Hey guys,
So unfortunately this afternoon I got a form rejection from the agent that had my full manuscript. I feel....a lot of emotions actually. I know that you have to have REALLY thick-skin when you go out there and try to get into the publishing world....but that doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt, you know? Though I'm sure he's understandably VERY busy with reading a lot of manuscripts, I sort of wish he'd said a little bit more than the form rejection...like, not even what he specifically didn't like necessarily, but just a little bit more than I'm a "fine storyteller" but they just didn't fall in love with it enough to represent it, you know? Now my mind is like spinning; is that the nice way of saying my writing isn't good enough? Is my story all together actually just bad? Should I completely revise my story? No one else has requested it, does my query letter stink? And the list goes on and on.
I still want to thank all of you for supporting me though. As down as I feel right now (he only sent the email like an hour ago), I'm not going to give up in getting this book published; I still have a lot of agents I haven't heard back from (although they basically have the same query letter the other agents got, so I don't know how much hope I have in this query letter anymore). I really believe in this book, and I just can't let it go so easily! Hopefully I'm not deluding myself into believing that this book is publishable....
Back to the drawing board I guess...well, sort of...
X <3 O
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Awww. :( I feel sad for you. But don't worry, every successful book comes with some rejection and sorrow. I bet your book is really good! I bet you'll get your book published soon, don't worry!
ReplyDeleteLike you said before in a previous blog post, it's December, and NaNoWriMo is over. I'm sure that all the agents are either busy with their current clients or the deluge of new requests coming in! Just be patient and you're blog will definitely get some good news soon! :D
Thanks Eileen.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely feeling better about it, because it's pretty much inevitable that it'd get rejected. But hopefully it is good enough for some agent to want it one day.
Yeah, I'm sure NaNoWriMo makes agents a lot more selective with what they take in during the months of December and January. I think I'm just going to lay low until the rush of NaNoWriMo'ers ends in like February at least...and by lay low I mean just see where the current queries I have out take me as well as try to maybe think of anything I could do to revise my manuscript in the mean time. Regardless, I'm definitely going to keep writing to help pass the time!
And thanks again! I'm going to try my best to continue to be patient, and hopefully it will pay off! :D
I have a super thick skin when it comes to agents and publishers otherwise I would've given up a long time ago... you can't take it personally. It happens to everyone. It's really frustrating though, I agree. Esp. when you get good reviews (like my self-pub'd book is getting) and yet, agents don't seem to want it. Oh, well. You have to keep trying!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sonia,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know I can't take it personally...it's just the first rejection that really hit me (although ALL of the rejections I've gotten stunk), I think because I was able to get pass the query letter stage, you know? But yeah, I feel a lot better than I did yesterday, and I know that's rejection is all part of becoming an author. I am definitely going to keep trying because I believe in myself and my book!
On a side note, I've actually read that a lot of agents/publishers are wary about taking on already self-published books, and often don't take them on. I forget why, but I distinctly remember people telling me that if you want to get your book published by a publisher, you SHOULD NOT get it self-published first.
I'm sure that there are some agents that will take on great self-published books though, so good luck if you are trying to get it published! :D
I'm sorry about your book!! I hope someday, it gets published!!
ReplyDelete-Madison Louise
PS: Thanks for following my blog! I'm a aspiring author too. I am in the process of self-publishing my book.
Have you ever heard of NaNo YWP? You should check it out!
(gonna follow your blog too.)
Thanks Madison!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of NaNo YWP; what is it?
I'm excited to follow your blog :)
Unfortunately it's a lot harder to get into publishing than people think. But keep trying. Remember that Matthew Reilly had to self publish his first book, and now he's a massive bestseller and everyone loves his books. J K Rowling had a lot of trouble getting published, and look at her now.
ReplyDeleteI work in a library, and alot of the authors we have for author talks say the same thing: it took them a long time and a lot of reworking to figure out what they didn't like. And then someone tells you they do like the book, but you get it back from the editors and feel like they've violated it. But for those that get there, it's an amazing experience, as is all of the stuff in between. It's all learning and time spent learning is never wasted.
Good luck :)
Thanks for the encouragement Lauren!
DeleteYes, getting into the publishing world is DEFINITELY harder than people think!
I'm definitly NO WHERE NEAR ready to give up getting a book of mine published. I promise. :)
I definitely use all the published authors before me as inspiration; I know that it's very rare to even get into the publishing industry, let alone get an agent and/or publisher "quickly."
But you never know until you try! :D