So this is the first time in my marriage I've gone through query hell. So far, I've had two rejections and my husband is like, oh no, the sky is falling! I wasn't seeing it that way. So I came here to get some perspective.
First novel I queried years ago had maybe three requests, all with feedback about how great the voice was, but all rejections. And it was 95% form rejections. Fast forward 5 years and I totally see why.
Newest novel - well, I think I may have something with this one. But now my husband has me thinking I'm going to end up on the same form rejection path. (He's super supportive. He just thought the first agent would take it).
Here's what I've experienced so far within this newest manuscript.
Agent 1 - with one of the big houses. Met him at a conference. Loved my hook and pitch. Requested full. Response was: "there are some great prose here - in fact the writing is far superior than most of what I see. He said it was really imaginative and clever. Ultimately passed because he didn't fall in love with main character.
Agent 2 - Big agency. Read partial. Passed, but suggested I send it to another, specific, agent in his agency. (He is the owner of the agency)
Beta reader - she is published with a major house. Said she usually takes 4 or 5 sessions to read a book she's helping with, but had to binge mine in two sessions because she couldn't put it down. Named a style of writing and said so many people try this and fail, but mine was the best she'd seen unpublished. She made some suggestions, which I took, but ultimately said they were tiny and specific because there was nothing major to fix. Said the voice was incredible.
So, all of this has made me pretty optimistic and confident about this book. (Within reason. I know it's also a numbers game!)
But then I got to thinking... maybe I'm delusional and I suck and...I don't know!!!
I'm already afraid to send it out again. Why am I so weak?!
First novel I queried years ago had maybe three requests, all with feedback about how great the voice was, but all rejections. And it was 95% form rejections. Fast forward 5 years and I totally see why.
Newest novel - well, I think I may have something with this one. But now my husband has me thinking I'm going to end up on the same form rejection path. (He's super supportive. He just thought the first agent would take it).
Here's what I've experienced so far within this newest manuscript.
Agent 1 - with one of the big houses. Met him at a conference. Loved my hook and pitch. Requested full. Response was: "there are some great prose here - in fact the writing is far superior than most of what I see. He said it was really imaginative and clever. Ultimately passed because he didn't fall in love with main character.
Agent 2 - Big agency. Read partial. Passed, but suggested I send it to another, specific, agent in his agency. (He is the owner of the agency)
Beta reader - she is published with a major house. Said she usually takes 4 or 5 sessions to read a book she's helping with, but had to binge mine in two sessions because she couldn't put it down. Named a style of writing and said so many people try this and fail, but mine was the best she'd seen unpublished. She made some suggestions, which I took, but ultimately said they were tiny and specific because there was nothing major to fix. Said the voice was incredible.
So, all of this has made me pretty optimistic and confident about this book. (Within reason. I know it's also a numbers game!)
But then I got to thinking... maybe I'm delusional and I suck and...I don't know!!!
I'm already afraid to send it out again. Why am I so weak?!
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