Except, it doesn’t always work like that.

Sometimes that first book never finds a publisher. Sometimes the project dies along the route to publication, and you and your agent have to go back to square one–which is what happened with my first book. My deal died in the pipeline and we had to go back out on submission, which hasn’t proved as successful as the first time around.

So what do I do now? Well, I write another book. Only this time it’s not so easy.

With book one, I had no clue about “the market” and whether or not my book would fit. I just wrote the story that was buzzing around my brain and it turned out to be a pretty good one. But now–having had a brief taste of what it’s like–I’m keenly aware that my next book should be something editors will want. Oh, I still believe I have to write a story that calls to my heart, but I have lots of ideas. The trick now is to find the one that can keep its head above water in a market swamped with zombies, angels, demons, werewolves, and vampires. Yeah. No pressure there.

It also seems like I’ve got a lot of other people in my head while working on book two that I didn’t have with book one. Writing partners who are so much better than I am. An agent who is certainly going to dump me if I don’t finish this project immediately. And that imaginary editor who will reject the entire book if I make the main character’s dad a cheater instead of a chronic gambler. Instead of being motivating, it can be sometimes paralyzing.

And finally, when I first sold my book, I joined a group called The Tenners, whose books are scheduled for publication in 2010. Now I’m watching their books hit the shelves and while I’m happy for them–no, I really am!–their successes make my disappointment that much stronger. Sometimes it’s enough to make me want to throw in the towel.

I’m not telling you all this because I’m looking for a pity party–although I’d take a cupcake if you’ve got one. I’m just here to serve as a real life reminder that publishing is full of pitfalls.

So what do I do now?

I pick myself up, dust myself off, log off the Internet, and write.

Trish Doller is hard at work on her next novel, and is a fantastic cheerleader for her fellow Tenners. Learn more about her and other kt literary clients here.

Sure, in this technologically evolving world, you can take your manuscript that’s been roundly rejected and self-publish it, and do so very successfully, but if you consider that a sort of “last-ditch” effort, it still means you’ve put aside your hope for a traditional publication.

So how (and when) do you make that decision? It’s certainly not when you’ve sent your book baby off only to your dream editor, who returned it unread. In my case, I’ve refused to give up after several rounds of submissions on some projects, ultimately landing a sale. On other projects, the author and I have looked at the rejections we’ve received, seen the hard truth in them, and agreed to put a project aside in favor of going out with something else, rather than whipping that poor expired equine any further.

There’s no number in my head (if I get to 20 submissions and no one buys it, I’m tossing the author!) and there may not be a number for you on the other side of things. We’re not in the business of numbers, anyway.

So what do words tell you? Well, nothing but form rejections on your query might say a pretty strong no — but that could just be your query letter, not your manuscript. If you’ve written a killer query, and were inundated with requests for the partial, only to have every agent reading it decline, that might say something else — in that case, I’d look closely at your rejection letters and look for similar reactions. And a pile of “No thanks” on your full — well, you still got to that stage, and I’m not sure I’d give up. Maybe THAT story isn’t the one that will get you the book contract, but lots of people seem to think you’ve got SOME talent — maybe you just need to try with something else.

I don’t know. I hate being a downer. It’s not in my nature. But I have to ask — is there a line in the sand somewhere that means “the end” for you? Where is it?

What does it mean when an agent rejects a manuscript and says, “I didn’t make a strong enough connection with the manuscript to offer representation.” I’ve had three agents say that to me after reading my manuscript, all complimented my writing and none pointed out specific flaws that were deal breakers. Two asked to see future work. I sent one agent my second novel. Again he complimented the writing but said that he did not make a strong enough connection with the manuscript to offer representation. What does this phrase mean in terms of the quality of writing? I’m torn between pulling back and revising or continuing to query with my two completed novels. Right now I have eight partials and one full out with agents. I’m at work on a third novel so it’s not like I’m just sitting around waiting but I don’t want to burn bridges with writing that isn’t ready.

I can’t tell you exactly what another agent means, but when I use those words, it’s a polite code for “Yeah, it’s good, but I don’t care enough to want to sign it.”
Which is kinda rude, sure, but that’s why we USE polite codewords, and other trite phrases.
The fact is this — if I sign an author, I have to LOVE their book. Not just like it, not just think it has potential, not just feel like it’s good for an afternoon’s read when I have nothing else to do. I need to live with it for years, from original submission through sending it out to editors, through contract negotiations, publication schedule, bad reviews, an reprintings. It’s not a short process.
So if I don’t love a book from the get-go, trust me, it’s better for all of us if I decline.
It sounds to me like you’ve got a good story, and you’re clearly doing a great job with queries, or you wouldn’t have so many requests for the full. Now all you have to do is connect that initial interest with the RIGHT agent, and you’re golden.

