The Daily Rejection, Vol. 2

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zmethos

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noranne - Sorry to hear it. I subbed to Pitch Wars once and never got any kind of nibble. Not surprising, but still a bit demoralizing. Good luck with editing!

Liz_V - Congrats on making it to the second round!
 

Belle_91

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*Brings over a pitcher of margaritas* Sorry for all of the Rs. I just got rejected on a full. It was from an agent I REALLY thought I had a shot with. She said she was looking for voices that take place in the mid-South and is even from my city. *Sigh* I still have two other fulls out, but I don't have a lot of hope. One is from an agent that had already rejected me twice and the other has had my manuscript for four month and hasn't responded to my nudge two weeks ago.

All of my full request rejections have said something along the lines of "just didn't fall in love with it". I wish I knew if there was something actually wrong with my MS or if it just hasn't found the right home.

Okay, I'm done whining. I just needed to vent and have a pity-party for myself.
 

zmethos

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Sorry about the rejection, Belle_91. I would say there's a fair chance your manuscript just hasn't found the right home. "I just didn't fall in love with it" generally means (so I've been told at a writing conference session about rejection letters) that there wasn't anything overtly wrong with the story or characters or writing, it just failed to hit the bullseye for the agent/reader. In other words, it's not bad, it just doesn't light the fire the agent needs to want to take it on. So there may yet be an agent out there who will love it.
 

Liz_V

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Belle - Oh, don't have a pity-party just for yourself. We could all use one!

I'll bring the cake. :Cake: With pity candles, whee!!


Er, sorry. Sympathies on the R, and good luck on the other fulls, seriously. I'm just feeling a bit... what's a word for when you fling yourself in a whole-hearted embrace onto the bad news, because the irony is just too appealing? There's gotta be a word for that.
 

Belle_91

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Thanks, zmethos and Liv. I hope it's just that my MS hasn't found the right home yet. I'm trying to be optimistic--and realistic--about the other fulls. I sent out a revenge query this morning from the full rejection and another rejection I got this morning.

Luckily my husband bought some candy for Halloween. I might help myself to some of that.
 

Woollybear

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Pitch wars is always a long-shot, and perusing the winning entries in the showcase is always eye-opening. I recommend doing that, to anyone who gets down about not making it into Pitch wars.

Belle--I'm sorry about the dream agent. Is this for the suffragette piece? Or the fantasy? I suppose it doesn't matter, have a margarita on me.

I've avoided rejections lately by not subbing anything, ha. For over a year now. But I've been making notes on the agent spread sheet and starting to think about querying. Probably around February.
 

Belle_91

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Hi, Woollybear. It was the suffragette piece. I don't have a fantasy one. Were you perhaps things of my factory fire one?

Good luck if you decide to query in February. I've heard that's a better time of the year to query. I'm going to start holding back soon with the holidays and end of the year coming up, though I don't know if those things matter much during this Hell that we're in. I saw an agent post that they weren't taking any submissions until this pandemic is all over with, and it made me hesitate about sending any more out, but they're saying this could last for another year. I've seen other agents make deals, so I guess it's just him?
 

Liz_V

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Revenge querying + Halloween candy is the way to go!

Most agents seem to be puttering along with more or less business as usual -- maybe a little slower, but still signing clients and making deals. Closed-for-the-duration is definitely an outlier; I wouldn't worry about him.
 

TeresaRose

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Belle_91, so sorry for the pass on your work. Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!! It especially stings when it's from an agent you felt a connection with. I've had some more too. With this crazy Hell we're living in, I think it makes it harder. Everything is so unknown. I need to do a workout - cardio kickboxing - to get all my frustration out. Then margaritas, of course. "Revenge query" - love that. I'll be doing that as well.

Liz_V - Congrats on making it to the second round! Fingers crossed.
 

Lakey

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Belle, I’m sorry to hear about the rejection on full — that must have been tough to take. For what it’s worth, I admire your productivity and perseverance. Try not to overthink whether agents will respond or not respond due to the pandemic—everyone is reacting to it differently. For instance, you have stepped up your work, getting a whole manuscript ready in half a year. Others have children stuck at home needing constant attention, and can’t get a lick of work done. Try not to fret too hard about the elements of all this that are out of your control. (I know, easier to say than to do.)

I haven’t heard anything in the last couple of weeks on my stories that are out with lit mags. I‘ve been maintaining a sort of equilibrium the last few months, only throwing in a new submission when I got a rejection, but there is a winter contest season, and I need to check the submission windows of the contests I’ve done well in (but not won) in the past. I might enter a contest or two this weekend.

:e2coffee:
 

Woollybear

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Lakey, good luck with the contests and outstanding submissions. Teresa Rose--sorry to hear you've got more rejections. The cardio sounds therapeutic :) .

Belle--I wonder who I was thinking about that wrote the fantasy. I recall it was a woman living in the south, which must be why i thought it was you, and it was this writer's second novel-length piece that I had seen in these parts. Again, like you. Hmmm. I suppose it will come to me. Senior moment I guess. I'm sorry the suffragette piece didn't get picked up in time for the centennial--but like Lakey I am impressed by your productivity and persistence. :)
 

Belle_91

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Aww shucks. Thanks guys. Onward and upward as they say.
 

