I think this is just a rant...

CaroGirl

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I have a book. An actual finished book that I would like people to read, if they’re so inclined. Thus, I painstakingly, carefully, and not without tears, wrote a query letter, researched the hell out of agents, and sent some tender submissions out into the swirling cruelty of agent-dom.

I got rejections. Lots of them. Wallpapering a small room number of rejections (if they still arrived on paper, that is). But I also got requests. Seven agents wanted to see more. Two of them wanted to see only a little bit more and five wanted to see the whole darn thing. The query was (fooling them) working!! I did a jig and opened a bottle of wine with every request. I would’ve opened the wine regardless but it’s nice to have something to celebrate with one’s grape. The jig, however, was entirely related to requests for material, as I’m not much of a dancer.

I discovered there’s no limit to the number of times you can refresh your email inbox in a given day. I also discovered that waiting to hear back from agents about requested material is about as fun as being bound, gagged, dipped in honey, and left for dead beside an African anthill. Which is to say, no fun at all.

And then I got my first partial rejection. No biggie. He didn’t understand the story. Maybe if he’d read the whole thing... There was no feedback because the R came from an assistant. Who wants to work with an agent that sends and R through his assistant anyway? (me?)

And then the full rejections began to roll in. I haven’t had much in the way of feedback. One said: “the writing just wasn’t completely winning me over.” Another didn’t like one of my characters (which to me sounds like: your baby is ugly and will amount to nothing *bawls*).

I don’t have many agents left to query and am torn about doing anything with the manuscript itself. Maybe there’s a way I can make my character more likable? For now, I’m waiting to hear back about the final 3 fulls to see if there’s any feedback I can actually use.

Wish me luck. And strength. I need it if I’m not going to give up.
 
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CameronJohnston

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"I did a jig and opened a bottle of wine with every request. I would’ve opened the wine regardless but it’s nice to have something to celebrate with one’s grape." I approve and endorse this coping method! :)

It's all so subjective in lots of ways, one agent loves the characters and the other doesn't *shrugs*. Maddening isn't it! The Full rejections hurt the most after you've waited for ages, refreshing the inbox :( *fingers crossed* you get better news with these last 3 Fulls.
 

CaroGirl

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It's all so subjective in lots of ways, one agent loves the characters and the other doesn't *shrugs*. Maddening isn't it! The Full rejections hurt the most after you've waited for ages, refreshing the inbox :( *fingers crossed* you get better news with these last 3 Fulls.
Thanks for the perspective, understanding and encouragement, Cameron! Much appreciated.

caro
 

KTC

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So sorry. I know exactly what you're going through. I wish I could celebrate grapes with you.

There's always the ALLUCINOR anthology you just appeared in. That's something. **it's what I'm holding onto, anyway**

Damn the torpedoes, stomp the grapes.

Good luck with the others...please note: they are not rejections you are waiting on. They are possibilities.
 

CaroGirl

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So sorry. I know exactly what you're going through. I wish I could celebrate grapes with you.

There's always the ALLUCINOR anthology you just appeared in. That's something. **it's what I'm holding onto, anyway**

Damn the torpedoes, stomp the grapes.

Good luck with the others...please note: they are not rejections you are waiting on. They are possibilities.
Thank you, my friend! Encouragement and a positive attitude as always. Of course, I'm super proud of the anthology (congrats to you!).

My fingers and toes are crossed, of course, however an offer of representation for this one is becoming statistically unlikely. BUT I'm not giving up yet!
 

stormie

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Yes, as Kevin said, they're not rejections you're waiting on, but possibilities.

Since you received requests for partials and fulls, it doesn't seem to be the query. And since you received requests for fulls from partials, I doubt it's your ms. either, since they liked what they read so far.

Therefore, you just might be onto something with your writing. Fingers crossed for you. Keep us posted.

And pour a glass or two of wine.
 

CaroGirl

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Yes, as Kevin said, they're not rejections you're waiting on, but possibilities.