I am writing a memoir about my marriage to a man from central China and have received requests for partials from a number of agents. And rejections from most of those agents. So in early June, I started working with a couple of editors to get my sample chapters in better shape. I’ve gone through 2-3 rounds of changes with each editor, both of whom I’ve paid and have said that the chapters have vastly improved. One agent has patiently been waiting for my samples since July, so I sent off 50 pages to him yesterday. My question is this: if this agent rejects my samples, do I query another agent and send the same samples, or do I go back to the editors and revise again? In my experience, the agents who have rejected my partials have not given me specific reasons as to why they didn’t like my samples–just that they didn’t think they were the right agent for it. (After half a dozen such rejections, I decided to hire the editors.)

I’m a little concerned that you’re working with “a couple of editors” — the common practice is to work with one at a time, but perhaps your couple works as a team. The worry about working with multiples is that you might get conflicting information.
To get to your question, though, I’m assuming that you are happy with the state of your material now, or you wouldn’t have submitted it to the waiting agent. If he declines, I would keep querying, expanding your search for possible agents, and taking your now-stronger memoir out to a wider audience. I don’t believe you should revise after every rejection, especially if you’re not (as you say) getting specific reasons why the material didn’t work for each response.
Be wary, as well, or resubmitting to someone who’s already rejected you. You may feel your material is vastly different, but unless an agent specifically said they would look at a revised version, I think you’re just wasting your time to go back to them now. Look for a fresh new set of eyes, and good luck!
And random (sort of topical) request for the blogosphere: I’m looking for a traditional styled kimono for a Halloween costume, as much as possible something simple, cotton, and plain. Anyone have any ideas where I should look?

How many unanswered or rejected queries should it take before a writer should assume the story ideal is not publishable?

First of all, on behalf of my profession, I’m sorry about the unanswered queries. I try to get to every email I can, though I know many agents you tell me about often don’t respond at all. As to how that relates to your question, I’m not sure you can take anything from an unanswered query, or a plethora thereof. Unless it’s that you should double check your spam folder or consider using a different email addresses.
As for when those rejections start pouring in, that’s a little tougher. If you’re only getting form letters in response, I think that says more about your query than your manuscript. Try rewriting your letter, paying attention to the hook, and really trying to grab your reader’s attention. Make sure you’re not doing any of the Don’ts. If, however, you’re getting more personalized rejections, you have to hope that the rejections contain something you can take away from it. Some note about story, or plot, or voice, or theme. And when you can look at a large number (yes, I know that this was the crux of your question, but there is no one number that’s a tipping point) of rejections that are all saying the same thing — the plot is trite or overdone or “familiar”, or the voice is unremarkable, flat, or inappropriate — that’s when you should take a good hard look at your material, see if you agree with the comments, and commit to either revising, or working on your next project.
Hope that helps, Bill!

To pull out the crux of your question, would a woman-focused memoir sell? Yes, absolutely. Think of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and I’m sure my readers could come up with buckets more. And know that statistics prove women are bigger book buyers than men. That being said, I think you should take a look at your rejections and see if there’s a consistency about them. If everyone is saying different things, I’d assume you just haven’t found the right reader. I mean, clearly you have a strong pitch, based on your query-to-request ratio. But if you’ve only got back three rejections, I wouldn’t start thinking about reworking everything until you have a larger pool of responses to pull from.
You can’t rewrite after every rejection. it’s a waste of your time and resources. See what other responses you get from your partials, and send out more queries! If you get a dozen or more rejections, THEN see if you can pull a consensus from the reasons. But know also, sometimes a rejection means nothing more than “no.” Take a look at Editor Abby Zidle’s latest blog post for some of the interpretations behind her responses.
And speaking of responses, you’ll have to excuse me now, as I have queries and partials to get back to reading. I’m hoping to get through all my queries today, so if you sent one recently and you haven’t heard back by tomorrow, do feel free to resend — and let me know it’s a resend, please. Otherwise, if I have responded, I’ll just assume you’re not using a tracking program, and may not reply a second time.