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?
