Think YOU Don’t Like Pass Letters?

Persistence, hard work, resilience, humility, faith, guts, etc etc etc all required – and maybe an occasional glass of wine or piece of dark chocolate, just to take the edge off. Or a little doll to stick pins into. Sheerly for therapeutic purposes.

At any rate, definitely a sense of humor. Plus, depending on how much chocolate is actually involved, a good exercise regimen.

I think the lesson is also in part that editors/ publishers may have very different reads on how to reach certain target audiences. Or even different ideas of which target audiences are valuable book buyers – or book buyers that their resources know how to reach.

I’ve seen my share of rejection notifications, and some of these made me say “ouch.”

I guess instead of “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched” it would be, “Don’t crack your eggs just because someone claims there’s no chicken…”

It’s interesting reading actual pass comments like that from editors!! Thanks for sharing!!!

I think the only way to be happy is to write books YOU love and forget about who else loves them. And you can always share with your friends and neighbors while you’re waiting to be discovered. That always feeds the writer-hunger for affirmation.

These rejections are encouraging, though. I have always kind of thought that a manuscript that has been around gets a reputation…like a girl who has dated all the guys and can’t find one to like her enough to ask her to go steady. The more she is passed around and passed over by the football team, the less hot she looks, even to the geeks reading their math books in the bleachers.

So thanks for writing this. It’s good to hear about rejected manuscripts going on to find true love.

I suspect one or more of those excerpts referred to my project, which eventually sold after multiple passes. A grid of elements have to match up just right for the best chance of success. Patience is key.

I loved this one:

“Our Board was unable to catch the vision… just too risky… did not have the uniqueness we were looking for.”

It so reminded me of the maxim: “Good, fast cheap: Choose 2″

I recognized some of the terms used in these rejections. The most common one I see is, “this project just doesn’t seem to be good fit for what I’m looking to represent right now.” There is a lesson there. Agents, and the publishing houses they are going to, often have tiny windows as far as genre they are looking to fill. You might have the best book to be published in years … and all of us harbor that hope … but if it doesn’t fit those preconceived notions then you have no hope of being accepted. Just remember the Kathryn Stockett lesson … 60 rejections, more than three years of work, one agent finally agreed, and “The Help” was finally on its way to publication and international acceptance by readers. Keep on keepin’ on.

I’m going to go against the grain a little here. I worry that the constant stories of successful works that go through a slew of rejections before finally finding a home are more of an exception than a rule. Far more typical are the millions of works that are rejected over and over because they simply aren’t good enough.
It is fanciful to think that any manuscript will finally find a publisher if you are just persistent enough. Yes, persistence is required, but the real persistence required is over making your writing as good as possible, not over the submission process. In a recent interview with Kathryn Stockett, she was saying how the Help was rejected dozens of times, but the thing that really struck me was that she rewrote and improved her manuscript with each rejection.

Look at your book for any “slow” spots and KEEP TRYING!

I’m not as sure as Luplan that “they don’t know what they are doing” I do question when a novel like The Help gets rejected 60 times, doesn’t it suggest at least a disconnect between what readers want and want publishers think they want?

It’s the same with books, songs, movies, or even a blazing golden sunset painted by the Creator of the universe: what makes one person stop and marvel barely rates a shrug and a yawn from another person. No human is infallible when comes to predicting what other people will like.

We should never give up!

When you get caught between the moon and NY city, the best that you can do is fall in love?
All this gorgeous sunshine is inspiring the silly out of me.
Okay, so I really think the lesson is to believe in your work, trusting it will find the *best * home.
~ Wendy

This is great. Thanks for sharing this wonderful information.

If there’s one thing I’ve gathered from all of the information I’ve read and heard, it’s the fact that dedicated writers don’t give up.

It’s in them to move forward. They have a passion that outweighs the many obstacles on their path to success.

The lesson is, that everything is subjective. That’s it.

Seriously? I thought my form rejections were bad but these are just downright mean. Most of them are not even remotely constructive.
Thanks for sharing. One (or 20) agent’s opinion does not mean you should abandon the project. Going to take that advice to heart!

Thank you so much for that encouragement! If I’m really a decent writer, I’ll find the right agent out there, sometime, somewhere, some way.

Is is also possible that the publisher is just looking for something different?

Wow… that was really depressing until I read the part about every one of them selling to another house… which shows me that even if someone doesn’t like your project, it doesn’t mean someone else will.

My first rejection (way back, before I had an agent) was delivered via phone call, from an editor who said, “Don’t take it too hard. This pub board also rejected the Left Behind series.”

By the way, that novel never sold, but after four years writing four novels that garnered forty rejections, I got a contract and my fourth novel comes out soon. I’d agree with those who say, “Keep learning, keep writing, keep submitting.”

