Current Events > ITT: I keep track of how many literary agents reject me.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Why? Part catharsis, part masochism, I guess.

As far as I can tell, I'm doing everything right. Unfortunately, this business is so competitive that you can do everything right and still get nowhere. That, or my writing sucks. It's impossible to tell which is true. That's part of the fun!

So far, three of my initial batch of 23 have sent back form rejections. I have no reason to believe this pattern will change.

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Havent you already been published once before?

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I published a six-book series on contract. Never gone through the querying process before.

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Another rejection today. She passed it off to a colleague at least. Spoilers: he rejected it too.

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wat da book is

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As an English major who wrote quite a bit:
Tag

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No rejections today. This is probably gonna be the norm, considering most agents say to wait up to eight weeks for a response.

Instead I just worked on my next book all day.

Stalolin posted...

wat da book is

A shameless attempt to piggyback off the Star Wars slice of the market.


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I hope you'll have some luck with this in the future. I fancy myself a writer, but I've never even attempted to get any of it published. I wouldn't even know where to start.

_Rinku_ posted...

I hope you'll have some luck with this in the future. I fancy myself a writer, but I've never even attempted to get any of it published. I wouldn't even know where to start.

Thanks, man! Yeah, I wish I'd done more research into what agents are looking for necessarily before starting this project. Probably would've done it a bit differently.

Today was another day with no replies.

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I wonder if agents go through submissions on weekends.

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Well, woke up to 2 more form rejections so we're back on the rejection train.

Statistically, I feel like I should have gotten at least one partial request by now. At least, if the writing was any good.

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marthsheretoo posted...

A shameless attempt to piggyback off the Star Wars slice of the market.

Try re-imagining it in a different setting. The similarity to an all to familiar setting might be what's getting you rejected.

FortuneCookie posted...

Try re-imagining it in a different setting. The similarity to an all to familiar setting might be what's getting you rejected.

That was mostly tongue in cheek, it's honestly pretty different. I mean they're both set in the context of multispecies intergalactic governments, but the structure of society feels very different. Also I don't have lightsabers, and as we know, lightsabers are 80% of Star Wars.

Like, it could be the setting. It's definitely something. But there are like four different issues I'd point to as likelier culprits.

Also while I was writing this, another rejection rolled in.

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ay man, Brandon Sanderson wrote and submitted 12 books before he got one taken off the slush pile.

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marthsheretoo posted...

That was mostly tongue in cheek, it's honestly pretty different. I mean they're both set in the context of multispecies intergalactic governments, but the structure of society feels very different. Also I don't have lightsabers, and as we know, lightsabers are 80% of Star Wars.

Like, it could be the setting. It's definitely something. But there are like four different issues I'd point to as likelier culprits.

Also while I was writing this, another rejection rolled in.

That would be absolutely hilarious if Disney asked to convert your story into a Disney+ Star Wars series in a "shh, don't tell" sort of way.

berlyman101 posted...

ay man, Brandon Sanderson wrote and submitted 12 books before he got one taken off the slush pile.

Brandon Sanderson was also my age at the time he had twelve giant, reasonably competent books written. But I get your point >_>

FortuneCookie posted...

That would be absolutely hilarious if Disney asked to convert your story into a Disney+ Star Wars series in a "shh, don't tell" sort of way.

Tbh the real reason I chose to write space opera is because I want to write Star Wars novels and it seems like you have a much better shot at landing that gig if you have a few successes in the genre.

Anyway, no rejections today. I did get my moderna INjection, which is the most positive news I've had since I made this thread.

Aaanyway
@AvantgardeAClue I have you tagged as knowing publishers. Hook a guy up with your contacts?

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https://youtu.be/wxPHOc4yNys

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AvantgardeAClue posted...

https://youtu.be/wxPHOc4yNys

That would honestly be super amazing, should I PM you or something?

(No responses today, for those keeping track)

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I read alot of author bios cause I want to write books one day

basically all of them had tons of rejections before that one finally gave them a chance

then everyone wanted them

marthsheretoo posted...

Brandon Sanderson was also my age at the time he had twelve giant, reasonably competent books written. But I get your point >_>

comparing ages is useless

many authors did get their first book around 30 but several did much much later in life

and some like when they 20

marthsheretoo posted...

That would honestly be super amazing, should I PM you or something?

(No responses today, for those keeping track)

Sorry I was at work and forgot, DM me tonight and I'll send it over to you

WingsOfGood posted...

comparing ages is useless

many authors did get their first book around 30 but several did much much later in life

and some like when they 20

Tolkien was 45 when he published The Hobbit, further proving that point

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WingsOfGood posted...

I read alot of author bios cause I want to write books one day

basically all of them had tons of rejections before that one finally gave them a chance

then everyone wanted them

Yeah I get what you guys are saying. Just frustrating during the process, not knowing if I'll make it through to the other side. But I accept it's gonna be this way for a while, most likely.

