Hello all.
I have completed my first novel which a gothic, romantic fantasy for adults. I have sent the usual chapters/synopsis etc out to agents and i have received a rejection from everyone...some positive and others with just a general no. My thought is...when is enough, enough. Do i take this as a sign that the material is not the best or do i keep trying. I feel so passionate about the book and i love writing but being a novice in this field when do i think it is probably not the right material and shoud try something else?
Help me please, i want to write so badly!!!
Natalie, don't despair! There are many reasons for a MS to be turned down, if you believe in it, keep trying. You are not alone. Everybody is rejected. Even JKR herself was rejected. You may recognise some of these, all rejected:
'Lolita', Vladimir Nabokov
'The Left Hand of Darkness', Ursula K. Le Guin.
'Animal Farm', George Orwell
'Great Gatsby', F. Scott Fitzgerald
'Carrie', Stephen King
..and so on...
If you cannot improve your first novel any more, it has been rewritten a dozen or so times, your test readers have all given a thumbs up, and it is absolutely as good as it can be, then yes, keep sending it out while you write another. Best thing is not to give up. Whatever happens, keep writing. You will still have your first novel and one day its time may come, but accept this set-back not as a reason to stop writing, but as a reason to go on... writing (and reading) is how we learn to write better.
Hi Natalie.
I have seen many similar posts like yours. I can only surmise that many want-to-be authors are in a similar position to you. They do not have the necessary resources to pay a professional literary service to assess their manuscript. Somehow you need to find the resources to do that, before you decide what to do next.
I hope that helps..
Good luck.