First submission in two years

Good luck, Blacbird.

Best of luck to you, Blacbird. I just tell myself the rejections or no responses make the acceptances and positive responses that much sweeter.

Patience and persistence, Blacbird. Now quit griping and go write something else.

You have two more years of craft behind you. It will show.

You're back in the game and that's the main thing. I'm getting tons of non-responders; I just call 'em rejections and move on. If they really liked it they'd be bashing down the door, right? Ho-hum.

Keep writing, keep querying.

I haven't subbed anything in so long, I don't know if I remember how. I really hope this experience goes better for you this time around and kudos for getting back out there and trying again, no matter how much you dread it. I became jaded by all the partials and fulls coming back rejected, especially from agents who admitted they read the whole book, sometimes twice, and liked it, just didn't think they could sell it. I plan to be back to submitting this summer, and hopefully by then, you'll be well on your way.

... quality is important, and I know you've got that. But it's a numbers game, too. So be sure to get other subs out too. G'luck and congrats on getting the ball rolling again.

Good for you for getting back on that horse!

Do you email your queries? I have an unhealthy dose of suspicion about that medium and mail the queries if I can. Rather than the no-response response, I get a higher percentage of rejections that way.

Best wishes to you. You're back in the game!

Good luck 'bird. . .it's not easy and there's no way to predict what will happen. If you want feedback on your query or anything send me a PM anytime.

Courage!

Hmmm....

In the two years since you've subbed anything, lots of AW people have found agents or had their stories published. So where's the futility? We know the agents and editors are alive and well and continuing to accept things, even if they haven't yet recognized MY particular brand of quirky brilliance.

So the only way it would be a futile effort would be if your stuff was just not good enough to be published, and never would be. Surely that's not what you mean. Is it?

Frustrating as hell, yes. I totally understand that. I've sent out a whopping 3 queries on my latest book and already I've had way too many people telling me the idea is sweet but just too "small." Grrrrr.

But futile? No.

Bird- this belongs in goals and accomplishments- not rejections and dejections- you had the courage to hit send, what ever the outcome-that, my friend, is a huge accomplishment- I wish you luck-

Yay blacbird! Go get 'em!

Well congrats I guess?

Not that I'm sure that's what you want. I mean you obviously want us to pay attention to you and your plight as you started this thread, but you are responding to all the good will here with your usual negative attitude, so really, I'm not sure what you want me to say.

I hope that this round works better for you. I also hope that you spent the last two years working on your MS and your submission package, and aren't just sending out the exact same rejected material from two years ago. And most of all I hope you aren't engaging in a self fulfilling prophecy, where your negative attitude bleeds out onto your cover letter.

I know it's your personality, and I long ago gave up trying to explain to you why it does you no favours (I was so naive when I first showed up here, thinking I could maybe make you a little happier). But knowing that you have allowed your negativity to prevent you from submitting anything for 2 years suggests to me that, in the end, it's doing you more harm than good.

Still.

I do sincerely wish you the best of luck.

blacbird said:

True. Those are the ones who produce publishable work.

caw

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I'm right there with you as one of the unpublishable ones. I know how you're feeling.

You and me, blacbird and ferret, side by side, against the publishing world!

Good luck!

dook

blacbird said:

I just made the first submission of anything since January 2008, when I got so fed up with no responses responses I quit sending stuff out. I wasn't even getting rejections; just nothing. Nothing at all. Flushing the manuscripts down the toilet would have been better. At least then I'd have known what happened to them.

Now I feel like crap, the same way I felt when I quit sending stuff out: Total futility.

caw

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No responses at all? Are you forgetting to slip a hundred dollar bill exactly halfway through the sample pages?

I'm going to give you exact stats, bird, on my latest and greatest query campaign.

456 agent submissions over a six-month period. One book.
295 non-responders. That, is hellacious in anyone's book.

Tri--go bird...I know damn well you can beat those percentages!

Break a wing, Blacbird.

Good luck, and congratulations on submitting again.

Good luck, blackbird. Pessimistic as you may be about the outcome, you still sent it out there. So good for you.

I like you, blacbird, negativity and all. And I'm rooting for you.

Tough love, support, friends, advice and more! If you couldn't tell already... Everybody here is hoping for your success. I hope you get a YES very soon!