1. afinemess

    afinemess Active Member

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    are all rejections nice?

    Discussion in 'Traditional Publishing' started by afinemess, Feb 16, 2010.

    When receiving a rejection, will they tell you if your query was awful? I have received two now, and both told me that I just wasn't what they were looking for and to keep sending, and this last one said they "certainly encouraged me to keep trying" (it seemed like a genuine email, not a template). I may be to optimistic for my own good here. I kind of hoped if I was rejected, they would say something along the lines of "your horrible and you should just stop." haha I'm kidding, but I wanted to know, do all rejections sound this nice, and should I take it as a good sign that I have a decent query? I wanted to wait after sending out the inital round before trying too hard, just incase an agency told me I needed to change up the query, but I'm not really sure if they do that sort of thing. I just sent a batch out on the 10th and have already gotten 2 back. These were all email, I am mailing off some tomorrow for the agencies that prefer snail mail. Anyway, thanks!
     
  2. writewizard

    writewizard New Member

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    I don't think they're horrible. I think most are templates, unless they do want you to submit more or submit again. I imagine most authors will not create a separate, new email to say, "Your story idea stinks!"
    But that's just my opinion.
    And hey, writer's rejection! First step in becoming a writer... I'm not even there yet!!!
     
  3. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    Most likely not. They usually say something about the piece not being right for them, etc. Anything harsher than would probably be unprofessional.

    Also, if your rejections aren't standard templates, I would take them at face value. If the agent/editor put in the time to write an actual email, then most likely they were being serious about what they said about your query.
     
  4. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Form letter rejections are what you're most likely to receive if the the query is put together badly or the sample (if any) just doesn't make muster. But you will also likely get a form rejection if the submission is not the kind of story they are looking for but is oterwise fine. That can happen if you haven't taken a good look at the publisher before submitting your writing, among other things.

    If you get a personalized response, it probably means there was enough merit to your query for the publisher to take the time to give personal feedback. Even if the criticism seems harsh, you should feel encouraged. It is possible yuou have caught the attention of someone who is just in a mood to rip someone a new one, but it's rare to find someone like that in a position of responsibility for a solid publishing company or agency.

    So the chances are, if you received a personalized response, you caught someone's attention in a somewhat positive way. Look on such a letter with hope. Even though it's a rejection, itg probably means you're close enough to get something published with a bit more learning. And that learning can begin with the comments you received.
     
  5. afinemess

    afinemess Active Member

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    Thank you all, I just never expected the rejection to be so nice. haha Or so fast. I've been reading some blogs I've come across on authors who've become published, and it sounded like it would be a terribly long waiting game, but so far, I've gotten rather speedy results. I'm up to three, and all have said the same thing. Not a good fit, keep trying (basically). So, I'm off to ship off some more and keep trying!
     
  6. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    if it's hand-written, it's not a form letter... if it's typed, then it most likely is just a stock rejection [especially if signature is clearly a rubber stamp, or part of a printed copy, not actual pen ink], despite whatever nice comment it contains... the 'niceness' is intended to let you down gently and not tick you off so badly you'll never try them again...
     
  7. RomanticRose

    RomanticRose Active Member

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    There is one good thing even about form rejection letters. It shows you're at getting in the game.
     
  8. whiskeyjameson

    whiskeyjameson Member

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    Probably the same as any other rejection, except maybe if you get shot down by some good looking woman/ man :p

    It's their job to sort through everything and pick what fits best. It's not their job to come up with evil ways to destroy all your hopes and dreams. If you get something awful I would imagine it would just make them look bad. Everybody started at the bottom and I can imagine most editors/ authors remember where they came from.
     
  9. coldu

    coldu New Member

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    Every writer was at one time rejected...again and again...
    Authors use this as a par-for-the-course perception, thinking that they are sharing in the "one upon a time" experience of famous writers and if they were rejected and then accepted then your rejections mean that you're on the right track.
    Don't be fooled into thinking that for every rejection you recieve you are one step closer to getting published. if you're rejected you need to try and learn why. It might because they simlpy don't recognise your name, or they are too busy to even consider you. It might be taht your letter of inquiry is not up to scracth. don't just "batch" send your letters. you need to talor-write each one for each agent.
    If an agent spots just two mistakes ( any kind of mistake )on the first page he will generally reject it becuase he will and can assume that at least two mistakes exist on every subsequent page. If you have written a 500 typescript then that's at least a thousand errors in that document...before you even consider thngs like pace, progression and structure.
     
  10. coldu

    coldu New Member

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    Can i just add that even though whiskeyjameson is right in that editors are not looking for ways to destroy your dreams, you have to remember that there are a lot of editors out there who are such because they themselves are struggling writers. it is a natural tendacy to resent those who can do what you yourself dream of doing. Some are not as nice as you might think.
     
  11. afinemess

    afinemess Active Member

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    I did write them individually to each agent. Just because you send off a 'batch' doesn't mean they are all the same. I took the time to craft each letter for each agent. I just can't make a trip to the post office for each letter as it comes, so I have waited until they were all finished so I could just mail them off together. I know some people jump the gun on these types of things, but I'm serious about my writing, and I've been taking the time to research and learn. I don't know everything of course, but I'm doing my best. (and I am in no way assuming that because I have some rejections that I will ultimately pay my dues and get published. I realize that the chances are slim, but I'm still going to give it a go.)
     
  12. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    what you're doing is the wisest course, imo... i think what the poster meant by 'batch' is to not send out 'generic' letters...
     

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