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Creative writing

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Waiting on agents

777 replies

IceRoadDucker · 12/02/2016 13:24

I'm a regular but frequent name changer, if that matters to anyone.

My first novel went out for query at the end of last month. So far I have a great success rate - 11 rejections, 3 partials and 1 full. The first partial only went out on 5 Feb but the wait is already killing me! I've been taking the rejections really, really well but I know a rejection on a partial or full will sting.

I'm trying to put my energy into writing my third novel - 48k words in - but I can't write continually and whenever I have a spare moment I'm impatiently drumming my fingers on any hard surface I can find.

No reason for posting this thread except that I need to keep my hands from refreshing Gmail every 10 seconds even though it's way too early to expect replies, I have desktop notifications AND it updates itself automatically.

OP posts:
CantFeelMyFace · 27/05/2016 12:13

Don't give up, Dont! Expecting a rejection is being pragmatic about your chances of being published. i.e it's a hugely competitive market and it may take a while to find an agent who 'gets' you. It's not a reason to not submit in the first place.

I've had two rejections, the second of which was kindly worded (we receive x amount of submissions a week so don't be disheartened, another agent may be interested etc) but still a standard rejection I suspect. The rest are ignoring me so am in a similar situation.

I say, keep writing and keep submitting. Some of the best books have been rejected countless times before seeing the light of day...

Mad hope you've been put out of your misery...

MissBattleaxe · 27/05/2016 12:41

Of course you should still be submitting Dont! It's normal to get several, or even many rejections. It all leads you closer to the one who says yes.

Helmetbymidnight · 27/05/2016 13:48

Article about JK Rowling's letters: www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/25/jk-rowling-harry-potter-posts-letters-of-rejection-on-twitter

There will be rejection letters - it is a very subjective business - I was talking about how rubbish I can sometimes feel my work is - but then DH said, 'but look at all the successful rubbish out there'.

Talent can only get you so far. Perseverance is key!

I am talking the talk, but I too am a knot of self-doubt. I got my agent one month ago ish, but now I am fearful that they have made a massive mistake - what's more, to my annoyance, I am still getting the occasional rejection letters from before - fuck 'em!

MissBattleaxe · 28/05/2016 09:21

I am such a fan of JK Rowling. Not just for her writing but because she is so witty and does a lot of philanthropic work with her vast fortune. The fact that she went via an agent to sell her book, using a different name, makes me admire her even more. She could have just rung her publisher and offered them the book, but she did it the hard way, like a beginner.

Dontrocktheboat · 28/05/2016 09:28

Hi all, thanks for the support, I do know all this and all about the bestsellers that were rejected first off - it's mainly that I have nagging doubts about my work, more its commercial than artistic viability (I agree, there is a lot of rubbish that does get published!)

Can't feel, it was also kindly worded along those lines though I expect that is a standard response - in a way it is nice to get any kind of response!

Helmet, well done on agent I am sure they have not made a mistake!

Going to send out to a couple more places and see what happens. Just don't want to waste lots of my time on a possibly delusional mission when maybe wouldn't more productive to get cracking on something else (I get so little free time, which I am sure others can relate to!)

stripyeyes · 28/05/2016 10:13

Dont who else has read your ms? I agree it's so hard to know whether what you've written is good or tosh! If you can find a writing group and get some feedback that could give you some reassurance that you're not totally deluded or wasting your time?

Good luck!

Dontrocktheboat · 28/05/2016 15:46

Hi Stripy, I wrote it as part of a masters so bits of it were workshopped and my supervisor read and was positive about it - though while the general opinions expressed were positive, with constructive criticism, the course did not focus a lot on making things attractive for publishers in a commercial market - which seemed kind of a long way off at the time anyway.
Otherwise, my partner has read it and liked it but this doesn't count as he generally does not read fiction. Two other friends read it and were very positive, but then I have also given chapters to a few other friends who offered to give some feedback but then not heard anything back, which makes me paranoid, but then on the other hand I know people are busy and things get pushed aside.

I used to be in a writing group a few years ago before having kids and moving, and also liked doing my course and meeting with other writers but haven't had opportunity for a while - it is something I have been looking into!

MissBattleaxe · 28/05/2016 16:32

What Masters was it? Was it Creative Writing?

The thing I find hard about writing is the combination of needing enough self confidence to submit your work and recognise it is good, yet at the same time, it is very hard to stay confident. Long waiting periods and a feeling of powerlessness can often increase self doubt so you end up thinking "Yes, I'm proud of this" and "Oh no! I'm a total amateur" at the same time. It's a really difficult state to be in.

Dontrocktheboat · 28/05/2016 19:50

Hi yes was creative writing masters - I decided to do it to give me some discipline and deadlines! Don't want to say where (not East Anglia though!) but they do seem to have an impressive rate of publication among alumni in various genres.

Yes, it is s difficult state to be in - I think lots of writers are plagued by self doubt, glad I am not only one!

