When to Give Up?

Belle_91

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So I am over 100 rejections for my MS. I've gotten 12 requests over the course of almost three years. Right now I'm sitting at a 9.4% request rate and at the end of my rope. All of the rejections I got on fulls and partials were "I couldn't connect with the writing/MC" or stuff like that. I've had other beta readers look at it and posted on the forums here and people seem to love it. IDK what I'm doing wrong. I'm getting really frusterated and anxious.

Thoughts? Is there still hope? My other project has more of a success rate, but I don't want to give up on this one just yet.
 
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Undercover

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Is this with agents only? Cause there is another way to get published right? Some projects you have to move on from agents. There are lots of reputable publishers that accept submissions directly from the writer. You would have to do your research. I've gotten two book deals (with a nice advance/great distribution) all without an agent. It is in fact possible. I would never give up on ANY project! Just know there are other options besides an agent.

There's always self-publishing too, that's another route too.

Fact: I received hundreds and hundreds of rejections from agents and publishers for my forthcoming book for 5 (yes FIVE years) before I connected with a great publisher. Persistence is key!
 

Marlys

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Since you have another project that's getting more attention when you query it, perhaps put the first manuscript aside for now. If/when you get an agent for the second MS, he or she will usually ask what else you have, and may have suggestions for strengthening it. Or might know places to sub it without significant changes.

But it's not always the first or even second novel that gets picked up. I know one author who wrote seven manuscripts and collected over 400 rejections before finally selling her first book--and she's doing quite well now.
 

CalRazor

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As Undercover said, you could try to self-publish. Maybe set a date in the future where if it hasn't been picked up at that point, you hit the self-publish button. If you do keep sending your less successful MS out, maybe just distance yourself from it as you are sending out the other one.

From my perspective, it's really hard to tell what will resonate with agents, but seems like you've received consistent feedback about the main character. Might be worth a try to change the main character a bit and send out a revised MS?
 

Belle_91

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Thanks guys for your support.

I looked back over the comments agents had given me. I thought there were a few "I couldn't connect to the MC" but there was just one agent who said that. Two others liked her. *Sigh* I guess it just might be one of those things. I'm trying not to get discouraged, but it's getting harder lately.


Undercover: yes, this has all been rejections from agents. I did send it to someone at Kensington, but they never got back to me.
 
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rcmckenzie

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Go into self-publishing. I never got anywhere with agents and I seriously doubt anywhere in my state does children's fiction.
 

Bongo

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I've only self published, and I have to say that I like the control that's giving me. I'm enjoying being the boss, and having complete say over the future of my book. I can't imagine where I'd be right now as an author if I were waiting for someone else to accept/publish. Probably feeling really crappy, as opposed to happy because I'm selling books.

I'm new to this game and still have lots to learn. What's keeping you from publishing yourself? Why not do that and move onto your next book?
 

rcmckenzie

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Why are you restricting yourself to publishers in your state?

I don't even know who would WANT what I've written. Kiddie Lit that helped me cope with depression after graduating college, written as an homage to old pre-1980 anime with bits of Golden Age of Comics thrown into the mix?

Action, cute characters, and an uplifting story should seem like a winner, but every time I emailed an agent, "While I liked your idea, I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass on this one." It was like looking for a job!

I was almost SCAMMED by Lisa Martin at one point (the first to actually acknowledge me and not give a "Sorry" email).

Even a couple of friends told me to go indie, one said so from personal experience.
 

AcaciaNeem

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Have you considered a book doctor? A friend of mine got her book looked at by one and now is querying with more success. If your second MS hooks an agent, they and the publishers of you get an offer might be willing to look at the second one as your debut, and the first ms as your second book.

I'm sorry you've had to contend with all these rejections, but sometimes it is all about timing. Some genre and story types fall out of favour, and then gain back popularity some time later.
 

lizmonster

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Thoughts? Is there still hope? My other project has more of a success rate, but I don't want to give up on this one just yet.

Without knowing your genre*, my advice is to shelve it for now and focus on your other project. If that one gets you an agent, then you can have a conversation about the first book - your agent might be able to give you some ideas about why it didn't gain traction for you, and you might find yourself revising it and selling it as well.

Self-publishing is always an option, but it's also not an option that's going to disappear if you wait. And if you'd like to have an agent, IME it's better to find one before you publish (even if you eventually choose to self-pub your first MS).

*As I understand it, there are some genres that do spectacularly well in the self-publishing world (like erotica). So as always take my opinion with a grain of salt.
 

Belle_91

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My genre is historical fiction. Does that make a difference?
 

