Triggerhappy Agents

by Cuppa Tea
21st August 2016

Eight rejections later...

I don't get it. I have been rejected by people who say they want exactly what I have sent them. Still the same old email comes through. 'It's not right for us.' (but it's what they say they are looking for?!)

I believe I'm getting rejected solely by my first 3 chapters. You literally cannot tell what is in store by the first three chapters. These agents are too quick to reject. Too triggerhappy to shoot you down. But I will not change my chapters, they have purpose, so what if they are not exciting enough. Character developement is important. I will continue to plough through, I just wonder, why.

Why reject something so quickly without finding out more.

Action is overrated and derivative. By the stress of agents and publishers breathing down our necks that something HAS to be exciting immediately, there has been so many books that start with a chase scene it is almost a cliche.

My story doesn't start happy either. But then, who's going to want to read a happy book? Not I.

It is sad to think that these people are depriving the world of future art. I am firstly a reader and do wonder, if I have been turned down for my own work that I love, then, surely, we must be missing out on so much more. It's a shame.

What do you do if you are being rejected constantly? What's next? And what if it keeps happening? I cannot improve my story. It is well written and exactly how I want it. I just feel someone else's personal opinion is getting in the way of my ambition.

Replies

Had a nice rant, have you? Good...

Probably every non-published writer feels pretty much like you (with different parametres, e.g. "They want action? I gave them action. They STILL rejected it!")

There are THOUSANDS of us out here, Dear. How many writers DON'T think that their book is a masterpiece?

Why don't you post some of it here on "shared threads" and see if anybody else agrees with you?

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Emilie
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Emilie van Damm
22/08/2016