Nothing today. Feels like agents go through submissions early in the week, so a few will probably roll in on Monday.

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The internet, since 1993 or so, means there are no middlemen.
There's just no money in it.

There are ways to make money as a self-published author. I've read some books/articles, plus I'm in a pretty big facebook group where sf-published authors share their experience and what works/what doesn't. But the winning formula there runs pretty counter to the kind of writing that fulfills me.

And I'm lucky enough to be in a position where I care less about the money and more about people putting eyes on my work. If you want to be in bookstores, reviewed by mainstream reviewers, etc., you either need a traditional publisher or ungodly amounts of self-publishing success beyond any reasonable prediction.

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If it's a dead-tree book, I'll buy it right now, just to help out another CEman or CEgal.

Questionmarktarius posted...

If it's a dead-tree book, I'll buy it right now, just to help out another CEman or CEgal.

That's really good of you, man! It's not anything right now, because agents and publishers really hate self-published stuff, but I'll give you a ping if/when it goes on sale.

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how does the process go?

do you send them a pitch of your story/a synopsis, a snippet of the book, or the whole thing?

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g0ldie posted...

how does the process go?

do you send them a pitch of your story/a synopsis, a snippet of the book, or the whole thing?

Varies from agent to agent, but never the whole thing.

Everyone wants at least the query letter. That's part pitch, part author bio. Many agents also request pages. I've seen from the first five to the first fifty. Occasionally, they also want a synopsis. And once in a blue moon, they want something else too (I usually skip these agents lol).

If they like that, they'll ask for your full novel, and if they like THAT, they offer representation.

And by "like", I mean "fall in love with, and also think it's marketable in the current industry". There's even a section of the query letter where you're supposed to compare your book to other recent successful books (but not too successful, or you'll look like a douche).

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thank you, I've always been curious.

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marthsheretoo posted...

There's even a section of the query letter where you're supposed to compare your book to other recent successful books (but not too successful, or you'll look like a douche).

The era of printing a few thousand copies of any-damn-thing ended quite awhile ago. It's all about chasing that next Audacity of Hope or Harry Potter.

Is there a place where I can read your writing?

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Thanks for the support and good wishes, folks. It helps.

No rejections lately, but one agent said that if she doesn't respond in two weeks, assume she isn't interested, so I crossed her off the list today.

smoke_break posted...

Is there a place where I can read your writing?

I'm doing my best not to associate my professional life with CE. Partly because a few people here love sabotaging whatever they can find, and partly because I come here to unwind and sometimes that means saying stuff that isn't particularly professional.

That said, the answer is technically yes. I've got a short story published somewhere that I'm rather proud of, and the aforementioned six books, which I am less proud of. I guess I could always share some of my unpublished stuff.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Doing my best. If I was a faster writer, I'd probably have an easier time, but I've been working on this manuscript for over five years and I don't want to fathom starting over if nobody wants this one. Still, I'll keep trying and eventually I'll manage. I know this is something you want to do too, and so I hope I can offer insight into the process.

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Another empty day today.

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marthsheretoo posted...

Another empty day today.

I wish I didn't have to keep posting this to keep the thread alive.

Tbh I should be refining my pitch and researching the second wave but I'm so drained from getting it to the finish line lol

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marthsheretoo posted...

I'm doing my best not to associate my professional life with CE. Partly because a few people here love sabotaging whatever they can find, and partly because I come here to unwind and sometimes that means saying stuff that isn't particularly professional.

I understand.

marthsheretoo posted...

I wish I didn't have to keep posting this to keep the thread alive.

Yeah, topics purge too quickly on this board.

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Daily bump

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Huh, it's been a while at this point.

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Good luck, I've been there before with no success. I've still got dreams of being a novelist but for now I'm just focusing on my journalism and some freelance writing. Good news is the past year I've felt like there's been a breakthrough with my writing and it's been getting better quicker than it ever has.

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codey posted...

Good luck, I've been there before with no success. I've still got dreams of being a novelist but for now I'm just focusing on my journalism and some freelance writing. Good news is the past year I've felt like there's been a breakthrough with my writing and it's been getting better quicker than it ever has.

Yeah man, it seems like success here is the exception rather than the norm. Glad to see you didn't let it get you down and have been improving your craft. That's the way forward for sure.

Anyway, broke my streak of silence with a rejection today. This one was a bit confusingly worded but I don't think it was a form rejection. In fact, it sounds like she may have considered it at least a bit? I could be reading into it somewhat but I'm gonna take it as a positive sign.

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Write us an erotic novella plz

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Returning_CEmen posted...

Write us an erotic novella plz

Pay me

My new book I've been starting while I wait for this one to garner more rejections isn't erotic, but it's on the steamier side of romance and it's easily the least comfortable I've felt while writing things.

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