Over the past few days, I’ve been tackling the backlog of partials I’ve requested, and I sent off several responses today to authors declining their books. With partials, unlike queries, I do try to give a reason as to why I’m passing, and I wanted to share a little of […]
What No Means
5 posts
Stina shares a question from the Absolute Write forums: If an agent rejects a partial or a full and gives you a reason why, and then you not only fix that problem (with the intent of moving on), but also several other issues the agent didn’t mention but their existence […]
I’m standing at what feels like a fresh new start, even though we’ve been running now for over a year (and I went through 410 posts this weekend updating tags to prove it!). But having a new site, both visually and on the back end, where the technical stuff and […]
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?"
Unfortunately, in much the same way that I can't respond more personally to every query, I can't respond personally to every writer I've rejected who asks for a more detailed rejection. But I can give you some hints here.