Blogger: Rachel Kent
Today we’re talking rejection. Sorry! 🙂 But I hope this post will be helpful.
When an editor or agent sends a rejection letter, different types of rejections mean different things. Here’s the inside scoop, as I see it, on four main forms of rejection:
The Plain Old Rejection (usually sent for rejecting query letters):
This letter will say something like, Thanks, but no thanks. These are often form letters. It means that the project isn’t right for that editor or agent for one reason or another. If you continue to receive these rejections from every person you’re submitting to, consider revising your query, or maybe it’s time to move on to a new idea. Typically, an editor or agent will try not to hurt your feelings, so the letter might not contain their real response to your manuscript–but you can glean from this type of letter that the project was not the right fit.
The ‘Revise and Send Again’ Rejection (usually sent for rejecting proposals or manuscripts, not query letters):
This rejection letter will have some revision notes in it. This usually means that your proposal or manuscript sparked the agent or editor’s interest, but he or she knows that it needs to be revised in some way to have a chance in the current market. These rejections usually ask for the project to be sent again, if the suggested revisions are made. If you receive one of these rejections, be sure to follow through and send that revised project back to the agent or editors. (Agents and editors hate to take the time to make suggestions, only to have the potential client never resubmit but instead shows the new and improved version to another agent or publishing house–who, of course, thought it was genius!)
The ‘Any Other Ideas?’ Rejection (usually sent for rejecting proposals or manuscripts):
If you receive a rejection asking if you have any other ideas for projects, this typically means that the agent or editor enjoyed your writing, but didn’t think that your idea would work well in the current marketplace. You’ll want to write back to the agent/editor with a list of project ideas and an estimated date of when he or she could see a proposal, if you aren’t finished with the writing yet.
The ‘This Project Isn’t Right for Me’ Rejection (usually sent for rejecting proposals or manuscripts):
This type of rejection is used as a thanks, but no thanks rejection for proposals and manuscripts. It means that something in your query letter sparked the agent’s interest, but when he or she looked at the writing sample and examined the idea more closely, it wasn’t a good fit. If you continue to receive this type of rejection, stop submitting your project and consider revising. Figure out what it is in your hook that is drawing the interest, and be sure your writing highlights that unique angle in an artful way.
What do you do when you receive one of these types of rejections?
Can you think of any other kinds of rejections that an author might receive from an agent or editor?
TWEETABLE:
The hidden meanings in rejection letters. Via @RachelLKent of Books & Such Lit. Agency. Click to tweet.
How about the “You’re not ready for prime time” rejection? Good idea, good writing, but . . .
no platform
no solid evidence of commitment to the rigorous publishing process
you need to grow up as a writer
(I got one of these and now see the wisdom behind it)
Not far enough in to the process yet to have received rejection letters, but I will store this info away for when they do come. 🙂 Thanks, Rachel. I am so thankful for all the insightful posts you ladies share.
You are welcome! Thanks for following our blog.
Rachel, as I recall, I’ve received just about every type of rejection letter. Of course, that was before I had an agent. After acquiring representation, mostly what I got was “## turned down the proposal.” Until I received that special phone call. Thanks for sharing.
Very encouraging, Richard.
This was so helpful, thank you! I’m in that tweaking and resending stage with a wonderful agent. I’m making the changes happily because she’s taken the time to show me the weak areas in my proposal. Her red pen is gold to me. The whole process feels like online dating, without stalkers. 🙂
Funny Jennifer! I’ve thought the same thing about my critique partner! Her red is my gold!
Thanks, Rachel. It’s helpful to have a way to interpret what otherwise feels like personal rejection.
Rejection. That’s a hard word. Hard to see, hard to hear, and hard to swallow. I’m praying for all of us today. 🙂
Hmmm…I have received #1, #3, and #4 type rejections. I used to simply spend all of my writing time revising the same ms. again and again, but lately I’ve tried my hand at writing something completely different. It is fun and you start to see how you have grown as a writer when you get down rough drafts that are so much cleaner than what they used to be.
