I've gotten quite a few so far. Who writes "Sent from my iPad" in a return letter? He literally wrote that. and I also got: That's a pretty long letter, and it didn't say I got rejected yet. How close am I to getting my novel published?
sorry to say, those are all stock rejections... but take heart from the fact that most successful authors got many rejections before hitting a taker...
And also, not to be further discouraging, but let's not forget that landing an agent (while totally awesome!) does not mean that you're instantly going to be published. It just means that the agent agrees to represent your work and shop it around to publishers for you (among other things, but this is simplified). Which is certainly in your best interest since, as long as you've done your homework and gotten a reputable one they're going to know much more about it and have access to people that you don't. They're on the inside and you're not, but even so sometimes even represented work never gets published.
You gave me the idea that just because I get an Agent, that won't mean that it's a guarantee that I'll get published. I know nothing about publishing or getting my novel out there, so I believe that it would be better for me to get an Agent.
It is absolutely better for you to get an agent (in most cases, as I know nothing of the specifics this is a blanket response and I'm just a writer like you anyway). For reasons already stated the agent is the better choice and an agent has a vested interest in your work getting published. If you don't get paid, the agent doesn't get paid. So, it's not as if the agent (providing, again, that they are reputable) is going to agree to represent your work if they don't honestly believe they can sell it. That wouldn't make much sense because then you'd both be frustrated and not making any money, right? I'm just saying that it DOES happen, that it's not "I got an agent my book will be out for Christmas!" Uhhh... nope. Takes much longer than that. First they have to shop it around..... find someone to actually buy it and go through the whole deal making process which can be short or long depending on many variables, then you have to start working with the publisher and it will be MONTHS before it's in print, and that's after you have a deal in place. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, or that you should be discouraged, you should just be aware of what you're actually doing and what to expect.
A writer is someone who can face rejection a thousand times and still keep writing. Keep at it and don't lose hope. P.S. lol at the iPad thing. I bet a man sent that. Men love iPads.
He didn't write 'sent from my ipad'. Whatever mail program he was using on his ipad automatically tacked it on. Anyway getting rejections is normal. Remember the odds are stacked heavily against you, and if you consider the percentage of people who actually get their book published you'll understand this is a very difficult task. That being said, if you continue to get more rejections like maybe 10 or 15 without a single bite, even from some of the smaller agencies, then maybe you might want to revisit your query. There are too many ways to mess up a query, and unfortunately a query is the single piece of writing an agent judges you by.
I've already 90% finished another novel and am starting three more. Rejection is rather easy for me to deal with. Now, the process I need to go through in order to get it published, that's something I don't like. I thought I was close, but I guess not.
The long letter with all the links, screams me,me,me - he may not has said he was rejecting your ms, but this guy is only interested in himself. Keep sending your stuff out there and Good Luck. Bebe
I think my Query is pretty solid. Should I post it here for you guys to review it? I don't want to keep sending a faulty query despite the fact that I believe in it. Also: That was a long email, wasn't it? I haven't got an E mail that long in a while. I would of mistaken it for an advertisement if it wasn't for the title.
This may be the Irish in me, but that guy sounds like a ****ing douche. Least the others gave you a tip of respect. Keep looking anyway, you'll get a biter eventually if you persist. Don't let the rejection letters get you down, look at them as a sign that you're moving up in the world of writing, every writer hits this part, can you muster the strength to go on? I think so. Eventually you'll get an agent.
Hi, I wouldn't worry about the rejection letters. They're part and parcel of becoming a writer, and I don't know of any save maybe a few already very famous people, who get their works accepted by the first agent they solicit. Keep the letters, keep trying, believe in your work and hopefully one day it will happen. Cheers.
