As with any type of creative field in which you have to rely on others to accept your work or not, rejection is a very real?but really sucky?part of writing. Or, more to the point, of getting published.
I?ve come to expect it?hey, it?s unavoidable?and I try not to put too much stock into it when I get rejection letters. It?s just the opinion of one person about a tiny sample of what I?ve done. In fact, most of the rejections come just from the pitch, so most of these agents who say no HAVENAs with any type of creative field in which you have to rely on others to accept your work or not, rejection is a very real?but really sucky?part of writing. Or, more to the point, of getting published.
I?ve come to expect it?hey, it?s unavoidable?and I try not to put too much stock into it when I get rejection letters. It?s just the opinion of one person about a tiny sample of what I?ve done. In fact, most of the rejections come just from the pitch, so most of these agents who say no HAVEN?T EVEN READ MY BOOK!
Welcome to getting published.
But given the volume of letters I?ve sent out?and gotten back?I?ve learned to pick up on some of the signs right away. I don?t even need to read an entire letter to find out if the agent is interested or not. I?ll explain.
If the letter comes, either through snail mail or email, and it starts with:
[i]Dear Author[/i]
That translates to: Sorry, dude. No go.
I usually read the rest of the letter?actually, I?ll skim it?but I don?t really need to. If I get a [i]Dear Author[/i] letter, it?s not the letter I was hoping for. It?s impersonal. Generic. It means: thanks, but no thanks. (It could also mean: you suck, do the world a favor and stop writing; but they?re agents, and what the heck do they know! But as for the good agents out there who like my work, then you know a LOT!).
Now, if I get a letter that starts with [i]Dear Mr. Colchamiro[/i], I think … hmm, this could go either way. But at least it?s something. It?s higher up on the food chain of letters, even if it?s a rejection.
And then there?s the letters that start with [i]Dear Russ[/i]. Now those are almost always good. Not always?occasionally I get duped?but more often than not those mean that the agent wants me to send in some pages, and if it is a rejection, it?s usually one that?s something like: you know, Russ, I was on the fence, it was a really tough call, but it?s just not quite right for me.
I actually got one of those last week. Talk about torture! Who wants to be so close? And then I got another one like that yesterday! Arrgh!
That?s like a girl you?ve been chasing for months saying, hey Russ, you know, you?re a great guy, you?re cute and I could see myself totally digging you. But … you just don?t quite do it for me that way.
#$%! DON?T TEASE ME!
Actually, those rejection letters are pats on the back, as those thoughtful, personalized details don?t come along that often, but [i]man[/i] do they sting! It?s harsh feeling like I was [i]almost[/i] there. [i]Almost [/i]isn?t [i]yes.[/i] It?s a very nice way to be told no. But in all fairness, there are worse things.
So now I wait to hear back on the rest of those 40 new queries I sent out over the last week, and with any good fortune, I?ll get a few that start: [i]Dear Russ,[/i] and not as many that start: [i]Dear Author[/i].
Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2007/07/20 10:27