Putputt

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I think it does, because AFAIK, Historical Fiction isn't one of the genres that does well with self-pub. I mean, I could be wrong...

Here's what I think you should do:
1. Ask yourself what is your ultimate goal. To have your books out there, one way or another? To be trade-pubbed?
2. If you want your books out there and you don't much care how, then look into self-pubbing. But if your goal is to be trade-pubbed, then...
3. Shelve this book and focus on the next one.

What's your reason for not wanting to move on to the next project? I spent years working on my first MS. I poured everything into it. I was loathe to let it go, and in fact, even after it got agented and subbed to publishers and rejected, I didn't give up. I edited it. I queried again, got it agented again, got it subbed again, and...got it rejected again. And THEN! After getting another agent for a different MS, I revised my first MS again and meekly asked my agent to read it. He read it, loved it, and subbed it. Again, rejected by errrbody. This is it for now, but you bet your boots that if my other books get published, I'm going to pull out that first MS and be like, "Btw, I have this YA Fantasy...do you want to take a look at it...?" By now, I have written six completed MSs, and each one is stronger than the last. (This tells me how shitty my first MS was, heh.)

Write more books. Fall in love with other projects. You'll grow so much faster as a writer by writing different projects. It doesn't mean you give up entirely on the first MS, it just means that you're giving other projects a much-deserved chance. And when you go back to your first MS later, you'll probably see tons of things you can improve which you're unable to see right this very moment.
 
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polishmuse

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On the shelf on move on side the coin here, at least that was my personal experience. I still love many things about my first book, and I might junk it for parts eventually. I got requests (full and partial), but no bites. After two years, I moved on and that was the book that got me an agent. I'm still proud I wrote book 1, but I can see why it might not sell easily.
Again, no one can take that book from you, but the time might be right to put it aside for now. If you're not interested in self-publishing, don't go that route. It takes work. I also wouldn't send it out widely to publishers if you're trying to get agents with your second book, since then the agent won't have much ability to shop it around or help you polish.Put it aside and focus on your other project for now, if your gut leads you that way. Just my $.02.
 

Filigree

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Blunt but true. From my personal experience, my writing always improved after I set the problem project aside and worked on something else. Time and distance gave me clearer vision, when I revisited the older project.

The Current Project has an offer from a small press, as well as a full mms out with an agent (no, that's not something you usually do, this was an accident of timing). It's my 8th written large piece, spun off from a 6K short story I started in 1996. Book #6 was actually my debut sale back in 2012. Books #1 and #2 are unsalvageable messes for various reasons. The other unpublished pieces either have some potential in revision, or just need tightening up.

Learning what to revise and what to permatrunk is a big part of writing.
 

AcaciaNeem

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Knowing your genre now, and having read the other advice given, I tend to agree. As I said earlier, the MS can always come out later once you have an agent. Focus on the next one and keep the first on hold for the moment.
 
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autumnleaf

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Don't think of it as giving up, think of it as refocusing. As others have said, you can always come back to the original project later, and in the meantime you'll have learned a lot.
 

lizmonster

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I also want to add: I imagine this might sound horribly discouraging, especially for a book you believe in strongly. But building a writing career means always writing the next book, whether or not you've sold the last one. A writing career looks like this: write, polish, submit, repeat. It's the same if you're published or unpublished, trade or indie or self or hybrid.

There's SO much about publishing of any variety that you can't control. Might as well keep writing.
 

Tarley

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Belle_91, I can totally relate. I also write historical fiction and have gotten much the response as you. I've had several full and partial requests (some still out) and those that came back couldn't connect with the MC or didn't like the "voice". I even did an R&R for a top agent and was crushed when she replied back on second look, the "voice" was still an issue. I think it's a tough genre...please don't quote me on this but somewhere I saw stats along the lines of all the new books published in a year, historical fiction was around maybe 5%. I mean it was really SMALL!

I wouldn't give up on a MS you like. But that might mean putting it aside and giving it and yourself a rest and trying something else. Not saying that's easy...I'm in that place right now, trying to work on something new but still peeking in on my first MS now and then and tweaking it a bit.

Good luck!
 

Belle_91

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Thanks for all of your support, guys it means a lot!
 

ktzeee

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NEVER give up. That's how you make it in this business. Even genuinely crap books get published for some absurd reason--I'm sure yours is much better and will find its way to the right agent/publisher. Don't lose hope!!!
 

LittleSimon

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Never give up, indeed. Keep going. You could refocus, or even take a break for a little while to gain perspective.