When to give up.

I don't give up, but after enough rejections I step back and give my work another personal review. I rewrite my query, and maybe touch up my book. Try to make them both better. I even let friends look over my work give me new suggestions and try again. I've gotten from agents not responding at all, to then responding rejection emails with personal comments on how they think I can better my work, and now some of them respond with leads to other agents I should try and contact. Getting closer and closer every time.

I gave up on a nonfic project after receiving a dozen+ rejections from agents that all pointed out the same problems, and workshopping it at a conference and having a dozen people in person point out the same problems...turned out my research was flawed and there was no way to go back in time and redo all of it.

gcommon said:

Getting closer and closer every time.

Click to expand...

I used to think that, too. After a while it became apparent that, for me, it's a form of Zeno's Paradox. There really is no "closer."

caw