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Think YOU Don’t Like Pass Letters?

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Blogger: Rachelle Gardner

I don’t like pass letters any more than you do. Here’s a look at some that have hit my inbox:

“It felt like a class research paper at times.”

“I like the plot and hate the execution.”

“I feel like I’ve read this all before, somewhere. So I’m going to pass.”

“I’m afraid this concept would be dead here before it even started.”

“The setup has so much potential for conflict, yet the story is dull.”

rejected--150x150“The content and premise just aren’t strong enough to overcome the current lack of platform.”

“Even though the writer’s talent is quite evident, it moved a bit slow in the early chapters.”

“I found that I wasn’t drawn into the material the way you must have been.”

“There is some great stuff in here—the author’s voice, honesty, and firsthand experience. There were, however, concerns about the marketability, author platform, and audience.”

“Our Board was unable to catch the vision… just too risky… did not have the uniqueness we were looking for.”

“I don’t think the writing is strong enough to overcome all the clichés in the plot.”

“The main character isn’t very likable up front. I think the reader is going to need to like her sooner, even if they don’t necessarily like her actions or decisions.”

“I liked it, but wasn’t sure it was unique enough to stand out. I was going back on forth on it, and I guess that means that ultimately I’m going to have to pass.”

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t really have a strong enough hook for us to be able to take it on, so I am sorry to have to pass.”

“This one didn’t quite nail it for us.”

“With no publishing history or national media connections or big-name endorsers, I won’t be able to get this through committee. We’re not looking for first-time authors right now unless they bring stunning writing and some kind of promotional hook.”

“Unfortunately, when I brought it up at our editorial meeting, some of my colleagues felt that this didn’t have the emotional depth they would liked to see in story like this, and I was unable to convince them.”

These are actual excerpts from rejection letters written by editors at major publishing houses.

Every one of these projects went on to sell to a publisher who loved it.

While some projects are revised before finding a publisher, these examples are from projects that sold with no further revision.

So what can we conclude from this?

Tweetables

Agents get pass letters too – from publishers. Read some excerpts here. Click to Tweet.

If you hate rejection letters, take heart. Your agent hates them too. Click to Tweet.

“So much potential, but the story is dull.” Excerpts from publisher pass letters. Click to Tweet.

 

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  1. My initial thoughts about acquisitions editors, as highlighted in this fascinating post –

    * Their subjective decisions affect not only their own livelihood, but the health of the house, and the future of all of its employees

    * They have to forecast what’s going to be popular at the end of the production process, when the book hits the shelves.

    * They have to see projects on which they passed go on to success at other houses, and they may have to answer to their superiors for that. In any case, they have to live with the memory of a wrong decision without letting it damage their confidence and judgement.

    It takes a lot to be an acquisitions editor. Good judgement, and a strong sense of responsibility.

    And the same is true for agents.

    Reply

    • I would have loved to have received a letter even a rejection. That would have said at least someone looked at my book. Everyone is not going to like every book, this is true of the “professionals” as well. Well, no matter I’m published and people are buying. Maybe I’ll get the rejection letter on my next one.

      Reply

    • Insightful, Andrew. I think you’re right on all counts. Their jobs literally depend on making the right acquisitions. For agents, their livelihood depends on it. Thanks for thinking this through for us!

      Reply

  2. I am on the edges of a new ministry. I have concluded that this isn’t where God wants me to direct my energy right now. But I pray that the ministry succeeds. And if it does, I will rejoice without regrets.

    Just because this is business, God isn’t out of the picture. Is there room to say, “this isn’t for us right now, but the message is great and we pray that it finds its way to the public”?

    Reply

  3. We conclude that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you know your book is beautiful, don’t give up until you find someone who agrees with you, in spite of those who don’t. Have faith.

