Thursday, January 13, 2011

Rejection Rate take 2

This past month, starting on Dec 13 and ending today Jan 13, I've kept track of queries responded to, rejected, and requested.  In the past month, I have responded to over 300 queries.  Based solely on the query, I rejected 72% of those.

Wow do I feel like a sucker.  Some writers out there got creative and just plain good at query letters.  A few months ago, I reported my rejection rate at 86%.  However, what isn't good news, is the amount of full manuscripts I have requested based on those partials (20-50 pages depending on my mood): I'll give you a hint.  It's less than five.

Those number still sounding really high to you?  Freaked out?  Ok, here's an example that will hopefully put it into perspective for you.

Imagine you are in a bookstore.  How many books are in there at any given time?  10,000?  Ok, let's go with that number.  You are roaming the shelves.  One in every one hundred you pick up to read the back cover blurb.  One in every ten of those might sound interesting.  You leave the store with one book.  That's basically what agents do.  Except we wade through stuff that isn't ready to be published.  Most of the time though, it simply doesn't intrigue us.  There are plenty of books on the shelf I gloss over because they just don't interest me.

Here are a few personal things about me as an agent, since it may be unclear elsewhere.
  • I do not represent Middle Grade.  YA for me begins at roughly 15, as long as the character has an "older" voice (meaning they don't sound MG).  
  • I do not represent Women's Fiction.  I do however, represent Paranormal Romance which is a subgenre.
  • I do not represent Literary Fiction.  We do, however, have fabulous agents at the agency who do.
  • I do not represent Mystery/Crime or Thrillers.  Cozy Mysteries, however, have a special place in my heart.  Mix Mystery/Crime/Thrillers with paranormal and I'm a happy camper.
  • "road trip" -  reminds me of the very acidy trip Where the Buffalo Roam.   So it's a no.
  • I don't do "sub-real" or "experimental" or anything else that can describe Gravity's Rainbow or House of Leaves. You will, actually, make my day a little worse if you mention them.
  • Chuck Palahniuk.  See above.  His stuff freaks me out.  And not in a good way.  (great respect for all four authors and books, it just isn't my cup of tea)
Here are a few pointers to add to my previous post's list.
  • I love when writers are trying to build a platform with their websites.  But DO NOT tell me hi, include the link, and expect me to go there.  Still gotta include the query.  And word to the wise, if you have sample chapters on your site, and I'm feeling generous, I will take a look--so keep that in mind if you have no idea why you are getting rejected.
  • Passive voice.  Avoid it.  Especially in your query.  If you use it in your query, you probably aren't aware of it, and therefore it probably runs rampant in your ms.  Dead give away.
  • Don't rely only on spell check (ms or query).  Have someone take a look at it and careful of your homonyms.
  • Very briefly, if you are a debut author, keep your word count within the confines.  I won't look at 280,000 words.  Querying a novel like that only marks you as someone who doesn't know what they are doing.  In the same vein, I'll do the same to a word count I feel is too low.  I like long books, so usually anything under 60,000 words sounds too short to me (actually, 60,000 words sounds too short to me, but I won't judge if the genre is right).  (good guidelines here)
  • Please distinguish your genre very clearly, especially between YA and MG.
Starting this month, every month, on the lucky 13th, I'll report my rejection rate and a few pointers I picked up from query letters that month.  I will not directly reference any query letter nor will I take direct wording.  I respect your privacy as a writer and strive to keep that confidence.  These are general tips meant to benefit everyone.  On a happier note...

Happy writing!

      17 comments:

      Heather said...

      I love this new Lucky 13th theme! We writers are always curious about this kind of thing. Thank you for sharing it with us!

      Josi Springs said...

      This is great! Thank you so much!

      Monica Zepeda said...

      I'm getting ready to query soon, so this kind of posting is invaluable! Thanks!

      Krista Van Dolzer said...

      Great tips, especially about what you're NOT looking for. A lot of times, knowing what an agent's not interested in is more helpful than knowing what they are interested in.

      Stephanie@thecrackedslipper said...

      Thanks, Vickie! I wish more agents took a page out of your book (now there's a bad pun for you!). Authors don't want to waste your time, or ours. The more specific an agent is the less likelihood of that happening.

      Good luck with the slush!

      Karen Baldwin said...

      Ditto all of the above.

      Mindy said...

      Thanks for the breakdown and statistics. I'm starting to think I might have a better chance at the World Series of Poker.

      Anonymous said...

      Great tips! Any help/advice is better than none at all. It's interesting to watch your query stats.

      Kenneth W. Barber said...

      Thanks so much for the advice, Vickie! And thanks for the breakdown on what you're looking for!

      Mart Ramirez said...

      LOVING your blog! Keep up the good work. Us writers appreciate you:)

      K. L. Hallam said...

      I told my two young sons that i got my first rejection letter today and your blog really helped them put it into perspective and me. :)

      Blazer67 said...

      Vickie,
      I'm really enjoying your blog. I appreciate you sharing this info. Hope to get the chance to meet you sometime over on Whidbey Island.
      Kirk

      Unknown said...

      I can see why you want writers to ensure their work is the best they can do. It is a fact however, that regardless of whether the initial pages sent to you have passive voice grammar or not, the story is the absolute key. If it's good, editors, agents and book doctors can steer you forwards. Dennis Potter wasn't renowned for his grammar, but he was one of Britain's best playwrights and story writers.

      Unknown said...

      Melinda, don't be disheartened by any agent's comments. This is a highly subjective business and one agent's rejection can be another agent's find of the decade, even within agencies.

      You only have to put yourself in Barnes and Noble to understand that. Some books, you are instantly drawn to, others, you don't even read the back covers.

      You have one chance at stardom, make it the best shot you have.

      Anonymous said...

      So glad to find you today and really appreciate the things you've shared. Great tips!!!

      S. A. Joo said...
      This comment has been removed by the author.
      S. A. Joo said...

      What makes you request a full from a partial? Does a partial have to be perfect in order for you to do so or do you overlook some things if there's a potential??