Yay for Personal Rejections!

I am having a pretty good day today. I checked my email and a smile spread across my face. When my husband inquired as to why I looked so happy I explained, "I got personal rejections!"

You're probably wondering why this makes me happy. If you don't know already, there are two types of rejections literary agents can give you:

The Form Rejection
Dear Author,
Thank you for considering us, but I regret to inform you that we don't think this is a good fit for our agency.

The form rejection is a letter they send to all submitters when it's a no. It's impersonal, and though they may take a punch your ego, I think it does serve a purpose. If all you're getting are these impersonal letters from agents, it could very well be a good indication that perhaps you may want to look over your work.

The Personal Rejection
Dear Stina,
I liked your query and the idea, but after careful consideration it isn't exactly what I am looking for, but I certainly encourage you to keep trying.

Though still a rejection, they offer some insight into your query and at least for me, give a ray of hope. The agent liked the query, was interested in the idea, which means I must have at least one foot on the right path. From what I hear, personal rejections mean you are actually doing pretty well. Agents are taking time to personally write to you which means you just might have something worth selling, but it's not exactly what they want. I find them very encouraging and though still a rejection, really make me happy.

So that's two personal rejections out of the seven rejections I have received and am still waiting to hear back from another seven. Some have my original query and can't help but think I should just assume the R now, but you never know, one of my personal rejections was with the original query which shows you it's all about tastes and preference.

I have decided to keep all my rejections. Though they make me want to take a sledgehammer to my monitor seeing them now, I know one day they will be a reminder that I fought the good fight and didn't give up.

Off I go to continue writing my next book. Just keep swimming.