Agent's personal comment on rejection: Is it worth more than just a rejection?

Homer · Oct 23, 2006

Recently I received the proverbial agent's personal comment on rejection.

I sent my prologue and first chapter (25 pages), and a complete synopsis to an agent with a leading agency. This was an unsolicited submission. The agency is one of the titans. The agent specializes (insofar as fiction is concerned) in literary fiction and quality commercial fiction, including historical fiction. The agent is a historian, with a Yale PhD, and has taught at the university level. In short, she's somebody whose substantive input I would value, particularly since my work can be categorized as historical fiction. That is, I'd value her input if in fact that's what I received.

In response I received a standard form rejection letter, stating in part, "Due to the high volume of materials we receive, we are unable to respond personally to every submission." However, in the margin, in tiny script, the agent wrote by hand, "Your work has a lot to recommend it, but it's not quite right for my list. All the best wishes, [agent's signature]."

What does this mean? Is this positive feedback? Or just a "no."

Julie Worth · Oct 23, 2006

Homer said:
What does this mean? Is this positive feedback? Or just a "no."

It probably just means your submission made it past the assistant.

Maprilynne · Oct 23, 2006

It is still a no, but it means your submission at least garnered some positive attention.
FWIW.

Maprilynne

CaroGirl · Oct 23, 2006

I would take it as both. Certainly, the agent didn't have to write anything on the form rejection. Of course it's a no, but I'd still think of it as positive and somewhat encouraging that she took the time to add a note, which basically implies the work is good enough to be accepted by someone else.

You did get past the assistant, as Julie stated, and that's a good thing too.

rugcat · Oct 23, 2006

Homer said:
What does this mean? Is this positive feedback? Or just a "no."

Sorry, but I think it doesn't mean anything one way or another. Just a polite way to soften a form rejection. She may have liked or hated it; there's no way to know. Agents usually don't want to open a dialogue with rejected authors; they have too much else to do.

wordmonkey · Oct 23, 2006

The strata is generally as follows:

- No reply at all.
- Your own letter returned with a stamped rejection comment.
- Your own letter returned with a hand written rejection comment. (While this is more personal, it's usually more insulting as well).
- Form note. This is NOT a letter and is usually a result of someone printing the same thing three times on a piece of paper and then trimming said page into thirds. This has two sub-sections:

- The hand torn form note.
- The neatly trimmed form note.

- The obviously photocopied form letter on really cheap paper. This is usually crooked and the signature is also photocopied.
- The nicely printed on cheap paper, form letter. No signature.
- The nicely printed on cheap paper, form letter. With signature.
- The nicely printed on agency-headed paper, form letter. With signature.
- The nicely printed on agency headed paper, form letter. With signature AND encouraging sentence hand written.
- The nicely printed on agency headed paper, form letter which has been modified to be specific. With signature.
- Specific personalized letter that offers some tips, compliments and comments. This is obviously signed.

Find where you are on the list and either take hope or look at where you still have to climb.

And remember, the next step up is an offer.

Del · Oct 23, 2006

rugcat said:
Agents usually don't want to open a dialogue with rejected authors; they have too much else to do.

This is precisely why Homer can take a little pride in the personal attention. It was likely intended to be encouraging even if a bit vague. I'd be greteful that it was more than a preprinted form letter.

ORION · Oct 23, 2006

The agents I talk with at conferences have said many times that a hand written note on an otherwise form rejection letter is a positive thing. It still means no but it is meant to be encouraging.
There are many levels of encouraging. Specific feedback is time consuming and when an agent does that appreciate it. A short note that says "this has much to recommend it" is positive also. It means you did not stink. Keep it. Set it aside. Check out the other books the agent handles. If your third or forth book looks closer - requery if you still don't have an agent by that time. Otherwise keep querying other agents.
I would periodically get handwritten notes before I got my agent and I wasted a lot of time trying to analyze them. Don't. It merely means they did not fall in love with your novel and agents MUST fall in love with your book - if they don't - they can't sell it effectively.
Congratulations on getting a personal note. Those are hard to come by.
Good luck.

Homer · Oct 23, 2006

rugcat said:
Agents usually don't want to open a dialogue with rejected authors; they have too much else to do.

I must say that I agree with Delarage, that this in fact argues in favor of it meaning a little something more than just "no."

popmuze · Oct 23, 2006

Of course, another level would be some specific points for you to rewrite and resubmit, or a request to see your next.

That being said, I would take a note like this to mean my manuscript is probably good enough to keep sending around for a while longer, without necessarily having to take it back to the shop for major repairs.

It also means your query is probably pretty good too.

That may be all the encouragement you need--or can stand.

iggypopforyou · Oct 23, 2006

The key phrase is, "Not quite right for my list." There's a small message here. You are being told that you probably have a quality project going, but it needs to go somewhere else. So I believe there was merit to what happened in this rejection. It doesn't tell you unfortunately, that your writing is any good. Her comment could have been a result of simply reading your query or synopsis, which would have told her enough about your subject matter for her to know whether or not it fell within her specialty or scope of contacts.
So like me, you learn that it is the job of the writer to not only be some type of mind reader, but to also find out as much as possible about the people we are submitting our stuff to. When at all possible. She may be civil war and you may have just finished a new look at Attila the Hun - so you need to find a straight-up Hun freak.
One thing I am getting pretty knowledgeable on, and that's rejection - something I have been groomed for my entire life.

