The Daily Rejection

Status
Not open for further replies.

Kmun261

Registered
Joined
Apr 7, 2009
Messages
20
Reaction score
3
Location
So Cal
Woke up to a rejection from a partial today, the first partial I’ve ever gotten a request for. I don’t blink when it comes to form rejections from queries, but this one stings. It always stings more the first time, I guess.
 

Miss Plum

Sockpuppet
Banned
Joined
Mar 2, 2009
Messages
1,570
Reaction score
187
I've queried every single agent who says she takes my kind of stuff and is currently accepting queries. So in the past week I started confetti-ing the outfield -- the ones who are closed to queries, the ones who don't really say whether they do my kind of project or not -- and I've gotten quite a few more Rs. I'd say about five more in the past week.

Then one agent gave me some good news (she liked it and she's passing it on to a colleague for a second read). Haha, among all those Rs it ain't so much! I'm not so tense, my expectations are under control!
 

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 6, 2008
Messages
18,889
Reaction score
5,029
Location
We couldn't possibly do that. Who'd clear up the m
Website
francisknightbooks.co.uk
Decided to query a couple more agents

Went to querytracker, found my nice list of carefully researched agents. Re-checked their blogs / subs guidelines etc. Clicked to update status - query sent. Click 'return to list'.


Querytracker has lost my list!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

*gibbers quietly in the corner*
 

Beckstah

Zen-ish
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 9, 2010
Messages
640
Reaction score
99
I got one yesterday! One of those dreaded Rs that mean "no" for the entire agency, so that stings a little.

Thankfully my luck is perking up a little elsewhere: I have a partial out right now, and another agent sent me some suggestions to make my opening stronger with an offer to resubmit once I made the changes. But I'm still waiting on fifteen more queries, so there's plenty of time for more rejection...
 

EagerReader

commaholic and adverb junkie
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 5, 2010
Messages
408
Reaction score
51
I sent out two waves of queries, four the first time and six the second. I received three speedy rejection, one request for a full and now am waiting for the results of the second wave. I don't know how you all do it. It makes me want to scream, Reject me already, so I can go on with my life!

I know, I know, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
 

Drachen Jager

Professor of applied misanthropy
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Messages
17,171
Reaction score
2,284
Location
Vancouver
Ten! Wait until you hit a hundred.

I got two rejections today. Apparently agents come to work on a Saturday just to reject my work!

HA! Beat that!
 

kaitie

With great power comes
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
10,992
Reaction score
2,525
Oh hells yeah. I'm up around a hundred right now. Really...it doesn't bother you quite as much after awhile. I think I sent off more than ten in my first batch. :D
 

EagerReader

commaholic and adverb junkie
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 5, 2010
Messages
408
Reaction score
51
Thanks...I think that makes me feel better. Only ninety more to go before I toughen up, eh?
 

Miss Plum

Sockpuppet
Banned
Joined
Mar 2, 2009
Messages
1,570
Reaction score
187
Ten! Wait until you hit a hundred.

I got two rejections today. Apparently agents come to work on a Saturday just to reject my work!

HA! Beat that!
I bow down before you.

Although one of my rejections was timestamped 7:01 a.m. (their time). I think they rejected me before they went to the bathroom.
 

Drachen Jager

Professor of applied misanthropy
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Messages
17,171
Reaction score
2,284
Location
Vancouver
My first Saturday rejection was timestamped at 5:57 AM. No joke.
 

kaitie

With great power comes
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
10,992
Reaction score
2,525
Three snail mail rejections today. You know...come to think of it, I've never gotten a request from a snail mailed query. Odd. Or not so odd haha. I don't get a ton in the first place. ;)

Anyway, one of them actually said, "We don't find your story to be salable." Yeouch!
 

Drachen Jager

Professor of applied misanthropy
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Messages
17,171
Reaction score
2,284
Location
Vancouver
I haven't hit the snail mail circuit yet. Monday, maybe Tuesday.

I've had the best luck with forms, 2 out of 5 forms I've filled out have resulted in a request. I don't know if my standard query is bad or if high tech firms are just more in synch with my style.

E-mail has not been good to me, very few requests coming in considering how many I sent out.
 

Miss Plum

Sockpuppet
Banned
Joined
Mar 2, 2009
Messages
1,570
Reaction score
187
My first Saturday rejection was timestamped at 5:57 AM. No joke.
Oh yeah? Well I got rejections from agents I didn't even query. James Van Praaghe called me up and said "That novel you're planning -- don't do it." Microsoft had to make a whole new e-mail client for me called "Look Out!"
 

kaitie

With great power comes
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
10,992
Reaction score
2,525
You know, I've gotten requests from both forms I did, too. Weird lol. I've got a tough sell, but I'm glad to at least be getting something. :)
 

Drachen Jager

Professor of applied misanthropy
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Messages
17,171
Reaction score
2,284
Location
Vancouver
I'm not sure that my book is a tough sell... It should be fairly easy, maybe I'm just not selling it right.

I have yet to hear back from ANY of my MS requesters. Hopefully there's someone reading it right now who will e-mail me soon with the good news.
 

Miss Plum

Sockpuppet
Banned
Joined
Mar 2, 2009
Messages
1,570
Reaction score
187
Chapter requests from one. Two Rs--one was a full from a medium house, and the other an R on the query from a smaller joint.

Tri
It's the rejections we want to know about. Daily.

Ah hell, congrats on the request!
 

dolores haze

international guttersnipe
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 18, 2007
Messages
4,952
Reaction score
3,937
Location
far from the madding crowd
"I really enjoyed the story, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass."

First rejection on this story and I had it out to another pub within the hour. *grin*
 

Drachen Jager

Professor of applied misanthropy
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Messages
17,171
Reaction score
2,284
Location
Vancouver
"I really enjoyed the story, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass."

First rejection on this story and I had it out to another pub within the hour. *grin*

You do exclusives? So far I've been studiously avoiding anyone who wants an exclusive.

But I'm thinking why bother giving anyone an exclusive?

I mean if you get the offer from them then YAY. If you don't then so what?

If by some twist of fate you get an offer after you'd accepted some place else, then hey, it's just one editor that's mildly pissed at you and probably won't even remember your name in a week.
 

kaitie

With great power comes
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
10,992
Reaction score
2,525
I just took it to mean she sent it off again as soon as she got the rejection. I do that as well.

Anyway, one rejection for the day, and one full request! Woohoo. I haven't sent new ones yet, though. Working on my rewrite still (eek, full request!), but I think I'm gonna send all the rest of my snail mail possibilities off soon. Well, not all, but most. I've got a few from the same agency so obviously I won't do those at the same time.
 

kaitie

With great power comes
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
10,992
Reaction score
2,525
I got another three today (they've been coming in packs lately. It's weird haha). All saying basically the same thing, too. Maybe agents are sharing forms. :tongue
 

Miss Plum

Sockpuppet
Banned
Joined
Mar 2, 2009
Messages
1,570
Reaction score
187
I got another three today (they've been coming in packs lately. It's weird haha). All saying basically the same thing, too. Maybe agents are sharing forms. :tongue
The last couple of Rs I've gotten had misspellings and typos. I wonder if agents have some sort of Reject-o-matic software that creates errors to make the Rs look individually written.
 

brainstorm77

practical experience, FTW
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 16, 2006
Messages
14,627
Reaction score
2,057
The last couple of Rs I've gotten had misspellings and typos. I wonder if agents have some sort of Reject-o-matic software that creates errors to make the Rs look individually written.

They do. ACME sells it :tongue
 
Status
Not open for further replies.