Yes, you probably guessed it, another rejection letter arrived today…ten minutes ago, to be exact. Not only was this a rejection letter, it was an official request not to send them any more material. Before I paste the entirety of this email on this blog, I should probably give you a little bit of background on it…
For those of you who don't know, the process of being published is long and frustrating, not only because finishing a book is a daunting task, but because there are several steps that need to be taken before your book is actually bound and put on the shelves for all to see. Outside of the obvious, which would be actually writing the book, the first step is to get yourself a literary agent to represent you. These are the people that know the book market better than anyone, and they also know which publishers would be interested in your work, but therein also lies the problem. Before you do anything, you have to actually get an agent to be interested in your work. How is that done? Through query letters.
A query letter is a one page document that not only explains the plot of your manuscript (similar to a blurb on the back of a book), but that also sells you, the unfortunate writer. In this one page, your book has to be mind-blowing to a complete stranger, and you have to have the credentials that warrants this person taking a chance on you. The simple fact of the matter is that if your book doesn't sell, the agent doesn't get paid.
This leads us to the next obstacle in our quest for publication, which is that these agents literally see hundreds of these letters a day. So, the question becomes, "What can I do to make my letter stand out from all the rest?"
The answer is…luck. For every hundred query letters an agent gets, they probably throw half of them out without even looking at them. I don't care how many of them claim to read every letter, I've come to the realization that it's literally impossible. Go ahead, try reading 200 pages of a book in one day and still find time to set up lunch and dinner meetings, conferences and conference calls, set up meetings with your employees, and then still find time to pay your bills. Yeah, how much time do you think you'd have left for say, I don't know, SLEEP?? The point is that the first step in getting an agent to notice you is being lucky enough not to be one of the poor bastards that were just thrown in the trash without being given a chance. Even if you survive the Russian roulette of the literary world, what makes your letter worth asking for a manuscript?
Since I haven't been picked up by any agents, I can honestly say that I don't have a fucking clue.
I've sent this particular agency five query letters, and am leaving their name out for fear of a lawsuit (I'm no lawyer, I have no idea how these things work, but you can get sued for almost anything these days and I'm not taking that chance). They responded to one with the standard "We're sorry, but we are choosing not to read your work at this time…good luck with all your future endeavors…don't let this get you down…" blah blah blah bullshit, and simply didn't reply to any of the others. Clearly, since I thought my story was brilliant, I just hadn't written an effective enough query letter. I sent more because I was so sure that this agency wanted what I had to put out there. Oh, how wrong I was.
Here is the email, in its entirety:
"Mr. Shupard (it should probably be pointed out that in every other letter that I've ever recieved, all I've gotten was a 'Dear Author'),
We have received your query letters, have read them thoroughly, and are requesting that you not send us any further inquiries. We appreciate your efforts, but we will never represent you, and you are taking up valuable time from our reading possibly important pieces for future publication.
Again, thank you for your interest in our agency, but we are not interested in you."
Ouch. Yeah, stab and twist.
Well, you're welcome for my interest, and…oh, what do I want to say right here? Hmm…oh yeah, that's right…GO KILL YOURSELVES.
With that said, "Gin and Tonic" is being put in a drawer…for now. I think 12 rejections for it should give me a good clue that it's just not good enough. Oh well, on to the next one…
-GS
4 comments:
Perhaps you need a graphic designer to give your query letters some flair, edge, pizzaz. Much like a resumé yours needs to stand out from the rest in the pile. This designer could create a snazzy template for you to create your letters, so they'd at least initially visually stand out...
Good theory, but I mostly send emails. Now, if you can create an HTML code that reaches a pair of hands out to strangle the next agent who hits "Delete," then I'd work with you on that.
Sorry it has taken me so long to get around to reading your blog (obviously), and I have to say that this sucks and I'm sorry. That was a very nasty note, and some people are just assholes, you know. The stories abound with all of the rejections successful authors received before being published, so keep those in mind and don't let the bastards get you down! Love you. T
May I suggest reading Stephen Kings book titled "On Writing". He has many similar stories that you will find comforting and could help you grow as a writer. Best of luck.
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