Nathan Bransford - The Forums

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.

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...

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.

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!

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...

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.

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.
:)

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?

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.

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....

I started querying in April, did a batch of five, got a partial request, and then finally in early July I got a rejection for that. So now I've just started batch 2.

Genre: Um . . . urban fantasy? (Two people who play the same online video game fall in love, and the narrative magically crosses between the real world and the game.)
Queries sent: 10
1st stage rejections: 5
Partial request: 1
2nd stage rejections: 1 (which was personalized)
Pending: 4

Finally able to add my stats.

Queries sent: 1
Rejections: 1

Hey there guys! I got my stats for Overcast Shadows/The Coming!

2 Queries sent, and 1 full manuscript request from a press not an agent. Wish me luck :)

Well, I'm adding my rejection stats. Because I'm starting to get frustrated. Why are agents so busy??? Give me a new agent who would jump for joy at a query email. Please.

Genre: Contemporary YA
Queries sent: 8
Rejections: 5
Pending: 3
Partial requests: 0!
Full requests: HA!

:(

otherside89girl wrote:Well, I'm adding my rejection stats. Because I'm starting to get frustrated. Why are agents so busy??? Give me a new agent who would jump for joy at a query email. Please.

Genre: Contemporary YA
Queries sent: 8
Rejections: 5
Pending: 3
Partial requests: 0!
Full requests: HA!

:(

Keep trying! I know you will get there eventually :) I have experienced so much more rejections (with other novels) and this one request is my very first ever since a year of querying so stay persistant!

Shadow