Support for/experience of rejections on full requests!

[LucastaNoir]

Hi, I’m a new writer and have recently been finding the threads on here super helpful. I’ve started querying my psychological thriller and have had full requests for my manuscript…but now the rejections have started coming in and I’m wondering what - if anything to read into this - and whether to continue querying or not.

I know it’s all subjective and everyone’s journey is different of course but I don’t know any one else who writes in real life and would love to hear people’s experiences with getting full requests 🙏

Congratulations on your full requests!

This might not be what you want to hear but I've had a number of rejections on a full request and my MS is still sitting, unagented, in a desk drawer. The reasons varied - couldn't see where to place it in the market, had just taken on something too similar, the pacing didn't work. I've taken that feedback on board and have started on yet another edit, but I'm mainly focusing on something new.

Ah thanks @Moonflowered - I’m sorry you’ve had rejections too. That’s def good advice - I actually started writing something new this afternoon to take my mind off things!

I think part of the problem is there aren’t actually any reasons given on the rejections - beyond ‘it’s not right for me/don’t feel strongly enough to take it on’ sort of thing. I was hoping to get feedback to then edit and do another round of queries but there’s not much to go on (I get agents are busy etc so I’m not moaning about that really, it’s more just not sure how to move forward and whether to quit querying or not).

Anyway, I guess Christmas is a good time to pause for thought anyway. Do you still have agents you haven’t approached yet?

Please don’t give up! Keep querying. It only takes one agent or publisher to love your book. I was in your position a few years ago. Some initial interest and full MS requests followed by a swathe of rejections. I ploughed on and decided to try digital first publishers who take unagented submissions. I was offered a deal in 2020 and released four books with that publisher before being offered a deal with a larger digital first publisher. I have now had six books published with my seventh due out in January. Four of them have been Amazon top 100 bestsellers (and one was a top 10). I write psychological suspense and while my books aren’t in stores, they’re available in paperback and hardback. Happy to answer any questions.

Ah thank you @DawsonsGeek - that’s so interesting - this is definitely a route I know little about at the moment and would be keen to pursue. Can I ask what the digital first publishers were? Or which ones have good reps? I know Bookouture I think? Not sure about any others.

And congrats on your success as a writer! Very impressed and it’s v encouraging!

Oh, and do you just query them in the way you would query agents?

This is a really good article about digital first publishers and it also has a list of the most well known ones: https://jerichowriters.com/digital-first-publishers/

They won’t all be open for submissions all the time but it’s worth checking regularly. In terms of submission, check the guidelines on the websites of each publisher but as a rule it’s very similar to querying an agent, although some publishers ask for the full MS from the off. You can query agents and digital first publishers at the same time so don’t think you have to choose one or the other and this keeps your options open.

I think the most important thing is to be clear on your ultimate goal. Yours might be to get an agent, be published by one of the big four and have a book signing in Waterstones. This is a great goal and if it’s yours, pursue it with all you have, even if that means shelving your first MS and writing another (although keep querying agents for now, as I don’t think you’ve reached this stage yet).

This was my initial goal too but I realised that my actual goal was to be a published author and given that most people read on devices now, I didn’t want to rule out this avenue. I can honestly say that I don’t regret my path. I’ve had books published regularly, I’ve built up a readership and I receive monthly royalties. There is no waiting years to be published as there can be with trad publishers and I’m an impatient person! I’ve changed my mindset on publishing and see it as a long game - like any career, you have to start somewhere and work your way up.

Of course there are still authors who get a six figure advance for their debut with a big four publisher. But they are so few and far between now. Many agents are now securing deals with digital first publishers. Mine has a mix of unagented and agented authors. Whatever you decide to do, and whatever path you go down, the key is to be determined and resilient. Rejections will come left, right and centre but believe in yourself and your writing.