Am I the only one not making a sale?

fihr · May 8, 2013

Congrats gettingby. Fair enough that you don't feel good. All the same, it's a milestone, and if you are subbing to good literary mags then it is not a surprising result, because they are really hard to get into, and publish many very experienced writers. I hope you are still enjoying the actual writing part of the process.

V1c · May 8, 2013

Congrats gettingby! You're a writer

And while it's not bad to blow off steam, it's also good to think of all the progress. You're going to an MFA program soon, no? You've got a lot of writing already behind you. Not bad things.

u.v.ray · May 9, 2013

gettingby said:
I am so happy for all the recent sales. This must be a great group of writers. But when I read the braggage thread and see all the good news, it makes me question myself. I have sent out 32 submissions this year so I am putting myself out there. I guess I am just feeling a little discouraged. Is it just me?

Don't listen to the others, they just feel sorry for you.

The truth is, yes. It's just you. We are all selling by the cart-load and making thousands every month from our literary endeavours. Life is all Californian beaches and ice-cream and we're all very happy.

kd1984 · May 9, 2013

u.v.ray said:
Don't listen to the others, they just feel sorry for you.

The truth is, yes. It's just you. We are all selling by the cart-load and making thousands every month from our literary endeavours. Life is all Californian beaches and ice-cream and we're all very happy.

alexshvartsman · May 9, 2013

u.v.ray said:
Don't listen to the others, they just feel sorry for you.

The truth is, yes. It's just you. We are all selling by the cart-load and making thousands every month from our literary endeavours. Life is all Californian beaches and ice-cream and we're all very happy.

This.

I have personally rejected several editors today who tried to buy my stories.

And when I say personally, I mean that I did it without the help of my executive assistant. I sent them form rejections.

renard79 · May 10, 2013

Actually, I'm making my fortune off poetry sales alone. It's very lucrative.

alexshvartsman said:
This.

I have personally rejected several editors today who tried to buy my stories.

And when I say personally, I mean that I did it without the help of my executive assistant. I sent them form rejections.

Arcana · Jul 6, 2013

alexshvartsman said:
One of the most important qualities in the new writer is persistence. ...

That is one thing I'm still learning.

I haven't sent out that many queries yet, but just got two single-paragraph form-letter rejections this past week. I understand exactly why agents send them, but wish I could somehow glean if they mean 'please don't bother anyone anything ever again and find something else to do with your life' or if they really mean that they're booked-up right now and that they really mean that some other agent might really LOVE my novel.

Gah!

Thing is, deep down, I know I'm not a bad writer. Sure there is always room to improve, but sometimes the persistence also involves querying more agents and publishers as well as honing one's craft more sharply.

And hey, they responded and it's a live email address. In six months I can always send them something different and they'll have no idea who it was anyway

stormie · Jul 6, 2013

If a writer reads beyond the title of some of the threads on AW, like one recently started over on the Goals And Accomplishments boards, they're not always acceptances. One of the most recent is a happy report on getting a (maybe) non-form rejection letter.

Aggy B. · Jul 6, 2013

Arcana said:
That is one thing I'm still learning.

I haven't sent out that many queries yet, but just got two single-paragraph form-letter rejections this past week. I understand exactly why agents send them, but wish I could somehow glean if they mean 'please don't bother anyone anything ever again and find something else to do with your life' or if they really mean that they're booked-up right now and that they really mean that some other agent might really LOVE my novel.

Gah!

Thing is, deep down, I know I'm not a bad writer. Sure there is always room to improve, but sometimes the persistence also involves querying more agents and publishers as well as honing one's craft more sharply.

And hey, they responded and it's a live email address. In six months I can always send them something different and they'll have no idea who it was anyway

Querying a novel really takes a lot of persistence. Unlike short story markets there is a portion of agent-land that no longer responds unless interested which makes the wait oh-so-exciting. #not

But, it's still a question of not giving up until you get someone to say yes. (Of course, if no one seems interested you might want to revisit the query/sample pages, but that's a different matter.)

Aggy, sent out a lot more than "a few" queries

Am I the only one not making a sale?

fihr

V1c

Hmmmmm

u.v.ray

greatest writer of his generation

kd1984

alexshvartsman

renard79

Teacher in Space

Arcana

stormie

storm central

Aggy B.

Not as sweet as you think