How many rejections did you get before you were published?

J.S.F.

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This is kind of funny because I'm in the opposite boat--I have an agent but I can't sell a book. Which makes me feel like I'm just not good enough and have reached my level, only good enough to snag an agent's attention, but not good enough to actually be published.

Even small pubs haven't been interested, and at this point I'd love to see even an epublisher interested. I can't help but feel like I'm a scrawny kid trying to play on a team with the big boys.

---

At the beginning of this writing adventure, everyone told me "You've got to get an agent!" I didn't know any better, got rejected a lot, and then my sister told me to stop beating my head against the wall and try e-books. "You have to start somewhere," she said. I did, and my first novel sold in less than a year of trying.

Now, I don't know if agents don't want to touch writers who are into the e-book thing or not--I've heard mixed stories--but all I know is I've got to keep trying and keep on perfecting my writing technique.

People tell me "You've gotten published and that's awesome" and maybe it is, but then I look around and read what Stasia Kane or Cathy C or some other members of this forum have done and feel rather inadequate. I've read their stuff and it is GOOD with a capital 'G' and I want to be at that level.

As mentioned previously, I'm going to keep on writing and honing what technique I've got. I'm just grateful that my sis has been good enough to offer her opinions and help on editing. She did a tremendous job with Lindsay versus the Marauders (it'll be out next year) and she's been helping me with an adult fantasy novel which I'll be pitching next year.

Gotta keep on keepin' on. (Shrugs)
 

Old Hack

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Now, I don't know if agents don't want to touch writers who are into the e-book thing or not--I've heard mixed stories--but all I know is I've got to keep trying and keep on perfecting my writing technique.

Agents are always interested in hearing from good writers who have written great books and are interested in finding representation.

Agents won't be put off by a writer having been published in e-book format only, but they might be put off by a history of small sales; so if you're published by a company with a history of low sales but want to move towards the bigger presses, you might find yourself publishing yourself into a corner, no matter how good your writing.

In other words, it won't be the format you're published in which puts an agent off, but the limited sales your work made as a result.

If you're hoping to find an agent to represent you for a work which has already been published, then that's a whole other ball game, of course. Agents can't sell what someone else already owns; and few publishers will take on print rights without also getting those e-rights too.
 

Matthew Hughes

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how many times were you rejected before a publisher showed interest?

I got two or three rejections of my first (really bad) fantasy novel, back in the mid-70s. About the same time, my first short story (actually a short-short), prompted the editor of Galaxy Magazine to send me a hand-written note on the back of a rejection slip. It said, "I enjoyed this. Please continue."

But I didn't. I couldn't write for a living all day (speeches for Canadian cabinet ministers then) and write fiction at night. So it was another eight or nine years before I wrote another short story and sent it out. It sold.

In the eighties, over the span of several years, I wrote another fantasy novel and got an agent first try. He was a genuine, New York heavy, but he couldn't sell my book. "Not typical," was how editors worded the rejections. I eventually sold it myself in the nineties.

All this time, I was still writing speeches, now as a freelancer, and it was still hard to switch, so I didn't do much of anything until the mid-nineties when I wrote a crime novel. It sold to a small press, which gave it back to me when they ran into financial troubles, then I sold it to Doubleday Canada.

I've now sold sixteen novels, none of them using an agent to pitch and get an offer, though I've had agents make deals after I've secured the offer. I've sold fifty-something short stories and almost every one of them sold to the first market I submitted to. I get asked to submit to invitation-only anthos.

My experience, like my first novel, is not typical. I believe that the thing that made the difference between those early rejections and all the later acceptances was that I spent the intervening years writing for a living -- millions of words -- mostly as a freelance speechwriter for Canadian political leaders and CEOs of big companies. So I guess you could say I was writing a species of fiction all that time.

My one piece of advice: don't try to analyze the market and write what you think they're buying. What you see in print is what they were buying two years ago (or maybe as little as a year ago in the case of magazines).

Write what you want to write, the way you want to write it. Work at your craft, get good at it, and you will sell.
 

Fruitbat

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I've been writing on and off for so long that it would be hard for me to say how many rejections I got before I was published.
 
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MatthewWuertz

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It took me six and a half years of submitting before I sold a short story for publication. I submitted a novel and many short stories in that time, targeting magazines for the short stories and agents and publishers for the novel.

I don't know how many rejections came in that time span. In total, I know I've accumulated well over 100 rejections by now, probably over 200. But I also have a dozen sales (all short stories so far), and I still get excited every time I get an acceptance.

Keep writing, keep learning, keep submitting.
 

kelliewallace

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My historical fiction got about 100 rejections - pub and agent inclusive. But I did receive 7 offers between those. I wanted the best publisher for my book.
 

seun

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For a published book, about twelve years, ten books and hundreds (possibly thousands) of submissions. For an agent, thirteen books, fourteen years and counting.
 

Ken

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... 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 and counting.
 

Diminishingmirage

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I have queried 90 agents, rejections from 30 of them and haven't heard back from any of the others
 

Rachel Udin

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Second story I meant to send, rather than for assignment got handwritten rejections. =P I ran out of magazines to send it to. Most of the magazines said they liked it, just wasn't the right fit. One person wrote they didn't get it because they were a man. =P

I'm currently around 50?

Last story I submitted got accepted three times and I had to reject 2. Hopefully not the third too. First time the editor wanted to change too much of it and didn't give me a contract before requesting changes. Second time they didn't want to pay me. Third time, got accepted with a contract and I'm waiting. So I think that's zero rejections of that story?

