First off, I must share some terrific news – Rock Paper Tiger by Lisa Brackmann (who you may of course know as commenter Other Lisa) was just named one of the Top 10 Novels of 2010 by Amazon!! And, if that’s not enough, keep an eye out for a terrific review in Sunday’s edition of the New York Times Book Review. Congrats, Lisa!
Transition.
Once you, the author, is fortunate enough to have your book out on submission to editors, there is somewhat of a decision to make. Would you prefer to see the rejections as they come in? Would you simply want to be notified of their existence? Would you prefer to think said letters do not exist and only be notified when there is good news?
As an agent I usually err on the side of sharing, because quite often the editors’ thoughts may spark ideas for revisions and quite often are extremely complimentary of the author even when it’s not a perfect fit.
On the other hand, as previously chronicled, even though I know how this process works, when my novel was on submission the process turned me into a quivering mass of Scaredauthor in a week and a half. But I still wanted to read the letters. Basically, if I’m ever taken hostage, all anyone has to do is wave rejection letters under my nose and refuse to show them to me and I’ll crack faster than you can say, “It just wasn’t for us and we’re sure someone else will snatch this up before you know it.”
Whether you’ve been on submission with editors or not, which way would you prefer?
To know or not to know? That is today’s question.
S. Kyle Davis says
I'm totally a "know" man. It sucks to get rejections, but even in the agent querying process, I crave every scrap of USEFUL criticism I can find to better my manuscript.
(oh, and the fact that my CAPTCHA word for this post is "trama" isn't encouraging at this point.)
K.L. Brady says
What an agonizing process! But I preferred to know. My agent sent them to me as they came in. Fortunately, I got a couple of positive responses before the long string of rejections came in. At one point I remember asking my agent, "Should I start getting depressed yet?" He said, "Not yet. We've got a ways to go."
It was interesting to see the rejections though and usually pretty helpful. Some said it just didn't fit with their line. One editor said she loved my work but my writing style was too similar to two other authors on her list. Others said the humor didn't work for them. I heard a range of reasons. I think you need to take the lumps and endure the pain to thicken your skin for what's to come. The stuff from the editors is nothing compared to getting bad customer reviews, but you take them in stride once your skin thickens. It helps you grow as an author, I think. That's my humble opinion.
traceybaptiste says
My experience is that rejection letters that come thorugh my agent tend to be more polite than ones from submitting myself. Maybe it's because the editors have a personal relationship with her, so they're naturally more cautious. And they do tend to come with helpful criticism that I've used for revisions. However, I've never come across one that helped so much that it was better to have read the rejection, than not.
But since I'm too curious to resist, I always ask her to send them to me.
SWK says
Gotta know. Then again, I found out the gender of all my four kids on the ultrasound, so I guess it's a personality thing. Hates secrets 🙂
Elyssa Papa says
I wanted to have all the rejections when I was on submission and was forwarded them. I'm the type who needs to know things, and those rejections helped me grow as a writer b/c although they were all complimentary, I knew what I needs to do differently with my next book.
The Invisible Writer says
I would love to be in the position to make this decision!
I would choose to know – but not as each comes in. Instead, I would want semi-regular lump updates. That way I get all bad news in a huge, demoralizing sobfest. Then I can recover, make changes, punch a pillow in effegy, and brace for the next shower of sadness.
I think not knowing isn't really good (unless the rejections have no feedback), but hearing each rejection as they arrive could really drag.
Nicole L Rivera says
To know. It's a free critique, might as well make the best of it. 🙂
Margaret Yang says
I once had an agent who said she was submitting to editors, but didn't. Lack of rejection letters was a huge red flag.
I have a much better agent now. Still want to see the letters.
beckylevine.com says
Oh, yeah, I'd want to know. Yes, for the editorial comments; yes, to discuss with my agent…all that, but mostly because the things I can imagine in THE VOID OF NOT KNOWING are worse than anything the letters would/could say. Really. 🙂
Jennifer Walkup says
Congrats to a very well-deserving Lisa!
