Shelved.

Well, I got a rejection from "dream agent" today that I had been dreading:

Thanks, Kara. I've taken a look at this, and while I think you've got a good sense of rhythm and a nice, readable prose, I don't think I can sell this. The market for light commercial fiction of this kind is difficult right now, and male protagonist in a band makes it especially hard. I enjoyed what I read, but must pass, I'm afraid, citing concerns for where it would land on a shelf, and what house would take a risk on what feels to me like a small book--which isn't bad at all, just not something I can take on at this moment.

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I knew this was coming. I knew my novel had many strikes against it: twenty-something year old male protagonist. In many query rejections agents told me this wasn't a commercially viable book. I just always thought I might find an agent who was enthusiastic enough about it to find it a home.

Well, I've only got one full left out there, so I think it's time to move on. I'm already halfway through a new project, but since this was my first one, I thought it would be difficult to let go. It's actually...not. I feel closure! This book didn't fail because it sucked- it just wasn't written at the right time.

So to everyone out there on the brink of shelving their first book- I promise, it's not that bad. Life is too short to dwell on what could have been. Move on and write something better: I know you're probably sick of hearing it, but it's really true. Once I did that, the rejections became easier

Thank you 5bcarnies! I thought the "new adult" editor at St. Martin's Press might mean some good news for that genre, but alas, the coming of age story about a slacker college kid might be forever reserved for Hollywood

arkady said:

No rejection is a good rejection, ever. But at least this one told you why the agent wasn't picking it up. I get personalized rejections that talk about how much they loved the MC, how unique it all is, and reference situations and characters by name, so I know they are reading it and enjoying it. But at the end is always "But this isn't for me."

So you loved it but you don't want to represent it? WTF? Moost, you can at least be thankful that you got an explanation. That is rarer than you think.

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Yes, I was definitely thankful that he was so blunt. I would have been MUCH more disappointed if he had said "I didn't connect with it" than "I can't sell this." Yay for honest agents!