Comments on: The top 10%

By: Mary Witzl

Mary Witzl — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:30:23 +0000

I'm pretty thrilled to be getting detailed, personal rejections now, but from time to time, I still get the odd form rejection and it's demoralizing. From now on, I'll tell myself they're parrot rejections.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:32:06 +0000

Some heartening advice there, but the million-dollar question is how do I know if I'm 'meant to' break through? I done got myself an agent, does that mean I'm likely to get published? BTW I've met Adrienne and she'd great - as intelligent and charming as her blog suggests.

J.

By: Robert Kent, of Robertkent.net fame

Robert Kent, of Robertkent.net fame — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:14:11 +0000

I got a lot of form rejection letters in college (I wrote stories in between essays). Last year, I had an editor reject me after doing a complete revision on my novel for me (shut me down for money reasons). I had an agent meet with me, but decide that same novel was not commercially viable for a first time writer (it was a middle-grade novel about dealing with death, not boy wizards). This year I’m polishing the final draft of an adult horror novel I will be sending out queries for in the next month. I always hate form rejections, but when I look back at my earliest efforts, form rejections really are what they deserved. I find this post encouraging. If I get form rejections for the new book, I’ll know it’s time for another revision.

By: Alli

Alli — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:52:43 +0000

A great post and very timely as I am at the query stage right now. Thanks for the link and thank you for the words of encouragement for those of us in the trenches at the moment.

By: Kristi

Kristi — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:14:51 +0000

Thanks for the link to Adrienne's blog — it was refreshing to read something optimistic for a change. The 4 questions were great and while it's nice to know I'm in the 10%, I think I'll wait until my ms is at the 1% point before I query. Happy Monday!

By: K. M. Walton

K. M. Walton — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:14:09 +0000

If the path to publication were an easy road, paved with effortlessness, then it wouldn't be nearly as sweet when success finally comes.

I. Will. Never. Give. Up.

Period.

By: Yat-Yee

Yat-Yee — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:24:03 +0000

It's true; a form rejection letter doesn't tell us how close we are. It's good to hear this every once in a while, especially when I get discouraged by the odds.