REJECTION!!!
Sounds crude right. Yeah it is. The word no one wants to hear. No one wants to write a manuscript that would be turned down almost always. But its a phase in life; especially for writers when they begin pitching that agent who they anticipate would unravel the glory in their work. Hoping a chance would be taken at it.
Well it's no news. Books that are selling billion $$$, £££, €€€ today were rejected so many times that the authors nearly gave up or considered self publishing as an option. Authors like Dan Brown, J.K Rowling, Jack Canfield, Margaret Mitchell, just to name a few were often rejected more than 30 times. C'mon these guys were rejected by tons of literary agents and publishers and when someone decided to take a chance on them, they emerged best sellers.
Why then do authors initially get rejected by agents and publishers after a query if these books have so much potential.
1 - You think you are ready when you're not.
This is a big problem. Sometimes authors think they are completely done, done with their manuscript. They'll probably think like this-
'' Everything I've wanted to do is already done. That's it. No more.''
The trick is we don't quiet know when it is done. Sometimes it's not well polished yet and we'll need an agent or publisher to tell us that. That we should work more on it. That it's currently vague.
Bottom line is you have to revise and revise and revise. Sit your butt and make it more readable before pitching the next agent. Print a copy and have people critique your work. Target voracious readers in the genre you are working on. Is most critiques are positive, then go ahead with more queries.
2 - You find the wrong agents for your manuscript.
Okay. Honestly, I had one agent read the my query once because I really wanted to work with her agency and I have to admit I was excited to finish my novel. She did reply the following day saying that I have a very interesting idea but it's not just right for her. Wonder why?
Maybe she did not feel okay with representing my particular genre at the moment. Maybe she directed her mind towards another genre. I had pitched the wrong agent.
Fine the right person for you. Read through various agencies websites. Do your research. Agents normally have something specified. They want a particular something to represent - Romance, dystopian, science fiction, whatever. Knowing and pitching the right person for your work might just get you signed.
3 - You are blank and not out there.
A thousand miles begin with a step. Yeah. I know its a cliche statement but I'll hang it out there to make my point. You need to have something to offer when quering an agent. If you are a fiction writer, there are many ways to let people know you. Write and write - give it out there for people to read. Make yourself consumable to readers. Make them want you. Getting known earlier on is the best way to getting published. Wait! Build your platform, tell others about you - that way you become irresistible.
4 - Bad first impression
You are applying for an agent and he or she sees something like this in the email -
''I checkd your website and think you are the right agent to represent me cuz you the one that........''
WHAT THE HECK?
No agent in the right mind will want you with that type of language in the query. It screams "bad manuscript". You already sold yourself to their trash even before they begin with the manuscript's first pages. Right grammar and persuasiveness = Right chance at landing an agent.
5 - Your idea is cliche
Why should agents and publishers bother about writers? They need writers as much as you need them. The slightest thing that will make them feel that your work is plagiarized with other ideas, will land you in their trash can. Be creative - Let your mind flow towards the best.
WIAT! Don't Go. Please Don't get discouraged.
Your book might be awesome. They don't know that. Sometimes some publishers and agent regret their decision. But that's the risk in it all. Think about those books that have been published with huge advances given, then it takes ages to get it back; that's what they want to avoid. Win some - Loose some. No one knows what you'll become until you become it.
Point is -
Right PROJECT - Right AGENT - Right TIME - Right ENTHUSIASM
This is the only way you will get you published.
No one knows what tomorrow holds - How do you know that your laptop carries a billion dollar project. Until you set your mind to it and never give up. Sometimes persistence is what matters. You gotta persist and revise and develop a critical mind.
Then YAY! - Now comes the #1 Worldwide Best seller.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sounds crude right. Yeah it is. The word no one wants to hear. No one wants to write a manuscript that would be turned down almost always. But its a phase in life; especially for writers when they begin pitching that agent who they anticipate would unravel the glory in their work. Hoping a chance would be taken at it.
Well it's no news. Books that are selling billion $$$, £££, €€€ today were rejected so many times that the authors nearly gave up or considered self publishing as an option. Authors like Dan Brown, J.K Rowling, Jack Canfield, Margaret Mitchell, just to name a few were often rejected more than 30 times. C'mon these guys were rejected by tons of literary agents and publishers and when someone decided to take a chance on them, they emerged best sellers.
Why then do authors initially get rejected by agents and publishers after a query if these books have so much potential.
1 - You think you are ready when you're not.
This is a big problem. Sometimes authors think they are completely done, done with their manuscript. They'll probably think like this-
'' Everything I've wanted to do is already done. That's it. No more.''
The trick is we don't quiet know when it is done. Sometimes it's not well polished yet and we'll need an agent or publisher to tell us that. That we should work more on it. That it's currently vague.
Bottom line is you have to revise and revise and revise. Sit your butt and make it more readable before pitching the next agent. Print a copy and have people critique your work. Target voracious readers in the genre you are working on. Is most critiques are positive, then go ahead with more queries.
2 - You find the wrong agents for your manuscript.
Okay. Honestly, I had one agent read the my query once because I really wanted to work with her agency and I have to admit I was excited to finish my novel. She did reply the following day saying that I have a very interesting idea but it's not just right for her. Wonder why?
Maybe she did not feel okay with representing my particular genre at the moment. Maybe she directed her mind towards another genre. I had pitched the wrong agent.
Fine the right person for you. Read through various agencies websites. Do your research. Agents normally have something specified. They want a particular something to represent - Romance, dystopian, science fiction, whatever. Knowing and pitching the right person for your work might just get you signed.
3 - You are blank and not out there.
A thousand miles begin with a step. Yeah. I know its a cliche statement but I'll hang it out there to make my point. You need to have something to offer when quering an agent. If you are a fiction writer, there are many ways to let people know you. Write and write - give it out there for people to read. Make yourself consumable to readers. Make them want you. Getting known earlier on is the best way to getting published. Wait! Build your platform, tell others about you - that way you become irresistible.
4 - Bad first impression
You are applying for an agent and he or she sees something like this in the email -
''I checkd your website and think you are the right agent to represent me cuz you the one that........''
WHAT THE HECK?
No agent in the right mind will want you with that type of language in the query. It screams "bad manuscript". You already sold yourself to their trash even before they begin with the manuscript's first pages. Right grammar and persuasiveness = Right chance at landing an agent.
5 - Your idea is cliche
Why should agents and publishers bother about writers? They need writers as much as you need them. The slightest thing that will make them feel that your work is plagiarized with other ideas, will land you in their trash can. Be creative - Let your mind flow towards the best.
WIAT! Don't Go. Please Don't get discouraged.
Your book might be awesome. They don't know that. Sometimes some publishers and agent regret their decision. But that's the risk in it all. Think about those books that have been published with huge advances given, then it takes ages to get it back; that's what they want to avoid. Win some - Loose some. No one knows what you'll become until you become it.
Point is -
Right PROJECT - Right AGENT - Right TIME - Right ENTHUSIASM
This is the only way you will get you published.
No one knows what tomorrow holds - How do you know that your laptop carries a billion dollar project. Until you set your mind to it and never give up. Sometimes persistence is what matters. You gotta persist and revise and develop a critical mind.
Then YAY! - Now comes the #1 Worldwide Best seller.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------