Want to Get Rid of the “Not for me, thanks” Type of Responses from Agents?

Want to Get Rid of the “Not for me, thanks” Type of Responses from Agents?

Want to Get Rid of the “Not for me, thanks” Type of Responses from Agents? 

 

One of the most common problems people come to me with at writers’ conferences and events is: “How do I find an agent? Why is finding an agent so hard? I’m getting a lot of rejection, I’m not sure why. Is the publishing industry like all other industries out there in that it’s all about who you know?”

These are questions that I get asked a lot. One of the things writers complain about when it comes to agents is the lack of response, or the brevity of the response.

They keep getting the typical four-word email: “Not for me. Thanks.” You may have seen some of those in your inbox as you’ve been querying agents. The problem with such a brief response—and this is something that writers talk about a lot—is you’re wondering, “Was it my query? Was it my manuscript? Was it my synopsis? Was it my hair?” You don’t really know.

There’s no feedback to help you try to improve or to change, and that’s frustrating for a lot of writers because they don’t have the connections.

They can’t call up an agent and say “Hey, what was wrong with my submission?” And I understand this is frustrating.

 

But the real problem here is that so many writers treat publication like a do-it-yourself project. Basically, writers who do this are trying to play in the major leagues with little league equipment.

You wouldn’t try to be an NBA basketball player and show up wearing tennis shoes. You wouldn’t show up to an NHL tryout wearing figure skates, right? You don’t have the right equipment. You don’t have the means to play at that high of a level if you’ve got the wrong equipment.

Maybe you think you can get by with those figure skates, or any kind of sneaker. But the professionals, the coaches and the players, they know what the right equipment is. You’re not going to fool them by showing up with the wrong equipment and trying to fake it.

Writers who think that publishing is a do-it-yourself project are showing up without the right equipment, and I can tell you right now that the professionals are not fooled, the agents are not fooled.

They know what they’re looking for. They know what it means to play at the professional level.

And the result is that you look foolish when you submit like that. You exasperate the agents, and your submission goes straight over to the slush pile, rejected.

I don’t know what your profession is, but if a bunch of people were submitting subpar materials to you—if they showed up to NHL tryouts wearing figure skates— you might start to send these “Not for me, thanks” emails.

So, what’s different about the Writing Gym? Well, over in the Writing Gym we believe in real solutions and we’re getting real results. How do we get to the front of the line over in the Writing Gym? Well, I can tell you that just this last week and agent called me and she said, “Annalisa, I’ve got to tell you this is the best query letter I have ever received.”

Best query letter I’ve ever received. From one of our clients over in the Writing Gym! Can you imagine that?

Another Writing Gym member received a full manuscript request within five minutes of sending the query! If you ever queried, you know how rare it is to receive a full manuscript request. Last week, another member got a full manuscript request within 20 minutes. We’ve had many full manuscript requests. I don’t know how many—I’ve lost count just this year—over in the Writing Gym.

These are the kind of results that we’re getting, and it’s because we’re all about real solutions and real results. We’re about knowing what the market is and knowing what an agent is looking for, and we are delivering.

Now, before you go getting any big ideas, the Writing Gym isn’t for everyone. This level of success is a process. It doesn’t just magically happen; it’s a process.

If you’re tired of dead ends and rejections with no cause mentioned whatsoever, and you’re willing to put in the work to go through the process that creates publishable manuscripts, let’s chat. Just click here, and you can drop yourself directly into my team’s calendar and you’ll get on the phone for about an hour and talk about where you are, where you’d like to go, and how you can get there.

Until next time, Happy Writing

Why does my manuscript keep getting rejected?

Why does my manuscript keep getting rejected?

Why does my manuscript keep getting rejected?

 

Many of you know I often spend time speaking in New York City, and while I am there I catch up with some of the industry pros.

I recently got back from one trip, and I want to share what I heard with you.

Look, guys, the outlook isn’t good.

 

They tell me writers are still submitting sloppy manuscripts, submitting directly to publishing houses without an agent, and breaking all the submission rules.

The people I spend time with tend to have a sense of humor, but they were not laughing about this. They were upset, not only because Sloppy Joe Submissions waste their time, but also because writers who don’t follow the rules, don’t follow the right channels, and don’t submit materials are up to Industry standards… don’t get published.

Agents and publishers are human, and they don’t like rejecting people any more than any of us do, but they’re also a little stuck.

What can you do with sloppy work that doesn’t follow the rules? They’re busy professionals. They have no choice but to reject it.

It makes me sad, too. I see so many writers who would like to be authors, but who aren’t willing to truly invest in their dream. They don’t invest in the resources to create the kind of submission that gets published.

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this story: someone who thought they could do it on their own, Googling their way to figuring it out.

This method has a 100% result rates–for failure.

When you read my book Storytelling for Pantsers, you’ll hear me use the hockey analogy a lot. Publishing a book is the NHL of the publishing world.

Do you think players end up in the NHL because they google how to play hockey? No.

Industry experts know what’s what. They can spot a fake a million miles away.

That’s one of the major frustrations editors, publishers, and agents brought up to me on my recent trip: writers not treating them like the professionals they are, respecting their expertise.

 

Imagine you show up for NHL practice in figure skates. Maybe you think they’re good enough, but the industry experts will not be fooled. They have no patience for it. They’re tired of it.

Why aren’t you giving yourself the very best chance for publication by showing up on time with the right materials and the right skills?

As a writing coach, I  help writers to finish manuscripts and bring them to agents and publishers everyday. I work closely with best-selling authors, publishers, editors and agents to get the most current information the writers I work with.

If you’re serious about publishing, want to get out of the slush pile, have no interest in being a sloppy joe but really want tip-top publishing for your book, let’s chat.

www.datewiththemuse.com/bookacall

**This opportunity isn’t for everyone. It’s only for fiction writers who are SERIOUS about publishing a high-quality manuscript.**

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