how goes the publishing?

[kippurbird]

Annnd... I got a reject notice from the agent last night. *sighs*

That's two.

Found another one to try.

All you can do, right?

Comments

Hugs

[obadiah.livejournal.com]

Yup.

It's times like this that I recall that A Wrinkle in Time was rejected by 22 publishers as unpublishable before it sold and won a Newberry.

Re: Hugs

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

And so was the first Harry Potter book.

[thelittlebudgie.livejournal.com]

Ah, well. Just keep trying. :)

[moofoot.livejournal.com]

You'll get there.

[lccorp2.livejournal.com]

The thing is, there are people who've gone through over a hundred agents or so without success. Don't do them one at a time; you'll take forever given the average response time of an agent, but don't do them all at one go either, since you may need to re-evaluate your query letter. Five to ten at a pop usually works for most.

[authoressarktos.livejournal.com]

Keep trying! D=

[christinaathena.livejournal.com]

Ah, that stinks. :-( Good luck with it. :)

[thelastmehina.livejournal.com]

Awww :(

Better luck with the next agent.

[amamelina.livejournal.com]

keep trying, hon. Dr. Seuse got rejected by like 13 publishers. Stephen King was rejected (and had to publish under a different name for a while). Bet those companies are kicking themselves.

I plan on using my rejection notices as cat toys and lining for Snicker's litter box.

[andy-longwood.livejournal.com]

Try, try again!

I'll root for you over here and buy a copy when it's picked up.

[shmeiliarockie.livejournal.com]

I'm in the same boat. I picked up this book entitled "2009 Guide to Literary Agents", and already it's proving to be useful. For instance, I discoved that about 90% of agents mostly accept new clients through recommendation/referrals from other agents or writers. Which sucks, because I know nobody and I'm too broke to attend any writers' confrences.

[jessaj.livejournal.com]

You don't need to do one at a time, try five or ten at a time.
Have you been to absolutewrite.com/forums/ ?
They have great tips from published authors, publishers and agents.

[kjtaylor.livejournal.com]

If it cheers you up at all, rejections are par for the course and unless they come with a lot of nasty criticisms they say dick all about your ability and/or future prospects.

I got one just the other day, in fact.

[smurasaki.livejournal.com]

Yep. Good luck. :)

[kjtaylor.livejournal.com]

Actually, I should have tried to cheer you up by telling you this: my first novel was rejected by every publisher in the US, every publisher in the UK, and all but one publisher in Australia. And I only got an agent at all because I'd already had a nibble from Jacaranda Wiley.

The only real advice I can offer you is this: hang in there, and don't send your manuscript to Haese and Harris. They only publish maths textbooks, as they were kind enough to point out after getting my children's fantasy manuscript.

I can scan in the letter if you want to see it, actually. It's utterly hilarious. ^_^

[lenka0602.livejournal.com]

aw, dont worry, these things are hard to get going. when you get published, though, i promise to be right there in line to buy your book:)

[torylltales.livejournal.com]

ooh, please do? I'm sure Kippur could use a laugh.
In that vein, here's a classic rejection letter from a Chinese publishing firm, proving at last that impeccable manners and harsh sarcasm can really bite:

"We read your manuscript with boundless delight. By the sacred ashes of our ancestors, we swear that we have never dipped into a book of such overwhelming mastery. If we were to publish this book it would be impossible in the future to issue any book of a lower standard. As it is unthinkable that within the next ten thousand years we shall find its equal, we are, to our great regret, compelled to return this divine work, and beg you a thousand times to forgive our action."

[cazrolime.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Pretty much every successful author has had about a million rejection letters come through their mailbox. Keep trying and you will find someone to publish you. <3

[kjtaylor.livejournal.com]

It took some time to find in my folders of rejection letters - but here it is: http://community.livejournal.com/griffins_eyrie/27793.html

[notadoor.livejournal.com]

Conferences and workshops are nice, but you can also develop working relationships with writers & editors just by participating intelligently in discussions in the online genre communities -- Jo Walton and John Scalzi both got started that way.