Ten Reasons Why Agents and Editors Stop Reading

Thrillers or crime solving books? Likewise, some romance, YA or even some classic books Wuthering Heights, The Great Gatsby to name a few judging by their first chapters are just boring and I wonder why they ever got published? Can someone please explain this? I attended a conference this year and one big no-no was the inclusion of a cellphone conversation or one ringing on the first pages. Also opening with a dream. The bottom line is they are looking for something creative that hooks the reader from the get-go and causes the reader to keep on reading.

I know I committed, oh, all of them in my first several manuscripts. The first or if my toothpick count skipped one are much the same, until we first see Bracken. Which is not, I must add, a recommendation to follow his example — but an example, natheless. I was just at the Surrey International Writers Conference where they did this same thing. All first pages were read by the wonderful Jack Whyte in his gravelly, Scottish burr. Which made the teen lit sound very funny! I think submitting your manuscript is like throwing a needle in a hay stack and hoping that someone will find it.

Not on my watch.

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What about some of the things they did right? Which ones had elements that helped them get to the word mark without stopping? What a great idea! Anyone close by want to partner up? It would be painful to watch those hands go up in the air, but not as painful as rejections from a literary agent. I plan to be back in Boston for a visit in September. Thank you, Livia, for putting this together and thank you, Chuck, for including it here!

I was so thrilled to find this blog in the process of a blog Carnival! Oh, I said that. Let me count the… OMG!

Not to worry, I just subscribed! This article is really inciting! Makes me look back at my last two books and wonder where the mistakes were. You may find these articles helpful: Just recently I received a letter from quarterly contest. Because it has a few typos. I cut a few parts of it for privacy reasons so it reads like that: That completely fine to do. We have had many people do that and have success the second time around. But that sounds like a very nice compliment from the agent. You might find this article about a similar topic of interest: Hi, thank you for your helpful article. But that sounds like a fairly standard, but still nice rejection letter.

Please do not feel that this is a reflection on your writing. We very much enjoyed reading what you sent us, and felt it was well written and engaging. That being said, this does seem to be a very nice, personalized rejection letter. And it seems very complimentary and hopeful for your ultimate success. Thank you so much for sending your project for my consideration! I found your query and sample pages well-written with a strong concept. I have ultimately decided to step aside, but I think another agent is going to be intrigued enough to ask for the manuscript.

The following was the best rejection letter I think I received. Am I getting too excited over nothing? Or is this agent truly seeing something in me and my work? Could this be the kindest form letter out there? Brody is the character in the story. This email was confusing to me. I am trying to hold onto the positives — other than being asked to submit the entire manuscript — and yet feel sad as I think this agent and I would have been a great fit. Thank you so much! Dear Elizabeth, Thank you so much for entrusting me with your manuscript. You write great chemistry and I really like Brody as a leading man.

Unfortunately your story is too similar to some of the ones I already have on my list. You are a talented writer and I have no doubt that you will find the right agent for your story. This seems like a very nice form rejection letter, and you do not need to reply to a rejection letter. You can learn more about common phrases used in rejection letters here: Our business is subjective by nature and another agent may well feel differently — I wish you good luck with that. I just wanted to know if this is a form rejection or did the agent mean what she wrote?

Was she truly interested? And what should I reply? I got my first rejection a few months ago and I always assumed it was a standard rejection. Thank you for your comment. But the fact is that most literary journals are understaffed and overworked, so they have one standard rejection letter that they use to cover multiple scenarios: So they try to put a positive-sounding spin on the rejection with phrases like: You may find our article about interpreting rejection letters helpful: Thank you for letting me review your query.

In this very competitive market, we are simply not enthusiastic enough about our ability to sell this work to offer you representation.

We wish you the best of luck placing this successfully. Thank you, once again, for letting us consider it. An agent sent me a rejection letter stating it was very hard for her to turn down my book. She said I had a strong story and it drew her in right away. She added I had talent. She added she was sure it would find a home soon. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. If you are interested in self-publishing, you can schedule a free consultation with Self-Publishing Relief to discuss your options. I think the whole premise behind my story is the issue, and no matter what I do it will always be unappealing.

Thank you for submitting your work to the agency. Unfortunately, because of the volume of submissions we receive, we cannot offer any critical comments on your submission. Of course, another reader might have a completely different response to your writing, and we encourage you to send your work to other agents, or directly to publishers.

Hello Carly, It sounds like you received a form rejection. A good submission strategy is to research journals online and read an issue or two of a particular journal to get an idea of the type of work they publish. Good luck with your writing! Or is this a sort of form letter? Hello Edward, Thank you for your comment. We think some of our tips might help you when editing your manuscript. What did this rejection mean? Thank you so much for sharing book name with me.

Ryan, this sounds like a standard rejection letter. We would suggest submitting it elsewhere AND working on your manuscript. First of all, thank you for this informative and resassuring post. This was a difficult decision as I was really impressed with your submission.

Thank you for sending me your submission request. Although the synopsis sounds interesting, I am not taking on any more authors. I wish you the best in finding a Literary Agent for your book. Thank you for the article! Trying to discern whether or not it is worth trying to resubmit to one publisher, and if I should respond. An excerpt from their very lengthy response:.

The story is well structured, with charming characters and you have a very natural, fluid writing style. However, whilst we appreciate the care and attention that has gone into the preparation of your submission, regrettably we feel that your story is not sufficiently developed for publication on our Historical list. We are always looking for new Historical authors, although the standard we require in a first manuscript is very high.

