Agents: nay, Beta readers: yay

[Guardian]

Dear Nathan,

My present WIP got few??? rejections in the last half year (More then 20) so I had great doubts and I believed something is wrong with it. You know, the concept, the characters, the story, the world itself, the descriptions, etc, etc... Now some really trustworthy beta readers tested the first few chapters in the past and now in the present (Some of these beta readers are also participating on your forum). But the same happened as before... the novel itself got only positive feedbacks (Of course there are minimal things what the beta readers are suggested and I'll have to mediate on them, but not in the first five or ten pages what is used to be rejected along with the query. The query was rewritten countless times since the very first rejection... the first one, what you've sent me on May 2010. I kept that letter as your rejection was my "baptism of fire". :) I already know the query was a failure that time. Comparing to the present one, that one was awful. Yet, the present query and the WIP is also getting rejection, so I'm out of ideas.

So my question is, how should I deal with a situation where the agents are continuously saying nay and sending formal rejection letters regarding a WIP and it's query... and here comes the twist, a novel which is achieving a success between the beta readers (Pros and simple readers) whose are saying yay, they love the characters, the story, the descriptions of the very same work? If not the present query or the first five, ten, fifteen pages of the WIP is the problem, what else could be?

I've never faced with this sort of contradiction before (Same WIP = agents: nay!, beta readers: yay!). Could you give me an advice regarding this matter? What could be wrong if not the present query, or the WIP itself? Is it possible that my work is rejected because I'm not from the U.S (I'm from Hungary, my co-writer is Canadian.)? Does my origin count something when I present a query to a U.S. Literary Agent?

Thank you for your answer,

Guardian

[Nathan Bransford]

Dear Nathan,

My present WIP got few??? rejections in the last half year (More then 20) so I had great doubts and I believed something is wrong with it. You know, the concept, the characters, the story, the world itself, the descriptions, etc, etc... Now some really trustworthy beta readers tested the first few chapters in the past and now in the present (Some of these beta readers are also participating on your forum). But the same happened as before... the novel itself got only positive feedbacks (Of course there are minimal things what the beta readers are suggested and I'll have to mediate on them, but not in the first five or ten pages what is used to be rejected along with the query. The query was rewritten countless times since the very first rejection... the first one, what you've sent me on May 2010. I kept that letter as your rejection was my "baptism of fire". :) I already know the query was a failure that time. Comparing to the present one, that one was awful. Yet, the present query and the WIP is also getting rejection, so I'm out of ideas.

So my question is, how should I deal with a situation where the agents are continuously saying nay and sending formal rejection letters regarding a WIP and it's query... and here comes the twist, a novel which is achieving a success between the beta readers (Pros and simple readers) whose are saying yay, they love the characters, the story, the descriptions of the very same work? If not the present query or the first five, ten, fifteen pages of the WIP is the problem, what else could be?

I've never faced with this sort of contradiction before (Same WIP = agents: nay!, beta readers: yay!). Could you give me an advice regarding this matter? What could be wrong if not the present query, or the WIP itself? Is it possible that my work is rejected because I'm not from the U.S (I'm from Hungary, my co-writer is Canadian.)? Does my origin count something when I present a query to a U.S. Literary Agent?

Thank you for your answer,

Guardian

Well, I think it's important to bear in mind that beta readers are not always going to be as stringent as literary agents. There's a big difference in motive there. Beta readers certainly come in with varying agendas, but their agenda is not to sell your work to a publisher. So no matter how much your beta readers may like your work, success with beta readers is not necessarily going to translate with success with agents I'm afraid.

So I don't know why it's striking out with agents - it could be that it's not quite there, it could be the topic, it could be any number of things. This is one of those things where it's just really tough to say.

One thing I can say though is that where you're from isn't going to be held against you.

[Guardian]

Thank you very much for your answer.

So no matter how much your beta readers may like your work, success with beta readers is not necessarily going to translate with success with agents I'm afraid.

I suspected that. I just don't know what to say to few people whose are wondering why it's still not being published or not even reviewed by any agents, but was continuously rejected without any known reason. They also find this interesting and many of them are published writer. So I thought it's better if I ask this from someone who knows much more about how agents are working.

So I don't know why it's striking out with agents - it could be that it's not quite there, it could be the topic, it could be any number of things. This is one of those things where it's just really tough to say.

Yeah, any of these can be a a possibility. Unfortunately the formal rejections are not making my job easier to learn what the true problem is. Without any hints from an agent the writer is blind as, just as you said, they're evaluating the MS on a different way as beta readers.

Well, I'm going to make another revision, then let's try it again... like if I would have a choice. :)