Rejection after Full Requests

I'd say those numbers are encouraging rather than the opposite. Your query must be showing a good premise and strong writing. At this point, it's a question of finding an agent who clicks with your book. Keep at it.

Yeah, those are very good stats. You have nothing to complain about.

How many rejections on fulls have you guys gotten?

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I haven't gotten any requests for fulls yet. Feel better now?

What dawinsor said

I think it depends on what, if any, feedback you got with the two R's. If both agents gave similar reasons, you might consider revising.

Everybody's numbers are going to be different. Heck, the book that got me an agent, I only got 4 full requests out of 85 queries.

And I'll second the "it only means something if you're getting the same feedback on rejections."

120-something queries and one request for a full (having heard back yet) and one partial that got a rejection. Trust me, this is my second attempt with a different book. Wait, I forgot to mention...I think it's 80 something rejections...So...just keep trying. =)

Also agree your stats sound good, hang in there...although I'll third the "if you keep getting the same feedback on rejections" caveat.

JKirbs said:

Looking for a little encouragement or hope, I guess. Maybe this is the wrong forum...

Anyway, I've sent out 26 queries, gotten 11 form rejects, one partial that I haven't heard from yet, and 3 fulls, two of which passed. Which has me wondering: How many rejections on fulls have you guys gotten? How many should tell me that I need to go back to my story AGAIN for another revision? I'm not totally dejected about it. It's all part of the process. But I am curious.

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We're in a similar boat. A Place In This Life had 3 partial requests and 3 fulls. I've received rejections on all the partials and two of the fulls. It seems silly to even pin my hopes on the full that's out there, and I am trying not to dig into the manuscript and revise the whole thing without constructive criticism (it needs to be beta read or put onto SYW, I'm sure). I stopped putting out the queries on it after I sent 56.

Now I have another story to concentrate on. It's nerve-wracking and normal. PM me if you want to kvetch!

- Julie

JKirbs said:

Thanks you guys! I had it in my head that the biggest hurdle was going to be getting someone to actually read the book. I naively figured that once they did, I'd be in there. HA!!

Anyway, it's good to hear everyone else's numbers. I figured I'd start with a small batch and see what happens before I decide on whether to revise or not. So now, I wait. And hope. And check my email eighty times a day!

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And remember, too, that just because someone asks for a full doesn't mean that he/she reads the whole thing. I'm betting a lot of agents read until the point at which they know it's not quite what they're looking for/is in a voice that they don't prefer/sounds too similar to something they already represent/etc. So a rejection on a full doesn't necessarily mean that an agent has read the whole book and turned it down.

I agree with prior posts regarding the good stats you are getting and the need to look out for repeat criticism to help with revisions. You are off to a good start! Good luck!

I'd say I got about 8 full requests (three prior to major revisions) out of many, many queries (never officially counted) before I got an agent. Like others have said, all the pieces have to fall into place for the agent. Not only does the agent have to love it, but the agent has to have the appropriate connections to sell it and no competing books on his/her plate. Keep sending!

Hmm...well over 140 rejections that garnered 10 fulls and nine partials. With a ton of submissions still out there, who I suspect are the non-answering types. I did get three agent offers, nearly within the same week. They are what I would term solid B-list agents. I failed to get the attention of a NY powerhouse uberagent, which was my dream. Still happy though. Heck, I came from a C-list.

Tri

At some point you have to get feedback. If you get form letter rejections, try making your query or cover letter more friendly, so the agent or publisher sees you as more than just a number. Thank them beforehand and let them know afterwards that you value constructive criticism.

If you revise, you want to revise with a goal in mind.

JKirbs said:

Thanks you guys! I had it in my head that the biggest hurdle was going to be getting someone to actually read the book. I naively figured that once they did, I'd be in there. HA!!

Anyway, it's good to hear everyone else's numbers. I figured I'd start with a small batch and see what happens before I decide on whether to revise or not. So now, I wait. And hope. And check my email eighty times a day!

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I hear you there. I figured if they'd just read my work I'd be set, so when I got two full requests I was dancing around. Both came back with almost identical rejections. They loved it, but it didn't stand out enough against the books already on the shelves.

Both of those told me I needed to write a better stronger book.

I despise seeing the word "but". It's led by compliments and followed by disappointment.