The Daily Rejection

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Sydneyd

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I would have to have validation/success first :D
 

Drachen Jager

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You have an age advantage over most of us though Syd. Most writers don't achieve much success until they're in their thirties or forties so you have time to work on your craft.
 

Windcutter

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I hope if you did reject yourself you at least let yourself down easy. Said something nice about how it's a subjective industry and how a 'no' from you didn't mean your writing was bad or anything.

Did you offer yourself representation? ;)

I sent myself a formal rejection. XD Oh well I always get critized for having a rather cold personality, maybe that's karmic revenge.
 

Sydneyd

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You have an age advantage over most of us though Syd. Most writers don't achieve much success until they're in their thirties or forties so you have time to work on your craft.

:D Thanks! I always like it when someone calls me young. I feel OLLLLD most of the time.

I sent myself a formal rejection. XD Oh well I always get critized for having a rather cold personality, maybe that's karmic revenge.

You should send an email back to yourself complaining that you only rejected yourself because you didn't read the whole thing, and then when you get that you can send a reply back to yourself...
 

Fiona

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I got a rejection from the McVeigh agency today. In the email, it said I had a distinctive voice and that he/she really enjoyed reading parts of my MS, but they added that they "are not able to take me on." :(
 

Drachen Jager

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I'm finding the difference between rejection and success is often incremental improvement. It's being brutally critical with your own work and finding readers who will be brutally critical with you. Accepting that criticism, killing your babies when it's required and mercilessly destroying that which you love, but doesn't quite fit. Finding out who your characters are and then making them more like themselves than they were before. Figuring out what your high concept is and reinforcing it until you honestly can summarise your book in one compelling sentence.

Not that I'm there yet, but things are looking really good right now. I've been getting really good responses on a manuscript that's less than 10% changed from one that had almost no success.
 

pollymilton

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I am just going to agree with Drachen, and vent for a moment. A friend is an ex WMA agent, who suggested her current friend (superagent, doesn't accept submissions) take a look at my manu. Superagent too busy, passes it to Jr. Jr. has not responded to my 3 month nudge. I just think she's displaying a lack of professionalism and it's griping my ass. I don't care if she hates it, I would just like to know that she did what a colleague asked her to do and she committed to do. That is all.
Polly out.
 

Beckstah

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Ugh, pollymilton, that's so frustrating. I hope you hear from them soon, even if it's just a "sorry for the wait, getting to it soon" note. Hang in there!


On my end, I just got a personalized rejection on a query+sample pages. She said she liked the concept, but wasn't compelled by the writing. That agent requested a partial of my previous MS, so it's a little disappointing. But at least it was a query and not one of my subs.
 

Hathor

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I've been reading through the Author! Author! blog -- lots of good advice there. One thing she's mentioned is that some agents now don't respond at all to submissions if the answer is "no."

It sucks, I know. Some agents can find the time to say no (or their assistants can), but others cannot. I suppose it would be all right if they say upfront, "If you don't hear from us in X months, assume a 'no.'" But they don't, and don't respond to nudges either.

I have folks who may be interested if I rewrite, but others who have left me hanging. Of course, I would prefer not to rewrite. However, if I have to, I have to.

(Yes, I've nudged all I really can.)

Then I've had several of my betas say I should forget the agent route; my nonfiction book would do better at a small press, anyway.

Maybe the way to do this is to go to the bother of a complete rewrite. Then I'll hear from one of the silent agents that they loved it as is. :)

I feel like the protagonist of my novel (which is what I would prefer to be working on). She can do what has to be done. But it drives her crazy when she doesn't know what that is.

I'm glad you all are here. It keeps me (relatively) sane.

Oh, to return to an earlier topic. Hot Chinese men! Baijiu! (I tried this stuff once. Lordie.)
 

pollymilton

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Oh Beckstah, I'm sorry. I'll bet you're plenty f^&ing compelling!

Hathor, Damn! Can you take a break on the NF and work on the fiction for a bit?

I am out of men, but I did request a bitch-free zone today, as in, no bitches get near me. Both genders.

perhaps we should move on to "Clive Owen! He folds laundry, too!"
 

Hathor

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He does? Damn.

But, you know -- "Eric Bana! He cleans refrigerators,too!"

Seriously, I'm taking rejection pretty well. I'm more cheesed at the deer that are eating my new "deer-resistant" plants right now. Then I see folks in the area with deer favored plants with nary a nibble.

I tell myself I'm going to decide what to do at the end of next week. We're going on a week vacation to get out of our neighborhood, which is walking distance from where the US Open is to be held. Then I'll come back and do...something. I'm tired of listening to myself debate the alternatives.

