Search Results for: rejection
Unsolicited Proposals: aka “The Slush Pile”
All literary agents receive dozens of proposal each week. Some in the mail and some via email. Last week was a slow week, only 30 unsolicited proposals arrived. (Unsolicited means proposals that are not from our existing clients. We get a number of those each week too.) The variety can be rather astounding. We don’t mean to be mean about it, but sometimes you have to find the humor in these …
Fun Fridays – June 6, 2014
Next time you receive a rejection letter? Next time you receive a bad review? Next time you tell yourself you don’t have what it takes to be a writer? Next time you fail at what you know you are called to do? Watch the below video and remind yourself of the power of determination.
Two Important Ingredients for Success
I’ll never forget the day, just after church, when a friend pulled me aside and said, “My son can’t find a job and he needs to make some money fast. So he’s going to write a book. Any advice for him?” Yeah, well, the advice I had wasn’t for him, it was for her: “Don’t ever say anything like that to me again.” Whatever gave people the impression that writing was a get-rich quick …
Overcome the Discouragement of Expectations
Guest post by Erin Taylor Young
This is Henry, our dog. Not my husband.
I love my husband. Really I do. But there are occasions I’m tempted to take a sharp, pointy pencil and stab him somewhere non-fatal. Especially when I’m torqued over my anemic word count, frustrated by a recent edit, or discouraged by yet another rejection.
I’m venting why, why, WHY, and my hubby turns into a fixer. …
What is Crowdfunding? Is it Right for You?
Guest post by Nicole O'Dell
What is crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding is all the rage these days. And it makes sense because a successful campaign guarantees a successful product (book) launch since the necessary sales happen upfront. Or at least enough so that what comes later is gravy. How awesome is that?
But it can be a horrifying prospect to take your idea and present it to the public for a …
Dear Editors
Dear Editors:
When I first started writing, not for a letter grade in college, but in hopes of a paycheck -- or at least a byline -- I solicited you with many articles, devotionals, short stories, and book-length manuscripts. Each was posted with dreams of finding your favor. More often than not, you sliced those dreams with your pens of rejection.
And for that, I want to thank you.
“The Great Unspoken” – Why Agents Don’t Critique
There’s a secret agents and editors share. Something they seldom discuss with each other, and never with writers. It’s something they dislike. Intensely. It ties their hands when it comes to guiding writers guidance. It’s the #1 reason they turn down proposals, and the #2 (and sometimes #1) reason they’ve gone with form rejection letters. It’s something many inexperienced agents and editors try to …
Agents and Proposals: What to Expect
Last week I left you with a question: How do editors/agents get through all the proposals they receive. For me, as an editor and now as an agent, the answer was to hire someone to be my first-pass reader. In my case, this person is someone I’ve worked with now for over fifteen years. She knows me and my tastes well, and, as an avid reader and a skilled writer herself, she knows quality writing. …
Why Don’t Agents/Editors Give You More Guidance?
Proposals are hard work. C’mon, be honest. All the research and writing and preparation that goes into them? Admit it, that sometimes feels like you’re being punished for wanting to write a book. And then, when you’ve poured your heart and time and effort into making that dreaded proposal as perfect as you can, what happens? You send it to the agent or editor, and wait.
And wait. And wait. And …