Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Good News/Bad News

The good news is that I heard back from the agent who asked me to submit a full manuscript. Since there has to be bad news, the bad news is that he passed on my submission. But on the good side, he sent me probably the nicest rejection I will ever get:

Thanks for letting me read Zombie Rabbit. I think you have done a very good job with this. Your tone and narrative style is very consistent throughout. It reminds me a bit of James Howes' Bunnicula.

That said, the whole animal testing theme bothers me. Instead of contributing to the humor of the story, it makes me feel sad. And it points to a problem in our society that needs to be dealt with. I can't seem to get past this.

So, while I think you have written a good book with the humor that kids enjoy, I am going to have to pass. I do thank you for considering our agency. And I send my good wishes

So while of course I would have loved to hear something along the lines, "I couldn't put it down. You must sign with me or my life will not be complete..." I can totally understand his feelings.

In truth this was better than I hoped for. I really trust this man's opinion and think he is an absolute genius about children's publishing. So if he says it's a good book I feel over the moon.

Another positive, was that I thought it was going to take over a month to hear back and wouldn't have been surprised by two months, so a three week turn around was fabulous.

And on a final note of JOY! This was the perfect excuse to eat a whole pint of pistachio ice cream that I have been craving!

6 comments:

  1. Save this letter. It's rare to get something so personal in a rejection. This also shows that your writing has merit.

    Whether this agent is 'right' or not, you're on the right track.

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  2. Sorry it didn't get accepted. But it is definitely nice to get a personal note in the rejection. Especially when it's this long and detailed!
    Zombie Rabbit though huh... sounds interesting!

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  3. That's an excellent letter. It's almost as good as an acceptance letter. And at least you know EXACTLY why he passed on it. Would it be an easy fix or does this mean a full rewrite?

    Good luck!

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  4. Well, at least you got a personalized letter & it sounded quite sincere.
    Will you be changing your story, or will you keep sending out as is?
    I really like the title of your book!
    Oh, & I was admiring your pistachio green background!

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  5. This is a very nice, personal letter - but I'm so sorry you didn't receive the response you wanted. Don't give up, onwards and upwards :)

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  6. Sorry about the bad news, but seriously that is more good than bad.

    I don't think you should back down from your animal testing aspect, but it's up to you.

    What awesome compliments. And he's right, you have an awesome tone and narrative style, and you worked super hard to get it there, so I'd say that compliment alone is a HUGE payoff :).

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