Querying is the worst, and rejection is a huge part of it. In fact, on average, querying authors will receive 100 rejections before finally getting an acceptance. But sometimes you’ll be querying and hearing the same kinds of rejections over and over. It’s hard for it not to feel like it’s a sign something else is going on that they’re just not telling you. Well, that’s because sometimes it is.
The Danger of Reading Too Much into a Query Rejection
Before we dig into an analysis for query rejections, I want to offer a word of caution. You should try to work hard not to let any single or even duo of rejection letters weight too much on your mind. When you’re pulling from your likely growing pile of rejections, you should be evaluating an average of them after more than ten if you’re wanting to use their feedback to improve your story.
Easier said than done, right? Sending out queries for your story is a highly personal experience that involves a lot of excitement and energy. Unfortunately for agents and publishers, this simply isn’t the case. They have to write these rejections every single day, so it’s natural that they’re going to reduce their sensitivity to them and eventually bust out formulas to streamline the process. Your story likely doesn’t fit in a neat little box for why it isn’t right for them. So, don’t read too much into a particular piece of feedback unless you hear it many times. If it were me, I would keep a spreadsheet to have one place where all of the information lives but doesn’t feel as cutting as rereading the letters.
You’re Getting Form Rejections Right Out the Gate
If you’re having a hard time converting your initial query to a partial request, you’re definitely not alone. This is actually the most dubious and common type of rejection because there are the most factors at play here before they actually see any of your book. Doesn’t that suck? Yes, it does.
Unfortunately, this means I’m not going to be able to help you diagnose your query snafu here in this blog. Some things to look out for are double checking that the agent is appropriate for your novel’s length and genre, your synopsis is succinct and gives a clear sense of the major plot’s trajectory, your author bio is written in third person, and the whole letter is proofread. But because the initial query is so variable, it’s best to meet with a query letter editor if you’re not getting partial requests after the first 25 or so queries.
You’re Getting Partial Requests but No Fulls
Most authors I speak with feel really gross about this part, but the reality is that agents and acquiring editors have a literal checklist in mind when they begin evaluating your pages. It does have some flexibility and is largely based upon percentages your total word count rather than how many literal pages it should take to accomplish each check, but the most common partial request is for 10 pages of prose. Because of this, your first 10 pages can absolutely make or break your ability to publish, so we’re going to work with that in mind. When reading a good novel’s exposition, agents are expecting to get a clear understanding of who your main character is. They want a sense of their before and enough of a hint at the plot to come that they can start getting some sense of what your MC’s after could be. They also want to see some low-stakes conflict at the beginning. The world is filled with ordinary conflict that will pervade a realistic character’s life before the extraordinary one that makes up your plot line ever will. Finally, give them someone to interact with who is a big part of their life. These checkpoints will not only give the prospective agent a good sense of your exposition but also hint at the arc of your entire story, enticing them to read more.
For an example from a super successful series, by page ten of The Hunger Games, Katniss is rebuffing Gale’s longing to leave District 12. We’re already aware of the reaping, and all of it foreshadows not only her entrance into the games but also her winning. By pages twenty, Prim’s name is called out at the reaping.
You’ve Received a Revise & Resubmit
An R&R seems like the best possible scenario when it comes to rejections, right? You’re actually getting feedback on how to improve in this prospective agent’s eyes, and you’re not wrong to be excited about it. But just because one agent want to see particular changes doesn’t mean everyone will agree. And on top of that, it isn’t a situation like you have an agent you can ask questions if their notes don’t seem clear or you’d like some feedback. You just get one more opportunity to blow them away, and you better make the most of it. This is why we highly suggest reaching out to an indie editor to help you implement those changes. They’re also a great third party with industry knowledge that can give you a sense of if you should keep querying with your old manuscript or your newly updated one. Sometimes agents have picky taste, and it’s good to know the difference and how much to invest in a revise and resubmit.
You’ve Gotten Full Requests but Still Aren’t Converting
If you’ve gotten more than 5 full requests and still aren’t converting, it’s likely that you’ve actually received some useful feedback. So, this is more of a choose your own adventure section based upon what you have heard:
“Your story didn’t quite grab me the way I wanted it to.”
Something is off with your story structure checkpoints, and they may not have finished reading because of it. Today’s average reader is much more well-read than those of the past. They have expectations of the kinds of shifts a narrative takes within a particular time period of a book. That doesn’t mean every story looks the same. Many buildings all look different, but they still start with a foundation and then add a framework, roof, walls, and finishings in the same order. Not meeting your story structure checkpoints feels to readers like painting the walls before you dry your house in or that the delay on a shipment of plumbing has put the project on a standstill.
When you’re too close to a story and tinker at it over time, it can sometimes be difficult to see the whole process you’ve taken clearly. In these cases, it can be immensely helpful to get an outside opinion. Sometimes a professional beta reader with industry knowledge can be just the fit, but in most cases you’re going to receive advice from a developmental editor that will have the biggest impact on your ability to publish.
“You could use an editor.”
There’s too much to fix than they have the time for while still meeting their quotas. This is similar to a revise and resubmit, but changes are likely to be extensive, and capitalism sucks. While several rounds of developmental edits used to be commonplace for an editor and their author, profit margins have severely limited this practice.
Our experience so far is that if an industry contact says you need an editor, it’s pretty likely it’s true. If you’re not ready to dip your toes into that level of expense, another option could be working with a book coach or a professional beta reader to give you a more clear roadmap of where to get started. You can always upgrade the service once you understand their point of view and trust them.
“I just don’t think I’m the right agent for you at this time.”
Let’s be real. If you got this far, you didn’t query the wrong type of agent for your length or genre. In fact, this note isn’t really about you or your book at all. It’s about their likelihood of selling it. They probably read it to completion. They probably even liked it. But they don’t think they can sell it. If you get this note a lot, there’s a chance you’ve written something they can’t find a fault on technically, but publishers aren’t making huge sales on these types of stories right now. So, they’re not taking them, and the agent doesn’t want to waste anyone’s time.
Unfortunately, a lot of this note means you should probably consider focusing on your latest work in progress and try to sell this book again after a couple of years, or you should consider self-publishing. There are definitely still readers out there that want your kind of story if it’s getting this far into the query process regularly. It’s just not a potential bestseller, but that means it’s probably underserved for the community that loves it. You could still make some money and a name for yourself in that genre if you have the right editorial team on your side.
Agents and publishers won’t always tell you exactly what they’re thinking. It’s either too cruel or too time consuming. Still, that doesn’t help you make the changes you need as these useless rejections pile up. Sometimes you need an independent expert to help, but it isn’t always the right time to make that commitment. Click here to read more about how to know when it’s time to quit querying (or at least ask for help).
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