This story doesn’t have a particularly happy ending, but you can learn something from it. Actually, you can learn several somethings from it (so read the whole thing).
A while back one of my 1-on-1 coaching clients worked with me to improve his query letter. The query explained how fabulous the author’s book was (not in those words, exactly, since that would have been arrogant); and it praised the many virtues and accomplishments of the literary agent (but not in a way that seemed like sucking up).
By the way, flattery might not get you anywhere… but sincere compliments can go a long way. Now, here’s the disturbing daisy chain of emails the author shared with me (that inspired me to write this article). You’ll see that I’ve added my perspective and explained my role in the incident. After all, I don’t want you to think that I just write query letters and then send my clients out into the literary wilderness on their own.
That would be cruel.
Instead, I travel with them as a guide…
shepherding them through the process of:
- Finding agents that are a good fit
- Sending out queries
- Responding to agent requests
- Choosing the best agent to sign a contract with
- Negotiating the best terms for the author/agent agreement
In this case, I guided my author through the process of saving face. Let’s just say that the author got a rejection letter and didn’t like it. So he embarrassed himself by sending the literary agent a rejection letter of his own. By the way, I’ve deleted the names of both parties for confidentiality (not just the name of the author, but also the name of the literary agent – even though she comes off looking like a saint).
Here’s the rejection letter my
author got from the agent:
* * *
Dear Author:
Thanks for the opportunity to consider representing your work, and my apologies for taking longer to respond than I anticipated. The story is certainly one with commercial potential, but, I’m sorry to say that, for me, the quality of the writing simply doesn’t rise to the level of that of the premise. That said, while I am not the right agent for you, I wish you the best of luck in finding the one who is.
Cordially,
Famous Literary Agent
* * *
My client lost it.
He went rogue and (without my knowledge), fired off a swift reply to the agent without running it by me first (at least he blind copied me on it so I could see what he’d done). You’ll see that I’ve X’ed out many of the details to protect the identity of the author.
* * *
Dear Famous Literary Agent,
Thank you for your consideration of my project. Given that I lost the ability to XXXXX until I was XXXXX years old while trying to survive XXXXX—emigrating to XXXXX and being plopped into the XXXXX grade without any further guidance to polish my ability to learn the language, as youngsters are in today’s world—but yet having the ability to become a successful XXXXX and being one of the few XXXXX to be invited to XXXXX—being forced to fly back to XXXXX while XXXXX—after surviving XXXXX, XXXXX, and XXXXX—I avoided XXXXX by the skin of my teeth—teaching myself how to XXXXX again—I am honored to be given the tenacity which has taken me this far. These ordeals are mentioned in my book—but how can one bring a life filed with these types of dramas into the first fifty pages of a book?
I appreciate your candor and truly understand your disappointment in my writing which does not rise to the level of the premise. That said, I will proceed with my project with an agent who has the ability to ask more questions because he or she understands the total scope of the work.
Best regards,
Author
* * *
The second I saw this email drop into my email box (like a live grenade),
I realized I needed to take action quickly.
I sent my author the following:
* * *
Dear Author,
Common practice is to send a polite thank you (if anything) to literary agents that reject your work. You’re a good writer and you’re much better off channeling your energy into sending out more queries.
That agent didn’t do anything wrong.
She actually did you a favor (in my eyes) by complimenting the commercial appeal of your story… and giving you specific feedback about what she felt could be improved (instead of just sending you a form rejection letter).
By the way, don’t forget that this is just one literary agent’s opinion. Other agents will likely see things differently. I know it’s difficult to get rejection letters like that, but I thought you might appreciate (and benefit from) this perspective.
Mark
* * *
I wasn’t sure how my author would respond.
Would he get angry or be humble?
Two hours later I got this:
* * *
Hi Mark,
I know you are right and thank you for your feedback.
Author
* * *
That didn’t surprise me too much; the author is a stand up guy who’s normally a perfect gentleman (I knew he was just hurt by the rejection). What did surprise me, however, was how the famous literary agent responded.
Here is her email responding
to my client’s tirade:
* * *
Dear Author:
Best of luck. You deserve it.
Famous Literary Agent
* * *
Talk about a class act…
The literary agent could have easily blasted my client, and I would have said it was well-deserved. She also could have (understandably) just deleted my client’s email and ignored him.
But she didn’t.
Don’t ever say that all literary agents are cynical and insensitive.
It’s just not true.
An hour later (after getting the literary agent’s reply and having time to think it all over), my author sent this note to the agent:
* * *
Dear Famous Literary Agent,
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I do respect your candid and well deserved input. As a result of your comments, I am re-writing the book. Stylistically and grammatically it will change – but the essence of the story will remain. I sincerely hope you will consent to look at the revised version.
Best regards,
Author
* * *
When I saw this email, I was thrilled that my author did “the right thing.” I was also impressed that he had the forethought and courage to ask for permission to resubmit the book at a later date (that took guts considering the author blasted the agent previously).
Now, here’s the best part of this whole incident (in my mind anyway),
the final email that the literary agent sent the author…
It’s also the main moral of the story, if you will.
* * *
Dear Author:
Since we seem to be engaged in a candid correspondence, I feel it’s appropriate to make this point; notwithstanding the awful circumstances of your early life, and the awesome tenacity it has taken for you to shape your impressive subsequent life as you have, it has no bearing on meeting the literary standards it takes to create and sustain a high quality book. In the end, it’s always about the words on the page, not the sufferings of the writer to get them there.
That said, of course, I’ll be happy to reconsider your rewritten material whenever you think it’s ready.
