Rejection Stats

Submission protocol, query etiquette, and strategies that work
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FK7
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by FK7 » June 18th, 2010, 4:45 pm

Began querying a month ago today, so I thought I'd update my stats:

37 Sent
22 Still Out
1 Partial Requests
2 Full Requests
10 Rejections
2 Closed / No Response

June has been a slow month so far. Good weather and conferences are probably slowing down response times, but that's ok, I'm enjoying the sun too! :)

CafeCliche
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by CafeCliche » June 21st, 2010, 4:15 pm

Rejections on a full AND a partial today. And the full rejection was form.

I'm starting to think that this book just isn't going to happen.

otherside89girl
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by otherside89girl » June 21st, 2010, 5:11 pm

CafeCliche wrote:Rejections on a full AND a partial today. And the full rejection was form.

I'm starting to think that this book just isn't going to happen.
NO!!! DON'T GIVE UP!!! Remember that all agents have different ways of doing things... The form rejection person might be one of those who ask for a full on every query. WE BELIEVE IN YOU, CAFECLICHE! (Note the caps. That shows that I'm serious).

CafeCliche
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by CafeCliche » June 21st, 2010, 5:47 pm

Thanks, otherside89girl - I shouldn't be so defeatist. I still have a partial, a full, and a bunch of queries out - something might go right next time around!

BlancheKing
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by BlancheKing » June 21st, 2010, 11:47 pm

Best of luck, CafeCliche.And I agree: this waiting game's not fun anymore. I found myself sending a query yesterday just so I would have something to read this morning.

maybe it's time to take up underwater basket weaving....
One manuscript, One dream, One stack of stamps that needs to be bought...
Writing Process: http://blancheking.blogspot.com/

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d minus
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by d minus » June 23rd, 2010, 8:57 am

CafeCliche wrote:Rejections on a full AND a partial today. And the full rejection was form.

I'm starting to think that this book just isn't going to happen.
That happened to me back in March. Right after I received the email reject on the full, I went outside, checked the mailbox, and there's the form reject to my partial.
It blew me away that, after spacing these things out, my (then) only full and only partial got rejected on the same day. I suppressed one with alcohol and the other with cake. Then somehow, (and the specifics are foggy on account of the booze and high-fat), I picked myself up and started querying again.

They always say it's about the craft... or the credentials, but i think you need to be crazy –– crazy enough to persevere.

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FK7
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by FK7 » June 23rd, 2010, 3:39 pm

CafeCliche wrote:Rejections on a full AND a partial today. And the full rejection was form.

I'm starting to think that this book just isn't going to happen.
Jesus Christ, if this happened to me I'd find ways to acquire the world's finest medical grade marijuana you can supposedly find where I live...

I find it slightly lame (as opposed to full blown lame) that agent send form rejects on a FULL... I might understand a partial, but a full? Really? An agent can't spare 5 minutes writing a few lines on what he liked or didn't for a FULL?

It's not like agents receive 200 fulls a month like they do with queries...

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midenianscholar
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by midenianscholar » July 2nd, 2010, 3:03 pm

I just started querying Wednesday night.

Genre: YA (fantasy/romance)
Total queries sent to date: 7
Queries still awaiting a response: 5
Rejections to date: 1
Form rejections: 0
Personalized rejections: 1
Requests for pages: 1
Requests for manuscript: 0

Ngggh! I'm so excited that someone requested a partial! I'm trying not to freak out.

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sarahdee
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by sarahdee » July 8th, 2010, 10:54 pm

Genre: literary fiction/crime
Total queries sent to date: 6
Queries still awaiting a response: 2
Rejections to date: 4
Form rejections: 4
Personalized rejections: 0
Requests for pages: 0
Requests for manuscript: 0

I would love a personalised rejection, or just a little bit of feedback but they are all form ones. Some go to the trouble of adding my name but thats it.

All of them requested sample pages so, if they bothered to read, they will have read the first few chapters.

Hurumph!

commando8
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by commando8 » July 12th, 2010, 2:59 pm

Good lesson for all:

Had a list of 40 agents to query, arranged from most desirable to least. I began by querying the first and the last. The next day, got a request for a partial from the first! So what do I do? I send the partial and then proceed to bomb every other agency on the list. After all, if the query was good enough for that top agency, one which has awesome clients and a very good track record, then it must be good enough for everyone else, right?

Wrong...

2 1/2 months later, it's still the only partial I've been asked for.

Moral: Stick with queries in small batches, even if you get requests from the best agencies around...

CafeCliche
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by CafeCliche » July 12th, 2010, 11:29 pm

Yeesh, got a rather harsh rejection on a partial first thing this morning. Every agent I've dealt with so far has been extremely polite (and sometimes very complimentary!) but this one was very brusque and blunt.

Oh well - onward and upward.

EMC
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by EMC » July 13th, 2010, 2:15 pm

Can I just say, as someone who hasn't even finished draft 1 of WIP,kudos to ALL of you for even finishing something, let alone getting it into such good shape to be sent out. It is a feat and achievement in itself.
:)

BlancheKing
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by BlancheKing » July 13th, 2010, 5:35 pm

commando8 wrote:Good lesson for all:

Had a list of 40 agents to query, arranged from most desirable to least. I began by querying the first and the last. The next day, got a request for a partial from the first! So what do I do? I send the partial and then proceed to bomb every other agency on the list. After all, if the query was good enough for that top agency, one which has awesome clients and a very good track record, then it must be good enough for everyone else, right?

Wrong...

2 1/2 months later, it's still the only partial I've been asked for.

Moral: Stick with queries in small batches, even if you get requests from the best agencies around...

sorry to hear that dude =(

um... not sure if this helps, but what i like to do is send 1 query a day. Wake up, get up, send a query, cook breakfast...
It works pretty well for me... maybe it will for you too?
One manuscript, One dream, One stack of stamps that needs to be bought...
Writing Process: http://blancheking.blogspot.com/

John Dillon
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by John Dillon » July 19th, 2010, 9:21 pm

Invitations sent to my three year-old daughter's pre-school classmates for her fourth birthday party: 15
Rejections: 1
No response: 14
RSVP deadline: 7/25


This is much more depressing than getting a query shot down.

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sarahdee
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Re: Rejection Stats

Post by sarahdee » July 22nd, 2010, 9:20 pm

John Dillon wrote:Invitations sent to my three year-old daughter's pre-school classmates for her fourth birthday party: 15
Rejections: 1
No response: 14
RSVP deadline: 7/25


This is much more depressing than getting a query shot down.
Ouch, I hope they all reply last minute....

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