tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post2571966576742756390..comments2023-09-29T09:18:38.933-04:00Comments on Bent on Books: Further thoughts on rejection--a post by JennyJenny Benthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12744171500436166262noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-30738642744981245962014-01-22T22:24:10.102-05:002014-01-22T22:24:10.102-05:00Thank you so much for this post! Thank you so much for this post! Jeff Chenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09513769920700232986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-56880553925952212612013-09-14T09:07:28.393-04:002013-09-14T09:07:28.393-04:00"[If] you just keep trying as hard as you can..."[If] you just keep trying as hard as you can, you are going to succeed." In a world where success is based on luck as much as on talent and hard work, this is the best possible advice. Constantly work at improving your writing, yes. But, as Po Bronson says, "The hardest thing was not learning to write. The hardest thing was to never give up."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-54248281922621324042013-08-04T11:16:52.993-04:002013-08-04T11:16:52.993-04:00Wow! I read this post in our Industry News with my...Wow! I read this post in our Industry News with my RWA-Women's Fiction group. I have never had the opportunity to see "rejection" from an agent's point of view and I want to thank you for that. I, too, have been rejected by you and many other agents and yes, it's hard not to take it personally. However what you said about never giving up is so perfect, I want to thank you so much for that. I'm in the middle of sending out query letters and I "needed" your post.<br /><br />PattiPatriciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11512099085568969698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-19260655673163154292013-08-04T09:05:10.167-04:002013-08-04T09:05:10.167-04:00Beautifully written. Beautifully written. Erin Huss https://www.blogger.com/profile/03422371225479266630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-76923926740030988602013-07-31T14:15:14.909-04:002013-07-31T14:15:14.909-04:00Wow, Shawn, thanks so much for this. It's unb...Wow, Shawn, thanks so much for this. It's unbelievably nice of you.Jenny Benthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12744171500436166262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-71922535515876547252013-07-31T11:08:20.970-04:002013-07-31T11:08:20.970-04:00Just as an FYI, based on a four year cross-sample ...Just as an FYI, based on a four year cross-sample of almost 2000 queries sent to you (since you left Trident) and tracked on a popular web site:<br /><br />Your request rate for partials and fulls is 7%.<br /><br />For the past 365 days, your response percentages (500 sample) are as follows.<br /><br />Requests for fulls and partials: 14%<br />Rejections: 72%<br />Non-responses: 14%<br /><br />Ranking positive response requests against the other 800 US agents who are currently accepting queries is difficult, because new agents always have ridiculously high request rate, but you are definitely in the top quartile of Agents who request pages.<br /><br />Now... Throw the numbers out the window. <br /><br />You haven't lost your humanity. You don't non-respond fulls. You are judicious with your cut-and-paste rejections. You've been in the gatekeeper business for a decade and you still treat us wannabes with grace and respect.<br /><br />Quartile, schmortile. In that respect, you are solidly at Number One.Shawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10712572192641230315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-44225336398836603022013-07-29T22:13:04.912-04:002013-07-29T22:13:04.912-04:00+1
Excellent post. +1<br />Excellent post. Buffy Andrewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07033283884801658206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-41466745511220805872013-07-27T21:47:36.504-04:002013-07-27T21:47:36.504-04:00Thank you.Thank you.Lizahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16170701034715108039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-47964154228563595372013-07-27T11:26:23.495-04:002013-07-27T11:26:23.495-04:00Hmmm . . . I have an Excel Spread Sheet of agent/...Hmmm . . . I have an Excel Spread Sheet of agent/publisher rejections. At some point, and I've hit mine and passed it, you've got to ask yourself if constant rejection is good for anyone. I don't think it is. I get it that rejection forces us to examine our work. I'm not against substantial editing by the author and by a professional. I edit constantly.<br /><br />Jenny says something very telling, though, when she says 'they weren't right for my list.' I've heard that before, many times, and it made me think about something. I don't think my books were ever going to get me an agent because agents aren't looking for my type of books because they are trying to sell to publishers who don't want my books either. <br /><br />I self-publish and have had some success, enough success that I am fairly certain I will be writing full-time, as in making a living at it, by the first of the year. This is not to say that agents don't fill a role. They do. Especially for authors that need or want to go a traditional way in their publishing journey. But there are new paths open for writers to reach readers. Don't fool yourself that there is no rejection from self-publishing - reviews can be brutal. You've got to keep marching on as Jenny suggests. But, had I waited for an agent and publisher I would have never had readers say to me, 'I love your books.' And that's why I keep writing. Holly Bushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01256345742869984374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-42692148574320558592013-07-27T09:21:38.074-04:002013-07-27T09:21:38.074-04:00Thank