Rejection # 1
Before we get much further, I thought I’d share what a rejection looks like (all the identifying facts redacted) and just a little bit about how they come to be.
For those of you unfamiliar with the process (that’s probably about 90% of the US population), here’s an overview of how “pitching” works. (Throughout the lifecycle of this newsletter, I’ll be talking about publishing fiction versus non-fiction, as the processes are different.)
1) Once you’ve completed your manuscript, you need to figure out what agents you are going to “Query.” (Query is the term used by the industry and refers to the letter you write the agent asking for representation. That, along with determining which agents to target, is a massively big topic that I will go into in subsequent posts.)
2) Along with the Query letter, agents often ask for an extract of your manuscript—anywhere from the first 10 to 30 pages. (If you can’t hook them then, you are s&&& out of luck. This is why these first pages are so critical—and why I’ve agonized over mine as I’ve never been entirely convinced they are as strong as the rest of the book. But let’s parking lot that for now.)
3) Once you have these two items ready—your Query Letter and your Pages—you are ready to Submit to your targeted agent, which generally occurs by emailing the agent directly. (Literary agencies’ requirements do vary. Some use an online form that has additional hoops to go through, which I will also cover later. (Spoiler: they are the absolute bane of my existence.)
4) And then….you wait. (And if you are me, you burn candles, light incense, pray to every deity imaginable—including your dead mother.)
5) Waiting times vary here. Some agents make it clear that they will only respond if they are interested, some tell you that they will try to respond, but based on the volume of unsolicited submissions, you could be waiting for quite a long while. (4-6 weeks, as a rule of thumb.) Some agents—like the one I heard from this week, get back to you right away. (Bless them!) They are your heroes because at least you know. Prior experience tells me that 75-80% of the time, you will never hear anything one way or the other. While totally understandable, it’s the literary version of ghosting and it really kinda sucks.
Rejection #1:
Hi Diana - Thank you so much for contacting me about representation. Unfortunately, I don’t think your book would be quite right for my list at this time. Publishing is very subjective, of course, and I’m sure another agent will feel differently. Thank you for thinking of XXXXXXXXX. I wish you all the best of luck with this project.
Best wishes,
XXXXXXXXX
From what I’ve seen, most rejections follow this format—kind, professional, gracious. (And I will be posting each of the 100, so we will have a chance to compare.) “Kind” also extends to the fact that this rejection was TIMELY.
Why Timely Matters:
Many literary agencies have a number of different agents and say that “if one agent passes, you are free to pitch someone else.”
Since this agent responded immediately, it allows me to go back to the well with another agent in the firm. (Thank you, Ms. X.)
Tomorrow I will be sharing some famous (or dare we say, rather infamous) rejections. These are hallowed items as every time I get a rejection I go back to this list as encouragement to keep on. (Plus, some are pretty darn hilarious.)
Until then….Diana