Seven full requests led to four rejections, one with a request for a second manuscript. Four manuscipts (including the request for the second) are still out. Of the four agents reading, two have my YA historical novel-in-verse, one has my mid-grade boy mystery, and one has my girly contemporary mid-grade.
Note: As of yesterday afternoon, the girly contemporary mid-grade was rejected. Darn.
So what happens next? I wait. And wait. I get impatient and send an email to a requesting agent I later regret. I email my agented friend, asking her to tell me I haven’t behaved like a complete idiot. Then I wait some more. I haunt the Absolute Write posts about each agent. I read interviews. I stay far away from the computer with Internet so I can actually write.
Who else is waiting out there? How do you handle it?
I started a blog to keep me distracted. Seriously.
The waiting made me crazy. It was about 6 months from the start of my query process to the end and they were a long six months. It sounds like you are on the right track. Good luck!
Just curious, when you say they ask for a second manuscript, do you mean a different ms or the whole thing after you sent the query? That is totally cool to get such positive responses.
I’m waiting for responses from 2 full requests. To distract me – I eat. I wouldn’t recommend it.
The request was for a completely different manuscript. Luckily, I had a few to choose from!
This, actually, was yesterday’s rejection. Essentially, I was told my work wasn’t commercial enough for this agent’s taste. It really is for the best, as I don’t think she would have connected with my other pieces, either. Still, the less reading, the more anxious I get.
Good thing I’ve got a list of agents for the next round. I’ll hold off, though, until I hear from Dream Agent.
Right now I’m waiting until the time is right to query again. That isn’t a lot of fun either!
I think the answer is, that while we wait, we’re supposed to write. It’s hard to turn my mind from one manuscript to another, though I’m trying really hard to do that!
I handled the wait by writing my next book. By the time I was almost finished with the book, that’s when things heated up for me!
Hang in there– it will happen! And in the meantime, eat ice cream:)
Since publishers usually sign authors to a multi-book deal (two or three), its really advantageous to have more than one project completed.
The problem is that everytime I try to get to work on that next one, a football game comes on or a golf course calls or a bowl of ice creams beckons me till I can’t take it anymore.
Seriously, I’m not sure I can write another novel as good as the one I’ve written. So I figure if I can’t sell that one then why bother. That’s faulty logic – I know.
Dayle, Dayle, Dayle. Are you writing?
Ugg. Waiting has to be the worst part of submitting stuff. Sometimes, I even think rejections are better than waiting.
The waiting is horrible. My book is on sub with publishers. I got my first rejection yesterday, and I was almost happy to get it, because it was some kind of communication!
Best of luck to you!
Oh I’m waiting. I’m still waiting for a request for a full. So I’m writing. Or, rather, trying to.
It sounds like you’re getting a great request rate! Just hang in there. It’ll happen when everything is just right. Best!