tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post3066312459127503874..comments2024-02-27T03:36:20.256-07:00Comments on Krista Van Dolzer: In Which I Defend the Form RejectionKrista Van Dolzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830193414560232842noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-51816711113690166282010-11-18T21:06:53.269-07:002010-11-18T21:06:53.269-07:00Yeah, Carol, it is nice to get a little something ...Yeah, Carol, it is nice to get a little something on a requested partial or full, and as far as the no-response-means-no rejection, I just wish that every agent who used that strategy would employ the handy dandy auto-responder so you're not left to wonder.<br /><br />Bigblackcat97, I think I know the requests-hard-copies, replies-with-postcards agent:) (Although, admittedly, mine was only a partial...)Krista Van Dolzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08830193414560232842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-2068533417490471962010-11-18T17:29:11.350-07:002010-11-18T17:29:11.350-07:00I agree that "no response" is way worse ...I agree that "no response" is way worse than the form, and I will admit that I don't mind the form reject for a query. But when I get a pre - printed postcard from a requested full (once, in hard copy, no less which I SASE'd back to myself) that does burn. A bit.smallsnailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06734379465546836178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-55102841158762867802010-11-18T09:21:10.615-07:002010-11-18T09:21:10.615-07:00Good point, Lorena--if an agent has a partial or f...Good point, Lorena--if an agent has a partial or full, I agree that I'd like more of a response than a form rejection. But I don't mind form rejections (yes, I've gotten quite a few) and I prefer them over no response. I mean...how long does it take to hit Reply and plug in a form rejection and hit Send? I know some agents receive a staggering amount of queries, but for one thing, it's nice to know the query actually got there.Carol Riggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14092209912983783974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-15143662416694785472010-11-18T07:57:59.823-07:002010-11-18T07:57:59.823-07:00Thanks for the comment, Stina. And I don't thi...Thanks for the comment, Stina. And I don't think negative feedback is bad in and of itself - so long as we don't blow it out of proportion. Like you said, a lot of things are subjective, so we don't necessarily have to jump in there and completely rework the manuscript if an agent says something like "I didn't connect with the MC." Because the next agent might LOVE the MC just as he/she is!Krista Van Dolzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08830193414560232842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-27731001536429903332010-11-17T21:48:54.250-07:002010-11-17T21:48:54.250-07:00A form rejection is definitely better than the no-...A form rejection is definitely better than the no-response rejection. I like it when there's some indication of what I need to fix (ie. the voice is off, or I didn't connect with the mc, etc), but I don't need a list of specifics, especially when the reasons are subjective.Stinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11415189347501942340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-44287862767764058612010-11-17T21:27:52.507-07:002010-11-17T21:27:52.507-07:00Yeah, Anne, when you're heartbreakingly close,...Yeah, Anne, when you're heartbreakingly close, it's, well, heartbreaking.<br /><br />Good point, Liesl. I don't mind the personalized rejections that point out the good with the bad. A long line of rejections that spell out everything you're doing wrong can be hard to take, though.<br /><br />Lorena, another good point. Feedback is always nice once you've gotten past the initial query, in whatever form. You just can't start to make wild generalizations about your novel based on the feedback of one agent. (If everyone's saying the same thing, though, you can pretty much take that as a sign:) )Krista Van Dolzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08830193414560232842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-79226275908475205642010-11-17T19:33:45.586-07:002010-11-17T19:33:45.586-07:00I'm not completely cheering for the form rejec...I'm not completely cheering for the form rejection. I think they are okay for queries. But when an agent is reading a partial or a full (especially a full), I expect a little more feedback. If nobody would ever give feedback (even if it's subjective or discouraging) writers wouldn't have any idea of what is not working in their ms. True, the opinion of one agent is subjective. But if you start getting the same opinion from a few of them, doesn't that give you a direction of where to go with your writing? I have received some very encouraging rejections with specific suggestions on how to strengthen the text, and I took them. It made for a better manuscript (at least I want to believe that ;))<br /> <br />Where I completely agree is that a form rejection is MUCH better than silence. BTW, I would love to receive the R letter that turns into an offer!Lorenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17848249911635132594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-17502671078303371752010-11-17T17:10:44.695-07:002010-11-17T17:10:44.695-07:00I have no personal experience with the form reject...I have no personal experience with the form rejection at this point, (at least not on the novel level) but I remember one agent saying that getting some personal response, even if they tell you why they are passing, means that at least you're in the ballpark and don't give up. Just because they didn't care for it doesn't mean someone else won't. <br /><br />So even though a form rejection might feel less harsh, I have to say I think it will might make me feel like I'm inconsequential and boring. I can't think of anything worse than being boring.Liesl Shurtliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09064620851881036609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-26055985280287299062010-11-17T15:33:28.854-07:002010-11-17T15:33:28.854-07:00You make a very good point. Those perfectly crafte...You make a very good point. Those perfectly crafted, insult-nobody form rejections are often easier to take than the "Love the characters, but hate the voice/plot/setting" ones. Or worse--"Great voice, compelling characters, marvelous plot, nothing whatever wrong here, but books like this can't be sold in today's market." (80% of my rejections read like this.) I mean, where do you go from there? Try to rewrite your upmarket contemp romance as YA steampunk? Then get the same rejection two years from now when "today's market" doesn't like YA steampunk?<br /><br />And you know, those silent rejections may not be as bad as we think. Yes, they seem disrespectful, but when I get a rejection of any kind, I my heart gives a little thunk and I go into a few hours of mourning. But with the silent ones, it's just about going over your list, seeing who hasn't responded in 6 weeks and crossing them off. No thunk. At least for me.<br /><br />Thanks for this post.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-4728944606499235292010-11-17T15:33:14.181-07:002010-11-17T15:33:14.181-07:00Amy, good points.
KarenG, couldn't have said ...Amy, good points.<br /><br />KarenG, couldn't have said it better myself:)<br /><br />Thanks for dropping by, Esther!<br /><br />Lotusgirl, I hate wondering if an agent actually got the query. If agents are going to do the no-response-means-no thing, I think they have to have an auto-responder that lets everyone know their queries were received. I've noticed a lot more are doing that auto-responder, which is nice.Krista Van Dolzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08830193414560232842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-45372857715568749602010-11-17T13:37:50.501-07:002010-11-17T13:37:50.501-07:00I think form rejections are fine. I wish the no-re...I think form rejections are fine. I wish the no-response-means-no agents would rethink that, because the querier never even know for sure if they got it. I can understand why agents are going more for that method though. Some writers can be rabid when they get a rejection.lotusgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06663641163048764869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-65891905333209446422010-11-17T12:23:00.263-07:002010-11-17T12:23:00.263-07:00Yep, I can see that. Good point for authors all ar...Yep, I can see that. Good point for authors all around. Sure encourages people-down-in-the-dumps-because-their-manuscript-was-rejected.Esther Vanderlaannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-44013436987359215692010-11-17T12:22:06.509-07:002010-11-17T12:22:06.509-07:00Like you I'm all for the form rejection. If th...Like you I'm all for the form rejection. If they try to personalize, it will be negative, unless they also say what's good about it, and then they're doing a critique however brief, and can you imagine doing that for the zillions of submissions received each year? Form rejections work best all around. And if a writer gets something personalized and encouraging, it's all the more meaningful.Karen Jones Gowenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01153821980625034810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4250988928163509961.post-13119607643760849332010-11-17T11:04:44.083-07:002010-11-17T11:04:44.083-07:00LOL! Very cute. I agree. I don't mind the form...LOL! Very cute. I agree. I don't mind the form rejections. I understand why they're necessary. It's nice to get them a little personalized from time to time -- which can act like a pin-point of light in the dark of what's-wrong-with-my-manuscript -- but overall, they do the job. And basically the answer always is, regardless of underlying reasons, "it's not right for <i>me</i>." <br /><br />AmyA.L. Sonnichsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11358456786727534289noreply@blogger.com