Bill asks, “How many unanswered or rejected queries should it take before a writer should assume the story ideal is not publishable?”
Rose shoes for Susan, who writes, “I’m trying to find an agent to represent my memoir about my time in China, specifically when I was married to a man from rural, central China. My query letter seems to be working: I’ve had half a dozen requests for my proposal or sample chapters after sending out only 20 letters. Of those requests, I’ve already received three rejections. Some agents think I need to broaden the scope of my readership and that a memoir about failed marriage to a guy from a completely different world won’t sell. One suggested that I pitch it as a look into Chinese culture from the perspective of an American woman who becomes part of a Chinese family. Do you have any thoughts about that? Would a women-focused memoir sell? Or should I open it up to entice men to read it, too?”
What’s the best (i.e. the worst and/or funniestand/) reasons you’ve heard or heard about for a book being rejected?
