Monday, March 8, 2010
Forget Personal Rejections! Yay for Partials!
Just got a partial request from an agency! Fingers are crossed and here we go!
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.
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.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Motivational Week- Quote #5
So as you may have noticed, I haven’t written anything in two days. Life got crazy busy for a bit and well, today is no exception, but I really wanted to make sure the last quote made it on here before tomorrow. So without further ado (without a huge ramble from me, as you all know I like to do *wink*), here you are:
"I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I'd rather be a has-been than a might-have-been, by far; for a might have-been has never been, but a has was once an are." - Milton Berle
If you’re like me, you’ll have to reread that. I’ll wait a moment.
Good? OK.
Once I figured out what this quote was saying, I loved it. A revelation hit that I COULD be a published author. It’s possible, it’s attainable, and though I’m not right now, I CAN be! I don’t know why this excites me so much, but there’s just something about that sheer fact that always puts a smile on my face. Seriously, think about the one thing you dream of doing and now say to yourself, “I can be a ______!” Feel better? Yes, no, maybe? Either way, it makes me feel like it’s only a matter of time before I reach my star.
It also always bothered me when aspiring authors have nothing nice to say about people who have made it in the writing business, especially the ones that call people “has beens” (someone who is no longer popular). When I hear people talking down other author's work, or just the author themselves, I can’t help but think, “Yeah well at least they made it, have you yet?” I don’t know, it just really strikes a nerve with me. A has was once an are, my friend, and you are neither, so just stop talking.
My biggest is example is how I see these aspiring authors on forums lately ranting about how “terrible” and “sloppy” Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series is and I can’t help but think, “I’m sorry, which one of you is selling millions of copies of their book, watching famous celebrities portray their characters in box office hits and now (as I saw in Barnes & Noble yesterday) is having their book turned into graphic novel?” I won’t lie, I have yet to read the Twilight series, but after I do (or for any book for that matter), no matter what I think of it, I would never talk it down. I may not be a published author, but I still see myself in the same field of work as Ms. Meyer. Though I may have never met her, and she doesn’t even know of my existence, I still consider her a colleague and will do nothing but support her. Everyone's a critic, I guess. It's OK Stephenie, I am very happy for your success and congratulations on making it!
So much for not having a huge ramble today ;-).
"I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I'd rather be a has-been than a might-have-been, by far; for a might have-been has never been, but a has was once an are." - Milton Berle
If you’re like me, you’ll have to reread that. I’ll wait a moment.
Good? OK.
Once I figured out what this quote was saying, I loved it. A revelation hit that I COULD be a published author. It’s possible, it’s attainable, and though I’m not right now, I CAN be! I don’t know why this excites me so much, but there’s just something about that sheer fact that always puts a smile on my face. Seriously, think about the one thing you dream of doing and now say to yourself, “I can be a ______!” Feel better? Yes, no, maybe? Either way, it makes me feel like it’s only a matter of time before I reach my star.
It also always bothered me when aspiring authors have nothing nice to say about people who have made it in the writing business, especially the ones that call people “has beens” (someone who is no longer popular). When I hear people talking down other author's work, or just the author themselves, I can’t help but think, “Yeah well at least they made it, have you yet?” I don’t know, it just really strikes a nerve with me. A has was once an are, my friend, and you are neither, so just stop talking.
My biggest is example is how I see these aspiring authors on forums lately ranting about how “terrible” and “sloppy” Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series is and I can’t help but think, “I’m sorry, which one of you is selling millions of copies of their book, watching famous celebrities portray their characters in box office hits and now (as I saw in Barnes & Noble yesterday) is having their book turned into graphic novel?” I won’t lie, I have yet to read the Twilight series, but after I do (or for any book for that matter), no matter what I think of it, I would never talk it down. I may not be a published author, but I still see myself in the same field of work as Ms. Meyer. Though I may have never met her, and she doesn’t even know of my existence, I still consider her a colleague and will do nothing but support her. Everyone's a critic, I guess. It's OK Stephenie, I am very happy for your success and congratulations on making it!
So much for not having a huge ramble today ;-).
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Motivational Week- Quote #4
"You must do the thing in which you think you cannot do." -Eleanor Roosevelt
Here is a line from an email I sent my husband yesterday after my rejection from the agent I really wanted:
I keep trying to take my own advice I give people, but I shrug it off. I feel defeated, but feel ridiculous for already feeling defeated. I think I am incredibly stupid for thinking I am anything more than what I am now. I can’t do this.
