Hi everyone,
I just joined this site yesterday and have been avidly reading
some of the forum threads. It's comforting to know that others
are going through similar processes and having to deal with
similar frustrations and knock-backs. (Although I'd prefer for
none of us to have to deal with knock-backs!)
Here's where I'm at: I've finished work on my first novel -- it's
a modern fantasy story of around 88,000 words -- and have
submitted it to several literary agents via email. I submitted to
the first two agencies at the end of August and had heard nothing
(until today), so I began planning the outline for my second
novel while I waited.
Yesterday, however, I phoned the two agencies who hadn't replied
to me just to check that they had received my emails. They were
very nice and confirmed that the email had arrived and they would
read it as soon as possible.
Just a few minutes ago my email program beeped and, after
checking that specially-created email account every day for the
past couple of months only to see the words 0 unread
emails, imagine my shock to see a reply sitting there from
one of the large, well-known agencies. Okay, it was a
standardised, impersonal email response, but at least I can get
on sending it out to some other places now, eh?
Well, I have a chapter to finish -- no point feeling sorry for
myself. Onwards and upwards and other motion-related
inspirational clichés aplenty!
Here's the rejection:
Thank you for your
submission.
Unfortunately, we do
not feel sufficiently committed to your material to offer
representation. As you know, this is a highly competitive field,
and an agent needs to be 100% behind a writer in order to
represent them effectively. Unfortunately, we cannot give
detailed feedback.
We are sorry not to
have responded more positively, but do remember this is the
reaction of just one agent, and you may well get a different
response elsewhere. Thank you again for your submission, and best
wishes for your every success.