    Reply

  4. That it’s all a big crapshoot.
    🙂
    Anyone who doesn’t believe in taking risks or waiting for the ‘right’ decision or waiting in general, should NOT be in publishing. If you can’t handle rejection, get out now.
    We talk about rejection a lot. And sometimes there are no answers. It’s subjective. Like anything in the arts. When I visit an art gallery and stare at a large canvas on the wall with a few squiggly lines on it and some splash of color here and there, I see something a 2 year old could do. Others see amazing fantastical stories on that canvas, and might pay millions of dollars for it. Not my thing, but it’s theirs obviously.
    Then there’s the age old struggle of writing from the heart or writing for the market. If you know the formulae, know what they want and can produce it, chances are you might get that yes. But if you don’t really care about formulas or what’s hot but simply want to tell the stories burning inside of you…well…good luck with that.
    I fall into the latter camp. I continue to write…but it’s more than just getting the words down. It’s investing. It’s really studying the craft and putting forth the best possible work you’re capable of in that moment. And then, as others have said, it’s having the faith in yourself to know that amidst all those rejections, somebody out there someday is going to say yes.
    If I didn’t truly believe that, I would have quit a long time ago.
    I’m so glad I didn’t.
    Rejections aren’t fun, but if we learn from them and let them push us further, boost us up instead of drag us down, I think that’s the key. The necessary evil we have to live with, but we can, and we will. And we’ll be better writers because of it.

    Reply

  5. Rachelle, Thanks for shielding some of the authors you represent from these comments.
    Back in the days before agents were sort of required, I submitted a manuscript to an editor I met at a conference, and he loved it. He called me to tell me the Pub Board turned it down, then added, “Of course, they also turned down **** (a best-seller).” That served as enough encouragement to me that I kept writing.

    Reply

    • Richard, that’s a great ploy. From now now, when I have to report on a “pass,” I should always highlight some big awesome bestseller on which they also passed. 🙂

      Reply

  6. While it’s a very subjective process, I appreciate a brief yet clear reason (lack of platform, too many cliches, etc.) over a vague one(“didn’t nail it for us”). A weak platform and reliance on cliches are things I can work on, but I don’t know what to do with “didn’t nail it.” I realize editors and agents can’t give critiques, but even the tiniest clue would be welcomed.

    Another thought: If an editor knows immediately that a manuscript is not for her, then I think a quick “not for us” is fine. But the longer she hangs on to it, the more she praises it and sends it “up the chain”–that is, the more reason for hope she’s given the author–the more she needs to offer a specific reason for rejection.

    It’s sort of like dating. If you don’t want to go out with a guy you’ve just met, a quick “no, thanks,” will usually suffice and not sting too much. But if you’ve been dating him steadily for eight months and suddenly your affections cool, he deserves a more of an explanation.

    Reply

    • Ah, wouldn’t it be nice if it were that easy? Sometimes the reasons are so convoluted that even the person doing the rejecting (be it editor or boyfriend) would have a hard time explaining it in a way that’s actually helpful.

      Truthfully, even the explanations that seem helpful are often shorthand cliches that don’t really get to the real reasons, which we might never know. The cruel ones are usually the ones that hold the most truth, i.e. “the story is just boring.”

      Reply

  7. I love it. Reminds me of talking about books with my friends. I love humor and a fast paced read that has beautiful writing sprinkled in, my BFF loves literary fiction and depressing real life situations, my sister loves clean uncluttered prose that moves at a lightning pace, no flowery descriptions at all. But we all love to read. Hopefully there is an editor and readers out there for me, trying to get better so I can make them happy.

    Reply

    • Yes, I always think of my book club as a good example of how people have different tastes. Eight Christian women, all wives and moms, all having worked in publishing for many years… and typically, eight different opinions of a book.

      Reply

    • You got it, William. I, for one, would like to see more humility coming from certain editors who make pronouncements (“the story is dull”).

      Reply

  14. I guess what I came away with at the end of this post is what others have alluded to. Publishing is subjective. There will be editors at one house who can’t get behind a project, but when it’s sent to another house, that editor and team love it. I’m thinking it’s better to face a rejection at a house who doesn’t see the story as one they can support and then have it go to a house that loves and supports it, than to have a story stagnate at a house for months, or have a team that doesn’t really get behind the story.

    And ultimately, God knows where each person’s story needs to be. Which house will be the best to bring it to publication and which readers will read it. So, if I can trust Him with this story through every step of the process I’m thinking (hoping!) it makes it a little easier to deal with the rejections when they come. 🙂

    Reply

  15. Thanks for the good post and encouraging comments. I’m glad to be getting a more realistic view of the process. Forewarned is forearmed!