I def want to know. My agent sends them to me as they come in. Like you said, they're mostly helpful and often even complimentary. I could never NOT see them ever. *shudders*
James Lewis says
Knowledge is Power
The Screaming Guppy says
I'd want to know. Feedback – even if you don't agree with it – almost always has merit.
TERI REES WANG says
I gotta know the truth, and nothing but the truth..as we know it, right now!
Rebecca Mahoney says
I guess I'd want to know. I'd be really nervous to look at them, though – it seems like editors are much more blunt than agents when talking about why they don't like it. I'd have a thicker skin in no time!
Kelli says
I would want to know. Because I'm narcissistic and masochistic at the same time.
I want to know. I want to turn the words over in my mind over and over and over.
And then get angry that I was so adamant about knowing. But, I wouldn't change it. That's just who I am.
Bane of Anubis says
Show me the letters (said all Rob Tidwell like). And congrats on RPT — 15 reviews so far, all 5 stars… that is quite impressive and speaks wonderfully of everyone involved.
Joann Swanson says
Definitely to know. My agent has shared two rejections so far and both were, as you mentioned, incredibly complimentary. Of course I had that terrible pit-in-stomach feeling because they were ultimately rejections, but, wow, some of the stuff they said was amazing. With a little distance I can now focus on the compliments and keep the suggestions in the back of my mind for potential revisions. Still a quivering mess my own self, but that's all part of the game, yo. 🙂
cheekychook says
I believe in giving out information on a need-to-know basis, as long as everyone involved understands that I, personally, need to know EVERYTHING. So, if I were on submission I would (unfortunately) need to know, in spite of the fact that I probably often would not like what I hear. However, if I were the agent, I would likely want to spare the feelings of my client and would be apt to encourage them to let me handle that part. All these words to say it's definitely a tough call and the answer varies from person to person based on preferences.
T. Anne says
I must know. I must read and reread my (imaginary) rejection until it is tattooed to the inside of my eyelids.
What do I have to lose other than sleep and my sanity?
HUGE congrats to Lisa!!! OK universe, I'm next, right?
Kelly Wittmann says
I always ask my agent to forward all rejection emails from editors. It is very helpful as far as becoming a better writer. "Not knowing" isn't going to change the fact that you were rejected. Might as well try to learn something from it.
Mark Terry says
I'm a published novelist. And I absolutely want the rejections, as useless as they are most of the time.
Theresa Milstein says
I would want to know so I could improve my manuscript if there was a trend. If my agent wanted to show me only the ones that were constructive, that would be fine too.
Erica75 says
Well, I guess it goes without saying that after yesterday's exercise, I want to know. However, the blog administrator (umm, agent) needs to delete a few rough ones to keep my spirits up!
Marsha Sigman says
I wouldn't want to know but then I wouldn't be able to stand the NOT knowing so I would have to know.
Terralee says
I'd rather know then ridiculously wonder if they never got it for some phantom reason.
February Grace says
Is "Hell yes!" an appropriate answer to the question?
Because it's my answer.
Becca says
I think it would depend on what it said. I'd probably rather know… but if it had nothing productive to say, I wouldn't be so keen on seeing it.
Linda says
Of course I'd want to know. There's nothing worse than standing in the dark when anticipation forces you to think far more about an issue than you'd prefer.
Amy says
I think I'd prefer not to know. That way I could stop obsessing and torturing myself over the rejections, and instead focus on whatever novel I was working on. (Because I'm always working on something…)
Sarah says
I'd want to know, definitely. That kind of feedback would be helpful.
Besides, I hate, hate, HATE wondering.
Jenn Marie says
I'd prefer to hear the overall recap, rather than each rejection. I know myself – I'm way too reactionary to weather each vicissitude well. And for some reason, "Publisher A said no" feels like a personal slight, while "Four publishers passed, and out to two more" sounds like progress.
