5 THINGS WE'VE GOT WRONG ABOUT AGENTS Part 1

I just read an enlightening piece by agent Jennifer Lawler in a June 1 Writers Digest post busting some wide-spread myths about agents. A real eye opener.

She says SILENCE DOES NOT MEAN NO, so it’s OK to follow up on a query or resubmit if you’ve heard nothing, because email evaporates so often.

And—most important to me at the moment—she explains why we’re getting those form rejections on partials and fulls.

She says, “If I believe a book could be improved by revision, I’ll make suggestions and ask the writer to resubmit, or I’ll offer representation conditional on certain revisions being made.”

Otherwise, she says, “I don’t think I have any business telling you where I think you’ve gone wrong.” Because “what I think is wrong with your novel may be what the next agent thinks is right with it.”

Yesterday I got a rejection on a full from an agent I had a lot of hope for. She gave a few reasons for her rejection—that the heroine and hero don’t fit traditional roles for romantic comedy. I spent the night wondering if I should revise, but after reading Ms. Lawler’s article, I’m not sure I will. At least I’ll wait to see if I get similar feedback elsewhere.

Labels: