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Monday, November 5, 2007

Agents: Sum Total Rejections

Here's what my career looked like for a few years: crazy list of agents on my bulletin board. Note that I have assigned the following categories: Rejects, Reserve list, Readers, Queried and my favorite List of Wanters. Hmm? In the end, every person on this list rejected me. How about that!

13 comments:

Writer, Rejected said...

Hey, wait! I recongize you. You're the voice inside my head! How did you get out?

Anonymous said...

Why are Chris Schelling, Leigh Feldman, and Charlotte Sheedy in a box called "In-Between"?

Anonymous said...

WR, your sheet looks almost exactly like a file I have on my computer. More or less all the same names, too.

Anonymous said...

But you have an agent now, right?

Writer, Rejected said...

Yes, all the madness on that page did eventually lead me to an agent who digs my work. However, please note that having an agent doesn't stop the crazy, abusive voice in my head, which does sound remarkably like that first commenter re: big fat loser, etc.

Anonymous said...

Yes, don't let that agent quiet that nagging voice of yours...then it will be all over.

Anonymous said...

I wish I had Anonymous's emotional generosity. Imagine cruising around the Net, leaving wonderful, uplifting affirmations for strangers.

Isn't everyone eventually a loser in the literary sweepstakes? I don't know about fat, but loser absolutely.

Anonymous said...

Please know that it wasn't me. I'm a *different* anonymous. I am the Original!

Interesting: it looks like a humongous list but only one agent I've ever dealt with is on there. I could whip up an equally long, non-overlapping list in seconds.

There certainly are a lot of agents in the world.

Anonymous said...

Internet secret: Anonymous is really a woman with LOTS of different personalities.

Anonymous said...

Hey, my agent is on that list. My only comments are, 1) this list shows your age; and, 2) there aren't that many names on it. If I posted my e-query list, your server would crash.

Writer, Rejected said...

Me: Does this mean you think I'm old or young. Also, don't go threatening me with your server-crashing list unless you are willing to put it up on the block. Come on. Let's have a look. Or else I'll think you are faking it. p.s. Which one is your agent?

Anonymous said...

If I am reading it right, she is the one with the little note next to it with the VERY out of date phone number and assistant name, old fella.

Here is my list:
Go to agentquery and search ALL. I did have a list that somehow fell into my hands a long time ago that was a attendence thing for some young agent group. I'll look for it and if I still have it, I'll post it.

The funny thing is, I am old. At least I feel that way when trying to navigate this darned internet.

Anonymous said...

See if you can get a copy of a Ucross Foundation rejection letter (a colony for writers and artists). Their rejection letter is hysterical in how cut and dry it is-- especially since they send it to people who have been there before and given money ("Dear Mr. __: Sorry, but it's hard to get in here... ") Ucross is known to have THE most cold, curt, and impersonal, and poorly written reject letters of all the colonies. Another hysterical colony/residency rejection letter is from Blue Mountain Center, where they say something to the effect of "we know that this news will be completely devastating to you." Sorry I don't have these letters to send you... but I bet someone out there does!