TeresaRose

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Thanks, Woollybear. I guess we're all in the same boat. Yes, working out is a good stress and frustration reliever. Or sometimes, it's meditation and yoga. Sometimes, it's kitty cuddles. Plenty of "tools" in the toolbox. Some days, I have to use all of them! :Soapbox::rant::banana::e2violin::e2drunk::e2cookie::e2cat::pinata
 

noranne

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Argh, got a rejection from a pro market saying that I made it to the final round and my story was very well-received (they also offered a couple small pieces of advice for improving it). It's nice to know it did well but also soooo frustrating. I wrote this story something like 5 years ago, someone buy it already...!

I've started a full edit of MS7. Even paid $25 to have it printed out so I can go through it on paper, reading everything aloud. I'm only 2/31 chapters done, but so far I still like it and haven't made many changes. Which is not a good thing for an edit! Then again, I've edited this one a few times already, and I think it's later that the books tends to get a bit bogged down. I'm hoping to do a chapter per day and have it done in November and send another round of queries before the holiday shutdown.

Margaritas and cookies all around for the Rs! R on a full is always tough, belle. :Hug2:
 

Tamlyn

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Garrgh and yay at the same time, noranne? More garrgh, though, really.

Hugs to all else for the rejections :(
 

Liz_V

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Good luck with the contests, Lakey!

R margarita, noranne. "Someone buy it already...!" - oh, that sounds so familiar!

I think liking your MS and not finding much to edit is a fine thing!

Got an R on the one and only partial I had out. I didn't have high hopes for this agent, but it still kicked me hard -- probably because I've been rereading the book in prep for NaNo-ing the sequel, and grinning my fool head off at my own MS because I like it so much. (See, noranne, it's not just you.) Agent didn't like the voice and didn't like the ninjas; which, okay, but dude, if you'd accepted any pages with the original query you'd have known that right off, and not wasted both our times with the partial.

Or maybe I'm just cranky because another birthday has passed, and shouldn't I have more to show for it by now? Someone buy this book, already!
 

Belle_91

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I feel you, Liz. The partial or full request rejections hurt the worst because there was a chance, even if it was small. I also feel you about putting in years of work and not having anything. Six years and four manuscripts later...nothing. Kind of makes you question the whole insanity concept (of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results).

Hang in there and have a margarita on me. :Hug2:
 

merlot143

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Hi all. It's been a while. Still out subbing and finding it crazy during these crazy times. It's like agents have gone AWOL. Having said that, I did got an R on a full today. She gave reasons too and it stings.Been looking at the forums recently -- where is everyone? Used to be lots more discussion here.
 

Sonya Heaney

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Hey, everyone. Remember writing is a pain even after you're published. Authors don't speak about it (like, ever), but you get manuscripts rejected by your publisher even after you've been signed with them for other books. I have a manuscript with mine right now, and after a 1.5-month wait for news I'm fully expecting it to be rejected. It makes it hard to keep writing, especially when you get a fright every time an email comes through.

I love this article by bestselling author Shana Galen - especially point #3. Publishing's just kinda crap a lot of the time! :rolleyes:

Belle - I waited over decade after finishing my *creative writing degree* before I even worked up the courage to submit anything. You're doing fine!
 

Sonya Heaney

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Hi all. It's been a while. Still out subbing and finding it crazy during these crazy times. It's like agents have gone AWOL. Having said that, I did got an R on a full today. She gave reasons too and it stings.Been looking at the forums recently -- where is everyone? Used to be lots more discussion here.

I know a lot of people went away over Christmas/New Year when the forums were down, and some forgot to come back!
 

RaggyCat

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I know a lot of people went away over Christmas/New Year when the forums were down, and some forgot to come back!

This, too. Plus I think it feels like there's a general inertia with publishing (and the world in general) so many folks are struggling or just demoralised and aren't writing or querying so much. I see a lot of people saying they don't feel creative on Twitter.
 

Belle_91

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Thanks, Sonya.

I definitely feel the whole demoralizing aspect of the time we're living in. I'm trying to keep my head up and remind myself I got five full requests this past year, but I'm starting to get nervous that I missed the window for my suffrage piece because this year was the 100 year anniversary. I'm trying to tell myself that good stories don't go stale, but as I get some more rejections, I start to panic a bit and feel depressed. I'm hoping it's just my anxiety.
 

Liz_V

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Belle, that's it exactly. Doing the same thing over and over... this is gonna work soon, right?

Hi, merlot143. Have an R margarita, with a sugar rim to take away the sting. I know what you mean about the forums being slow; except for the political and covid threads (where I am so not going), it seems awfully quiet lately.

Sonya, gee, thanks for that encouraging view from the next pasture over. :scared:
 

Sonya Heaney

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Sonya, gee, thanks for that encouraging view from the next pasture over. :scared:

:roll: I honestly wish that was the ONE thing I was told before I was published - that publishing is like nonstop auditions, that it takes months and months each time, whether you're published or still querying. Patience is 100% the most important thing you need in this business.

The one time (June last year) I mentioned the long waits and the confusion to an editor they literally could not understand what I was talking about and I ended up feeling like an idiot. That was the day I discovered this is just how it is.
 
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