Thursday
Dec172009
Even Agents Get Rejected
Thursday, December 17, 2009 Question of the day for Elisabeth Weed: Writers aren't the only ones who deal with rejection. As an agent, you also get rejected by publishers. Not all the manuscripts you love and believe in have been snapped up by publishers. Do you have any tips about dealing with rejection? How do you stay on top of your game when things don't go right? As a writer, I've been struggling to stay optimistic these days. I'm sure many of us could use a little pep talk :)
Thank you for acknowledging that we deal with rejection! It can be tough, especially when an editor who you know and respect calls you and says that you "really missed the boat on that one!" (Yes, someone thanked me for my candor in my last post and has created a monster!)
Luckily, I've learned a few things over the years that has helped me with rejection.
One. Don't take it so personally. I like to remind myself that I might have hit the wrong editor, or she might have sat down to reject a project when she herself was having a bad day. Ditto for an agent rejecting your work. It wasn't right for her or she was just trying to get stuff off her plate and responded to you tersely.
Two. Grow a thicker skin. I know it's tough, but take it from someone who is a sensitive soul. I've learned that wallowing in rejection will only hurt me. And there is a lot of rejection to be had as a writer. Even if you get an agent, someone will reject you once your agent sends out your book to publishers. (Agents feel free to tell me otherwise, but I have never sent out a book widely, that all 20 publishers wanted to bid on.) And even once your book is bought, you will come up against rejection of a different sort. Your publisher might reject your title, your vision for the cover, the jacket copy, the fact that you think it should get a full page ad in the NYTimes....(The latter is tongue in cheek but you get my drift.) (AWS adding in: not to mention the readers who sometimes seem to delight in writing terrible, terrible reviews!)
Three. Be Confident! Early in my career, when I didn't sell something I would think that clearly there was something wrong with the project. But as I've become more seasoned, I've learned the importance of believing wholeheartedly in a work, even when the going gets tough. In fact, now, when someone rejects something, I respond to my screen with "your loss. Someone else will get this." (Or something with a few more expletives.) Try it! Of course, there are caveats to this, and times when I have had to read the writing on the wall...but when I take something on, I am utterly confident that I will place it at a great house. Conversely, I've often read things that I admire and think are worthwhile and salable that I've passed on, and in my rejection letter will tell the author that I am just not 100% in love and that they need someone who is totally in love to take it on and champion it properly. So, when you get that letter, be confident that she is telling you the truth and that at the right person is out there and you just need to give yourself the best shot of finding her.
Okay, that wraps up our week with Elisabeth, and I just wanted to thank her SO MUCH for filling in for me while I get a little sun and for taking time out of her super-busy schedule to do so. She'll be back once a month or so to answer more of your questions in the future, including something on electronic rights, which I know she wanted to address but didn't have time to get to!
Reader Comments (10)
Thanks for posting this series! I have found it very helpful as I begin revising my first novel and figure out how to even start the scary process of getting it published! Hope you're having fun in the sun and looking forward to hearing more from Elisabeth in the future.
That's it??? Darn it. I know that sounds terribly ungrateful.
Thanks, Elisabeth. But I am disappointed she didn't get to answer a few more questions this go-round. We ALREADY know fab Allison is. Could've done without a whole segment on that.
Dear, JML, If you read between the lines, the Allison-is-fabulous blog was really just an opportunity for me to shed some light on how authors can work well/get the most out of their agents, something I was hoping someone would ask in the many questions that came in. It is a crucial component of this business that a lot of people don't always realize. There are more questions to be answered and I am excited to tackle them in the coming months.
Thank you Allison for my introduction to the blogging world!
That's exactly how I felt about the post! Sure, we already know the Allison is fabulous, but Elisabeth told us exactly what makes her such a fabulous client, which was really, really helpful. Looking forward to more posts like this from Elisabeth!
Thank you Elisabeth for taking the time to answer questions. I really enjoyed reading your answers and hope you will provide more insight into the publishing world "in the coming months".
Thanks to Allison & Elisabeth. I love this blog. It's extremely helpful for writers. It also touched me to see that authors and agents have relationships where one can ask the other to step in and do a blog post.
Happy Holidays!
Erika
I saw this link on Twitter today, and it couldn't have been more timely. My agent told me yesterday that my book was turned down by 10 publishers, so now I'm in the great "what now?" stage. It's not fun, but it's good to remember that it happens to (almost) everyone at some point.
Wendi
www.wendiaarons.com
Thank you so much Eizabeth and Allison. This blog is such a delight. I am inspired every time I read it. Thank you for addressing rejection. I will save your posting as a reminder for the future. I'm looking forward to growing a tougher skin!
Elisabeth, thanks so much for doing these posts! I already respond to my screen, but will use more profanity in the future! I like how you explain in your rejection letters why you're passing on a particular newcomer. I once got a nice rejection letter and it really made a difference. Thanks again and please do another round next month.
Allison and Elizabeth, thanks for these wonderful posts. They are so helpful for emerging writers!