Rejection translations

spywriter · Oct 11, 2006

Thank you to any agents out there who can help me. I have received many rejections and I need someone to translate the following:

1) It's a form rejection that says, "However, please keep me in mind for all your future projects." Is the agent serious about wanting to see more, or do all writers get this same letter?

2) "While I am not interested in this projet, I liked your voice. Please send me everything else you write." What if I change my writing style for the next book? Does she still want to see it?

3) Lastly, I sent a ms to an agent who had asked for it, but it wasn't fully edited. When I was rejected, I hired an editor and went back to the agent (directly) asking for a 2nd read. He said YES. But, he told me that he would be out of town for several weeks and that I should expect a long delay in reading time. Well, about a week after I sent it to him, I got a form letter saying that he was not interested. I really don't believe he read it. I think his assistants read it while he was gone and made their own decision. What should I do? He seemed very excited to read it again, so I don't think he did. SHould I write him AGAIN, or let it go?

4)I wrote a book two years ago that received a TREMENDOUS amount of attention from every big house in the agent world and them some. However, i never got passed the 1st three chapter stage. After a prof. editor did her thing, she told me to give it another try...that she really believed I could beat the odds and get published. Again, I got attnetion from all over..even the big houses in Canada too, but no one picked it up. Since I know the subject is very timely and my editor (formerly of Warner) said that have what it takes, I am thinking about a POD and marketing it myself. Any advice? And warnings?

Thank you so very much for your time.

victoriastrauss · Oct 11, 2006

spywriter said:
1) It's a form rejection that says, "However, please keep me in mind for all your future projects." Is the agent serious about wanting to see more, or do all writers get this same letter?

If it's a form rejection, then all writers get the same letter. If that comment is written in, then it's just for you.

2) "While I am not interested in this projet, I liked your voice. Please send me everything else you write." What if I change my writing style for the next book? Does she still want to see it?

Sure. What do you have to lose? That's quite a compliment, by the way.

3) Lastly, I sent a ms to an agent who had asked for it, but it wasn't fully edited. When I was rejected, I hired an editor and went back to the agent (directly) asking for a 2nd read. He said YES. But, he told me that he would be out of town for several weeks and that I should expect a long delay in reading time. Well, about a week after I sent it to him, I got a form letter saying that he was not interested. I really don't believe he read it. I think his assistants read it while he was gone and made their own decision. What should I do? He seemed very excited to read it again, so I don't think he did. SHould I write him AGAIN, or let it go?

Let it go. You have no way of knowing whether he read it or not (maybe he didn't go away after all), but bugging him about another rejection will probably not get positive results.

4)I wrote a book two years ago that received a TREMENDOUS amount of attention from every big house in the agent world and them some. However, i never got passed the 1st three chapter stage. After a prof. editor did her thing, she told me to give it another try...that she really believed I could beat the odds and get published. Again, I got attnetion from all over..even the big houses in Canada too, but no one picked it up. Since I know the subject is very timely and my editor (formerly of Warner) said that have what it takes, I am thinking about a POD and marketing it myself. Any advice? And warnings?

Generally speaking, nonfiction is a better bet for self-publishing than fiction. Be aware, however, that the marketing you can do yourself is usually smallest part of the marketing required for sales above a few hundred (the rest involves distribution, pre-publication reviews, and a publisher's sales force).

Have you tried independent publishers? They often don't require you to be agented, and there are many good independents that publish nonfiction.

- Victoria

spywriter · Oct 11, 2006

Thanks Victoria. As always, you're there for us!

My book is fiction, so I guess that's bad news for the POD thing. However, after all the attention I got from this book and so fast....I think that its bound to sell by its title alone. If not, then at least I'll know I did everything I could.

Forgive me, but I want to say something out loud for all those agents who are reading this. You've told me you like my voice. You tell me to send everything else I write. My subject is timely, interesting, and well written (especially since its been edited by Grisham's old editor), but you don't ask to represent it and I never know why. AGents, I know you are busy, but from time to time, please tell us why you said no. You have no idea how important that is. "You're writing needs work." "I was bored to tears." "Too long." "I would, but DaVinci Code came in the same day as yours." Please, once in a while, just let us know. Thank you!

And Victoria, one 6 figure agent also hand wrote a note to send her everything I write, but I cannot remember her name. When I sent it to her, I had no idea who she was. I didn't learn how important she was until I had lost her reply. DUMB DUMB DUMB!!!!

Anyway...thanks for listening you guys!

ORION · Oct 11, 2006

A thought on giving reasons for rejections. I have been given feedback on why my full was rejected before but just took it for what it was worth (an opinion) The agent that ultimately signed me loved my novel. If I had changed my book in response to other agent's opinion I might have ruined it for her. This business is so subjective.
One thing that you have said.
"...been edited by Grisham's old editor..." might make agents leary.
Miss Snark mentioned something about this as being a thing you should never mention. Agents want to know the work is something you are capable of producing - not an author that requires editing from the outside -
JMHO

icerose · Oct 11, 2006

Check publishers guidelines and start submitting to the ones who are open. If you get offered a contract, contact your favorite agent who had positive reaction and explain you have been offered a contract and want them to negotiate it for you.

There are quite a few good publishers out there that accept submissions, so it's worth a shot.

If that fails and you should be doing it anyway, start on your next book. Get it written, edit it yourself and start submitting it. Many authors publish their third or fourth or more written book first, and then go back and publish their earlier ones. Sometimes you need a special book to make it in to get your name going. I understand the timely issue, but it might be just that. Besides it wouldn't be coming out for at least a year because of the edits and such, and that may be your problem, they may not think it will still be within the time frame by the time it is released. that is the problem with trends, you need to be at the front of the trend rather then the back end.

spywriter · Oct 11, 2006

Rejections

Thanks for the feedback. I understand what you mean about this being subjective, and you are right. But if you get ten queries back that read, "Hated the main character!" then you have a good idea what's wrong. I had a few agents tell me that it was "too long", so I cut it down. If two or three think it, then it was.

As far as the editor, I can see your point. But, my editor told me that you would NOT believe the amount of editing she has seen some of the big writers need. And I dare say that everyone who reads this should have a prof. eye review their stuff. And as far as what she did, she tightened so that I could cut it down, and removed some 'ly's" that I put all aournd. In the end, I wrote back to 13 agents and five agreed to read it again after finding out it had been adited by someone who knows my kind of book. So I guess admitting it can screw you and also help out too. You just never know.

I did have one agent give me a total breakdown of my MS and BOY! Did it hurt. But in the end, he had the same critisism that two family members had. IF the three of them had it, they must be right. I changed it and it made the book better.

Anyway...thanks for listening. Good luck yourself!

SPY

spywriter · Oct 11, 2006

thanks

You're right about trends. That very well may be my probelm with getting an agent, becasue many of them write nice one liners on the bottom of my letter. "No, but send me everything else!"

I will look into the smaller houses, but I did that once, and it took 18 months for them to get back to me with a NO. ANother was not so long, but it was still 9 months. I can't ait that long.

I did write another book since that first one, and although it was better written, only a hand full of agents were interested and then they said no. My first book is that one that has the draw, but I fear, as you said, my time is short. THat's why I am looking for the POD.

Thanks for writing back. I appreciate it.

SPY

popmuze · Oct 11, 2006

spywriter said:
Thanks for the feedback. I understand what you mean about this being subjective, and you are right. But if you get ten queries back that read, "Hated the main character!" then you have a good idea what's wrong.

What's more likely is that one agent says, "I hated the main character." Then the next agent says, "I loved the main character."

spywriter · Oct 11, 2006

You know it! Isn't that always the way!

Rejection translations

spywriter

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess

spywriter

ORION

Sailed away years ago

icerose

Lost in School Work

spywriter

spywriter

popmuze

Last of a Dying Breed

spywriter