Since you received requests for partials and fulls, it doesn't seem to be the query. And since you received requests for fulls from partials, I doubt it's your ms. either, since they liked what they read so far.

Therefore, you just might be onto something with your writing. Fingers crossed for you. Keep us posted.

And pour a glass or two of wine.
Thanks, stormie. Cheers!!

(no further possibilities in my inbox as of the last refresh...)
 

spikeman4444

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CaroGirl, I can tell that I'd love your writing, provided it's written in the same sarcastic tone as your post. I'd happily read anytime. For what that's worth. No, I'm not an agent...per se...but I know how to spell agent, A-G-E...and then, you know, other letters. So there's that.

It sounds to me like you are a darn good query letter writer if you received that many requests. And you should certainly be encouraged by that.
 

RaggedEdge

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CaroGirl, I can tell that I'd love your writing, provided it's written in the same sarcastic tone as your post. I'd happily read anytime. For what that's worth. No, I'm not an agent...per se...but I know how to spell agent, A-G-E...and then, you know, other letters. So there's that.

It sounds to me like you are a darn good query letter writer if you received that many requests. And you should certainly be encouraged by that.

Ditto this. Also, if you haven't already, enter some contests involving agents. It's another way to get noticed, and it worked for me! Subitclub.com is a good source.
 

MaeZe

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I had a reaction to a CSPAN Book TV hour today but take it with a grain of salt as I don't know shit about publishing and three editors in no way represent the publishing world. Nonetheless the panel discussion bothered me for several reasons.

The title was, What Editors Do, so my comments are probably all wrong. The program is free online and there's a transcript at the link if anyone is interested.

Peter Ginna, former publisher and editorial director at Bloomsbury Press, described the duties of a book editor. He was joined in conversation by literary agent Gail Ross and Cal Morgan, executive editor of Riverhead Books.

What struck me was how limited these folks' taste and interests seemed. Which is fine, but they also had gatekeeper power. The agent you are querying may or may not like your book, even if it is well written.


One of them did say if your book is good and you self publish, it will get read. That's quite the opposite of what one hears amongst writers. Self publishing is supposed to be the kiss of death, or it means you aren't any good. I'm sure that is sometimes case, but I'm not convinced it always is.

The lesson if you believe in your book, keep sending queries. Even with a good book, there is an arbitrary factor in those gatekeepers' taste. And they have other elements going into their evaluations that have to do with their marketing in addition to the quality of the book.

If you've run out of agents to send queries to, and you are out of indie publishers accepting unagented subs, and you've revised the book all you are going to, and your beta readers liked it, rather than feeling dejected, ... consider self publishing.

[waits for the flying tomatoes]

I understand the issues that go along with self publishing. I've critiqued a few pieces where the writers object to everything the critique group is saying. They believe their book is fantastic and it isn't.

But the other side of submissions is that arbitrary factor, every once in a while something good is passed up. I haven't started sending queries out yet, I'm working on that now. But I will self publish if my queries don't generate interest because I have listened to critique, and my one beta reader is enthusiastic about the book (I plan to have more beta readers), and I have confidence in it.

I don't have confidence that the system of gatekeepers will like the book. I hope they will. I'm certainly going to try and try. But in the end, I can get around that gate if I have to.
 
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The Otter

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I've definitely been there. Keep at it. You're getting requests, which is a good sign. I get the impression that this is your first novel? I don't think my first novel got any requests at all (though I didn't know how to write a query letter, at the time...this was years ago). So the fact that you're getting some interest from agents, even if no one's made an offer yet, speaks well for your writing.
 

Tchaikovsky

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Well said, MaeZe. Adding that Eragon and The Martian both started out as self-published books, and look where they are now! There are books that no agents would touch that went on to be bestsellers. There are books that agents fought over that went into obscurity.

Subjectivity is a huge part of the process.

