Rejection slips

I got two rejection slips from agents today, for a grand total of three.

Ya know, I was feeling mildly bummed1 until I counted… Three ain’t bad. I’ve promised myself not to get worried until the count reaches thirty and at two queries a week, that’s months away.

One was a form rejection.

The other was this very kind personal letter, saying (s)he enjoyed reading the pages I submitted, but it didn’t catch the imagination.

Does that mean my missing is getting closer? It’s the first personal response I’ve gotten.

Part of me is thinking, “Aww, that’s really sweet and all, but you don’t have to reassure me. At this stage in the game, even ‘you SUCK’ is unlikely to keep me from writing.” You know, trying to be kind to the delicate ego of the budding author.

Part of me is wondering if (s)he was serious.

Still, it was personal, and I’m heartened a lot by that no matter what.

1As in, “Oh… well fudge. Anyway, gotta lick this envelope and get my ass to the post orifice sos I can send me out my next batch o’queries.”

6 Replies to “Rejection slips”

  1. I’d take it seriously.
    I don’t honestly know that anyone at that level has the time to give false hope to shitty writers- because giving false hope only encourages the awful to submit MANY many more horribles to the oops too kind editor.

  2. Hey that is not so bad. I have a friend who has tons of rejection letters and not one was a personal letter. She writes childrens short stories. She would be bouncing off the walls at a something like that. You will find that one place that is right for your work. Just keep getting you butt to the post office and sending them off.

  3. Yeah I check in and find it funny and refreshing. Plus you have to make it big so I can say I knew you WHEN :)… Have you ever thought about doing a book club online. I have been thinking I would try to find a few online…so I looked and there is one that is Reading Rebecca…was not really for me. I just finished the OUTLANDER SERIES…no one I have met around me was intrested in those. So anyway this has turned in to a really long comment…sorry…You have always had talent…back in High School you were just way ahead of your time.

  4. You know, it could be fun, Tammy. I’ve never read any Gabaldon’s work (yes, I looked it up online!), but I do enjoy historical fiction.

    If you like such things, you might enjoy The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory or (a particular fave of mine) The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George. (I actually have a signed copy of that one!)

  5. DG is great…of course I say this at a time in my life when I was quite pregnant and had lots of time to read her books. I will check those out thanks for the suggestion. I drive the people around me crazy because I get so involved with my books…I always have even as a kid. No one ever knew in high school that I read all the time. I had 2 library cards in 2 different names so I could check out lots of books…ok can you say DORK but it was top secret you know. No one in our graduating class would have ever guessed that one…not even the high school sweetheart even paid attention to it. lol lol

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