How to go on without losing hope?
I have recently been rejected by three agents for my work, which has been in the making for seven years. I have a passion for books and take them seriously, but fear that I am not getting any attention because everything is dumbed down these days, and all agents want is stupidity.
It's sickening the authority these people have. At the push of a button they can make or break you. They have no idea how devastating they are to those who are passionate about writing.
I can't stand seeing terrible books in bookshops about toilet humour and yet my work isn't being given the time of day. The opinion of one person should not dictate what the public will like, especially if the agents are bias, narrow-minded and are into trash and wouldn't know quality if smacked them in the face.
Piers Blofeld now writes a column in Writing Magazine, called 'From the other side of the desk.' July's column is very apposite to this post by CT. Among other sound comments, he says that an agent's job isn't to tell the writer they are good; it's to find work that will sell - not the same thing.
You're not doing your job, Paul - you are failing to depress me!
Lorraine
Hi cuppa tea. I can't put anything in the way Lorraine puts things, but she is right it is the letter. I looked at youtube and was amazed how quickly a letter is rejected, Piers Blofeld, I know I keep telling people to look at what he has to say, but it really is worth looking at. If you get chance google his name and I think it will take you straight to him. It is worth a look and it is free, so straight away free inside information.
I hope you recover from the hammer blow but as Lorraine has said it is the way of the agent. As dispassionate as 007 when he bumps off his target these agents are the same, You have put yourself in their sights and your letter (your secret information) has to be of interest to keep you alive and glean more so they can make a killing, so to speak.
I know I can't help writing rubbish.
But I think the advice Lorraine has given about writing other "stuff" is a good idea.
May I be cheeky and ask if you are thinking of putting any part of your opening chapter on shared work. It would be good to get a flavour of your work.
Regards and for goodness sake don't let it depress you, I am here to depress everyone that is my job!!!
Paul.
I'm sorry to hear you've had another rejection, CT, but it's par for the course, you know. More people are rejected than accepted.
You are understandably upset, but you are being rather scathing about all agents wanting to publish only trash. Agents don't publish anything - they sell the book on to a publisher, and the publisher will take only what will sell.
They are in this to make money, for themselves and for you. It is possible that they haven't even read your book: the covering letter and/or synopsis may be as far as they've got. Agents have not got time to read every submission - they go on an instant gut feeling and first impression. Cruel, maybe, but these guys are professionals and can spot a good bet or a bad one pretty much from the first paragraph. Think about it: if they couldn't do that, they'd go bust.
Yes, they may also miss good-quality work because the writer can write brilliant fiction but is no good at selling himself, but that's why there are books about writing this sort of introductory letter.
Agents do know how devastating it is for a person to be rejected: but they can't take that into consideration. There's no point expecting them to try to flog something to a publisher because they know the writer will get upset if they don't. A publisher is investing a lot of money in a novel that they take on (though for a first-timer, and with only the one book written, they wouldn't invest much in the first instance). If it won't sell enough to recoup their expenses and more, they won't buy it.
You say your book has been in the making for seven years: irrelevant. The agent doesn't care if you dashed it off in an hour or spent your life on it - it's the book and the book alone that is under consideration. Nothing personal enters into the equation. The only thing that would concern agent or publisher would be that if it took you seven years to do this one, how long would it take to write a second? Time is of the essence.
Have you had an editor look at your work? Have you had a disinterested eye read a chapter or three and give you feedback? Nobody sees their own work as others see it. You view yours with an eye to that seven years' hard graft: the editor/reader is seeing it only in terms of its success or failure as a novel.
How do you keep going? My advice would be to write something completely new - a short story, a piece of flash fiction, an article for a local magazine: anything that isn't the novel you've been working on for so long. Give yourself a break from that, and stretch your creative wings. Buy a writing magazine and see what competitions are happening now; having a time limit and a theme that you wouldn't have tackled before may help to change your focus.
Then, when you've calmed down, get a professional to look at your work - and accept that they may not like it, but will give you valid reasons for doing so. Hear what they have to say about your style or content. They may be able to give you a push in the right direction.
One word of advice: whatever they say will not be personal, or motivated by anything other than a professional critique of your words on the page.
Finally, if you are convinced that your book will sell, think about self-publishing. The old stigma no longer applies: many people self-publish these days and gain a good following.
Lorraine