And it would probably be more fun to write about hot Scottish men and Scotch than special education...
 

Carleree

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I've been quiet because I haven't been querying. I'm half-way through my last edit, fixed my opening chapter problems and now working on the ending. I'm hoping to be done and back in the game within a few weeks. So watch out, when I query this time, I'm going full on. Look out agents, I'll be chucking out those queries like ninja stars.

But I am paying attention to all of you, and I'm thrilled so many of you have been getting requests and are keeping at it when those rejections get you down. This is an awesome group, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it all.
 

Peggy Blair

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Hey everyone -- just thought I'd drop by to see how y'all are doing -- good for you, Carleeree. Sounds great!!!!!!!!!!

And Drachen, you are absolutely right. You get some feedback, you make changes, you try again; you get more feedback, you make more changes, you do it again. And again and again and again. And at the end of it, like making a pearl, you have something polished and gorgeous despite all the grit.
 

Hathor

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You'll have to look up that ninja star smilie we had a while ago...
 

Drachen Jager

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One step closer to that barstool Syd. The 50 page partial I had out with a top-tier agent just crashed and burned. I guess I might have expected it, the agent in question did not have any sample material with the query (I always wonder why some agents do that, it seems far more efficient and less disruptive to authors to simply read a few pages before you request material).

Anyhow, I still have 2 fulls out there (1 had a 10 page attachment to the query, the other had 2 chapters) and another 50 page partial (also query only).
 

Sydneyd

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I don't think your situation deserves the barstool yet. I am sorry bout the partial though. How bout this, I will set it up but keep the liquor away for now :)
 

AntheaL

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Drachen, hang in there. I loved your earlier post about those micro-steps toward -- well, not perfection, but betterness. :) So, you've inspired me.

Beckstah, that's a bummer ~ don't you hate it when you get sooo close like that?

Form R for me today from an agent whom I *really* thought would be a good fit for the MS. Damn and blast!

Meet me in the bar, with throwing stars, ok?
 

Drachen Jager

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Drachen, hang in there. I loved your earlier post about those micro-steps toward -- well, not perfection, but betterness. :) So, you've inspired me.

Thanks. Maybe I'll feel differently in a few months, but right now I'm at a loss how I can make it significantly better at this point.

Right now I'm just taking solace that it was a query only request and the material really isn't for everyone. I can see how some people might not enjoy it while at the same time it could still be very good, if you know what I mean. The beginning is rather graphic, which works well as a hook, but at the same time is guaranteed to turn certain people off.
 
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Beckstah

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Aw man, sorry Drachen. Fingers crossed that the next response will be a positive one!


I am dying a little over here. I have five fulls and a partial out, and it's been crickets on the submission front since the partial-to-full last week. Though I know as soon as I see an agent's name in my inbox, I'll go, "Wait! I'm not ready!"
 

sharonsharon

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i got a form rejection on a Query I sent a week ago. I know it was a form because she said the manuscript was not for her, although i did not send a manuscript. This is the third agent. One loved it but could not take it due to legal- then second no answer three months and now her.... but i just made an appointment for mid july with an editor to help me with the manuscript. Good thing is i am no longer taking any of it personally- especially since the only person who read it liked it---but also because they seem to just reject 99 percent of what comes to them...I am holding off on sending any query out until i meet with editor who specializes in this type of book...
 

Bartholomew

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I wish I got rejections every day. I'm lucky to see them twice a month. =)

I really dislike the trend toward using e-forms for submission. I liked e-mail so much... I could wring my hands over the time stamps without logging into some strange website.
 

AntheaL

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I am dying a little over here. I have five fulls and a partial out, and it's been crickets on the submission front since the partial-to-full last week. Though I know as soon as I see an agent's name in my inbox, I'll go, "Wait! I'm not ready!"

Beckstah you are soooooo close! And yet, the waiting is so terrible. Fingers multi-crossed for you. Something good has gotta happen soon, right? Right? (Universe, are you listening...) :)

And Sharonsharon, have you only queried 3 agents? That is a very small pool. Have you thought about finding a critique group? (Or putting your work out on the critique forum here at AW, once you hit 50 posts...) Also, agents use the term 'manuscript' to mean 'your work' so even though you didn't actually send the complete manuscript, you'll often hear that term. Good luck with your editing!
 
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emanny86

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I'm am back! i haven't queried in about a few months now and i am set to start again on monday. Had to take a break and polish up my 107,721 manuscript. Dealing with a little phobia but i think i'll be fine, by the way- rewriting is a female dog!
 

Sydneyd

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I'm going to tell my dog you said that :D
 
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