On any list of writer's complaints you'll find "no feedback on rejections" near the top of the list.
Most writers understand why agents don't offer feedback, or anything more than a form letter on queries. They understand the time debit of personal responses.
Start talking about partials and fulls though, the attitude changes. I understand that. I do.
But, here's what I do instead: I read more fulls.
Writing personal responses, analyzing, taking notes, writing an email; all those things take time. I elect to invest that time in another way: reading a manuscript.
I understand a form rejection of a full is galling, but think of it this way: I asked for and read your manuscript because I didn't spend time critiquing the other guy's novel.
The only place I critique work is the Query Shark blog.
That's rather comforting.
ReplyDeleteBut what about when an agent requests the full typescript, and five months later one has heard nothing? Is one to think that she's reading even more fulls than you do?
Not that comforting to me, but I love your honesty. :-) Thanks!
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