The Daily Rejection

Gah! It's an even-numbered day. That's why I'm so freaking confused. I should've waited until tomorrow to write to her, but I wanted to some direction before heading into the weekend. That'll teach me. Now I'm lost, don't even know where to start with this rewrite. Hell, I don't even know if she wants a new book altogether, or just a better pitch for the changes I've made.

I hate today.

Still, guess I shouldn't complain too much. She is my dream agent, as I said, and she's been writing back in less than a day all the way along. I'm close, just not close enough. Le sigh.

Carleree said:

I've been conversing a lot with my dream agent this past week. And I do mean DREAM agent. I've been lucky that she's been willing to go back and forth with me, but her direction bites. It's so vague that I end up spending hours trying to decipher her meaning. And now, it seems, she wants a complete rewrite of my book with a new plot. At least that is what I think she wants. Would've been nice if she could've just come out and said that. Sigh. Back to work I go.

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My former agent was SO hard to understand. I remember re-reading his emails about 5 times, trying to give him what he wanted, but not understanding his instructions (they were vague or confusing, every single time -- almost like he just assumed I'd understand what he meant, with very little info to go on -- like he expected me to read his mind or something).

This happened over and over again. When I just guessed, I was usually wrong and then felt stupid. If I asked him for clarification beforehand, he seemed huffy that I didn't understand in the first place. I would even send his communication to my mom or a friend and ask them what they thought he meant. They were just as confused as I was.

In hindsight, after letting him go, I realize it was him, not me.

I guess the point is, for me, a red flag in an agent is poor communication skills. They will never get better.

Yes, writing back is better than blocking your emails

I'm waiting for someone to ask a question. Then I can use the new hot catch phrase: "That's a clown question, bro."

That's the new catch phrase?

I'm so out of date.

Chelsea, I see your point. But I've been lucky, I guess. I've been guessing right so far. And she still hasn't said no, she just wants more changes and a tighter pitch.

I've finally got some direction, (thank you brain for cooperating on an even-numbered day) and I'm off to make more cuts to make room for the new plot.

Carleree said:

Chelsea, I see your point. But I've been lucky, I guess. I've been guessing right so far. And she still hasn't said no, she just wants more changes and a tighter pitch.

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Really excited for you -- hope it works out!!

ChelseaWriter said:

Really excited for you -- hope it works out!!

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Thank you. I wish her "more changes" didn't mean rewriting 30,000 words though. So close, but still so far away.

Carleree said:

So close, but still so far away.

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I hear ya. I went through two massive re-writes for an agent a couple of years ago (she ended up not being my agent, after all, but man, was I grateful to her for the input/suggestions). I snagged an agent right after that and had another offer, as well, so I do think rewrite requests definitely mean a writer is getting closer!

Carleree said:

That's the new catch phrase?

I'm so out of date.

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Very new; it started Tuesday night. Google "clown question" for the full story. A Canadian journalist thought to ask 19-year-old, Mormon Bryce Harper of the Nats what his favorite beer is. Bloggers and tweeters (twitterers?) went berserk. Folks have been creating websites, T-shirts, etc. The Washington Post had two articles today about the phenomenon, one wondering who the first politician to use the phrase will be. Some think a number of people will dress as clowns during the upcoming home series against the Yankees. (I'm going, but not as a clown.)

With vague correspondence, I'd say something like "Maybe I'm being a little obtuse, so could you spell it out for me?" Ain't worth the headache of guessing what they mean or worrying about speaking up. Maybe they can't be blunt with some clients, but they should be able to do it if asked.

Would it be possible to arrange a time to talk to this agent? Sometimes, conversation can clear things up, particularly if you work out some tactful questions ahead of time. (Just don't ask about her favorite beer )

If that isn't possible, you might rewrite only a small bit, then ask if this is what she had in mind.

Taking a break from work (I'm reading my draft out loud -- really helps, but takes a toll on your throat), I discovered that Skreened already has 37 versions of "that's a clown question, bro" T-shirts. Isn't capitalism remarkable?

what about "That's a clown question, DAR." BOOM! MILLION DOLLARS!

So I have a random question - are these conferences where you "meet agents" really worth it, like "agent speed-dating"? Or are they a waste of time? I've never been to one yet but I know there's one coming up near me.

Devil Ledbetter said:

Hi. I'm Devil and I'm a reject. It has been 11 hours since my last rejection.

It would be nice to know that I'm not alone in rejection. If you were rejected today, please post here.

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I have just started sending out to agents. So far I got 3 rejections. I expect a lot more. They say, all you need is one yes.

It only took me 4 weeks to write my first novel. I guess it may take years to find an agent. However at 73 years, I may not be around for the acceptance. However it is fun for me to contemplate possible success.

Anyway good luck everyone. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Jessica_312 said:

So I have a random question - are these conferences where you "meet agents" really worth it, like "agent speed-dating"? Or are they a waste of time? I've never been to one yet but I know there's one coming up near me.

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I'm sure there are some who've made initial contact with agents that way and ended up with representation. However, who's to say they wouldn't have had success without doing this? How much can an agent learn from a pitch that s/he wouldn't learn from a query letter?

Now a conference might be worth it for meeting other writers, getting feedback (some do that), etc.