I’ve submitted short stories and creative non-fiction. Some have been accepted and others not. The thing I’m seeing is that, at least in the writing contest/magazine world, many don’t even take the time to send a rejection anymore! Silence is the new rejection. I’d at least like the courtesy of an acknowledgement in some way.
I just wish publishers would still send rejections when they don’t want something as they used to. I know it takes their time and they’re busy, but just letting writers wait and get nothing seems rude to me.
I do agree, but I think the number of submissions has gone up significantly for all editors and agents and it’s nearly impossible to keep up with it all. And rejecting people doesn’t make money for the company–so it’s a constant balancing act.
Thanks, Rachel. I’m stumped on why I keep receiving rejections. I’ve won a few contests, and recently placed as a finalist in a contest, but when I submit a story to magazines, I receive a rejection. One editor said he like my sci-fi setting and theme, but “couldn’t connect.” My main character in the story is nineteen-years-old, and she discovers her dad is trapped inside his mine, and there’s an invasion coming from Earth. Maybe its a girl think? I don’t know, but rejections can really wear a person down. I just keep remembering who my ultimate master is…our Lord. We receive our ultimate approval from Him as well as our beautiful gifts He’s using for His purpose. Again, thanks.
I had an agent previously who told me that a publisher stated that they currently had a book similar to mine that they were publishing, so I asked her if we could approach the publisher again with the idea to publish it the during their next round of releases. When she answered that the publisher didn’t feel like it fit their goals, that’s when I felt like I got the straight answer. I’d much rather be told the brutal truth than mislead. I’m an adult. I’ve had a dozen releases. If I can’t handle rejection I’m in the wrong business.
I had a rejection letter, a polite one, and full of encouragement, RIGHT before a conference. Seriously, I think it was 10 days before my very first ACFW.
I realized that a) the rejection was very, very polite and b) I was given a huge blessing in that rejection. Why? I know me well enough to know I’d have gone to that conference and acted like all that. I needed a good kick in my attitude. I needed to be hungry enough to work my tail feathers off both before and when I got to the conference.
From the rejections I received, an appreciation grew for each blessing I was given.
I’ve been given many blessings, but I’ll never complain that some are big, and some are tiny.
Little pebbles in one’s shoes as we hike a muddy trail teach us to appreciate how wonderful it feels to dance barefoot on the beach.
Amen, Jennifer.
Aww! Dancing barefoot on the beach. 🙂
Thanks for this! When you’re reading anything out there about querying, you read not to take rejections to personally. It is hard, but this can help us sort through their words.
Rachel can you help me out??? Most of my rejections have been, “Not a right fit for me.” But….then they go on to say that this industry is a highly subjective one and that I should keep querying to find a champion for my book. So??? Most have said this same comment which makes me believe this is a form rejections. So, does this mean I need to revise as you suggest in #4??? Let me throw a wrench in this. I have had requests for full MS, and one partial that has now led to a full request. I am confused………according to your #4 I should be revising! But maybe it is about finding the “right” agent to champion my book??? Uugh!
Sounds exactly like a lot of the form rejections I got. My story is basically the same. Lots of form rejections like you describe, but if I got a chance to pitch in person I got lots of requests for partials and some for fulls, but in the end it was always “not a right fit” in my case this meant that they didn’t think they could sell my ms. even thought they said they liked my characters and voice. My advice (for what it is worth…) if you haven’t revised, revise thoroughly. But don’t revise forever. I revised that one story for…oh about a decade. Still haven’t sold it. But I wrote something else, didn’t sell that, revised some more, wrote something completely different and then managed to sell that. Not sure if this is helpful at all, but I wasn’t sure if Rachel was weighing in this week or not and your story sounded very similar to mine. God Bless.
I think that is a form rejection. It’s not always clear cut, so if you do keep getting rejections for that project, consider revising or maybe set it aside and start something new.
Rejection is just a part of life. Sometimes it’s ultimately beneficial, sometimes it just Is.
Take the learning, leave the heartache – as best you can – and reach for tomorrow.
How lovely, Andrew….advice to live by.
Great advice.
Glad to have you back here, Andrew! We have been praying!
Ah, the fine art of rejectomancy.
Rachel,
This is great information. It’s nice to understand a rejection letter and not have a cryptic message.