• Café Life is the Colony's main hangout, watering hole and meeting point.

    This is a place where you'll meet and make writing friends, and indulge in stratospherically-elevated wit or barometrically low humour.

    Some Colonists pop in religiously every day before or after work. Others we see here less regularly, but all are equally welcome. Two important grounds rules…

    • Don't give offence
    • Don't take offence

    We now allow political discussion, but strongly suggest it takes place in the Steam Room, which is a private sub-forum within Café Life. It’s only accessible to Full Members.

    You can dismiss this notice by clicking the "x" box

Dandelion Break Celebrating rejections ;-)

Invest in You. Get Full Membership now.

Sarit

Full Member
Blogger
Joined
Nov 4, 2024
LitBits
10
So I thought I'd share with you this wonderful rejection I received this morning from an agent. This is completely mind boggling to me coming from the screenwriting world where screenwriters are ghosted, ignored or worst threatened with legal action for querying...

Dear Sarit,
I'm so sorry it took me so long to get back to you! I know there is so much waiting in this industry, and I'm sorry to be a part of that. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and for thinking of me for your work.

As you know, for agents, it's almost a matter of falling in love--there's a mysterious aspect to the process that's difficult to describe. Though I can see a lot of good qualities here, and enjoyed reading, I'm afraid I'm not having that "Yes, this is for me!" feeling--something necessary to do well by a work and its author. So, for that reason, I'm going to bow out. I hope you find someone who feels this way, and soon, and you find your perfect fit.

My apologies if you've already found a home--I know some time has passed. Please know I'm wishing you the best, and hope to see your work on bookstore shelves soon.

All best,
≈≈≈
 
I have to tell you that, from my experience, in the world of submissions/queries to UK and US literary agents, this kind of thing is Very Unusual.

It's infuriating, isn't it? The writer seems like the kind of person a would-be author would really love as an agent. This is a so much more thoughtful way of saying the more commonly received: 'I did like it; I just didn't like it enough.'

However, think about this. Maybe the person who takes a long time to respond, who writes beautiful, emotive, personal emails, might not actually be the focused, razor-sharp, businesslike – 'No, sorry. Not for us' – agent that you actually need...?
 
Tramp Press only publishes two books a year so it was not a total surprise, but this was a recent rejection that felt like at least a two cheek kiss if not a hug.

Dear Pamela,

Thank you once more for thinking of Tramp Press for your manuscript.

We have now perused your work and I'm so sorry to say we won't be making an offer. You're obviously a very talented writer; while we recognise your abilities, we unfortunately don't feel that Tramp would be best-placed to bring the work to market.

We are always sorry to give a disappointing answer. May we sincerely wish you the best of luck in following up other avenues to publication.

(You may find this link useful in seeking out other publishers. I'd also recommend the agency database at http://www.litrejections.com/agency-database/ – I definitely think there'd be good agents out there interested in what you're doing. In terms of Irish publishers, you might consider querying Penguin Ireland (now called Sandycove Press), Hachette or Banshee Press.)

With best wishes,

Tramp Press
 
I have to tell you that, from my experience, in the world of submissions/queries to UK and US literary agents, this kind of thing is Very Unusual.

It's infuriating, isn't it? The writer seems like the kind of person a would-be author would really love as an agent. This is a so much more thoughtful way of saying the more commonly received: 'I did like it; I just didn't like it enough.'

However, think about this. Maybe the person who takes a long time to respond, who writes beautiful, emotive, personal emails, might not actually be the focused, razor-sharp, businesslike – 'No, sorry. Not for us' – agent that you actually need...?
TBH I have no idea what I need as it's the first time I'm needing it...
 

Latest Articles By Litopians

  • The Joy of Lit Mags
    While my first novel is tentatively making its way towards agents who already have too much to read, ...
  • Advertising and Social Media
    There has been much discussion in writing circles about how much a writer has to self-promote these ...
  • Future Abstract: Fights at Night
    SATIRE ALERT: The following abstract is entirely fictional and does not represent actual events or s ...
  • Great Novel Openings Quiz
    As writers, we all know how important it is to grip the reader from the very start. Intriguing, surp ...
  • In The Summertime
    In the early seventies, I had a semi-Afro hairstyle and a shaggy beard. . I thought I looked like th ...
  • Working with a Literary Agent
    The Querying In a previous post I mentioned that I was back in the query trenches. To recap, my earl ...
  • Danger! Danger!
    What is perhaps the most feared creature of the Borneo rainforest, I hear you ask? Who is the King o ...
Back
Top