Average number of rejections?
- Thread starter HopelessDreamer
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I must respectfully disagree. Because in my case, I think it's a combination of three things: bad timing (dragons and wizards were big, now we're full), bad query (which I took to query hell) and a bad beginning (which I have now rewritten) included with the query. So it took me twenty queries to iron out the issues as best I could--thereby using up the list of agents who rep that kind of work. Maybe I can fix all the problems well enough to interest a publisher, or maybe I can learn enough from this experience to do a better job from the beginning on the next book.
Problems
Well, you figured out the problems, didn't you? I hope you weren't sending out queries in groups, but don't think you've used up all the agents just because you've submitted to twenty. If this were the case, many of the best novels out there never would have been published. New agents and agencies start up regularly, so keep your eyes open.
The only thing I'd argue with, though, is your statement book about dragons and wizards are no longer wanted. It just isn't true. No genre, no topic, is ever full. They're always open to a good novel, one that isn't same old, same old, even if it is dragons and wizards.
Well, you figured out the problems, didn't you? I hope you weren't sending out queries in groups, but don't think you've used up all the agents just because you've submitted to twenty. If this were the case, many of the best novels out there never would have been published. New agents and agencies start up regularly, so keep your eyes open.
The only thing I'd argue with, though, is your statement book about dragons and wizards are no longer wanted. It just isn't true. No genre, no topic, is ever full. They're always open to a good novel, one that isn't same old, same old, even if it is dragons and wizards.
Yes, it probably is. And even when a writer figures out the problem, he may still be unable to fix it. It isn't like a light always goes on that tells the writer how to to write a good beginning, just because he figured out he has a bad one.
Same with queries, or anything else. Understanding you have a problem is one thing, but fixing it can still be beyond the writer's grasp.
But in reading slush piles, I do come across a few writers who seem to have something, even if that particular story stinks, and these writers frequently surprise me by coming back with a new story that is almost perfect. It's like these few do have a flash of insight, and once they know what a problem is, they also know how to fix it.
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Oh, uhmm........me: about 8 inches shy of an average-to large, room border!
I've got 18 queries out now, and eight rejections back. Nobody has wanted to see more yet. Needless to say, I've only been at it since Monday but it's disheartening. I know I just need to be patient!
For sending a few pages with a query, would you just paste them in an email if you were querying electronically?
For sending a few pages with a query, would you just paste them in an email if you were querying electronically?
Keeping count of rejections is tricky, too, because along the way you learn things (at least, I hope so!) I had a huge stack of rejections in my 20s. And know what? Deserved every one of 'em. So if I added those to the ones I get now, I might feel like crying. But I'd hate even more to have been accepted back then with truly random work that is nothing like what I'm able to produce now.
Average number? Depends how slow a learner you are. I, unfortunately, am a turtle. But hey, he won the race, didn't he?
Average number? Depends how slow a learner you are. I, unfortunately, am a turtle. But hey, he won the race, didn't he?
You have to decide where that magic number resides, not some arbitrary industry average. Some people hit paydirt from the get-go, while others take years before they get their story sold, if at all. For myself, I spent 2 years sending out my novel to agents and publishing houses. Most of the time, I received the typical form letter, telling me my novel didn't meet their needs at this time. Occasionally, an editor would include a note which addressed those areas in the story that needed work. I treated those words like gold. When a professional tells you what you need to do to fix your story, I would pay attention to that. They have read thousands of query letters, opening chapters, and manuscripts. They know what they are talking about. You might also want to consider having a professional editor work on your story. But before you hire someone to do this, check their background first. Have they published themselves? What about their clients. How successful have they been getting their book published? If you decide to go in this route, be prepared to have your story torn to shreds. It is what they have to do before it can be put back together in its shining glory.
Mike
Mike
I've just landed an agent, and while I haven't counted them up it would not surprise me if my total number of rejections was over 100. I had 15 full manuscript requests that ended in rejection alone.
I received a rejection the other day ... weird it didn't bother me very much.
So, I just sent a new query out to a different publisher and two agents.
Life is good.
I am still writing.
So, I just sent a new query out to a different publisher and two agents.
Life is good.
I am still writing.
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Good for you! I read that "A Wrinkle in Time" was rejected by 26 publishers before it found a home. I felt a lot better when I read that!
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