The text that said "Sent from my iPad" was the same as the rest of the message, and it was the starting sentence. No "Dear Who Ever You Are" or anything. I assumed that he wrote that on purpose because it sure didn't look generated. Then again, why would you send an E mail from your iPad if it does generate that automatically? I don't have one of those (I'm one of the many poor writer type) so I wouldn't know. Thanks for the words of encouragement. I wrote the query letter using every tips or hints I could get my hands on. I put serious thought into it. It must show, and someone must be able to see that... It explains everything that the novel is about, while still leaving a cliff hanger meant to make readers beg for more. I also tried to make it stand out by placing emphasis on it's plot. It's not exactly a normal plot, after all. Not many stories begin at the beginning of time, and conclude at the end of the world.
I lol'ed at that link. Dr. Phil meets Scientology. Is that guy an agent? If so, you're better off without him, I'm thinking.
I do have an iPad and when you open the email app that comes on the device, the phrase "Sent from my iPad" is already in the body of the message. I always delete it so I don't look like a pretentious twit. In terms of your query - if you aren't getting a bite from agents, you could probably write it better. There's no harm in getting someone to look over it, anyway. But keep it up! Rejections are a part of writing
One thing you can do is to check out an agent before you query to make sure that he/she looks like a good fit for what you write. It's not a guarantee (nothing is) that you will ultimately get published, but it improves your percentages, and that's what it's all about. As Trish said, the whole idea behind getting an agent is to have someone working with you who is comfortable with your brand of writing and who has inside knowledge of which editors are most likely to be attracted to it. It's been said that it's easier to find a publisher than an agent. Many writers take that to mean that one should query publishers directly, but I think it just means that once you have an agent, the next step (finding a publisher) is easier than the first step was. I've gotten lots of rejections. I haven't given up, although life circumstances forced me to back off for a while. But I keep writing and keep improving what I've already written, and I still believe in my ability. You should, too. Good luck.
I think it would be great to have a section on the forum dedicated to query reviewing. I think a lot of people (myself included) could benefit. As for queries, so far I'm 0 for 1, probably soon to be 0 for 5 within the next couple weeks. But that's ok, I'm revising my story, anyway LOL.
Yes post your query in the non fiction review section if you want people to give you their thoughts. And I agree that the mods should create a query section. Many people might benefit.
As far as the guy with the really long letter, he's actually quite a reputable agent (if you followed any links besides youtube) and although he may not have been a good fit for you, his letter does tell me something. I think (and I could be wrong, you could all be right and he could be a douche) that perhaps he was trying to tell you something. He very clearly told you to review their submission guidelines (which tells me you didn't review them, or if you did you didn't follow them since he felt the need to point that out), also you talk about cliffhangers, making the readers beg for more, your plot not being normal (it never is) suggests to me that perhaps (and I'm not being rude, just telling you what I'm inferring from the exchange) your query may have come across as "me, me, me, look at me in my awesomeness" and he was saying "I can do that too, isn't that annoying and unprofessional?" because the guy is CLEARLY a professional. These are just little things, that for me, I would question what I did wrong, not jump on him. Again, that could just be me though. I would strongly suggest you look up Noah Lukeman, a lot of his (very helpful) advice is available for free....
If I were to look at that long letter I would hazard a guess and say its not a rejection letter. In fact I'd say nobody in that agency has even read your query letter to begin with. It sounds like an automated service that some agencies use to send a confirmation of receipt to the sender. What makes this agency appear unprofessional is the fact that they used this automated service to advertise themselves. So yeah I'm pretty sure that long letter wasn't some agent's snide and overly elaborate way of showing the sender a point. That sounds a little far-fetched.
Maybe it is. I said I could be wrong You're probably right, but I still think the query letter probably needs a look (based on OP's own comments) and still definitely recommend checking out Noah Lukeman's stuff.......
Yeah I would agree. For being a literary agent, he bored me after two lines and I skipped the rest, and I don't really believe he writes such a long self indulgent eulogy every time he rejects a novel. At this point I prefer the "I'm not interested, thanks!" guys.