Julie Worth · Oct 23, 2006

Homer said:
I must say that I agree with Delarage, that this in fact argues in favor of it meaning a little something more than just "no."

LOL. If it’s not a no, then what is it?

Also, you have to consider that some assistants sign their boss’s name. I’ve gotten two rejections from an editor who either had wildly varying signatures, or had at least one assistant signing for him.

CaroGirl · Oct 23, 2006

In retrospect, I'm thinking you can't know where on the stratum you are with respect to this agent. Without a context regarding the agent's typical practises, you have no idea whether this rejection response it typical or unusual.

This might be an agent who scrawls something across the side of every form query just cuz she's compassionate. Perhaps she's an agent who would never personalize the rejection unless it were an extremely special circumstance.

If you could ever get ahold of other rejections by this agent, you might have an idea of whether she really values your work, or is just cushioning the blow.

I agree, however, that analyzing those few words to death is counter productive. Sadly, a no really is a no.

Homer · Oct 23, 2006

CaroGirl said:
In retrospect, I'm thinking you can't know where on the stratum you are with respect to this agent. Without a context regarding the agent's typical practises, you have no idea whether this rejection response it typical or unusual.

This might be an agent who scrawls something across the side of every form query just cuz she's compassionate. Perhaps she's an agent who would never personalize the rejection unless it were an extremely special circumstance.

If you could ever get ahold of other rejections by this agent, you might have an idea of whether she really values your work, or is just cushioning the blow.

I agree, however, that analyzing those few words to death is counter productive. Sadly, a no really is a no.

I think this is right. Anyway, thanks all for the input.

blacbird · Oct 23, 2006

I_Shrugged said:
I'd take it as a positive 'No'.

Sort of like being almost pregnant.

caw.

SeanDSchaffer · Oct 24, 2006

Homer said:
Recently I received the proverbial agent's personal comment on rejection.

....Snipped....

In response I received a standard form rejection letter, stating in part, "Due to the high volume of materials we receive, we are unable to respond personally to every submission." However, in the margin, in tiny script, the agent wrote by hand, "Your work has a lot to recommend it, but it's not quite right for my list. All the best wishes, [agent's signature]."

What does this mean? Is this positive feedback? Or just a "no."

The fact that the agent took their precious time to write you personally with their own pen would, IMO, mean that they liked your work. I think that any number of factors could have been involved in the rejection, such as their not handling your genre, or their client list being too full right now. But the fact they took the time to write you a note tells me they were probably very impressed by your work.

I would take that as an encouragement from the agent. The majority of companies I've submitted to do not write out personal notes on rejections. When an agent does this, they are taking time and effort to say something that to them is special and worthy of taking note of. They get lots of submissions, and only have so much time in the day to read them. I think it's good that you've gotten this encouraging word from the agent. It's still a rejection of your work, but the fact they sat up and took note of your work long enough to write you a personal note, I think should be taken as an encouragement to keep trying and to continue submitting your writing to other companies.

Homer · Oct 24, 2006

SeanDSchaffer said:
The fact that the agent took their precious time to write you personally with their own pen would, IMO, mean that they liked your work. I think that any number of factors could have been involved in the rejection, such as their not handling your genre, or their client list being too full right now. But the fact they took the time to write you a note tells me they were probably very impressed by your work.

I would take that as an encouragement from the agent. The majority of companies I've submitted to do not write out personal notes on rejections. When an agent does this, they are taking time and effort to say something that to them is special and worthy of taking note of. They get lots of submissions, and only have so much time in the day to read them. I think it's good that you've gotten this encouraging word from the agent. It's still a rejection of your work, but the fact they sat up and took note of your work long enough to write you a personal note, I think should be taken as an encouragement to keep trying and to continue submitting your writing to other companies.

Thanks for your encouraging comment. It does seem unlikely that she'd hand write a paragraph on every one of the hundreds of unsolicited submissions she receives each month. That would take several hours a month.

allenparker · Oct 24, 2006

It would depend on a great amount of things

Agent notes can be a "feel good" part of the query game, but it doesn't necessarily make a comment on how close you are to being published, other than you get to chalk up a "no" on your data base.

I have recceived notes from publishers scribbled in the corners of the rejection letter with suggestions. Most of these have a good tidbit to add to the writing process. Some have been helpful in the fact that they reinforce the fact that no two people are alike. When you receive two different commments diametrically opposed to each other from the same submission, you will see that each person brings his own taste to the table. Some like liver and onions; others don't.

awp

Agent's personal comment on rejection: Is it worth more than just a rejection?

Homer

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

Maprilynne

Author Waiting in the Wings

CaroGirl

Living the dream

rugcat

Lost in the Fog

wordmonkey

ook

Del

Sky isn't falling, ground is rising

ORION

Sailed away years ago

Homer

popmuze

Last of a Dying Breed

iggypopforyou

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

CaroGirl

Living the dream

Homer

blacbird

SeanDSchaffer

Homer

allenparker

Naked Futon Guy