When it comes time for you to submit query letters to agents, you will inevitably receive rejections. Rejections can mean a variety of things, but ultimately, it’s the agent expressing that they aren’t connecting with your manuscript or pitch materials. When you start compiling a certain number of rejection emails, it can be disheartening and discouraging. The good news is that you can continue to improve your pitch and with enough practice and persistence, develop an attitude that makes you immune to literary hopelessness.
What Does a Query Rejection Mean?
A rejection can mean a variety of things, but it depends on what the rejection itself says. If you’re getting consistent form rejections, it could be anything from a flawed or ineffective query or a poorly edited manuscript. Your first 10 pages might not hook the reader; you might have spelling mistakes or nothing of substance that the agent cares about. Or, they might not have gotten past the first paragraph of your query. In a lot of ways, it’s a guessing game. But if you’re getting agents who request your entire manuscript, and then reject you, there’s a good chance that they will give you specific feedback. If not, their interest would at least indicate that parts of your query and manuscript are working for them. So again, landing an agent will require multiple revisions of your query, synopsis, pitch, and manuscript, in many cases.
How to Deal with the Emotional Aspect of Rejection
Getting rejected in any capacity is difficult. It feels like we are being told we don’t belong, that we aren’t good enough, that we aren’t wanted. But it’s important to remember that we can acknowledge these feelings and experience them without becoming resentful or dejected for longer than necessary. After a while, I do believe that things get easier. I’m not a psychologist, but the items below are some of the strategies that I’ve used to handle query rejections:
Accept that it’s part of the game
Acceptance is critical. Before you even send out a query, acknowledge that it’s inevitable that you will receive rejections, even if your manuscript is fantastically well-written. The reality is that agents, just like regular people (readers), have different tastes and preferences. You might have a really good story, but if the agent doesn’t vibe with it, they won’t want to work with you. A lot of rejections come down to personal preference. Contracts are typically long-term. You will be working with this person for potentially years, and if they don’t like your book, it’s going to be difficult to be persistent and put the care into your book that it deserves.
1. Perfection is impossible
Lots of writers are perfectionists. It’s very normalized among writers and in the literary world, and I believe it’s seen as a virtue by many, if not most. The problem with being a perfectionist is that it can be emotionally taxing. You can scrutinize every small detail a thousand times over and still think of another way to change it. That’s the reality of writing or doing anything creative, really. You have to accept imperfection to attain perfection. When it comes to querying, you will likely have to revise not only your query but your manuscript as well. And that’s okay!
2. Take some time off
Emotional responses to rejection are often hard to control, and I don’t think it’s in the writer’s best interest to try to stop feeling a certain way about rejection. I maintain that the more you get the more indifferent you will become, but you still may from time to time feel sad or like you failed. I would recommend taking some time off from writing or from sending queries if you’re finding it stressful or too hard to handle. It can be overwhelming and taking a break can give you a fresh perspective.
How to Handle Query Rejection
1. Revise your Query
Turn rejection into something productive. I’d say that there’s really no true threshold for rejections the amount of rejections you should receive before you can say for certain that “X isn’t working”. Writers who eventually get an offer of representation might have their queries rejected a hundred times. That said, I think it’s best to send out around 10 queries at a time. If you’re getting form rejections, you can send out another 10, or you can make some modifications to your query. If you are still getting form rejections, then maybe it’s time to look at the quality and content of your pages.
2. Collect them
Famously, Stephen King keeps all his rejection letters; the idea is that the more rejections you rack up, the more people you are prepared to prove wrong, to show that you can reach your goals in spite of the rejection. This isn’t to say that you should harbor any ill will against the agents. But, in my view, a rejection letter is just motivation to keep going. Think about how good it will feel when you start to garner interest in your novel. You will be happy you kept going.
3. Keep writing
Don’t wait for an answer to your queries before you jump into the next project. You will be waiting for months. You will perhaps be anxious to see if an agent will reach out, but it’s best to start a new project if you have one waiting. This will help you stop fixating on whether or not the next agent you query will be interested in pursuing your work. If any interest is garnered, then you can deal with what comes next when it happens. By the time you start getting replies, whether they are rejections or not, you will likely have another project draft finished and ready to edit. Continue to improve your craft and don’t lose sight of why you’re writing—because you love it.
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