‘sent it to an agent – she loved it – a week later it was with a publisher – they all loved it too – deal!’

Depends which how much of the process they're talking about, doesn't it. I could tell that story, more or less, but what I'd be leaving out is the previous six novels - some agented, some not - which are still under my bed, and staying there.

Particularly in the early stages of your debut - from signing the contract and building up the publicity within the trade, to well after a hatful of reviews - there's huge pressure not to let a whiff of 'failure' hang round this still-untried book and writer. So any hint that anyone, ever, didn't like a word of your work has to be suppressed, even though everyone actually knows that it's a very rare writer indeed who sold the first thing they ever wrote. (And if they did, just think how terrifying trying to write the next one would be!) Only once a book's a smash hit and the author is established can they afford to tell a witty story of how often it was rejected, because only then can the rejectors clearly have been wrong.

Emma

<Added>

Meant to say, I can honestly say I'm glad I didn't get a contract before I did. Some stages were incredibly painful, and my children and I lived on baked beans for years, but I'm much, much prouder of my books, and what you might loosely call, at the moment, my success, than I would have been if my earlier efforts had been published.

Hi

I don't know if it helps, but my first rejection letter for the full MS of Unrequited held some praise but also said that the book would benefit from futher editing. I'm a hard knocks kind of guy and tend to focus mainly on the bad points so I can improve. I did in that case and gave the book a major overhaul which then went on to find publication with the next publisher to read the MS. A lesson in presenting your best was learnt.

But messages are very mixed. The first rejection letter I had from an agent for the present incarnation of the present project stated:

'Sadly, I need to feel passionate about the books I take on, and in this instance, I'm afraid I didn't quite get there. I hate to be so disappointing, but please note that this a totally subjective judgement. Always bear in mind that your own view is just as valid as anyone else's (except possibly that of an enthusiastic commissioning editor!), so I recommend that you don't change anything and keep sending it out.'

That's kind of funny when you consider that the next agent to read the full MS signed me up, but asked me to change more or less everything.

It's a strange business, this.

JB







<Added>

The first rejection letter I had from an agent for the present incarnation of the present project stated...

Sorry, that should read former incarnation. Doh!

[Edited by david bruce at 20:01:00 on 14 December 2008
Reason: commercial post belonging to another member removed, along with Emma's response, removed at her own request]

I recently got a rejection from a publisher who read the full manuscript. He said the writing was very good and the slow character development was not what his imprint was publishing. He said he thought I needed a mainstream fantasy publisher, probably in the US, that focussed on fantasy that appealed to women. His comments were very helpful. Most of the kind of publishers he describes want agents...

I hate marketing and sending stuff out. I'd much rather write. I tend to send a batch of things out then forget them until I hear about them and work on something new.