Hang in there OP! The query trenches are tough, and I am there with you. :Hug2: You can always requery the earlier agents you queried, especially ones that rejected based on pitch alone. (I've found that pitch is especially subjective, and changing one sentence can sometimes be the difference between request and reject).
 

DeviatedDavid

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Getting rejections is like speaking to a psychoanalyst.

No matter what one does, they will always find fault.

Example: If one is very animated, emotional and perhaps bombastic and belligerent in a therapy session, one might be apt to get the diagnosis, "Personality Disorder, Explosive type." (That's pursuant to the old DSM 11 of 1968). Accordingly, one can tone down the emotions and chill-out. If you do that you might be exhibiting one of Bleuler's "Four A's of Schizophrenia," (Four symptoms all beginning with the letter A) i.e., inappropriate AFFECT. When the voice is drained of emotion, flat and distant, that is considered a sign of Schiz. (Oddly enough British doctor's are less likely to find this symptom because Brits sometimes speak in an unemotional deadpan.)

And how does this apply to writing.

Sometimes I use the word "I" a lot. Then a poetry critic came along and said that the passive voice was usually preferable. Then I scaled back my ego and excised I from my vocabulary. And then I wrote like a castrato. Listen to critics, but in the end listen to your inner voice

I wish you the best.
 
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Putputt

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Getting rejections is like speaking to a psychoanalyst.

No matter what one does, they will always find fault.

Example: If one is very animated, emotional and perhaps bombastic and belligerent in a therapy session, one might be apt to get the diagnosis, "Personality Disorder, Explosive type." (That's pursuant to the old DSM 11 of 1968). Accordingly, one can tone down the emotions and chill-out. If you do that you might be exhibiting one of Bleuler's "Four A's of Schizophrenia," (Four symptoms all beginning with the letter A) i.e., inappropriate AFFECT. When the voice is drained of emotion, flat and distant, that is considered a sign of Schiz. (Oddly enough British doctor's are less likely to find this symptom because Brits sometimes speak in an unemotional deadpan.)

Pretty sure this isn't how psychoanalysts work. :D

You'll get there, Carogirl. I love your voice (well, the voice in your OP) and your writing is smooth and very readable. Don't give up!
 

April Swanson

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I know it might not feel like it now, but from the response you've had, I think you can be really optimistic for the future. To get this much interest in a first novel isn't common, so all I can say is good luck and keep going!

Also, to echo MaeZe, I recommend considering self-publishing. It's not what people think, and is hugely changed since the early days of kindle. I used to want a trad deal and would turn my nose up at indies, but then I allowed myself to consider the possibility. After a month of research, I decided it was a much better fit for my personality and goals. Just something to think about (if you haven't done so already :))
 

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In a way writing is a cruel industry because you go into it with such high hopes. You create an identity for yourself as a writer and imagine the future. Because writing takes so long physically the time writing becomes a part of you and your routine. You make time and space for writing because, you're a writer. You slave away for so long with expectations that you'll at least be read and considered. Maybe people will get angry about your book and write scathing one star reviews. Maybe they'll say they loved it and the characters lived on with them.

The first thing I wasn't prepared for was that on completion friends and family weren't interested. Asking them to read my book was received a bit like I'd given them a three course meal I'd cooked that they didn't really want and they weren't hungry right now anyway, thanks. There was a bit of picking at the appetisers but no one made it to the main course or said anything other than the reluctant literary critic version of, "It LOOKS lovely."

So then you're left sending out this book to complete strangers and hoping that someone thinks they can sell it to other complete strangers. And it's one of a BLIZZARD of hopeful books sent to them every day by other people. It's daunting but if you look at it like this:

Most people who start to write a book will never actually finish one
Most of the books that are written by first timers aren't very good (you know your book is good and can explain in a letter why, right?)
Most of the people who query will give up before they succeed
Most of the people who fail won't write the second, much more saleable book, using all the things they learned writing and pitching the first
But you're still in the game at that point, aren't you?