progress on the novel front-

[mary_j_59]

Well, yesterday I got my first official rejection from an agent. Of course, I felt (and feel) a little sad, but not as much so as I had expected. Then again, it's only the first rejection! But -

I thought almost at once: Well, this is an opportunity. I sincerely believe that, at the time I sent it to them, my book was good; maybe even really good. They actually said in their rejection letter that it was beautifully written. But now I have a chance to make it even better before sending it out again. I'd been feeling a little lost, and wanting some professional feedback to help me improve my text. I didn't get it, but, somehow, at the time I got the letter, I'd heard a couple of things from my beta readers that gave me a path to follow. And - now I can make a good story even better before sending it out into the world. As I said, it's an opportunity!

It also shows that I have actually set out on the journey to publication. I must expect to get rejections; probably more than one. And sometimes people will actually reject stories, even though they agree those stories are beautifully written. A rejection really, truly, isn't personal. It's not a judgement on my story (though, as I said above, I do think I can make it even better than it is now.) It can sometimes just be a statement that people come at the world, and at stories, in different ways, and that they want different things from the books they read.

This agency told me that they were not as excited about my story as they had hoped to be. This is very fair. Ideally, when I find an agent, that person will love my story almost as much as I do. And they will know, better than I do, how to find a publisher who will feel the same way. That's what I want - and also what the agency who rejected me wanted. It's too bad that they didn't feel that way about my book, but, since they didn't, they were quite right to turn it down.

Sooner or later - hopefully sooner - I will find an agent who truly loves what I've done. Then I will have a guide and teammate to help me navigate the publishing process. In the meantime, there are a lot of positive things I can do - like cleaning up the book a bit and making it tighter, researching agents, sending queries, and finishing my synopsis. So - onward we go! I have reached another milestone on my journey. :)

Comments

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

If you'd like to send me the text of the rejection, I can help untangle it for you if you're in doubt about anything. And I'm happy you're so positive about this and willing to do whatever it takes to make the book better.

That being said, I wouldn't embark on a revision of the book based on a single agent rejection -- even if s/he's given you specific suggestions for how to improve it, I'd wait until you hear from at least a couple more agents to make sure it isn't just a matter of that particular agent's personal taste (and that they all at least generally agree on what needs to be worked on).

"Beautifully written, but I didn't love it as much as I'd hoped" was just about word for word the rejection I got from the first agent I queried with my latest revision of KNIFE back in 2007 -- but then she gave me a referral to another agent who did love the book, and the rest is history. If you're hearing "beautifully written", I'd say that's a very good sign.

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Thank you, RJ! But really, there's not much to decipher. It was just an amended form letter; the emendation was that the novel was beautifully written. And I truly don't think that any of the minor changes I'm contemplating would have made any difference to this agency. They were my first choice because they represent several authors whose work I've read and enjoyed (I am a Sherryl Jordan fan! And that they rep her work, as well as yours, showed me that they were open to fantasy with a strong spiritual, and indeed Christian, subtext. This gave me hope that they might be open to the spirituality in my novel.) But, if they weren't truly inspired by the book as it stands, they were right to turn it down. It will still be the same story if I edit it slightly. It will just - hopefully - be a bit clearer, and move a bit faster in the latter third.

Because what I've heard from both my sisters - directly and indirectly - is that, though the ending is great, the chapters leading up to it lose some tension. My younger sister, in particular, has put the novel down at this point and hasn't picked it up again. There are many reasons for this: she's tremendously busy and doesn't read this type of book at all as a rule (she's a professional writer, btw - a journalist). But - I think it does indicate something.

ALL my betas, so far, have loved the first third of the book. Then there is a bit of a gap between chapter 12 and chapter 13, which it's been suggested I might want to fill. After this, apparently, it's all good again until we hit the latter third of the book, when the above problem arises. So I think I do need to look at that gap, and those final chapters, to see if I can make things easier for my readers. If I can't, then I'll leave things be. I know I do have a good novel! It's just that, so far, every change my readers have suggested has made the book better. I don't think I've yet gotten to the point where the changes are making things worse. When I do get there, I think I'll know!

But thanks for encouraging me to keep sending it out. I'm very excited about a couple more agents (one local to me) I found on agentquery, and about a couple more my sister researched for me. And I definitely intend to contact them this month.

BTW, congratulations on the official launch of Arrow! I am very much looking forward to reading it. )

[brian-ohio.livejournal.com]

You've got a GREAT attitude. Rejections always sting, but if you let them fester... then it will infect your writing and outlook. Just clench your jaw and fight through the pain... it always goes away.

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I hope I can maintain this attitude as I go on; I'm sure this won't be my last rejection.

Egads, Mary!

[deirdrej.livejournal.com]

I certainly hope it WILL be your last rejection! (Silly agent!) But anyway, don't worry -- it's an awesome novel, and so is the new one. I'm quite sure you'll be a published author before too long. <3~ D.

Re: Egads, Mary!

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

I think I will be, too - thanks for the vote of confidence. But, really, the agent isn't silly. Think of it this way: I'm just reading I Shall Wear Midnight and enjoying it immensely. Pratchett is very entertaining to me, and often thought-provoking and sometimes chilling. I like his characters, and I can usually visualize his settings. I think he's a very good writer. But - he just doesn't move me the way Tolkien does. I expect, to this agent, my book was what Pratchett is to me. That is, good, but not emotionally engaging to them. It happens. I'm sure I will find someone who is truly struck by it and wants to work with me. Maybe it will even happen quite soon! I just have to keep trying.

[puckling.livejournal.com]

Can I just say that I am very impressed by how positively you're approaching this whole process? It's really inspiring!

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Puckling! I hope I can keep it up; I"m just at the beginning now. :)

[jongibbs.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear about the rejection. Best of luck with the next query :)

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Jon. Have fun at your conference!

[anne-arthur.livejournal.com]

I'm very sorry to hear this, but I think you're taking it the right way. Better luck next time!

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Thank, Anne! I got another rejection yesterday, just a short time after sending out the query - but someone, somewhere will give it a chance, I'm sure. I just have to keep trying.

BTW, I hope you and your family had very happy holidays.

[anne-arthur.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry to hear that! But it's a great story, and sooner or later it will meet the proper agent - as you say, you just have to keep trying.

I had a very good holiday, thank you. It was very snowy just before Christmas, and I was quite prepared to stay in Oxford if necessary, but in the end the train to Edinburgh ran fairly smoothly. How about you?