of attracting an agent, and to learn the outlook for rookies trying to crack into the brutally competitive publishing industry, we surveyed more than 60 literary agents. Their backgrounds range from large, well-known agencies to smaller “boutique” agencies.

Among the questions we asked were these: Where do agents find clients? What is the most critical mistake writers make when approaching agents? What is the most common reason you decline to represent a writer? And, do you see the publishing industry becoming more or less favorable for new (unpublished) authors?

We think our survey results and agent comments offer some good insights for all types of writers.

go to
http://www.brianhillanddeepower.com/agents.html

Dee

They always tell me to send a few chapters or the first 40 pages or so, and if they want to look at more ,they'll ask. I never met one who actually read a whole MS. Cover letters and query letters usually resolve all that.

Telling you that you suck isn't any part of an agent's job.

Saying "Yes, I will represent you," or "No, I will not represent you" is part of an agent's job.

Well, I'm in the clear. The agent said he couldn't put it down and read it in one swoop. He gave me a lengthly copy-edit over the phone and minor suggestions for rewrite. He said everything clicked, great characters, voice, pace, the whole nine yards. So now I'm buzy with the rewrite and will send it in. He said he would like Laurence Connely to read it and back him up. Whover L. Connely is...

Tri

James D. Macdonald said:

Saying "Yes, I will represent you," or "No, I will not represent you" is part of an agent's job.

Click to expand...

My experience lends support to at least half of this assessment.

caw.

Being rejected isn't an automatic indicment of your story, or of your writing prowess. An agent once told me he had passed on good books for any number of reasons, including timing, market saturation, socio-political climate, etc...

Jim and other trusted gurus have long cautioned against trying to read "intent and content" into a spare rejection letter. Doing so may induce paralysis by analysis, an often fatal condition for new writers.