I have received several rejections from agents. They have all said that they can't give reasons; but they also recommend that I send the submission to other agents who may have a different take on it. Is this just politeness or genuine advice? There are more agents I have submitted to who say they will answer only if they are considering representation. I think these are the worst kind because their silence subjects the writer to both hope, despair and uncertainty. I recommend ALL agents should send rejection messages even by way of form letters. What do others think?
Also the fact that the rejectionists don't give a hint on their reasons subjects me to thinking that I should revise the manuscript. But I think this would be a mistake. I should hand on to the manuscript in its present form, as long as I'm satisfied with it; until an friendly agent comes up with real commentary.
They read as form, though we cannot be sure eh? The first is very nice :)
However I certainly would not jump straight into paying for editing. Eek.
I'm going to presume that you have edited and had beta readers (if not: do so!). What is your submission plan like, do you vary to whom you send?
Also I've found that even if no critique is given on the work there are usually subtle hints to improve your submissions. From the formatting of the submission email to targeting.
Some folks say that most writer average around 100 rejections before they get picked up...I think those rejections indicate that perhaps you need to do more work. For me, this was proven true when I was lucky enough to get some critique (on my 3rd, received the 7th today). It was quite embarrassing, actually, when I reread with that critique in mind. Those faults just screamed out at me, and the couple of rejections I've had since have come as no surprise.
One of the mains complaints of agents is that writers submit too soon. When I started submitting I did not think this was true of me, because I was still too close to my work. Now I think otherwise and am revising :)
Are you still in early stages? I'd recommend keeping on with it, though if you are having niggling doubts this could very well be for a reason. Be brutal with yourself, but dont lose hope.
That's one more hurdle.
Pay an editor; then send to a literary agent for free; who then gets a publisher for you..
Well, well.
The letters are similar. All the letters you received are obviously standard rejection letters. They are polite, but then again it would be unwise to send out harshly-rejecting letters.
I suggest you get your work looked at by a professional editor. There are some who blog on this site.