He responded with:
You are not defeated, just selling ballpoint pens over the phone for a while (see yesterday’s blog for reference).
I’m telling you this because all day yesterday I let this one rejection make me feel that I couldn’t do this, and I will not allow myself to ever act like that again. Sure, I will have moments where I feel down, where I wonder if my book is actually good or I’m just crazy, but dang it I’m going to do it! Even if it doesn’t turn into a New York Times Best Seller, at least I did the one thing at one point I thought I couldn’t do.
This was rejection number six out of the thirteen queries I’ve sent. Three were form rejections, one no response, one liked the query and the idea but didn’t connect with the sample pages (I was SO happy for that response! Though she didn’t fall in love with the sample, it made me feel like I was going in the right direction), and this last one fell under the topic I wrote about in a past blog: it just wasn’t his type of story. So there are still seven out there sitting in an inbox waiting to be read by the agent (I won’t lie, with the funk I’ve been in, I originally wrote, “Waiting to be rejected by the agent”). I am doing my best to be hopeful and I have read my last three motivational quotes over and over to remind myself that there will be discouragement, there will be times where I feel I have failed, but if I don’t keep going, I will regret it. Today’s quote is one of my favorites. The moment I said, “I can’t do this,” to my husband, it popped right into my head.
I think “I can’t” is used too much as an excuse. I feel it’s a cop out and it’s something to say when you want to give up. Whenever I find myself saying this, I realize that it’s usually a cover up word for “won’t”. Think about it, usually when you say you can’t do something, it’s because you want to give up trying.
Listen to Ms. Roosevelt, don’t give up. You must do it, and you can, no matter how hard it may be, no matter how long it may take.
Here is a line from an email I sent my husband yesterday after my rejection from the agent I really wanted:
I keep trying to take my own advice I give people, but I shrug it off. I feel defeated, but feel ridiculous for already feeling defeated. I think I am incredibly stupid for thinking I am anything more than what I am now. I can’t do this.
He responded with:
You are not defeated, just selling ballpoint pens over the phone for a while (see yesterday’s blog for reference).
I’m telling you this because all day yesterday I let this one rejection make me feel that I couldn’t do this, and I will not allow myself to ever act like that again. Sure, I will have moments where I feel down, where I wonder if my book is actually good or I’m just crazy, but dang it I’m going to do it! Even if it doesn’t turn into a New York Times Best Seller, at least I did the one thing at one point I thought I couldn’t do.
This was rejection number six out of the thirteen queries I’ve sent. Three were form rejections, one no response, one liked the query and the idea but didn’t connect with the sample pages (I was SO happy for that response! Though she didn’t fall in love with the sample, it made me feel like I was going in the right direction), and this last one fell under the topic I wrote about in a past blog: it just wasn’t his type of story. So there are still seven out there sitting in an inbox waiting to be read by the agent (I won’t lie, with the funk I’ve been in, I originally wrote, “Waiting to be rejected by the agent”). I am doing my best to be hopeful and I have read my last three motivational quotes over and over to remind myself that there will be discouragement, there will be times where I feel I have failed, but if I don’t keep going, I will regret it. Today’s quote is one of my favorites. The moment I said, “I can’t do this,” to my husband, it popped right into my head.
I think “I can’t” is used too much as an excuse. I feel it’s a cop out and it’s something to say when you want to give up. Whenever I find myself saying this, I realize that it’s usually a cover up word for “won’t”. Think about it, usually when you say you can’t do something, it’s because you want to give up trying.
Listen to Ms. Roosevelt, don’t give up. You must do it, and you can, no matter how hard it may be, no matter how long it may take.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Motivational Week- Quote #3
“Don’t let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was”- Richard L. Evans
I am a thorough believer of the only person who is standing in your way, is you; get past yourself and you can do whatever you dream of doing. Granted, I wasn’t always that way. I actually used to be a very big pessimist. I believed that you should always expect things to go bad. I don’t know, I guess I would have rather expected something not to work out so when it didn’t I was already expecting it (which is why it probably took me so long to get to this stage in my life: doing something with it).
If you have this attitude, odds are you aren’t going to give it all you’ve got. You are going to walk around life being so miserable all the time thinking, “Why does everything work out for everyone else?” Truth of the matter is, it worked out for everyone else because they didn’t let life discourage them as they began their journey to the top.
