SO sorry for the loooong delay in posting on this
blog. I spent December travelling around
Australia and New Zealand which was amazing but very distracting :-) My lack of blogging is symptomatic of my lack
of writing in general, both of which I’m attempting to get back on course now
I’ve had to return to “real” life!
I haven’t told you this yet, but I submitted B4 (my kids’
book) to three agents back in October.
It was one of the most scary things I’ve ever done. My heart raced for several hours
and I felt nauseous.
It was hard work too.
Making sure the first few chapters of the manuscript were as polished as
possible was only the first step and that was a long first step! A manuscript will never feel completely
finished and perfect, so deciding when it was good enough and time to stop
tweaking was tough. On top of that I
then had to write a synopsis (always easier said than done) and a covering
letter.
For one agent I had to submit a CV as well. Seriously?! I haven't updated my CV for years so it took aaaages. I was suddenly more relieved
than I’ve ever been to be able to say that I have a degree in English Lit and
Lang - hopefully it gives me a little writerly kudos!
The first agent took just over a week to reply...with a
rejection. Allegedly rejections are a
“badge of honour” for writers. I don’t
quite get it. The only positive thing
about a rejection is it shows that I actually managed to complete a manuscript
and submit it. It hurts your ego, hopes and dreams for a time. That’s only natural.
Bizarrely though, I found myself feeling seriously relieved
too. Eh? I thought. Then it dawned on me that if an agent was
interested in B4 and picked it up, I would probably be writing it for the next
3-5 years, as it’s the first of a potential series. Much as I love Ben and Ned – and I do! – I’m
keen to try my hand at other writing too, notably YA fiction and
screenwriting. I realised that I wasn’t
ready to get swept up in the rollercoaster of publication for this book and its
sequels just yet.
Still I had two more agents to wait to hear back from and
I was torn between wanting a yes (for my ego and to further the dream) and a no
(so I gained time to write some different stuff before pushing on with B4).
The second rejection came a couple of weeks later. I was truly relieved about that one, as it
was from a big agency that frankly felt too big and impersonal for me. However, it was a painful rejection and very
differently worded to the first one I’d had. They “unfortunately…did not feel
enthusiastic enough about it [B4] to take this further.” Ouch!
That just says “we don’t like your work” or “it’s rubbish”. Much more personal and critical. And crushing.
I was fascinated by the difference in rejection messages. The first rejection had come from the agent
who I’d always figured that they’d either be my
best bet (coz they represent the writer of another kids series, the one I’d used as a
bit of a benchmark for B4) or my worst bet (coz they already
had that area on their list covered and didn’t want anyone similar).
Their rejection said that they had “decided it is not quite right for
our list but we wish you all the very best in placing elsewhere.” Nice gentle let down. As well as massively revelatory about the world
of agents.
When you submit to an agent, they are naturally gonna look at whether or
not you’re a good writer and can tell a story well. But there’s way more to it than that. Agents are business people, looking for
clients that will make them money. They
don’t just want any old good writer on their lists, but are looking to
specialise in certain areas or fill any gaps in their current list. Even if you’re a great writer with a
fantastic story, you may get rejected many times until you find the agent who
really “gets” you and your story, and whose list you’ll fit into.
Without a crystal ball, you just have to keep submitting to agents,
stacking up the rejections (sorry, badges of honour) and hope that you find
“the right one” one day.
The third rejection – yes, I got three nos – took ages to come, longer
than the company’s stated response time.
Perhaps I should have rejected them on that basis?! By this time I didn’t mind if it was a yes,
as I’d already progressed well with my YA writing. Their let-down was encouraging and kind
though – “I did not feel it would be right for my list and therefore I
am unable to offer you representation. I
am sorry not to be writing with better news, but I hope this response will not
discourage you. I wish you all the best with your writing.”
Even if that is just what she says to everyone, I
definitely preferred receiving it to the second agent’s brush-off. I’d happily submit future work to this agent
(and possibly the first), but I won’t be sending anything to the second agent
ever again!
So, what’s the future for B4 now? I’m putting it aside for the moment - not because I'm demoralised but in order to focus
on the other areas of writing I’ve mentioned.
I’m already aware of some revisions I want to do on it though – making it more
bouncy and pacey, tweaking a couple of plot details – and I’ll attempt that
sometime later this year. Then I’ll
probably submit to more agents and perhaps look to enter it in some
competitions. And toughen myself up in preparation for future rejections...
