Why?

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Pisarz

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Why do I get a request for full from Trident and then two rejections on partials hours later?

Why is this the story of my publishing life?

Why do I get personal rejections, often praising things in my MS, with no discernible "pattern" (i.e., a non-form version of "didn't fall in love")?

Why do I have a pile of agents reading and none offering representation?

Why hasn't that whole "subjectivity thing" tipped in my favor yet?

Why do I feel compelled to vent in Rejection and Dejection all the time?
 

James M M Baldwin

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At least you've managed to raise some interest for your project. Never give up, and eventually you'll accomplish your goal. How long have you been trying?
 

Pike

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Not scared, just dragging my tired butt from thread to thread.

You came here to vent because you know you'll hear the same song - don't stop until you achieve your dreams. We've been kicked around here, dropped, dragged, tossed about, spit on, laughed at, pointed at, forgotten, bit, scratched, whipped, and flogged, and we still keep coming back for more. Why, cause we're masochists (Please, may I have another!)

If you love the written word, sculpting stories, sending figments of your twisted imagination off to their deaths and dooms, then don't stop! That passion will sell your work because it will be obvious in the work. You're in good company. Stay and bitch awhile; we'll be joining you soon enough.

Pike
 

MelodyO

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Aw, so sorry to hear that. Sometimes there is no why, you just have to have faith and keep trudging on. Or put your MS in a drawer for six months, like I did. :D
 

Calla Lily

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*throws a large, fluffy, COLD snowball at Pisarz*

You are just like my DH--a glass-half-empty type! Don't focus on the 2 partial rejections, focus on Trident's request for the FULL.
 

dawinsor

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If your getting all that action and personal rejections, you're close. Keep telling yourself that because it's true.
 

speirbhean

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Not scared, just dragging my tired butt from thread to thread.

You came here to vent because you know you'll hear the same song - don't stop until you achieve your dreams. We've been kicked around here, dropped, dragged, tossed about, spit on, laughed at, pointed at, forgotten, bit, scratched, whipped, and flogged, and we still keep coming back for more. Why, cause we're masochists (Please, may I have another!)

If you love the written word, sculpting stories, sending figments of your twisted imagination off to their deaths and dooms, then don't stop! That passion will sell your work because it will be obvious in the work. You're in good company. Stay and bitch awhile; we'll be joining you soon enough.

Pike

I'm feeling too rejected and dejected to have my own thoughts today but I agree with this ;)
 

Moon Daughter

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Nothing wrong with venting. Besides, I'm sure if people didn't, some of us would go quite crazy. It only takes one agent, so don't give up!


Here's some chocolate and wine.
 

Susan B

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That does sound frustrating and impossible to explain, Pisarz.

Sometimes I ask myself a different "Why?" question: Why I gave up the the early dream of being a writer when I was in my teens, only to return to it thirty years later. I didn't do what so many of the rest of you did. I think I didn't want it badly enough--and I had another interest that was truly compelling for me at the time (psychology, as both intellectual discipline and eventually my profession.)

In some ways, I regret letting writing go for so long. On the other hand, it has been a wonderful, unexpected midlife adventure. And it's ended up in a place I never expected: I actually wrote a book, got an agent, and now have a publisher.

Although I've had some ups an downs getting to this point, it's been tempered by the fact that I never imagined this could happen. Didn't set out to be a writer, took a completely different direction in my career and life. So I didn't face the long years of struggle that I would have undoubtedly faced, if I'd kept on writing at 18. (Believe me, my writing at that point--overwrought freeform poetry--had lots of problems!)

I think it really does come down to taking pleasure in the journey, the process. It has to, because the outcome is never assured.

I keep thinking you have to be on the verge of publishing success--you are so close!
But if it causes too much pain, be open to walking away, at least for a while.

Good luck!

Susan
 

donut

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Pisarz, I really want to tell you what everyone else has, and what I have too, on other threads: that you're obviously close, and you'll make it soon, and it's just a matter of subjective taste.

All those things are probably true, but let's look at it from another angle. What can we conclude from all the full requests you've had? That you have an awesome concept and a terrific query letter. Great! For many of us, those are actually the hardest part, so congratulations.

Why are the fulls being rejected? I haven't read your work, but maybe possibly it's not living up to the promise of the query/concept? Which is totally fixable! But it might take a little work.

I know you've been pursuing this goal for a while, but I don't remember if you've mentioned doing rewrites at all. If you have, well, I'll shut up. If you haven't, though -- maybe it's time.

As for the confusing, contradictory messages you're getting from agents... get used to it. Agents are not literary critics, they're not english professors, they're usually not even editors. All they know is that the story "doesn't work for them" -- in my limited experience, they are not so good at explaining why. They'll try to give reasons, but the reasons they give are usually vague and often don't even make sense. The sad truth is, it's *our* job, not theirs, to figure out what's wrong with the story.
 

Pisarz

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I've revised many, many times (as in, the entire novel) based on beta feedback and what little agent feedback I've gotten. I "fixed" the things that appeared to be wrong based on a pattern (i.e., several agents commented on those things). In the last several months, though, there hasn't been a pattern or "issue" that's come up repeatedly.

I guess the reason for the "Why?" is that it would seem as though I'm close and all signs seem to point to "any day now" . . . and yet ultimately nothing changes. All the anecdotal evidence I've gleaned from the experience of others--requests for material, requests for partials after fulls, compliments on the premise and writing, personalized rejections--suggests that when this happens, an offer of representation comes along sooner or later. But I'm already at later--much, much later than most people (queries in the triple digits, requests in the double digits, number of agents currently reading material in the double digits).