Johnny Depp needed money so bad he was selling ball point pens over the phone before he made his big break and Brad Pitt danced in a chicken suit as a mascot for a restaurant. Everyone starts somewhere, and it’s up to us to fight the good fight and not think, “I’m never going to make it, I may as well just stay where I am.”
The thing you want most in life is always the hardest thing to get. Seriously, if I wanted to be a garbage man, it would probably be the hardest thing for me to get into. A publisher doesn’t walk into the delivery room the moment you’re born and say, “If this baby decides to be a writer, I want to sign a five book deal with them!” It just doesn’t work that way. Usually (and I say usually because there are some lucky buggers out there) everyone has to take some misses before they hit their target.
How boring would life be if we always got what we wanted right away? We wouldn’t become stronger people; we wouldn’t learn anything and we wouldn’t build character. We need to start enjoying and not dreading the journey that leads to our destination, because where we are now leads us to where we can be. Before you get discouraged, just remember that one day you will be saying, “I used to be there, but I made it here.”
I got my first rejection with my new query today, within five minutes, from the agent I really wanted. Trust me, this quote is hard to listen to even for myself right now. All I want to do is say, "Forget it. I'm stupid for thinking I'm any good." But a part of me knows I have to keep going.
I am a thorough believer of the only person who is standing in your way, is you; get past yourself and you can do whatever you dream of doing. Granted, I wasn’t always that way. I actually used to be a very big pessimist. I believed that you should always expect things to go bad. I don’t know, I guess I would have rather expected something not to work out so when it didn’t I was already expecting it (which is why it probably took me so long to get to this stage in my life: doing something with it).
If you have this attitude, odds are you aren’t going to give it all you’ve got. You are going to walk around life being so miserable all the time thinking, “Why does everything work out for everyone else?” Truth of the matter is, it worked out for everyone else because they didn’t let life discourage them as they began their journey to the top.
Johnny Depp needed money so bad he was selling ball point pens over the phone before he made his big break and Brad Pitt danced in a chicken suit as a mascot for a restaurant. Everyone starts somewhere, and it’s up to us to fight the good fight and not think, “I’m never going to make it, I may as well just stay where I am.”
The thing you want most in life is always the hardest thing to get. Seriously, if I wanted to be a garbage man, it would probably be the hardest thing for me to get into. A publisher doesn’t walk into the delivery room the moment you’re born and say, “If this baby decides to be a writer, I want to sign a five book deal with them!” It just doesn’t work that way. Usually (and I say usually because there are some lucky buggers out there) everyone has to take some misses before they hit their target.
How boring would life be if we always got what we wanted right away? We wouldn’t become stronger people; we wouldn’t learn anything and we wouldn’t build character. We need to start enjoying and not dreading the journey that leads to our destination, because where we are now leads us to where we can be. Before you get discouraged, just remember that one day you will be saying, “I used to be there, but I made it here.”
I got my first rejection with my new query today, within five minutes, from the agent I really wanted. Trust me, this quote is hard to listen to even for myself right now. All I want to do is say, "Forget it. I'm stupid for thinking I'm any good." But a part of me knows I have to keep going.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Motivational Week- Quote #2
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Alva Edison
Allow me to start off with some interesting facts that will make (at least me) feel better:
JK Rowling’s Harry Potter: Rejected 12 times
Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight- Rejected 15 times the
Jack Canfielda and Mark Victor Hansen’s Chicken Soup for the Soul- Rejected 134 times
Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind: Rejected 38 times.
Stephen King’s Carrie: “We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.”
Dr. Seuss: 27 times. “…too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling.”
Judy Blume: “nothing but rejections” for two years.
I sit here some days looking at my five rejections letters, thinking about the no responses I have received and just want to give up and admit failure. Think of all the incredible books we would have been missing out on if the above authors had done that. I for one have made it through a lot of problems as a teenager with the comforting stories of Chicken Soup for the Soul, I can’t imagine going a Christmas without How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Gone with the Wind, one of my most favorite books (and movies) of all time.
The point is they kept going. Sure, they probably had moments where they felt like they had failed (heck, Stephen King actually threw out Carrie, then his wife plucked it out of the trash and told him to keep trying), but they had so much faith in their work, they realized they just hadn’t found the right place for it yet.
