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I'd never even heard of it until I saw your post. I'll check it out. Thanks!
The Daily Rejection
- Thread starter Devil Ledbetter
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I'd never even heard of it until I saw your post. I'll check it out. Thanks!
I'm assuming you're talking about being in the query stage and not that you have 16 partial or full requested MS's out?
Some agents take months before they're able to look at unsolicited submissions, and some don't respond at all. On rare occasions, the time frame might have to do with whether they're considering you or not, but usually it doesn't. In those instances, it's all relative--they'll send out a batch of rejections and hold onto a smaller pile to consider. But maybe they don't get to that first batch of rejections for a month.
If you haven't already, I would suggest using QueryTracker.net to see how long agents are taking to respond or if they're non-responders.
So the answer is, "No, don't feel anything about it. It's just the way it is."
Oooooh I LUV graphs and charts
Speaking of which, I had a moment of panic this morning when QueryTracker wouldn't load. Not cool, QT, not cool.You're right, I'm just in the query phase. One agent's response time seemed about normal, while another's seemed longer than her usual response time (some she seemed to reject within one day).
For those who are interested: http://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/
It's a free service (yay!) and it has really good statistics and such. There are a few markets they have yet to straighten out the pay scale on because they insist on confirming the pay scale with reliable resources, but otherwise the site is really awesome. You can even check market-by-market for their recent responses to see what date they're up to.
It's a free service (yay!) and it has really good statistics and such. There are a few markets they have yet to straighten out the pay scale on because they insist on confirming the pay scale with reliable resources, but otherwise the site is really awesome. You can even check market-by-market for their recent responses to see what date they're up to.
There are a bunch of different models for agent responses and each agent (or agency) chooses what fits.
1) Assistant checks the queries and passes along the 'good' ones. (you can tell these because the acceptance time is usually a fair bit longer than the rejection time).
2) Agent checks their own, maintaining perfect order in the queue. (usually the acceptance time is slightly shorter for these folks, my theory is that when they're less busy, they're more likely to be caught up on queries and more interested in taking on new work)
3) Agent doesn't maintain a perfect queue. Often they'll check queries on their phone while in a taxi or whatever, reading whatever has just come in. Some of these agents don't even have a real queue, and respond to nearly everything within a day or so. These are usually the hungry ones.
Unless you know what kind of agent you're dealing with it's impossible to tell whether you've been passed over or not.
I collect the QT data for every agent I submit to. There's a column for average accept/reject time, a column for response percentage (some agents respond no matter what, some never send rejections, many fall in the gap between, it's good to know which).
Also, check the comments on QT. Often people will update their specific query so you know where the agent is at (if they're a queue type). Other times, agents will tweet or put a note on their blog saying "I'm caught up to X date. If you haven't heard from me send again (or if they're a non-responder, if you haven't heard, mark it as a reject).
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Never heard of The Grinder. It looks promising, thanks Drachen!
ps: got a new R today via email. grrrrrrr
ps: got a new R today via email. grrrrrrr
Thanks for the information! I really like the QT comments, especially the ones that include a rejection, so I know if mine is in line with the norm.
Number of responses in the week I was out of town: 3 for novel, 1 for a short story
Number of responses for this past week back home: 0
Good thing I'm going back out of town next week.
QUESTION TIME!!
Okay, so someone talk to me about your experiences querying multiple books at a time, because it looks like I might be headed in that direction pretty soon. My goal was to finish my WIP by October, but I think it might actually be ready to go before then. BUT I still have 20+ queries, 2 partials, and 1 full out for MS1, and plan to send out some more in the next weeks. They're both speculative fiction (Sci-Fi and Fantasy, respectively) so a good chunk of the agent pool is going to be the same.
I personally love my first MS, but I also love my WIP and I think it's going to be more marketable right now. I kind of want to hold out for the agents who have/will show interest in my first MS, but I don't want to let a perfectly good, marketable story sit around collecting dust indefinitely while I wait for something that might not happen, know what I mean?
Is there some universally acceptable time between receiving a rejection and querying a new project? Is it acceptable to query an agent if you still have an outstanding query sitting in the slush pile of a different agent at the same agency? [ETA: quick search tells me the answer to this one is a resounding NO] Any other 'etiquette' I should consider? (And yes, I'll be searching the forums for these questions... I can't be the only person ever to be in this situation)
Number of responses for this past week back home: 0
Good thing I'm going back out of town next week.
QUESTION TIME!!
Okay, so someone talk to me about your experiences querying multiple books at a time, because it looks like I might be headed in that direction pretty soon. My goal was to finish my WIP by October, but I think it might actually be ready to go before then. BUT I still have 20+ queries, 2 partials, and 1 full out for MS1, and plan to send out some more in the next weeks. They're both speculative fiction (Sci-Fi and Fantasy, respectively) so a good chunk of the agent pool is going to be the same.
I personally love my first MS, but I also love my WIP and I think it's going to be more marketable right now. I kind of want to hold out for the agents who have/will show interest in my first MS, but I don't want to let a perfectly good, marketable story sit around collecting dust indefinitely while I wait for something that might not happen, know what I mean?