Oh my Rachelle! I’m so glad I kept reading until the end.I would have so missed the truth in all this. Thank you!

But how many of those manuscripts eventually sold in the same state that garnered those rejections? And how many were revised and revised again between rejections and eventual sale?

Rejection is a necessary step on the road to publication. In fact, it is just a part of life in this industry.

It’s important to remember that part of the lesson is about economics, not art. We creative types hate that fact, but publishers take a risk every time they chose a book — and it’s a big risk (think about how many slick-looking hard cover novels you’ve seen in the $2-dollar bin at Hastings). We tend to think of the process and ME-centered. While I agree that publishers are often out of touch with what readers really want, I also understand that they are the ones risking thousands of dollars before they see a single dime returned on their investment. That fact helps me keep my perspective and not take it personally when my project is rejected.

Rachelle,

I think the lesson here is that the book publishing industry is very subjective. You have to write well and pray (meant literally) that you connect with the right person (hopefully while they are having a good day). Never give up on yourself but make sure you are constantly honing your writing craft.
http://www.thecolorofsound.edublogs.org

Don’t worry about rejections; rejections are just a reason to send it out again. If it’s any good at all, it will eventually find someone who does like it.

The philosophical lesson is clear; the literal lesson depends on how many of these books were revised AFTER getting these letters but BEFORE finding a buyer. Just knowing they went on to sell without knowing how much revision went into it based on passes such as these doesn’t tell me too much. (Still very much enjoyed the post, tho.)

That publishing, again is a very subjective business.

BUT within those comments I actually saw some encouragement. The editor loved it, the board wasn’t behind it yet. And each of those things mentioned, hook, audience, plot, character likeablitiy, these can ALL be changed with some hard work.

But still, wouldn’t be great fun to open that email.

The lesson – Don’t hate your book! There is hope!

I found those comments fascinating, especially the ones from editors who loved the project but yet couldn’t sell it to the pub. board or others on the team. Just proves how subjective it all is…and how we can’t give up until every rock has been overturned!

While I would never compare myself to Kathryn Stockett, I was immensely comforted to hear that she had 60 rejections on The Help. I’m similarly encouraged by this post. Maybe beyond the craft and the platform and the vision, there’s tenacity. I can do tenacity.

This is so interesting!I’m not too surprised that the 60 authors went on to sell, but the “with no further revisions” part really caught my attention.

Agents and editors are human just like the folks submitting to them. We all have different taste and ways of looking at the world. I guess that proves that a writer should keep submitting. If the work is good, it will find a home.

What I see primarily when reading these lines is a lack of courage. Courage of Convictions. The ones where an actual opinion about the quality of the work or the appeal of the story is expressed at least reflect a person’s true opinion. But the ones where there is a sort of “giving up” because there are perceived obstacles (lack of platform, doesn’t fit a mold, don’t want to take a chance) just make me sad. Thank heavens most writers don’t give up as easily!!

What an encouraging post—thanks for the insider’s glimpse! (:

This was a post I needed. I feel that I take letters of rejection pretty well, in general, but was caught off guard by one just today. It was quick and to the point, and I found myself blushing as it caught me by surprise. A few breaths later, everything was fine…as it always is. Many people have already hit the point: you will NOT please everyone…you will see more rejections than requests…the business is subjective…you must not give up, but possibly change your approach. And one I think is VERY important is to not take rejections personally. Your work has value and merit, even if it’s only to you. Thanks, Rachelle!

Thank you for this! One of the most encouraging posts I’ve ever read. Further proof….you only need one yes!

One of the big lessons has to be that a single rejection (or even several rejections) for a story or novel doesn’t mean that it’s inherently bad or flawed. It certainly COULD be bad, but you can’t prove that by the rejections.

It also probably means that the novels which are published represent just a small percentage of the novels which could be good enough to be published under the right circumstances. I can’t decide if that’s encouraging or discouraging…

That is incredibly fascinating! No further revisions–after those comments implied that MAJOR stuff was wrong with the novels. It’s all so subjective! Good to know as I get ready to go out on sub. I’ll take these kinds of responses with a grain of salt…only takes ONE editor to love your story.

Thank you for posting this!

Thanks for the nightmares…ugh.

And that my dears, is why we need an agent. Someone who can have thick skin for us.

Thanks Rachelle,
This has been an enlightening post. It brings back several memories of comments I have received. I can identify a hundred percent and agree with all that persistence is the key, and never become discouraged or entertain the idea of quitting. If you are ready to quit after a few or a hundred rejections, then writing is not really your game. Go ahead and quit, but… what if…

I delayed reading this for at least a week because I didn’t feel ready to read about more rejections. And what did I see? These “passes” were all about success! Sometimes, it’s hard to ride out the process. This is encouraging, though I hope I’m still alive by the time someone says yes.