Favorite rejection quotes

Unfortunately...

Unfortunately, however, the other fiction editors and I have decided not to accept your story for this issue. Although we liked the idea behind it and how well it related to our theme, the execution was not quite as polished as we would like.

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Only took ten days to get this one..polite, anyway. They could have said "Great idea, crappy writing" I suppose! I wish I knew how much polishing is "not quite"...

"Due to the overwhelming volume of electronic queries the Agency receives, we do not respond—specifically—to your query electronically. We have however briefly read your query. Although it certainly has potential for success, it does not appear to be right for this Agency.

We pass and wish you better luck in placing your work with an agent who will make us look shortsighted."


I like the end.

"Thanks for sending along the opening pages of Collide. Truth be told, though, I'm afraid these pages just didn't draw me in as much as I had hoped. I'm pressed for time these days and, what with my reservations about the project, I suspect I wouldn't be the best fit."

"Thank you for sharing Collide with me—I enjoyed reading. You write
well—but, I'm afraid, this is not quite right for us."

--those rejections were from partial requests....

Sometimes I wish they would just tell me what they didn't like. I'm so tired of hearing, "Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, this is not right for me."

uhmmmm...one day!

Didn't know this was a Christian agency, and just happened to offend the Jebus out of this agent, unintentionally, of course. This is how she responded:

Dear Timothy,

Thank you for submitting your query for my review. Unfortunately I am going to have to decline the opportunity to pursue representation, as this doesn’t fit what I’m looking for right now. (Did you really use the phrase "shriek of a novel"? Timothy, please.)

We are only one agency, and these decisions are subjective. I encourage you to continue seeking representation and publication, and I wish you the best in getting your project published.

Many blessings,
Archangel Nasty Pants

Shadow_Ferret said:

"We're mailing this rejection because we couldn't meet you in person to punch you in the nose."

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Is this a joke? Or is someone actually that mean?

What is this 'not right right for us at this time' nonsense? Does that mean not right now, but try again later? It's like they're closing the door but leaving it open a crack. I'd prefer, the polite 'thank you, but not for me' response.

S.C. Denton said:

I sent a query to an overseas publisher because my story had gone twice their specified word count and was surprised when they requested that I send it. Mistakenly I assumed that since they'd shown an interest in it that the word count must not have been that bigga deal. This was the rejection letter I received yesterday:


Unfortunately we declined your story mainly due to the length and the lack of space we had available. Good luck with your writing and please keep us in mind for future projects.



Really not that bad of one, but why request my story in the first place? It isn't as if they didn't already know that it was too long. That's the whole reason I queried first. And certainly they knew how many people'd already submitted, as well as how much room they'd have for the anthology. So again why ask for it, if you know you can't use it?

The truth is probably they found something they didn't like, but were just sparing my feelings. But man is that ever not helpful. Why can't they ever just offer up one thing? Just the tiniest bit of what's wrong with the sub and why they feel that way.

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Possibly they were sparing your feelings, but also possible that they thought it'd be too much work to pare down, or didn't see how to split it up. Or they didn't think it would sell enough copies to justify the effort they'd have to put into it. Most likely of all, the overworked and unpaid intern assigned to read it took the easy way out. But I'd focus on that last bit, the "keep us in mind." They're not going to say that if they think you're not a good writer.

I don't really have any favorite quotes yet because I've only gotten 4 rejections XD I like this thread though and I hope I have something to contribute in the future :3

"You're a solid writer and your premise is intriguing. However, the YA market is saturated at this time. Please feel free to query again if you should write something for a different audience."

It was a rejection, but a complimentary one. It's better than a kick in the can, I suppose.

ooo I think i've gotten that one too

"When you can't figure out what to do, it's time for a nap." - Mason Cooley

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That's exactly what I have done. Negative criticism, so I took a nap.

I can't decide which is my most-hated category of rejection. Yes, getting no response or a form letter is no fun, but it happens to everyone, I expect it, and I don't get too bent out of shape.

What causes me to scratch my head is when I get something in the "it's not you, it's me" category. (Ever notice how querying is sort of like dating ...) "Your book sounds very interesting and I'm sure it would be of great use to many people, but I don't think I could successfully place it with a publisher." ("You will make some lucky agent happy some day ...") If it is interesting and useful, why can't it be placed?

However, what causes me to mutter to myself are folks who ask for partials or fulls and then reject for reasons that should have been apparent to them after they read the query, such as how long the book is, what it contains, etc. Nothing like mailing a hard copy of the entire book to someone (who said it was too long to attach to an email) and then not having it read at all because she thinks the book's word count is way too high. Unless it is hearing that someone was "disappointed" to see certain content in the book, when that content is specified in the query. Do I have to put warnings in bold in my query, specifying the word count, reiterating the content, etc.