Just because something doesn’t work out right away, or even down the line, doesn’t mean it’s a failure. Failure is when you give up and stop trying.
Judy Blume had said, “I would go to sleep at night feeling that I’d never be published. But I’d wake up in the morning convinced I would be. Each time I sent a story or book off to a publisher, I would sit down and begin something new. I was learning more with each effort. I was determined. Determination and hard work are as important as talent.”
Looking up each of these authors they all say the same thing, “I was convinced this is what I was supposed to do and that’s why I kept going.”
So take heart. If there is something you really feel you are supposed to be doing, don’t ever admit failure. Take the attitude of Mr. Thomas Alva Edison, keep working at it until you come to the day you’re happy you did.
I sent out a bunch of queries today and I can’t believe how nervous I am. Hopefully me new query will start bringing in partials. Of course, I’ll keep you updated. Have a great day.
Allow me to start off with some interesting facts that will make (at least me) feel better:
JK Rowling’s Harry Potter: Rejected 12 times
Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight- Rejected 15 times the
Jack Canfielda and Mark Victor Hansen’s Chicken Soup for the Soul- Rejected 134 times
Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind: Rejected 38 times.
Stephen King’s Carrie: “We are not interested in science fiction which deals with negative utopias. They do not sell.”
Dr. Seuss: 27 times. “…too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling.”
Judy Blume: “nothing but rejections” for two years.
I sit here some days looking at my five rejections letters, thinking about the no responses I have received and just want to give up and admit failure. Think of all the incredible books we would have been missing out on if the above authors had done that. I for one have made it through a lot of problems as a teenager with the comforting stories of Chicken Soup for the Soul, I can’t imagine going a Christmas without How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Gone with the Wind, one of my most favorite books (and movies) of all time.
The point is they kept going. Sure, they probably had moments where they felt like they had failed (heck, Stephen King actually threw out Carrie, then his wife plucked it out of the trash and told him to keep trying), but they had so much faith in their work, they realized they just hadn’t found the right place for it yet.
Just because something doesn’t work out right away, or even down the line, doesn’t mean it’s a failure. Failure is when you give up and stop trying.
Judy Blume had said, “I would go to sleep at night feeling that I’d never be published. But I’d wake up in the morning convinced I would be. Each time I sent a story or book off to a publisher, I would sit down and begin something new. I was learning more with each effort. I was determined. Determination and hard work are as important as talent.”
Looking up each of these authors they all say the same thing, “I was convinced this is what I was supposed to do and that’s why I kept going.”
So take heart. If there is something you really feel you are supposed to be doing, don’t ever admit failure. Take the attitude of Mr. Thomas Alva Edison, keep working at it until you come to the day you’re happy you did.
I sent out a bunch of queries today and I can’t believe how nervous I am. Hopefully me new query will start bringing in partials. Of course, I’ll keep you updated. Have a great day.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Motivational Week- Quote #1
"The dream that you don't fight for is the one that will haunt you the rest of your life." – Herb Copperbottom (Robots, 2005)
“Robots” was a computer animated film that came out in 2005 (you can read the plot here ). I was watching it with my little sister one day and heard this quote and immediately wrote it down.
Now that I am finishing up my new query, this whole process is starting to feel real again. The case of the “what ifs”, is what I call it. It’s one thing to lie in bed at night and daydream about what happens after I have sent out my query (getting full requests, landing an agent, seeing my book on the shelves, etc), but it’s totally different when I am actually really starting to do it. I mean, what if I never find an agent? What if I let myself down? What if I am just being ridiculous in thinking little ol’ me can make it in the writing world? The questions go on and on to the point where I have myself so caught up in the “what ifs” that I feel like an idiot. A mere little housewife typing away on her computer, thinking she has a shot at making it; puh-lease.
I honestly hate some of the responses I get from people when they ask what I have been up to. I tell them, “I have finished my first novel and am trying to get it published,” then they look me up and down with this skeptical look on their face and say, “Oh.” Now it’s not because I am a horrible writer, it’s usually because they think I am dreaming too big. So I break the awkward silence because I feel like I have to justify myself and I explain (enthusiastically, so they don’t see how discouraged they’ve made me feel), “I just really love to write, it’s been my passion since I was eight, I have an awesome book I have written, I am really optimistic that I will be able to find representation and I really think I can make a great career out of this…” and I just keep going as they change their look to “get your head out of the clouds and get a real job” and change the conversation.