MissBattleaxe · 29/05/2016 19:08

Well in that case, I would relax a bit and just wait and see. It sounds like you have a good grounding.

Dontrocktheboat · 30/05/2016 18:33

Yes, I guess so, thanks.

Good luck to those still waiting, hope you hear something soon!

wishfulblinking · 03/06/2016 01:20

Since March, I've sent around 20 submissions, had 7 nos and am still waiting on the other 12. But yesterday, after a day of feeling really grumpy and crap about everything, I woke up to an email requesting a full - hurrah!

I'm not getting hopes up and, either way, I know I'll have a long wait for a response, but this has really given me the boost I needed. That at least one person out there in publishing-land kinda likes the first 3 chaps/ synop has made the world of difference to my confidence at a time when it was at an all time low.

How's everyone else doing this week? Hope you've all had some good news/ aren't going to bonkers with The Wait.

CantFeelMyFace · 03/06/2016 10:03

Hey (not so) wishfulblinking, well done! Enjoy this stage of a full request and possible yes! 😁

MissBattleaxe · 03/06/2016 10:32

Well done wishfulblinking! It only take one yes to really give you the confidence boost you need. The waiting is so hard isn't it?

Dontrocktheboat · 03/06/2016 10:45

Well done wishfulblinking, that's great to hear and very motivating! Hope you hear something further soon.....

wishfulblinking · 03/06/2016 13:12

Thanks everyone. Feels nice.

Helmetbymidnight · 03/06/2016 18:54

That's great Blinking. Now the next long wait begins!

Anyone else get any news lately?

I'm still editing for agent - keeping in mind the long summer break publishers have - I'm being as fast as I can...Artistry has gone out the window!

I also just finished (reading) a brilliant book - the kind of book you read and go, 'what's the point of me writing because I will never write something like that!' That's thrown me a bit. Usually, I don't read and write at the same time but I thought I'd get away with it. Also now when I'm writing I'm thinking, 'oh, so and so would have done this instead...'

wishfulblinking · 04/06/2016 01:31

Oh Helmetbymidnight I just read Love, Nina and felt just the same way... An utterly brilliant charming book (which didn't even start out at as a book!) and had a few days of feeling like my own attempts were completely pointless when stuff like that is out there in the world.

But the week before I read a thriller which is currently very highly rated on Amazon and gave up because it was so awful, full of grammatical mistakes and just badly written. But which seems to be selling loads anyway and getting great reviews.

Not sure what point I'm trying to make except that maybe there's room for us all and I bet your book is fab.

I'll shuffle off now.

MissBattleaxe · 04/06/2016 09:21

But the week before I read a thriller which is currently very highly rated on Amazon and gave up because it was so awful, full of grammatical mistakes and just badly written. But which seems to be selling loads anyway and getting great reviews.

I have found this too. I have recently read two bestsellers that were badly written, ungrammatical and full of holes. I don't know how they got through the net. I was shocked.

Yet here we are, all polishing and editing like mad to get it looking good. I don't know what's going on.

CantFeelMyFace · 04/06/2016 09:35

This is exactly what I was saying on another thread. I read a novel over the weekend which made me want to delete my entire book. Then, I remembered a couple of books I read last year that were truly awful but managed to be bestsellers. I think they were debut authors too. This is why we should never give up. Even if we're really crap, somebody might just publish us! Grin

MissBattleaxe · 04/06/2016 10:57

Which thread was that Can't? It's something that's been really bugging me lately, especially as the effort to get published is so tough.

CantFeelMyFace · 04/06/2016 11:06

Oh, I was waxing lyrical about a book find on the what we're reading forum. (A dictionary of mutual understanding was the book, it inspired and deflated me in equal measures-amazing book).

The way I see it, there is a readership for all kinds of writing and there's nothing wrong with that. But, I wonder how these writers got their foot through the door because the first three chapters were hardly amazing in my humble opinion. Luck? Right place, right time? Whether you get published or not seems so random sometimes!

wishfulblinking · 05/06/2016 02:33

I seem to have read quite a few high concept thrillers recently that seem unbelievably badly written and in need of a really good edit.

Maybe publishers don't think there's any point in investing in a long drawn out editing process for these kind of novels - thinking (probably rightly considering how so many of them are in amazon's top ten) that they'll do really well because they have such a good hook which will draw readers in no matter what. And readers seem to love them. But I don't understand how they get agents in the first place....

wishfulblinking · 05/06/2016 02:55

Can I ask your views on something, please?
Do you think I can be cheeky and tell the agents I submitted to (way back in March) but haven't heard back from that someone's requested a full MS? To drum up a bit of interest...maybe?
I know agents often say to give them a nudge but do you think that ship has sailed and the fact I haven't heard back after this long means I've already been rejected?
I've checked and these particular agents don't explicitly say on their websites that if you don't hear after xxx, you should consider this a no.

wordassociationfootball · 05/06/2016 07:44

Wishful, yes, I think you should. March is still in the warm zone (which is not A Thing, I just made it up)

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