you for this. Sometimes we forget that the r...Thank you for this. Sometimes we forget that the rejection extends beyond our own world. I really loved this post.Tasha Seegmillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11489911822054861132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-49153089239366758882013-07-27T04:12:54.530-04:002013-07-27T04:12:54.530-04:00Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it is cheerin...Thank you for sharing your thoughts, it is cheering to know we are not alone. Rejection hurts but I try to see it as part of the process and keep going. I've got so close on a number of occasions and received good feedback so I just keep telling myself, "You can do this." Suzanne Furnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00908200156114453054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-2862859094672762752013-07-27T01:58:06.709-04:002013-07-27T01:58:06.709-04:00Awesome advice! I didn't realize that the &qu...Awesome advice! I didn't realize that the "success" stories had so much rejection too. Having confidence and perseverance is a must in this business!Lucy Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16797426028105651089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-68847244003816900172013-07-26T22:15:50.069-04:002013-07-26T22:15:50.069-04:00Yup...just got rejected by one of you guys. But yo...Yup...just got rejected by one of you guys. But you know what? Being rejected by some of the best, sets the bar high. <br />I'll take any bar, hick-up, that gets me off the ground floor :) Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-68652707103346426792013-07-26T19:43:27.083-04:002013-07-26T19:43:27.083-04:00I love encouraging posts like this. It's alway...I love encouraging posts like this. It's always great to read about rejection from an agent's perspective because it reminds us we aren't alone. Thanks for an empowering start to the weekend.Cherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03470069911115912344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-58817639073863627102013-07-26T19:18:07.927-04:002013-07-26T19:18:07.927-04:00I know agents get rejected by publishers, but it w...I know agents get rejected by publishers, but it was good to be reminded that when a writer chooses one agent over others, effectively the author is rejecting those agents. A good perspective for us to take when we want to whine about agents turning us down. And you're right, Jenny--it's about our novels, not us. :)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-51194891085443565422013-07-26T18:58:25.739-04:002013-07-26T18:58:25.739-04:00Encouraging and SO helpful!!! I've been throug...Encouraging and SO helpful!!! I've been through the query process before and am about to venture down that road again, and having the right mindset is vital! Or so I feel like haha madness! :) Bekahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16491805174763179345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-47645301248459213222013-07-26T15:31:07.742-04:002013-07-26T15:31:07.742-04:00Thank you for putting the humanity back in the que...Thank you for putting the humanity back in the querying process. It's easy to forget, especially when the human element seems so far removed due to no mean no rejections and form replies.<br />-Rachael DahlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-81684515531668445212013-07-26T15:15:32.169-04:002013-07-26T15:15:32.169-04:00So thankful to read these kinds of posts on the da...So thankful to read these kinds of posts on the days when I need them most. Thanks for writing this!D.E. Malonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10256696009575732721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-85500395483636275442013-07-26T14:53:12.863-04:002013-07-26T14:53:12.863-04:00This is totally the pep talk I needed today after ...This is totally the pep talk I needed today after receiving another agent rejection last night (hey, at least it was a personalized rejection - that's gotta count for something, right?). Time to pick myself up and send out another query (or ten).K Callardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15689825742559394896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-63993119247145266932013-07-26T14:51:32.864-04:002013-07-26T14:51:32.864-04:00My first rejection letter actually made me really ...My first rejection letter actually made me really happy. While it wasn't great to be rejected, it was just that I know it's a part of being a writer. It has to happen and that just means it wasn't the right person or market. Or maybe I just need to work a little more on my writing. Crystal L. Kirkhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07281056232891451017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-73028230060603424042013-07-26T14:48:17.420-04:002013-07-26T14:48:17.420-04:00Thanks for this. Sometimes it's easy to forget...Thanks for this. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the writers aren't the only ones experiencing rejection!Renahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09100074766237907654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3570843285923755385.post-87151533030952845762013-07-26T14:43:03.499-04:002013-07-26T14:43:03.499-04:00I love this. I'm in the middle of it like ever...I love this. I'm in the middle of it like everyone else...First, sent MS to agents, got rejected a lot with 14 full requests, then had multiple offers and had to reject a few agents. Now my new agent is working on selling my MS and rejections are rolling in. <br /><br />One thing I do...I let myself be mad for five minutes, and then I get back to work.Amy Jareckihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12228735893610373995noreply@blogger.com