Questionable Question No. 2
Don’t agents feel stupid they rejected a manuscript that later became a huge success?
Literary agents are often asked these QUESTIONABLE QUESTIONS by writers looking to understand how book publishing works. They’re reasonable questions and yet they reveal a misunderstanding about the industry. I hope this series of answers is useful.
He was a skater boy/She said, "See you later, boy"/ He wasn't good enough for her/Now he's a super star/Slammin' on his guitar/Does your pretty face see what he's worth?
- Sk8er Boi by Avril Lavigne
2. Don’t agents feel stupid they rejected a manuscript that later became a huge success?
The short answer is no, it’s about taste.
The decision to take on a manuscript has subjective and objective elements.
Around the time The Da Vinci Code had sold around fifty million copies, I thought I might read it. Ten minutes in I knew one thing. If it had arrived in my submissions inbox, I would have turned it down.
The pacy storytelling and the entertaining lumps of cod-history weren’t enough for me to ignore the clunky writing. That’s just me and it doesn’t pain me to see all the bestselling escapist fiction I will never represent.
I do like some escapist fiction but I’m still fussy at the sentence level. That’s not a useful for a certain kind of story-led writing. Plot doesn’t obviate the requirement for good language when I’m reading.
Now if James Ellroy had submitted LA Confidential (or any of his other novels that I’ve read) to the agency, I’d have been dialling him within moments.
Agent responses to literary fiction tend to be even more subjective than genre fiction. In which case, why would you care what I think?
It's just my response.
I've been bored – even loathed prize-winning books.
If I reject your manuscript, perhaps it's best to smile, nod and move on.
I understand the frustration that new authors feel by the remoteness of agents during their book submission process. Unless you already have a public profile or an obvious expertise in your subject, you’re obliged to join a very long queue of submissions at whichever agencies you decide to submit your book to. Sometimes you never hear back.
I ask you to be patient and remember that agents have no straight-forward way to deal with the large volume of submissions they receive – yet another iteration of the problem of too many books – it’s beyond their control.
Our agency has tried to make a start by asking for only a 1200 word sample and encouraging only the kind of books likely to be of interest to us. But we still receive hundreds of submissions every month.
I can still assert though, if your book is exceptionally good, you will find an agent.
You might just not have found the right one yet.
[ENDS]
Read disclaimer and hint for writers here.
Ivan, thank you for this. It's all rather anonymous this world we have created. I like to thank those who provide genuine clarity and stand behind convictions of helping others. This post is very helpful and gives me reassurance.