To think that they didn’t even read it?

[Alwaysonarecce]

Morning all,

I submitted a manuscript to a couple of literary agents yesterday morning. Researched them, their target market, portfolio etc, provided all the supplementary material with care, but received a rejection letter last night.

Now, I know rejection is inevitable, helpful even, but on the same day?!

Was my work so terrible it caused a stir in the office and they were compelled to reply at 8pm? (Which does provide some solace.)

Or, were they clearing their inbox of the dross, perhaps took one look at the synopsis and pressed the bin button?

I should move on, shouldn’t I. Ah, man.

They can’t have read it

It really might be as simple as they are not looking to take anyone on at the moment so you got an automatic rejection.

An immediate rejection suggests your synopsis / sample chapter was boring. Suggest you get someone you trust to read what you submitted and provide feedback.

It sounds like they didn’t read it, but that isn’t necessarily a reflection on you! They might just be rejecting anyone who doesn’t fit a very specific criteria right now. It’s a numbers game - keep at it.

Obviously they haven't read the manuscript. That is normal. Most manuscripts don't get read. That's why your proposal has to be stellar, to get the manuscript picked out of the slush pile. It's entirely possible as a pp says that they aren't looking for any new authors at the moment, or at least not for the genre/line your book is in.

If you're serious about getting published, you're going to have to get used to a lot of rejection. This is completely normal.

Rejection is completely normal. Don’t take it to heart. I’ve never had one that quick, nor an acceptance that fast either.

Read through your submission, maybe get another couple of writers to read through it too, and then send it to the next few agents on your list.

Covering letters should be brief, outline any previous publications and if you’ve got a healthy social media following mention that too. Some agents and publishers are more likely to consider your work if you’ve already got a few thousand people in your community as its an easy audience to market to.

Have you looked at small presses? There’s a great Mslexia guide and the indie presses often accept submissions without going through an agent so it’s worth having some of those on your list too. But their small size doesn’t negate scope - Fairlight are doing extraordinarily well!

Agree - need to get used to rejection and use it spur me on. It’s not my first one, just first same day one!

But I have to admit, I did get a pathetic flutter of excitement seeing that notification pop up last night!

Ah...that golden time - between ‘send’ and the inevitable response.

As the famous Paul Merton once said. It’s the hope that gets you.

I would expect that they skimmed it on the way home and realised it wasn't for them. It doesn't mean there was anything wrong with your submission or the way you researched them or your writing. It just wasn't what they were looking for.

Submitting to agents and publishers is hellish, not least because it's putting your art, your creation out there and it's met with a purely businesslike response. Being good isn't enough for an agent or publisher, they need to know they can sell it.

I had a publisher last year say that they loved my manuscript, stayed up until two so they could finish it but that it wasn't a sub-genre that was working for them. Apparently I'm talented and they'd love to work with me so had I thought about writing x, y or z?

Don't take it to heart, send it out to a few more and if no-one's requested a full after half a dozen or so then maybe considered getting some professional feedback - not a friend, an actual editor.

Good luck

Flexi hours.

The slush pile is real and it’s huuuuge. If they have a backlog they may be rejecting pretty much anything that isn’t an immediate stand-out at the moment. It must be incredibly tough, but I honestly doubt they thought it was awful