Please do not be discouraged by this rejection, however, because we feel that your style and voice show a great deal of potential. Here are our top tips to make your next submission stand out from the crowd. Interested in your take on the letter and if I should resubmit to this one publisher in particular as they are quite well known. Sarah, You can resubmit to these agents, just be sure to mention that the mss.

This was back in December, and I have since edited my mss. If I go over and edit them, can I resubmit to these agents? Reading more books and revising your manuscript is a great way to start the editing process, so we would certainly suggest that. Now what do I have to work on? Read more books and revise my Ms accordingly? Please tell me what to do? Because of the large number of submissions some journals receive, it is hard for them to offer personalized rejections with feedback included.

Thank you for the useful article and comments. On occasion, I submit work to literary competitions. I look at it as a way to hone pieces for the next round. Recently, though, the Iowa Review contacted me after a competition to inform me that a piece I had submitted was selected as a finalist. It was sent before the editors, and I waited. Mainly, though, I would like a little more insight into their decision. Is it appropriate to ask for constructive criticism, along with thanking them again? If so, is there a format I should follow? It would have been my first published piece, by the way.

This sitte was… how do I say it? After several months of communication with an agent my published friend referred me to including a Happy Holidays email initiated by said agent , I finally sent the ms off to her in February. A simple no would have sufficed.

I wrote a satirical piece on being rejected by agents and publishers, which I thought was funny, for the website literaryrejections. All of the things you have suggested here are great options, depending on what area you think needs the most work. When it comes to improving your writing, may we also suggest going to writing conferences, working with a writing mentor or studying under a fellow published writer, or joining a reputable writing group. If you need help with your query letters, editing, or just staying positive despite the rejections, try our publishing toolkit: Among pieces of advice given: Acknowledge those voices, and then ignore them.

At the same time, there have never been more ways to establish a career as an author. Three case histories and the takeaways from those experiences. Carolyn Haley, An American Editor, A common concern among new authors is that someone will steal their work. Creative works are protected better than most people think, and theft is usually driven by mercenary interest.

See, for example, Marcia Bartusiak: Dispatches from Planet 3. I have to thank Neil deGrasse Tyson's wildly successful Astrophysics for People in a Hurry also a collection of Natural History columns for re-energizing the genre. Backstories on books by NASW members, Carl Zimmer's latest book, which elicited advice based on his own process: She Has Her Mother's Laugh: Figuring out how to position a re-launch with Amazon. Distance yourself from your work so you come back to it with a more professional attitude. See for example her example of the difference between a synopsis and marketing copy. Author Carol Denbow on how to write a fiction, nonfiction book or novel; find a publisher or publishing option; and market your book for free.

Tips and expert advice. Personal historians help ordinary people write and independently publish their memoirs and personal histories in print, audio, or video. You've shown publishers your book proposal and samples and they've said, "You need to work with a book doctor. But then, how do you find a good book doctor?

I know three of the editors who work with this group, and they've been editing manuscripts with a track record of success as books for MANY years: The key elements of a sticky idea, they write, are simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories. Practical strategies for creating sticky ideas. Critical questions The Open Notebook--The story behind the best science stories. The questions that go into books might be different from those that drive newspaper and magazine journalism.

Are there essential questions that journalists might not ask but which book authors should? If you push for an answer, you will get it. Sometimes lots of time. How a book is born Weldon Owen's delightful infographic. Sarah Wernick, early in her career. Rogers, 26 - 28 April "We write frankly and fearlessly but then we 'modify' before we print. Sue Katz on Sarah Wernick. Quick Links E-mail Pat pat at patmcnees dot com. About Pat site host. Book Fairs, Festivals in U. Writers on Writing complete archive of the NY Times series, writers exploring literary themes. Letters of Note fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos--that you were never expected to see.

Aha Moments from the brilliant Mutual of Omaha campaign to record people's stories about moments of clarity, defining moments when they gained the wisdom to change their life. Ideas worth sharing Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world. Local idiot to post comment on the Internet The Onion. Freelance National Anthem Bill Dyszel, 4 minutes. KeepMeOut addicted to a website?

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Online Education Database resources to help you write better, faster, or more persuasively. Help a reporter out HARO useful for reporters and for sources. Paris Review "Writers at Work" Interviews selections from on, a gift to the world, and with a single click you can view a manuscript page with the writer's edits. Medical links for smart patients. Telling your life or family story. Book news, reviews, interviews. Books for book clubs. Books for writers and editors. Acquiring, swapping, or selling books. Agents and book proposals. Communicating and marketing online Web 2. Getting published starting out.

Job banks, publishing marketplaces. Self-publishing and print on demand POD.

1. Passion Perfect. Sex Stories Collection. ( Short Stories / Erotica / Lesbian First Time / Adult / Hot Sex Scenes ).
2. Character Worksheets.
3. Katies War: A Story of the Irish Civil War.

Adding images, sound, story, humor. Conferences, workshops, and learning places. Corporate and technical communications. Film, drama, and documentaries. Local and regional organizations and events. Media pros and other allied professionals. Memoir, biography, and corporate history. Science and medical writing. Specialty and niche writing. Copyright, work for hire, and other rights issues. Ethics, libel, freedom of the press. Preface, foreword, or introduction? Tips on tact and tone. The Time Frame Books, like elephants, develop through a long gestation period.

The process is accelerated only on rare occasions — say, for a topic or author making headline news. Here's a more typical schedule though details and timing vary: A book is conceived in January, and published two years later. Year 1 January to February: Author writes a book proposal.

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Author finds an agent. Agent submits the proposal to editors - and sells it.