That right there is enough to make me want to give up. It makes me feel like my dream is a dream for a reason: it’s unattainable (I promise this isn’t a sad, depressing blog, stay with me here) and the case of the “what ifs” continue to envelop my mind. I think to myself, “What if I don’t make it? I want this so bad, it’s my lifelong dream,” and that’s when I remember that quote, “The dream that you don’t fight for is the one that will haunt you the rest of your life.”
I can give up and stop the case of “what ifs” at anytime, but I know very quickly I would come down with the case of, “If only I hads”. “If only I had stuck with it. If only I had kept on writing. If only I had kept looking for the right agent. If only I had ignored those people who made me feel inadequate.” This will eventually change to “I could haves”. “I could have been a writer. I could have found the right agent. I could have reached my dream.”
Truth of the matter is, you’re going to be questioning yourself either way, but I would rather fight through the “what ifs” for a little while than hold up the white flag and forever be haunted by the “if only I hads” and “I could haves”.
For all I know, a year from now, I could be sitting here, rereading this blog, still writing for a one person audience, still be fighting through the “what ifs” and still trying to make it. But, I could also be rereading this blog, and looking at the thousand of comments from thousands of fans who support me, love my books, and are so happy I stuck with it. I don’t know about you, but I would rather fight for that than wonder for the rest of my life if it could have ever been.
Only time will tell.
By the way, Canadians won Olympic hockey 3-2 today. I am so proud of my home country. No “what ifs” for them tonight.
“Robots” was a computer animated film that came out in 2005 (you can read the plot here ). I was watching it with my little sister one day and heard this quote and immediately wrote it down.
Now that I am finishing up my new query, this whole process is starting to feel real again. The case of the “what ifs”, is what I call it. It’s one thing to lie in bed at night and daydream about what happens after I have sent out my query (getting full requests, landing an agent, seeing my book on the shelves, etc), but it’s totally different when I am actually really starting to do it. I mean, what if I never find an agent? What if I let myself down? What if I am just being ridiculous in thinking little ol’ me can make it in the writing world? The questions go on and on to the point where I have myself so caught up in the “what ifs” that I feel like an idiot. A mere little housewife typing away on her computer, thinking she has a shot at making it; puh-lease.
I honestly hate some of the responses I get from people when they ask what I have been up to. I tell them, “I have finished my first novel and am trying to get it published,” then they look me up and down with this skeptical look on their face and say, “Oh.” Now it’s not because I am a horrible writer, it’s usually because they think I am dreaming too big. So I break the awkward silence because I feel like I have to justify myself and I explain (enthusiastically, so they don’t see how discouraged they’ve made me feel), “I just really love to write, it’s been my passion since I was eight, I have an awesome book I have written, I am really optimistic that I will be able to find representation and I really think I can make a great career out of this…” and I just keep going as they change their look to “get your head out of the clouds and get a real job” and change the conversation.
That right there is enough to make me want to give up. It makes me feel like my dream is a dream for a reason: it’s unattainable (I promise this isn’t a sad, depressing blog, stay with me here) and the case of the “what ifs” continue to envelop my mind. I think to myself, “What if I don’t make it? I want this so bad, it’s my lifelong dream,” and that’s when I remember that quote, “The dream that you don’t fight for is the one that will haunt you the rest of your life.”
I can give up and stop the case of “what ifs” at anytime, but I know very quickly I would come down with the case of, “If only I hads”. “If only I had stuck with it. If only I had kept on writing. If only I had kept looking for the right agent. If only I had ignored those people who made me feel inadequate.” This will eventually change to “I could haves”. “I could have been a writer. I could have found the right agent. I could have reached my dream.”
Truth of the matter is, you’re going to be questioning yourself either way, but I would rather fight through the “what ifs” for a little while than hold up the white flag and forever be haunted by the “if only I hads” and “I could haves”.
For all I know, a year from now, I could be sitting here, rereading this blog, still writing for a one person audience, still be fighting through the “what ifs” and still trying to make it. But, I could also be rereading this blog, and looking at the thousand of comments from thousands of fans who support me, love my books, and are so happy I stuck with it. I don’t know about you, but I would rather fight for that than wonder for the rest of my life if it could have ever been.
Only time will tell.
By the way, Canadians won Olympic hockey 3-2 today. I am so proud of my home country. No “what ifs” for them tonight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
