Comments on Nathan Bransford, Author: Why I Write Vague Rejection Letters

Well, if those partial are unnecessary for you the...

2011-12-31T00:54:39.752-08:00

Well, if those partial are unnecessary for you then you should not accept them.

Dan: Funny! I once sent a short story to a magazin...

2010-06-27T12:05:27.184-07:00

Dan:
Funny! I once sent a short story to a magazine in the morning (regular mail) and the material was returned with the rejection on the same day!

And I don't expect more than a form letter, bu...

2010-06-25T12:02:27.371-07:00

And I don't expect more than a form letter, but getting something personal on it is like recieving an early Christmas present--it's called hope.

Still, I would rather recieve vague feedback than wrong feedback. As a writer, I don't fault you at all.

Great blog!

Thanks for this insight Nathan. I had two form rej...

2010-06-25T11:48:13.735-07:00

Thanks for this insight Nathan. I had two form rejections on partials and I took them very hard, mostly because they weren't personal. Seen from this perspective, I will calibrate my expectations to a more realistic level next time. I wish I had read this post last fall, it would have saved me a lot of heartache!

I got a response to a query which said, in its ent...

2010-06-25T11:42:09.507-07:00

I got a response to a query which said, in its entirety:

"Why, God, Why?"

What, if anything, should I read into that?

"...If I get more than one rejection that say...

2010-06-25T09:54:02.795-07:00

"...If I get more than one rejection that says, 'the tone isn't working for me', then I know that's something I need to work on..."

I wouldn't count on it -- especially if it's only for a partial or a few pages pasted in. A LOT of agents have form rejects that say, "I liked the concept but not the voice, blah, blah blah." BUT it's their standard form, they send to everyone. Then you've got all these rejected writers trying to fix some arbitrary thing that isn't really wrong.

Look, as long as your form rejection letters inclu...

2010-06-25T09:39:52.812-07:00

Look, as long as your form rejection letters include all those cryptic clues about the treasure buried under the streets of San Francisco, nobody will mind getting them.

You are one class act, Mr. Bransford. Your positi...

2010-06-25T09:00:18.325-07:00

You are one class act, Mr. Bransford. Your positive tone and respectful attitude are refreshing and appreciated.

I thought your rejection on my full was very helpf...

2010-06-25T08:30:47.457-07:00

I thought your rejection on my full was very helpful, Nathan. It also helped me see how taste varies when I got other rejections on my full from other agents who all cited different reasons.

Anyway, I plucked up the courage to ask one of them for more information, and he did a very nice redline of my first 50 pages, and asked me to rewrite.

Lynette

Since I've gotten my share of the vague form l...

2010-06-25T07:11:02.575-07:00

Since I've gotten my share of the vague form letters, I'm glad to see why. Also, I'd venture to say, the writer won't make tons of changes based on just one agent's feedback. Someone's trash maybe another's treasure.

Thanks for the insight. I know people who've d...

2010-06-25T05:44:37.217-07:00

Thanks for the insight. I know people who've done edits based on any scrap of feedback from an agent and the problem with that is you end up writing for that one person. If you're lucky enough to get responses/feedback from multiple agents and you can see a trend then it's time to take another stab at the MS.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree wit...

2010-06-25T05:23:48.864-07:00

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with the majority here. While it's true that agents say jump and writers grab a pogo stick, it's hard for me to buy this argument from you personally, Nathan; you, the one who holds query critiques and page critiques weekly and dishes the best criticisms of everyone who comments. I find it hard to believe you don't have some idea on most if not all partials you look at. Other agents, I dunno, but you?

It may have something to do with your confidence in your advice, but--in my humble, poorly informed, altogether worthless opinion--not your ability or insight.

Hi, Margaret. I have a critique group for crit...

2010-06-25T05:19:29.557-07:00
Hi, Margaret.

I have a critique group for crits. I don't need a critique from an agent or editor who is saying no. When the publishing pro says "yes," THAT'S when I want my critique (i.e. editing letter).

And may I politely disagree with you?

My first published novel was rejected with a few notes (on what specifically in the book didn't work for him) from an editor who read the full. I revised immediately and changed specifically what he didn't like and sent the Ms back.

The book was published and received an Edgar Award nomination. It's o.p. now. I did four of them in that series and it was a nice little run.

May I point out that the editor did not suggest changes nor did he suggest I resubmit. He just said what he didn't like. I did the changes and resubmission on my own. In fact, without telling my agent.

Hi, I've always imagined a literary agent'...

2010-06-25T02:23:22.184-07:00
Hi,

I've always imagined a literary agent's desk as a bit like a lottery drum - pull one from the masses and if the title and first few lines grab one by the throat give it a quick browse, and if totally hooked after that give it further consideration.

Why would you do more than that, I don't in a bookshop when buying. It either gets the thumbs up or big downer!

best
F

I have a question for you; how many requested full...

2010-06-25T01:59:24.745-07:00
I have a question for you; how many requested full manuscripts do you reject vs. approve and sign?

That makes absolute sense. I have received over 10...

2010-06-24T21:46:40.457-07:00
That makes absolute sense. I have received over 100 rejection letters from agents. I've been hard at work. Haven't received an acceptance letter yet.

I understand. I'd get annoyed when I see the f...

2010-06-24T21:31:01.393-07:00
I understand. I'd get annoyed when I see the form rejection since I'd be wondering if there's something right in front of my face that I'm missing and the agents would just rather be polite than point it out. Still, your point makes sense and it's good to keep in mind that there's a lot of subjectivity in this industry and if it's not right for the agent, then it's not right for the agent.

Well, it would really be nice to find a good sound...

2010-06-24T21:20:00.182-07:00
Well, it would really be nice to find a good sounding board for your work like a mentor. Freelance editors nowadays are really not practical. What do you think?

I was wondering something about matching your book...

2010-06-24T19:48:29.875-07:00
I was wondering something about matching your book to the right agent. I appreciate that agents, in general, only take on projects that they feel really passionate about. I can imagine there are probably a fair amount of books where an agent likes the writing, likes the book, but just doesn't LOVE it. In those cases, do agents ever refer the work to a colleague for whom that story might be a great fit? Do agents ever make such suggestions in rejection letters? Just curious...

I appreciate rejections that mention some reason f...

2010-06-24T19:16:52.593-07:00
I appreciate rejections that mention some reason for the rejection, whether or not it's vague. Something along the lines of: 'the voice didn't grab me' or 'the characters didn't jump off the page' or whatever is fine. If I get more than one rejection that says, 'the tone isn't working for me', then I know that's something I need to work on.

I'm glad you explained it. Most writers scour...

2010-06-24T18:49:06.977-07:00
I'm glad you explained it. Most writers scour these letters looking for a clue, and if nothing stands out that was necessarily wrong, a vague rejection makes sense.

Thanks for this, Nathan. It can be hard to be hon...

2010-06-24T18:40:46.549-07:00
Thanks for this, Nathan. It can be hard to be honest and kind at the same time, somehow, you manage to do it. A great reminder that REJECTION is not always bad.

GeeGee55

Impressive, really.

2010-06-24T18:30:53.675-07:00
Impressive, really.

I like vague. I wish book reviewers were vague som...

2010-06-24T16:47:31.231-07:00
I like vague. I wish book reviewers were vague sometimes :)

I've done research on this but haven't fou...

2010-06-24T16:40:27.452-07:00
I've done research on this but haven't found any helpful answers. How does one get an agent to read a literary blog? Julie and Julia is an example? How does a blog or it's concept become a book? Promoting only does so much.