Blogger: Rachel Zurakowski
Location: Books & Such main office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
This week I’m going to talk about something we all hate: rejection. Unfortunately rejection is a big part of a writer’s life, and it’s also a big part of an agent’s life, just in a different way.
I have to reject people. Believe it or not, agents don’t actually enjoy rejecting people, but it’s part of the job. I often do all of my rejection emails and letters on the same day each week, and I never feel good about that day when I go home. It’s not fun to think about crushing the hopes of so many writers. The agents I know never set out to be insensitive when it comes to writing a rejection to an author, but sometimes we sound as if we don’t care just because of the number of rejections we have to send out. It’s humanly impossible for an agent to represent every good project that comes along; so we have to evaluate each project using these criteria:
1) Is the project something I’m excited about?
The best representation comes from an enthusiastic agent. I want to be excited about my clients’ projects, and my clients want me to be enthusiastic about their writing.
2) Could I show this project to my established network of publishers?
Every agent has a network of editors and publishers whom they’ve established relationships with. These editors and publishers are usually interested in the same type of material the agent is; so the relationship has been built on a mutual love for certain genres or topics. Agents want to represent books that could be shown to many different editors and publishing houses in their preexisting network because the possibility of selling the project is higher.
3) Could I work well with this author?
The author-agent relationship is VERY important. There needs to be mutual respect and trust between them for the relationship to last. I have a phone call and exchange several emails with potential clients before I offer representation. I try to get to know them as much as I can because I would much rather be very careful about whom I work with than having to end a relationship because it didn’t go well.
4) Can this author write well and revise if necessary?
I look for clean writing in submissions and often will suggest revisions not only to help to improve the project but also to see if the author is willing and able to make revisions. It’s understandable that authors don’t want to change their “babies,” but when I see changes that need to be made, I want clients who are going to trust my judgment and do a thorough and professional revision.
If the answer is “no” to any of these criteria, I’m going to choose not to represent that writer. When I send a rejection, I hope that author will find the right agent for his or her project; I want every author to succeed.
Oooooh… the Big “R” word. Great post, Rachel.
I think understanding #2 is probably the most important thing for an author – or wannabe author, at least. Because that’s not personal. That is just a matter of finding the right network for you.
Right?
Rachel, Any thoughts on which one prompts a “no” most often? I’m guessing number one.
Great post. I can imagine sending rejections would be very difficult. But it’s got to be the right fit otherwise how could the partnership be a success, right?
#4 is the one that still somewhat surprises me. I hear so often that beginning writers never want to change or get feedback.
Perhaps it is because I write to share a message, but I want the feedback from those who have been there before – either authors / agents / pastors / etc.
I’ve read self published books that you know did not quite get the message out they wanted, and have to wonder if more critical feedback could have made the difference between mediocre/wandering to life changing.
On my current project, the initial phrase came to mind and everything grew from that. The workshop to the one which I get the best feedback and most discussion about. “Obviously” this phrase should be the title for everything moving forward. Right?
I was surprised when the first feedback was that no one liked the title, but by moving the phrase to the subtitle, it’s much stronger all around (and I read back through the past blog series about titles).
The title change also allows me a better opening to grab the reader, while not forcing me to change the overall structure or development of the book.
Without feedback like this we don’t know how to grow, but without listening we still won’t grow – and have wasted the time of those who provided input.
Thanks Books & Such!
Finding the “right” agent is like trying to find “love.” It should be mutual, and never begged for or coerced. That’s what I call a perfect match.
Thanks Rachel for an informative post. Warmly, Rhonda
Teri, I think for me it’s a tie between number one and number two.
Lynn, Jennifer, and Britt–I agree with all of you. 🙂
Thank you, Rich, for your comment. It’s really true that feedback is necessary for every project. Rarely, if ever, is a book perfect on the first try.
Something I’ve always remembered when it comes to ‘Rejection’ is strangely enough, a quote from Batman Begins. Still one of my favorite quotes.
“Why do we fall? So that we might learn to pick ourselves up.”
It’s hard for someone to take rejection, especially when our books are our ‘children’ of sorts. Someone rejecting them is hard to handle. But with each ‘fall’, we have the choice to pick ourselves up and work harder to make something amazing, or keep sitting on the ground.
Just gotta keep a positive mindset, and be willing to keep trying.
It’s great to hear you work on such a personal level with your writers. That’s the type of agent I want!