OK, I've vented, so I feel better.

(Oh, I forgot another category: those who have folks they can recommend to improve your writing, not that they can specify what is wrong with your writing. One agent offered to recommend a "professional writer" to help me with my proposal. She hadn't even received my proposal Given the timing, and what someone else said about her rejecting but not opening the submission involved, I'm not even sure she looked at my partial.)

'No answer = no interest' drives me a little crazy, even though I understand it. Agents and editors aren't there to give me feedback on failure. But I do wish the agents whose guidelines say 'all queries will be answered' would do so within a year.

I've never received a really horrible rejection quote, just things that pointed out my mistakes and set me on the right path.

Although I do remember one memorable zinger from Marion Zimmer Bradley, who took me to task for a short story about 'hearth-witches' and 'werewolves'. The story contained neither, and I already knew her quirks about such tropes. I never did figure out whose story she was rejecting, but I'd already sent mine elsewhere.

Filigree

Here's another for the strange rejection pile: an agent just sent me the second form rejection email twice, for the same project. Query submitted on July 6. First rejection on July 9. Second on July 29. A few years ago, I might have thought 'Squee, they held it for another look.' Now, I just think it was a housekeeping error.

Filigree

Hathor said:

What causes me to scratch my head is when I get something in the "it's not you, it's me" category. (Ever notice how querying is sort of like dating ...) "Your book sounds very interesting and I'm sure it would be of great use to many people, but I don't think I could successfully place it with a publisher." ("You will make some lucky agent happy some day ...") If it is interesting and useful, why can't it be placed?

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Having done a bit of editing if not agenting, I have to tell you when you get that response, it really IS them not you. They don't bother to take the time to tell you that if it isn't true. They can recognize talent, skill and a marketable idea, but just because they see it doesn't mean that they themselves are the best agent for you. I'd be hard pressed to edit, market or sell a religious book. I just wouldn't bother and I wouldn't waste the author's time trying to learn how - wouldn't be fair. I'd be able to recognize a great religious book, but I'd be useless as it's promoter.

If you get that response, it means you should broaden your query base.

SarahMacManus said:

Having done a bit of editing if not agenting, I have to tell you when you get that response, it really IS them not you. They don't bother to take the time to tell you that if it isn't true. They can recognize talent, skill and a marketable idea, but just because they see it doesn't mean that they themselves are the best agent for you. I'd be hard pressed to edit, market or sell a religious book. I just wouldn't bother and I wouldn't waste the author's time trying to learn how - wouldn't be fair. I'd be able to recognize a great religious book, but I'd be useless as it's promoter.

If you get that response, it means you should broaden your query base.

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Well, I'm doing my best. I have tried to query anyone who arguably might be interested. Thanks for giving me a positive spin on what has been happening. I'll keep plugging away at it.

"In some parts, the tone is so extreme it sounds as if it was taken out of gothic rock..."

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It did make me laugh so thumbs up to the guy who wrote it.

Here's my all-time favorite. It's an R on a full, painful but inspiring at the same time. When I feel like giving up, I go back to this R and it gives me enough hope to last another day in hell.

Dear Marian,
Thank you for sharing your work with me. This is a wonderful, original
concept--you do a very good job of making genuinely scary scenes, I
like your descriptions, and I love watching Eden and Alex
together--but, I’m afraid, I didn't connect with this in the way that
I'd hoped.

Still, I hope you will continue writing and sending out your work. If
you haven't done so already, you may wish to look at The Jeff Herman
Guide to Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents - there, you should
be able to find someone who's a better fit for your work.

Best of luck with this and future projects.

All best wishes,

xxxxxx
Associate Agent

I'm pretty sure some of you recognize the second paragraph.

A rejection from the cruel hand of George Hitchcock.

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Julie Worth said:

A rejection from the cruel hand of George Hitchcock.

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ouch.

I had a very lengthy rejection email in which the agent confessed that if he took me on as a client, I would be the straw to break his camel's back - as he was over his head in current clients.

Gave me a laugh - and lessened the 'ouchie' of the rejection.

kayleamay said:

"You're a solid writer and your premise is intriguing. However, the YA market is saturated at this time. Please feel free to query again if you should write something for a different audience."

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That made me laugh. The market's so saturated, apparently no YA books of any kind (not even with solid writing and intriguing premises) can be published?

I'm so glad I read this thread. I recognized some of the rejections I have received, and I feel better now about the "it's not you, it's me" scenario. If I happen to receive any doozies, I'll be sure to post them!

after a tough day of rejection yesterday, this thread made my morning. at least it's not just me.

"...I can only take on exceptional writers and you, unfortunately, are not."