credit: faerlmarie.com/2015/09/30/rejection-my-old-friend/
The scoreboard:
- Established Medium Size Agency (or EMS): #pass, with a very polite form letter. Much appreciated.
- EMS: No reply, which means #pass
- New Small Agency (now NSA): Zero reply, #pass
- EMS: No reply. #pass.
- Small Independent Agency-Romance Only: #pass with the kindest personal letter full of pointers.
- EMS: #pass, with a slightly more personalized form letter. I’m actually very excited about that.
- New Romance Only Agency: #pass with an encouraging form letter.
- Big 5 Imprint: No reply, #pass.
- EMS: #pass with a nice form letter.
- Small Boutique Agency: #pass with an encouraging, although non-specific letter.
- EMS: No reply #pass
- EMS: No reply #pass.
- EMS: Also thinking #pass.
- EMS: Another no reply #pass.
- Small Boutique Agency: #pass with a nice email.
- EMS: Quick turnaround on a kind #pass email. I have learned that if they email you the next day that is not a good thing.
- Old Venerable Agency: #pass with a form email. At least it was kind.
- Romance Only Imprint: Submittable says it’s a #pass, only they turn your little hopeful blue “In Progress” button to dead, ashy grey “Rejected”. Thanks Submittable.
- EMS: #pass with a nice email
- Second Big 5 Imprint: #pass with a form.
- EMS: zero answer #pass
- Novella Only Small Agency: #pass? No answer and no acknowledgement that they received it, so for all I know it’s lost and wandering in the ether of cyberspace, crying for me. I’m sorry, my beautiful manuscript. I cannot find you. I’m barely computer literate.
The unending waterfall of #pass without even a spark of interest in a partial is wearing me down, so I’m taking a break from querying to get my manuscript beta-read like a mofo and work on my query letter some more.
And finishing my next manuscript.
Also researching where to keep querying, when I start up again.
Also joined a reading challenge (#HRChallenge2017), and a new idea for another book just kinda landed on my head, like a giant apple. It hurt. And needs to be outlined so I don’t lose it.
Since I’ve made this sound like so much fun, why don’t you polish up your own manuscript and go for it? Here’s a link to the site Every Writer with a comprehensive list of publishers that they add and update when needed. They are rockstars for doing this.