    Reply

  16. Such a good reminder that just because one person says “no,” the world isn’t going to crash all around us. I think we writers need to remember this every day. Or…maybe every minute. 😉

    Reply

  18. I hadn’t really thought about this from the agent’s perspective before, Rachelle. It just goes to show this whole publishing business really IS subjective. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply

  19. Ugh – reading through all of these just makes me cringe; I can’t imagine what it would’ve felt like to receive them.

    There’s a positive spin, there always is if you look for it, but still – rejection is hard. Thank you for posting this and reminding us (writers) that it happens to agents too, and it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no hope.

    Reply

  20. Rachelle, I must admit that I was a bit distracted when I first read this. I thought you meant that those letters represented some of the negative feedback that you had received about your OWN writing. I couldn’t help but wince and think, “Well, she sure is persistent, though. Good for her!” 🙂

    Then I finished helping my son with his science project and read your post again. Suddenly things made a lot more sense.

    Note to self: homeschooling children and reading blogs at the same time isn’t always a good idea…

    Thanks for the encouraging post!

    Reply

  21. Everything in life and nature expands and contracts, including trends in different categories, my fears about my ability to connect with a publisher, my hopes that I have written something that people will enjoy,the energy I have to spend on my writing…ultimately all I can do is to present my best offering to the world and let go of the fantasy that I have any real control over the process.

    Reply

  22. An editor at a major publishing house recently e-mailed me with this note:

    “Don, Liked your MS. It’s a keeper. Perfectly edited and funny as well. I read all 150,000 words at one sitting.

    I was fascinated by the subject, theme and your flawless execution there of. Your voice is unique, reminds me of a well polished Faulkner.

    This MS could easily become a ten-part series.(If not more)
    This is auction material like I have not seen since J.K Rawling. (sp?)

    I’m talking a min. seven figure advance and royalty rights up the wazoo. Hollywood will gobble this up in a New York Minute. I’ve got a call into Ronnie Howard and Spielberg. I’ve already talked to George Clooney’s agent and gotten a green light.

    We will handle 100% of the cost of the marketing, advertising, magazine layouts and social media. All you have to do is write and do a few “top tier” book signing a year.

    I can hear Morgan Freeman or Jeff Bridges voicing the audio version now.

    I can send our corporate jet to pick you up for the contract signing but . . . there is just one small problem. I’ll have to pass on this one.

    I didn’t like the way you numbered your pages in consecutive order.(Not very creative) Something for you to think and deeply ponder about. Maybe next time. (Oh, and there weren’t enough adjectives)

    I still believe you have a #1 Best Seller. Try submitting it to another agent and/or editor who is more tolerant towards “sloppy” page numbers.
    Keep writing, keep submitting. Love your work.
    Bennett Cerf
    BTW: Your’s is the best Jacket Flap text I have read in decades. Your hard back books would have flown off the shelves and the paper backs would have twirled off those rotating racks.

    Reply

  23. Thanks, Rachelle, for such a valuable post. Who likes rejection letter? They are so depressing and discouraging. This post reminds all of us that writing is a subjective business, and just because one person doesn’t like our writing, doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t.
    Thanks so much for sharing. I greatly appreciate it!
    Regards,
    S.J. Francis

    Reply

  24. Very illuminating–thank you!

    What I take away from the combination of focused rejections and the big reveal that these found publishers eventually without revision is that it is a complex business decision.

    What I need as an author is not one editor as advocate, but a whole team as partners. The acquisitions editor is discerning what that house, as a team, wants, likes, and needs.

    As the book can be written by one of us, but not by any other writer, it can be brought to print and to the marketplace by one team, but not by another.

    Reply

  26. I enjoyed reading an agent’s perspective on rejection.
    My most impressive rejection – delivered by my agent on behalf of a publisher – described one of my manuscripts as the most irritating novel the publisher had ever read. Perversely, I’m quite fond of that description of my work.

    Reply

  28. Reading these rejection letters is sobering, yet instructional, and there is much for the as-yet-unpublished author like me to take on board. Thanks for sharing these.

    Reply