• Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Books & Such Literary Management

A full-service literary agency that focuses on books for the Christian market.

  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Books & Such
    • Our Agents
    • Our Behind-the-Scenes Staff
    • Our Travel Schedule
  • Our Authors
    • Author News
    • Collaborators and Ghostwriters
  • Submissions
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Editors Select
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Books & Such
    • Our Agents
    • Our Behind-the-Scenes Staff
    • Our Travel Schedule
  • Our Authors
    • Author News
    • Collaborators and Ghostwriters
  • Submissions
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Editors Select

What if We Reject a Bestseller?

May 14, 2020 //  by Rachelle Gardner//  3 Comments

Blogger: Rachelle Gardner

A writer asked:

“How many bestsellers have slipped through reputable agents’ hands? I am curious to know how an agent deals with such a loss when a bestseller was in their hands and they rejected it.”

This is an interesting question, because most editors and agents have passed on books that went on to success (if not bestseller lists). It’s all part of doing business, and most of us don’t lose any sleep over it. In fact, we usually stand by our original impression of the book. If it turns out to be a huge bestseller, we may regret losing all that money, and it’s certainly professionally gratifying to represent a bestselling author. But when we think about it, we usually realize our original opinion of the book hasn’t changed just because it was profitable.

It’s probably more common for an agent to “lose” a bestselling book not because they didn’t want it, but because there was competition for it (many agents offering representation) and the author simply chose someone else. In that case, we definitely are disappointed!

I don’t think agents would say bestsellers “slipped through their hands” unless it was a case where they were too busy to give it adequate consideration. But agents usually say “no” after careful evaluation. If they determine they can’t personally get behind a book, or they don’t have the right publishing contacts or it doesn’t fit what they represent, they make the right decision in saying “no” even if the book is a potential blockbuster.

Sometimes I say “no” to someone for representation, and then I hear a fellow agent agreed to represent them. My response is generally to think, “Cool, I’m happy for both of them.” I might re-evaluate whether I made the right decision, but I don’t regret it. I have to keep moving forward with confidence. I always pray for wisdom in making decisions, and I also pray for authors to find the best agent for them, even if it’s not me. That helps me to trust that everything is working out as it should so I don’t need to waste energy regretting a lost opportunity.

So, to the question “How many bestsellers have been rejected by reputable agents?” the answer is something like, “All of them.” How many agents have rejected books that went on to become bestsellers? Probably a quite a few. Do we ever kick ourselves over it? Undoubtedly, but mostly we just keep moving.

 

Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Category: Agents, BlogTag: rejection

Previous Post: « Three SIP Activities for Writers
Next Post: When the Story Ends Too Soon book sizes»

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

    May 14, 2020 at 10:45 pm

    I once had opportunity
    that comes to man but once;
    ’twas lost through serendipity,
    but I had thought myself a dunce
    for letting it slip through my hands,
    and drift away, brightness receding;
    I was too young to understand
    that this was not what I was needing.
    I had to walk a harder road,
    and on that road I knew full measure
    that what I had thought was load
    was in fact a golden treasure
    that never would have come to me
    through an early victory.

    Reply
  2. Kristen Joy Wilks

    May 15, 2020 at 8:29 am

    I’ve seen this question a lot and it makes me wonder why the person asking the question doesn’t pause to consider that the manuscript might not have been in best seller shape until it saw that final agent who took it on. I revise so much between submissions. The agents who see what I was certain was a finished manuscript in 2016 see something totally different than the agents that I submit to in 2020. The story evolves over time, hopefully getting better and better. I bet that a lot of those rejected best sellers were really rejections of a manuscript that wasn’t ready to shine.

    Reply
  3. Richard Mabry

    May 16, 2020 at 10:15 am

    An editor (won’t say which one) rejected my first fiction offering. Together with his rejection was a note that said, “Don’t worry and keep writing. We rejected some best-sellers.” I followed his advice, and I recommend it to others.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the Blog

Privacy Policy

Awards

Top 50 Writing Blogs









Site Footer

Connect with Us

  • Books & Such
  • Janet Grant
  • Cynthia Ruchti
  • Rachel Kent
  • Wendy Lawton
  • Barb Roose
  • Debbie Alsdorf
  • Janet Grant
  • Cynthia Ruchti
  • Rachel Kent
  • Barb Roose
  • Debbie Alsdorf
  • Cynthia Ruchti
  • Wendy Lawton
  • Barb Roose
  • Debbie Alsdorf
  • Debbie Alsdorf

Copyright © 2023 Books & Such Literary Management • All Rights Reserved • Privacy Policy • Site by Design by Insight