Rejection for reasons of subject matter

blacbird · Dec 19, 2007

Some of you many know that my least atrocious unpublishable novel is set in the Vietnam War. I've had many queries rejected for the specific reason of that, with expressions that indicate the agents just don't feel they can sell a novel with that setting, and two or three bold enough to say that they simply don't see any market today for a novel of the Vietnam War.

So . . . this year's National Book Award for Fiction went to a novel with WHAT setting????????

And people wonder why I have a baaaaaaad attitude toward submitting queries to agents?????????????????

cawwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!

rugcat · Dec 19, 2007

It is a total crapshoot.

Great books go unnoticed or unpublished, great books become bestsellers. Bad books become bestsellers, bad books sink without a trace.

I don't think the "experts" have a clue as to what will sell, although I do believe that some of them are very good at telling a good book from a bad one.

To this day I believe that luck is absolutely essential --but like the lottery, if you don't play you can't win.

Moon Daughter · Dec 20, 2007

Sorry to hear, blacbird, but don't give up. There's got to be just ONE agent who has a craving for some Vietnam.

CaroGirl · Dec 20, 2007

David Bergen had a somewhat different take on Vietnam. I don't think it was a perfect book by any stretch, but it was different. Emphasize what makes your project different, and make it really shine in that first chapter, and you might get someone asking for more.

This is a tough road and one that I've been tempted to get off more than once. Am I wasting my time? Maybe. But I just love to write. Don't you?

Hang in there and don't give up.

Pike · Dec 20, 2007

I'm thinking the key word here is "subjective". Pass that book under a hundred pair of eyes and ask them what they think and you'll get every opinion under the sun.

Good hunting and don't give up!

Pike

blacbird · Dec 20, 2007

Pike said:
I'm thinking the key word here is "subjective". Pass that book under a hundred pair of eyes and ask them what they think and you'll get every opinion under the sun.

Good hunting and don't give up!

Pike

My point really was the query alone being rejected, with no one even interested in reading any of the manuscript, on the stated reason of the setting.

caw

gerrydodge · Dec 20, 2007

blacbird said:
Some of you many know that my least atrocious unpublishable novel is set in the Vietnam War. I've had many queries rejected for the specific reason of that, with expressions that indicate the agents just don't feel they can sell a novel with that setting, and two or three bold enough to say that they simply don't see any market today for a novel of the Vietnam War.

So . . . this year's National Book Award for Fiction went to a novel with WHAT setting????????

And people wonder why I have a baaaaaaad attitude toward submitting queries to agents?????????????????

cawwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so sorry, blacbird. I am reading Tree of Smoke now. The editor probably bought the book because it's Denis Johnson and he's this esoteric, very dark, very untouchable no-interview kind of writer. The book is okay, but it is very tough to get through. Your book is probably better!

Gerry

donut · Dec 20, 2007

Look on the bright side -- oh wait, I forgot who I'm talking to.

Seriously, maybe the success of Tree of Smoke will make everyone itch for vietnam novels! Look how many DaVinci Code clones got published in the wake of Dan Brown.

Andrew Zack · Dec 20, 2007

Maybe your query wasn't very good and the Vietnam War was the reason they gave to reject it. Chances are it's not just the Vietnam angle but the whole pitch overall.

windyrdg · Dec 20, 2007

I feel your pain. It's the same old thing. Give us more of the crap we've already got, only make it different crap. Anybody for reality television?

Have you considered writing something about these kid wizards who are murdered and, when they get to heaven, find out they have to solve mysteries hidden in famous paintings to get in?

What constitues a VietNam novel, anyway? Forrest Gump was about VietNam, wasn't it?

You only need one person to love your book the way you do. Keep looking.

Saundra Julian · Dec 20, 2007

That's such a lame excuse! Of course people are still interested in the Vietnam War.

blacbird · Dec 20, 2007

Andrew Zack said:
Maybe your query wasn't very good and the Vietnam War was the reason they gave to reject it. Chances are it's not just the Vietnam angle but the whole pitch overall.

Well, you have first-hand reason to know, since your agency was a rare exception, and actually did ask to read the manuscript. EVen if it did take a flat year to return a form rejection.

caw

popmuze · Dec 21, 2007

Years ago I had just published a novel with a rock and roll setting and my agent was sending it around to movie companies. What we heard back was, "Nobody's doing movies about rock and roll." Six months later, after the success of a TV movie with a suspiciously similar storyline to mine we starting hearing, "Everybody's doing movies about rock and roll."

Rejection for reasons of subject matter

blacbird

rugcat

Lost in the Fog

Moon Daughter

CaroGirl

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Pike

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blacbird

gerrydodge

donut

fame-seeking floozy

Andrew Zack

windyrdg

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Saundra Julian

A work in progress

blacbird

popmuze

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