I pitched a story at what was supposed to be rejection 42, but there is no contract and it's non-fiction plus I need core research in terms of interviews... (and no one wants to read 6,000 words--I don't even want to write 6,000 words since I originally planned it at 3,000 words.)

Other stories my critiquers loved, but the publishers didn't like at all. =P Which always astounds me. (One story I got critted here was well-liked overall, but none of the publishers want to pick it up.)

Rejections are good for you. Especially publishing ones. Because when you go job hunting you thank your lucky stars that you can do simultaneous submitting and revel in sending out 12 cover letters. It also means you don't take the rejections and the non-answers so hard.

I think it also gives motivation to work that much harder.
 

WriterChelle

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Between the three books I've queried, I received well over 100 total rejections before signing with my agent.
 

blacbird

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I'm astounded that people actually keep count of these things. I suppose, with a spreadsheet, using a logarithmic scale, mine might look better, but I lost the exact figure long long ago. Although it continues to accrue by increments. Or did, up until a while ago when I concluded that continuing to submit was a dreadful losing proposition.

caw
 

lindas

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I read this article with much interest and I have just started querying agents but as I started reading I decided that this just made things all the more depressing. I have to admit that I got my first rejection within a couple of days but as they say it only takes one yes.
 

grizzletoad1

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I'm up to over 70 rejections! 53 on Query Tracker alone and at least 20 before I started using QT. I have 3 queries left to hear back from. If they are rejections, I'm putting my ms up on KDP and Create Space and walking away.
 

Mayfair

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This thread reminded me of something I heard years ago:
Dear Editor: I'm returning your rejection slip, I don't need any more. I've already papered all my walls, and covered all my floor.
 
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Shara

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I lost count of the number of rejections SUFFER THE CHILDREN got, but it was well over 50.

DEATH SCENE had 31 rejections.

I now find myself with two finished novels and no publisher, so I'm having to start the count all over again.
 

Pisco Sour

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First book, slush pile submission to 5 pubs: 3 offers, 2 rejections.

Second book, slush pile submission to 4 pubs: 3 offers, 1 rejection.

HTH. Both of these books were "finished" this year and subbed about a month apart. It's daunting to submit, I know, especially as a newbie writer. At one stage I almost decided to shelve my books 'cause I thought they were crap. Glad I didn't! Get your book as good as it can be and go for it! Best of luck.:)
 
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Arpeggio

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I only reluctantly applied to a publisher once due to format requirements for a physical book (pages needed to be be torn out if need be, it was for a new form of musical manuscript).

I didn't hear back from them for 2 months (one month past their stated usual time to reply) so I emailed to ask and they replied saying "oh yeh we reject" like I wasn't important enough to be told and keep me waiting.

I published it myself in normal paperback with fixed pages, it sells on Amazon and through LS.

I never saw the sense in applying to a publisher. To me it was like training a horse to run super fast then offering it to a stable where they already have horses they have already invested time and energy into training over years themselves. If your horse was actually better, could that be a little inappropriate for them in terms of what you want for it? Logically I would think so.

Another time I emailed a publisher to ask what program they use to notate music, and they replied saying they only take on authors they have heard of in the industry as if I was asking to be published. In highsight I should have replied offering my services as a proof reader, my CV being all the errors I have found in their published books like page 9 of a certain book that has one of the interchangable intervals wrong within the middle version of a Diminished 7th chord, or page 11 track 8 which should have 5 flats in its key signature as it's in B flat minor. I start my mornings with porridge and sight-reading and revise in bed before sleep, I cannot be destroyed, and have a catalogue of found errors from various publishers books it gives me a warm smug feeling inside.

Just saying
 

triceretops

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The last two books were YA, pitched by myself and agent. One of them received (and is still active) 39 rejections and five offers. The earlier one pulled about 55 personal and agent rejections but got six offers, a contest win and a film option. These two books, totaling 11 offers have been my best results in my entire writing career, as far as acceptance and good numbers. My adult books: paranormal romance, thrillers, SF and fantasy stories never received more than one, possibly two offers, during their sub span. So, I'm now concentrating on the YA genre in the belief that this is my rightful niche.

Over my entire career, poetry, shorts, flash, radio scripts, non-fiction books and novels, I think I'm up to about 3,800 rejects--many of those were snail mail decades ago.

tri
 

andiwrite

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The last two books were YA, pitched by myself and agent. One of them received (and is still active) 39 rejections and five offers. The earlier one pulled about 55 personal and agent rejections but got six offers, a contest win and a film option. These two books, totaling 11 offers have been my best results in my entire writing career, as far as acceptance and good numbers. My adult books: paranormal romance, thrillers, SF and fantasy stories never received more than one, possibly two offers, during their sub span. So, I'm now concentrating on the YA genre in the belief that this is my rightful niche.

Over my entire career, poetry, shorts, flash, radio scripts, non-fiction books and novels, I think I'm up to about 3,800 rejects--many of those were snail mail decades ago.

tri

Wow! As someone who has barely submitted her first fictional query, I bow down to you! To a lot of you guys, actually. This thread is very inspiring.
 

ARoyce

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I haven't counted rejections on short stories from a few years ago. When I started writing historical romance, I queried 41 agents...as I waited for responses, I decided to query a couple of trade pubs that accepted non-agented subs.

Of the agents, I got 28 rejections.

Of the pubs, I got a digital-first offer for a two-book deal. And a rejection.

So I went back to the agents who already had a partial/full with the offer in hand. 3 agents offered representation. It was a chaotic time (in a good way).

Blacbird---querytracker.net made it really easy to see/track my stats. It even converts the stats to percentages (31% request rate) and shows a pie chart. Yeah, probably overkill.
 
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