Dana Rose Bailey says
I'm already a scared writer, but I'd value any comments shared with me even if I end up hiding under the covers.
I don't see the point of blindly querying every agent out there without stopping to figure out why you're getting rejection letters.
At some point you have to stop and re-evaluate your work. When/if that time comes for me, I'd love to have some sort of direction however small.
Marilyn Peake says
Congratulations to both you and Lisa! I’m so happy for both of you! My husband and I have both read ROCK PAPER TIGER, and it’s a favorite book for both of us. We really love that novel, and cannot wait for Lisa’s next publication. One morning, after we had both read ROCK PAPER TIGER, we sat around talking about it over coffee. We still bring it up in conversation. A really great read!
I feel the same as you about getting as much feedback as possible about my writing. Rejections might turn me into a quivering blob of writer's-doubt jelly, but I’d still rather know the details, so that I can improve my writing.
Stuart says
This is a conversation ever author should have with his/her agent, but I'd want to see the rejections for any editor hints on how to improve.
That doesn't mean that I'd revise due to every letter, but if two or three editors say the same thing, then it behoves the author to listen.
And I kid you not, but my word verification is "Fockies." Is that the next Meet the Fockers/Little Fockers movie? lol
sifout says
At that point, hearing the criticism isn't useful. If the book doesn't sell, I might ask an agent to compile the crits as we consider revisions, but really, hearing that House X is antipathetic toward flying monkeys isn't going to help me sell my flying monkey novel.
Other Lisa says
I want to know, just pour me a shot of tequila first.
And thanks, all, for your well-wishes!
Erica75 says
(Other) Lisa, let me be amongst the first to say – "Cheers!"
Anonymous says
No contest. I want to see any and all rejection letters. I need to know what they liked or didn't like and why they passed.
Magdalena Munro says
I want to know most of the time, although I recently received a canned rejection ATTACHMENT to a requested MS. While I am totally fine with a canned rejection email to a query letter, receiving the attached word document after waiting five months entitled regret put me in a "I don't like literary agents" mood for the day. What I guess I'm saying is that I would have rather not heard anything from that particular agent since so much time had elapsed. That said, others have been much kinder with their rejections which is always appreciated.
Tessa Quin says
I'd want to read the letters. I suppose that as an agent, you could always ask your clients which they prefer.
swampfox says
Knowledge is Power!
I'm not sure, I think I heard that somewhere.
Ishta Mercurio says
To know! Definitely to know, because otherwise how do I know it isn't lost in the mail or in the heaving piles of paperwork? Also, revision ideas are good.
Ishta Mercurio says
And, congrats to Lisa and to Nathan for your success with ROCK PAPER TIGER!!
J.J. Bennett says
To know!!!
Sharon Lynn Fisher says
Must know. Despite inevitable mope. Don't like the idea of piles of rejections accumulating on my agent's desk while I'm obliviously fantasizing about auctions (whee!).
Also in my (limited) experience, once you get past the "ouch" factor, there's usually helpful and encouraging stuff in there.
G says
Definitely want to know. I go through enough of the tip-toeing around the truth at work, so I would like to know how what was rejected can be improved.
Stephanie McGee says
I think that I would rather not know the details. Just a passing knowledge that editors have gotten back to my agent, that's fine. If there comes a trend in the rejections, something that maybe is a problem and would prevent the book getting picked up, then I'd definitely want to know.
Heidi Yantzi says
I gotta know. Don't care how much it hurts. Not knowing is worse.
Marian Allen says
Back when I had an agent, I preferred to get the rejections as they came in. She would send me the rejection along with a letter telling me where she was sending the ms next. By the time I got the rejection, I knew the ms was somewhere else. Painless!
Jan says
When my agent was sending my picture book around, I loved reading the rejection letters. They were so detailed and blunt and I learned a ton — not just about my manuscript but about how editors think. I loved getting them, even when they HATED the book.