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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Rejection » Page 3

Rejection

Criticism Is an Unhappy Part of the Business

By Steve Laubeon April 22, 2019
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Let me tell you about a rather interesting day. I spent an entire morning going through my unsolicited proposals in-box. I marked them all for my assistant to send fairly standard email rejection letters, since none were anything our agency could/would handle.

Very soon I received three separate responses via email:

(1) Criticized me for sending an impersonal note, saying they spent considerable time with the proposal and the least I could do was give a corresponding critique. Never mind that the writer failed to follow the guidelines on the site he claimed to have read.

(2) Wrote me to say, “I consider it a disgrace that any American would ignore this story, particularly a man with access to our Christian media outlets who calls himself my ‘brother in the Lord.’ You must not be a prayer warrior, Mr. Laube, because if you were, He’d have guided you as He has me in this decision. Therefore, I wouldn’t want you handling this book.”

(3) Wrote a one word, very personal, extremely vulgar adjective in reply to my rejection letter.

All in one afternoon. So you see, even the agent side of the business receives its share of criticism that is ill-founded, ignorant, and inappropriate.

Next time a critic gives you a negative book review or an editor sends you a sixteen-page, single-spaced, scourging of your manuscript. remember that everyone is entitled to their opinion. Your response will determine much about your success as a writer. One of our clients claims that the one thing a writer needs to develop, in order to survive this profession, is a thick skin.

How do you respond to critics?

 

[A previous version of this post ran in early March 2011.]

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Category: Agency, Get Published, RejectionTag: Book Review, Criticism, crtics, Editors, Rejection, Writing Craft

Even the Best Get Rejected

By Steve Laubeon April 15, 2019
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I've written about rejection before and yet it is a topic that continues to fascinate.

Recently Adrienne Crezo did an article on famous authors and their worst rejection letters. I thought you might enjoy reading a couple highlights of that article and some additional stories I have collected over the years.

George Orwell's Animal Farm was rejected by Alfred Knopf saying it …

Read moreEven the Best Get Rejected
Category: Career, Get Published, Rejection, Writing CraftTag: Rejection, Writing Craft

Real Reasons Some Books are Rejected

By Dan Balowon May 8, 2018
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Most authors and aspiring authors are open to direction and crave constructive comments to help them advance their craft and career. Hopefully, you have had a chance to be part of a good critique group which provided assistance in a manner you found energizing and helpful. When a book is rejected by a publisher or agent, sometimes the reasons behind the rejection are not what you might classify as …

Read moreReal Reasons Some Books are Rejected
Category: Book Proposals, Get Published, RejectionTag: book proposals, Rejection, The Publishing Life

When the Market Is Too Tight

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 22, 2018
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Previously I posted about sending rejections saying the market is too tight as a reason for the decline. Let’s take a closer look. Subjective? “The market is too tight,” sounds objective, doesn’t it? As in, “There isn’t enough room for your book because no one is buying this type of book.” However, this is one time we can get philosophical and admit this reason for a decline is actually the …

Read moreWhen the Market Is Too Tight
Category: Book Proposals, Genre, Get Published, Pitching, Platform, RejectionTag: book proposals, Get Published, Rejection

Why You Don’t Want to be the Exception

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 15, 2018
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In a recent post on the top three reasons why my office sends rejection letters, I referred to authors sending me out-of-category submissions. Spaghetti Against the Wall First, I mentioned that some authors don’t do their research. They don’t take the five to ten minutes tops to find out what we’re seeking. We even have a handy-dandy tab on our site. I think most authors who don’t consider what …

Read moreWhy You Don’t Want to be the Exception
Category: Book Proposals, RejectionTag: book proposals, Rejection

The Top Three Reasons My Office Rejects Submissions

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 8, 2018
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So you got a rejection saying the submission isn’t right for us? That’s a typical decline, isn’t it? Frustrating, I know. But it’s typical because it’s so common. Let’s look at the top three reasons my office sends rejection letters. The submission isn’t right for us. When you receive this letter, you may feel as though we blew off your work and chose a pig-in-a-poke excuse because we had to fill …

Read moreThe Top Three Reasons My Office Rejects Submissions
Category: Agents, RejectionTag: Agents, book proposal, Rejection

I Hate My Job!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 1, 2018
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Well, I don’t always hate my job. I only hate it on the days I have to send rejection letters. Or maybe I should say, I only hate it during the moments of the day that I must send rejection letters. If you receive a rejection letter either from my assistant or myself, you can count on a few truths: If we say you are talented, we believe it. If we say your work isn’t the right fit for us, you can …

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Category: Book Proposals, RejectionTag: Rejection, rejection letters

You Are Not Your Words

By Bob Hostetleron December 6, 2017
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Writers love words. That’s a good thing. But when we become attached to our own words, that’s a bad thing. I see it often in meeting with writers and offering critiques at writers’ conferences. The writer will hand me a piece of his or her work, “to see what you think.” I’ll look it over, and identify several things to compliment about the piece. And then I’ll make a suggestion for improvement. I …

Read moreYou Are Not Your Words
Category: Rejection, Reviews, The Writing LifeTag: Craft, Rejection, The Writing Life

I’m Always Open to Submissions

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 21, 2016
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Sometimes authors send me an email asking, “Are you looking at new submissions?” or “Are you accepting new clients?” I appreciate these authors’ desire not to waste my time or theirs, but I’ll say it here: I’m always open to submissions and new clients. Now, does this mean I’m open to reading entire unpublished books on every and any topic? Or that I hope to sign five new clients every week? No. I …

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Category: Agency, Book Proposals, Get Published, RejectionTag: Agency, book proposals, Submissions

What’s Wrong with my Book?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 14, 2016
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As you can imagine, we see hundreds of proposals and manuscripts each month. And, as you can also imagine, we must decline most. However, there are a few mistakes you can avoid to help your submission rise above others: Not beginning the story in the right place. All too often, an author will tell us about the main characters’ backgrounds before getting to the crux of the story, where the …

Read moreWhat’s Wrong with my Book?
Category: Book Proposals, Craft, Editing, Get Published, RejectionTag: book proposals, Get Published
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