Sometimes, It Really Isn’t You

This post is brought to you by
the one and only, Lisha Cauthen.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not one of those rah-rah kind of people. Let’s just say…no one would ever accuse me of being a cheerleader.

And it’s pretty easy for me to get down on myself when those rejections roll in. But the truth is, a good portion of those rejections have absolutely nothing to do with the quality of my work. And the same is true for you.

An agent or editor might reject your manuscript because he already has a manuscript in the pipeline that is somewhat similar to your story. Heck, maybe he would have chosen your story if it had come to him first, but the wheels are already in motion for another writer’s manuscript.

Maybe your story involves a topic that is too personal for the agent to deal with. That doesn’t mean your story is too hot for the publishing world to handle, it’s just too hot for that agent.

Your manuscript might be the third vampire novel the agent has looked at today. Even if your vampire novel is the best darn vampire novel written since Dracula by Bram Stoker, this agent is going to be sick, sick sick of vampires.

The agent might not handle your genre. Even if you have been very careful in your research, an agent who handles YA might handle novels that are more appropriate for 13-year-olds, while your manuscript slants more to an older reader.

Yesterday, the agent signed two new clients. Today, when she reads your query, she is not in a signing mood.

The agent only has room for one more picture book client, and she’s looking for a series about platypi, not your one-off about George Washington.

An agent might love, love, love your query, but can not think of any editors who would enjoy a book about performing circus rats.

Also, an agent can be dumb.