Is there some universally acceptable time between receiving a rejection and querying a new project? Is it acceptable to query an agent if you still have an outstanding query sitting in the slush pile of a different agent at the same agency? [ETA: quick search tells me the answer to this one is a resounding NO] Any other 'etiquette' I should consider? (And yes, I'll be searching the forums for these questions... I can't be the only person ever to be in this situation)
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Partial request! 4 of my 16 responses so far have been positive, so I'm feeling really good about the querying process today
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Partial request! 4 of my 16 responses so far have been positive, so I'm feeling really good about the querying process today
Good news! And that's a good percentage of positive responses. I have many queries out right now--it's just that it takes SUCH A LONG TIME for them to get back to us.
Very quiet lately. Although Sats and Suns are always zero for answers and any general email for me.
tri
tri
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How many licks does it take to get to the center of the querypop?
Uhhhh...
Don't mind me. Spent the whole day querying and I'm probably going crazy. After a few Rs and quite a few no-respondos from early July (I know, I know, I should be more patient, these rejections take time), I sent out another slew of letters. I gots two WsIP I'm avoiding--I'll get back at 'em tonight--but it was kind of satisfying to go out there and make sure there was no agent left unturned on Query Tracker.
Uhhhh...
Don't mind me. Spent the whole day querying and I'm probably going crazy. After a few Rs and quite a few no-respondos from early July (I know, I know, I should be more patient, these rejections take time), I sent out another slew of letters. I gots two WsIP I'm avoiding--I'll get back at 'em tonight--but it was kind of satisfying to go out there and make sure there was no agent left unturned on Query Tracker.
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Partial request! 4 of my 16 responses so far have been positive, so I'm feeling really good about the querying process today
Woohoo congratulations!
Got another R from Alloy Entertainment. They're a nut I've never been able to crack. Perhaps agent subs to them might have worked better but I've never wanted to bother her with them. Who knows?
tri
tri
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- Joined
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Quick painless R from 2 AM this morning. Nothing like waking up to rejection the coffee will cure the sting...
the coffee will cure the sting...
Awww hugs
Eh, I keep throwing bologna at the wall, waiting for the piece that sticks.
PS An irish Coffee is even better for stinging sensations.
I'm back from vacation, with nothing positive in my inbox to report. I'm depressed about that, but it might be the even-numbered day and the jet lag doing a number on me. Right now I'm trying to force myself to stay awake until a decent time for this time zone but it's hard. Yawn.
It's quiet on my front, too. Got quiet a few subs out there to paying markets, in addition to what my agent has out there. I've got maybe about 9 to 11 packages floating--agent, maybe about five by now. So, the wait goes on.
tri
tri
Had to turn down a publisher I rather like for Catnip. Went with the same pubber that did Death Bytes and it should be good. I felt bad about saying no to this person, but she has Master Fantastic to read and I hope I can work with her. If not, keep chuckin' that bologna!
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Ohhh man it's 5 AM so that mixed bologna metaphor really threw me for a round...
JSF, you're the one handing out the rejections, that's a nice situation to be in
Random thought for the day - I wrote the query for my WIP about 5000 words into the story, and it's good. I love it. The query for my completed manuscript, the one I'm hunting for rejections on right now, has always been a mess, despite rounds in query letter hell and endless revision. It's like I'm trying to tell my whole life story in one crappy query.
With my current WIP, I love that the query contains the main theme of the book, I know what I'm shooting for in an ending, and it's this nice, clean, pretty little back-of-the-book-jacket blurb.
Better get my hinder back to work on that WIP and stop toolin' around on the interwebs...
JSF, you're the one handing out the rejections, that's a nice situation to be in
Random thought for the day - I wrote the query for my WIP about 5000 words into the story, and it's good. I love it. The query for my completed manuscript, the one I'm hunting for rejections on right now, has always been a mess, despite rounds in query letter hell and endless revision. It's like I'm trying to tell my whole life story in one crappy query.
With my current WIP, I love that the query contains the main theme of the book, I know what I'm shooting for in an ending, and it's this nice, clean, pretty little back-of-the-book-jacket blurb.
Better get my hinder back to work on that WIP and stop toolin' around on the interwebs...
October--I feel ya. The first query I came here with was a mess and after months in QLH it was better, but just not pulling its weight at all in the slushpile and never what I really wanted it to be. For the book I'm querying now, I wrote the query letter when I was less than a 1/4 of the way into the manuscript. It was pretty good from the first draft, and even though I'm getting mostly rejections right now, I believe in this query letter a lot. I think there are two factors at play, and perhaps the same is true for you: 1) I learned a lot about writing queries from the first messy query, 2) The second book was inherently better, and so the query prcoess was that much easier (and the first messy query helped this as well, because now I knew that my MC was gonna want something and the stakes were going to have to be big and defined and that he/she was going to have to DO lots of stuff, etc...).
And so, I will continue to hope the current wad of bologna in my hand sticks...
And so, I will continue to hope the current wad of bologna in my hand sticks...
I go away for awhile and you guys develop bologna metaphors. Sounds somewhat offcolor. I'm vegan, so I guess I'll stick to chucking seitan.
In my absence, the contractors DID grout the area they'd missed originally. But they used the original (wrong) color. (Couldn't the guy tell the color didn't match?) So they will have to take the sink off the wall again and paint. The proper wiring for the ventilation fan apparently continues to elude them.
In my absence, the contractors DID grout the area they'd missed originally. But they used the original (wrong) color. (Couldn't the guy tell the color didn't match?) So they will have to take the sink off the wall again and paint. The proper wiring for the ventilation fan apparently continues to elude them.
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