I'll be interested in what others have to say on this subject. So far I've passed on conferences...

Welcome, Jerrygg. Four weeks to a novel? I'm impressed. I've had quick drafts, but they've been crap. I so enjoy not being the oldest one here now. Hip hip hooray!

Polly, I think the T-shirt will work once our Dar, Dar Carleree becomes the next writing sensation.

I read that the rights to use "50 Shades of Gray" for merchandising have been sold. Uh, OK... Anyone here read this? I've seen excerpts but they seem awful. Here I work hard to polish, polish, polish and...then...this.

Just received a form rejection from an agent I queried less than eight hours ago. I really hope its just a matter of her having a slow work day

Jerrygg said:

They say, all you need is one yes.

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They lie.

I'm beginning to hate that expression. I had a yes, it went away. In fact I know a half-dozen authors who had a yes and lost it again, ask Tri, he's been there a few times.

Jerry, welcome!

Jessica - I haven't, but I have heard that volunteering is a fun way to attend your first one. Maybe try that? They can be very pricey

Hathor/DAR Car, yes, she is soooo close, and then we'll start a cottage industry.

As to 50 shades, I am the target market. I read it to see what I'm up against. No, she can't write. Yes, the sex scenes are implausible, to say the least (she's a virgin! Who's never masturbated! Who has no gag reflex! Who likes to swallow! Who acheives orgasm through only penetration!) and dull. I skipped many of them.

BUT, that said, I can see where moms/women want a break - and it's a total, dopey fantasy. So I can't hate on them, it's just not for me.

My computer hates me. I haven't had a single AW post reminder today and I missed you all talking about me. The one time I'm almost famous and I missed it. Oy.

As to a phone call with this agent, I doubt that's going to happen. She's 8 hours ahead of me, so our clocks don't exactly coincide. When I emailed her this morning, she responded within 30 minutes. But I was dropping the boy child at school, so she won't see my response until tomorrow. She'd already gone for the day when I figured out what to say back.

But all is well. I have worked out yet another new ending for my book, made more room to do it right. Now all I have to do is come up with a query-like pitch to make it very clear what happened. Unfortunately it's all actiony and relevant, and I don't know how to sum it up in a few sentences. That is my worry for tomorrow while the boy child gets his teeth fixed. Anesthesia and all.

Now, that being said...what i want to know is WHY ARE WE STARTING A COTTAGE INDUSTRY, POLLY? Did I miss something? If you can promise a good return on my investment, I'm in.

I will google the clown question. I hate being out of the loop.

Hugs and kisses to all. Why? Because I had a surprisingly productive day even though it's an even-numbered day. Also, I can't think of a better group of people to be rejected with. You are all awesome.

Hug boy child for me. He sounds like a brave little guy. Is this it for his teeth or another of a series of procedures?

I'm glad you've figured out your book. Revision upon revision is harder than the first draft, no? I keep getting distracted.

Last night was by watching an awful science fiction movie that was supposed to be good. My husband is the big SF guy, but even he admitted he had no idea what was going on. Best I can tell, everyone died but they saved the world from a highly improbable problem in an impossible way. (However, if I knew that male theoretical physicists had flowing locks and Peter O'Toole-caliber baby blues, perhaps I would have picked a different major. I guess if you are going to save the world and perhaps die in the process, the rule is you have to be hot.)

Well, to actually do some work before girl child shows up in a couple hours with the boyfriend. I suppose I should clean a bit. Only men are unobservant -- if he sees anything, it will be the big hole in the living room ceiling. At some point, I do hope the contractors come back and fix that.

Boy child is home, teeth fixed. He fought the anesthesia, though, and stayed awake through the whole thing. No tears. I'm a proud Mama.

Now on to more revisions. I still have two new chapters to write and a pitch to perfect.

Form rejection on my latest partial. If I wasn't so busy making revisions for my dream agent, I'd be really choked about that.

And...almost have my pitch ready to go. At least it was a productive day.

Got a really nice one yesterday. She loved my writing, loved my MC, but didn't like the paranormal element. It is a bit different, so I can understand that. I'm starting a YA novel to take a break from that one, though, so in a few months or so, if nothing happens, I'll go through it yet again with fresh eyes.

narmowen said:

Got a really nice one yesterday. She loved my writing, loved my MC, but didn't like the paranormal element. It is a bit different, so I can understand that. I'm starting a YA novel to take a break from that one, though, so in a few months or so, if nothing happens, I'll go through it yet again with fresh eyes.

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Sounds like you're getting closer. Good luck with WIP

Jessica_312 said:

So I have a random question - are these conferences where you "meet agents" really worth it, like "agent speed-dating"? Or are they a waste of time? I've never been to one yet but I know there's one coming up near me.

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I was just browsing this thread and wanted to pop in on this question. I met my agent through a conference. She loved my query and we made a strong personal connection. Same thing happened with a BIG editor.

Turns out my story needed a strong rewrite to be big market ready, but the personal connection we'd made helped the agent feel very invested in my ms. She worked with me to get it where it needed to be. I don't believe she would have been so personally invested had we not had that conference connection.

Just my two cents. I hope you find a great agent, regardless of your approach.