And yet . . . no one wants to take me on despite all the close calls. For a long time I persuaded myself that something good was bound to happen because of all these close calls. My thinking has since shifted to "Ok, maybe 'close' is all I'll ever get."

It's like 27 Dresses, only not funny.
 

juneafternoon

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Are you working on another manuscript? I think you should do that to take your mind off this. Keep trying, eventually someone will bite. Don't give up!
 

donut

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I know what you mean, Pisarz. In cases like this, you put in all the inspiration, creativity, hard work, research, networking, persistence, etc. that you can... and all that stuff helps, but in the end, you also need a little dash of luck. And some of us just ain't that lucky.

I too have gotten so many "almosts" that I was sure "yes" was right around the corner (though not quite as many as you!). But I'm still waiting -- and hoping that the luck bug will come around and bite me, eventually.
 

funidream

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I guess the reason for the "Why?" is that it would seem as though I'm close and all signs seem to point to "any day now" . . . and yet ultimately nothing changes. All the anecdotal evidence I've gleaned from the experience of others--requests for material, requests for partials after fulls, compliments on the premise and writing, personalized rejections--suggests that when this happens, an offer of representation comes along sooner or later. But I'm already at later--much, much later than most people (queries in the triple digits, requests in the double digits, number of agents currently reading material in the double digits).

I know it is maddening. I was in the same boat. :Hug2:

I had agents actually call to personally reject me with vague "I can't really say why, but no thanks" phone calls! But it ended up happening for me. I sent out around 300 queries and had a bunch of requests for fulls I think 17 or 18, I don't remember how many partials - but a lot - and I went down to the last 6 fulls I had out when I finally got one offer that ended up spurring two more offers for representation.

Keep the faith - with fulls out there your chances are much higher than most. Once you get an agent and the book goes into submission, the waiting and the gnashing of teeth begins all over again. I was talking to my editor today and this week alone she received 19 manuscripts to read, and that is in between the million and one other things she has to do. It all takes time.

The whole process is sloooooow, and subjective, and so you should try and develop some way to cope.

I know! Write another book!:D
 

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This is a mind-boggling business. To be sure. It's a lesson in chaos theory. Nothing is ever consistent or makes sense. I'm beginning to think that most of these agents and editors are not really reading these manuscripts, but passing on them quickly when they get behind. In all my cases, it was the agents and editors who read straight through from page #1 to the end. After they were finished they said, "OH, now I get it! Wonderful! It all came together."

Tri
 

tbrosz

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I had 57 rejections of queries and partials before I got my first request for a full manuscript last November. I'm still waiting on a response from that (it's a big novel) but at least it's a start.

I was aware going into this business that getting published sometimes requires the persistence of a sparrow trying to wear a mountain down by whacking it with a pebble.

Keep plugging! You aren't beaten until you quit trying.
 

arkady

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This is a mind-boggling business. To be sure. It's a lesson in chaos theory. Nothing is ever consistent or makes sense. I'm beginning to think that most of these agents and editors are not really reading these manuscripts, but passing on them quickly when they get behind. In all my cases, it was the agents and editors who read straight through from page #1 to the end. After they were finished they said, "OH, now I get it! Wonderful! It all came together."

I believe you're absolutely right.
 

Pisarz

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Thank you, everyone.

Today I got a FORM rejection on a full--after the agent liked the partial and requested the rest. So much for that.

I really think I'm going to stop creating these threads because I'm such a broken record already with this constant cycle of requests and rejections, always close but never close enough. I can't imagine how many people must look and think, "Oh, it's Pisarz again. Same old, same old."

Anyway, thank you one and all for the support. I appreciate it greatly. (Pardon the adverb).
I'm going to try to lay low until I have some good news to report. :Shrug:
 

Pike

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Come on, Pisarz, don't throw in the towel or think you're a wet blanket. You're in with a crowd of marathon runners that keep getting rained on before they get a chance to dry off. That's us, all of us. You just keep coming here and lay out your frustration any time you feel the need. The drinks are plenty and the support even more!

Pike
 

Susan Breen

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I have just been reading through the new WD book, How I Got Published, and it's very interesting. One of the chapters is by R.A. Konrath and he went through some of the worst stuff I've ever read before he got published. (Rewrites and close calls and years and years of aggravation and eight unpublished novels.) One thing a lot of the writers say is that perseverance counts for a lot, but so does luck. You write the right thing and it lands on the right person's desk... I don't know if you can control luck, but sooner or later you have to get a small piece of good luck. Hang in there.
 

JAG4584

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Can be a frustrating process

It is so frustrating this whole process as right when you think something is going great all h** breaks lose again and you are back to square one. I am not following always the agent "talk/speak". They seem to say one thing in e-mails and then do another. Also the phone call from an agent really means nothing these days as it seems this is another way for them to get a writer excited and then it is a total nothing later at least this year.

I would rather have no agent than the wrong one as that is no fun either.

I know that I have to be patient, persistent and need lots of humor and a big drink the adult kind each night as each day something happens to add to the twists and turns of agent hunting and the publishing process as a whole (lol).
 

nerds

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Pisarz, these threads are not just useful and necessary vents for the o.p. People also read the responses and take heart. When I read things like "300 queries", the stamina that must have taken in turn gives me stamina for what lies ahead. The mutual advice and support to be found is invaluable. Don't kick yourself for venting.
 
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