Cordially,
Famous Literary Agent
* * *
Although I don’t agree with the agent’s assessment of my author’s writing… I agree wholeheartedly that suffering, intention, and enthusiasm aren’t the only things needed to make a good book. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
I was impressed that the literary agent was
willing to take the high road like that.
And I was impressed that the literary agent
was willing to take the time to do that.
Again, a class act.
* * *
The End of the Story
When you get a painful (aren’t they all?) rejection letter, take your time and think carefully before you respond (if you respond at all). Don’t be a hothead. Don’t be rude. And don’t send a literary agent a letter that’s the equivalent of emotional diarrhea.
Some things should be kept to yourself.
Oh, and remember…
It only takes one literary agent to understand and appreciate your vision for you to get published. And there are plenty of literary agents in the sea.
Really.
Here’s proof.
The author I just told you about got this response (below) from another well-known literary agency just a few hours after the incident I just described. Yes, the very same day he got the rejection letter I just shared with you… he got this:
* * *
Dear Author,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Famous Literary Agent. We thank you for your interest in the agency and would like to read a sample of your work. Please send a synopsis and the first 50 pages of the book as a Word document.
I look forward to reading your sample.
Sincerely,
Assistant to Famous Literary Agent
* * *
I guess this story didn’t have such
a bad ending after all,
– Mark
* * *
* * *
MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
Dear Mark, I really liked the exchange and in fact wrote back to one agent’s rejection myself. In my experience, I have been getting requests for my book proposal, but each time I get the same response: ” you don’t have a good enough platform for me to represent your work.” One agent wrote me a whole page to help me with ideas for developing such a platform, which I thought was wonderfully considerate, but at 72 years of age, I don’t know if I can pull this off. Any suggestions?
Hi Merill,
Wonderful… and you can do it.
That said, advising authors about how to get more exposure or improve their platform is one of the most difficult topics to handle online here (in few words) because the best marketing strategies are going to be different for every person… based on their unique goals, skill sets, personality, lifestyle, and time/money resources. There are literally hundreds of ways to improve your platform and get more exposure, but to be successful (and happy) you need to find the few strategies that are right for you. These two articles might help: https://literary-agents.com/author-platform/ and https://literary-agents.com/social-media-for-authors/.
If you want help with anything else, you can post questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. You can also (if you haven’t done so already) get access (no cost) to all the valuable resources in our private, members-only area here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. And you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/. Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great day, and week!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Did this author finally get an agent to represent him and is his book now published?
Hi Saw-Lian,
Good question… but it’s been a while now… and I did such a good job changing the details of those involved… that I now can’t remember who it was… I’ve worked with quite a few author over the years… but… either way… all that matters if you doing everything you can to give yourself the best chance with YOUR book. 😉
Have a great week,
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Hi Mark: I have no clue what “the author’s” antecedents are, but the agent was nice to ask him to send his first 50 pages (the first 5 pages might have been good enough but that might have sounded too “demeaning.”) Of course, that is completely “non-committal,” but the author might get some good hints from the agent how to strengthen his MS.
On your question, no, I would not have reacted that way. I would probably have queried the next bunch of researched agents for better luck.
Hi John, glad to hear it!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Yes, please, as someone who only got one personal reply from an agent (and it was only in reference to my social media following and list of authors willing to blurb my book, not my book itself), be serious about any response you get from an agent, especially if they are willing to take the time to send you something other than a form rejection. They read hundreds of thousands of samples of writing (sometimes more) throughout their career and can give a very well-informed opinion of your work.
🙂
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
I appreciate both you and the author for sharing the events that took place.
Thank you Owen, and have a great week!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Hi Mark
Thanks for sharing this story with me. It’s an author’s lesson learned.
🙂
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
I have gotten a few rejections myself and thankfully life has thought me to always be positive even in negative experiences. One rejection letter hit me in the heart like a rocket but the agent was kind enough to give me suggestions so I took it like a champion and responded with politeness. I was not willing to jeopardize the chance that he might have changed his mind later only to have my response ruin a potential opportunity.
Glad to hear it Winthrop, the part about getting the suggestions… that always softens the blow.
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Nice story….can you give me any information about literary agents who represent poets please? I have three books completed and have gotten awesome feedback from people who have read it.
Hi Winthrop,
It’s extremely difficult to get a literary agent or publisher for a collection of poetry… unless you’re already a well-published and/or award-winning poet. The good news, however, is that it’s not that hard to start getting your poetry published if you’re simply patient and persistent submitting your work to journals, anthologies, contests, etc. Poets, of course, often make wonderful essayists, short story writers, and novelists as well. That’s another way to get started and build your platform.
Before you do anything else, if you want to get an agent, read these 3 multi-part guides about literary agents: https://literary-agents.com/guide-to-literary-agents/, https://literary-agents.com/finding-a-literary-agent/, and https://literary-agents.com/get-a-literary-agent/getting-a-literary-agent/.
If you want help with anything else, you can post questions for me online here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/ask/. You can also (if you haven’t done so already) get access (no cost) to all the valuable resources in our private, members-only area here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/membership/. And you can register for an introductory coaching call with me here: http://thebestsellingauthor.com/coaching/intro-call/.
Either way, I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work.
Have a great week!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
I have to say that I am very impressed with the agents reaction to the author’s response- on the rejection letter and thank God that it all went well. Knowing that we are all human in our efforts and time, especially when the story comes from the heart, we as people can make mistakes. That being said- This must be one hell of an agent. Kudos to the agent who handled this with grace and to the author who made effort to repair the issue. Best of luck to the both of them.
Hi Danise, absolutely, here’s to having both heart and success!
Have a wonderful weekend,
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
In my opinion, unless someone attacks you personally, no one should ever take a business decision personally. That author put his work out there to be considered by people whose business it is to do just that. If, for any legitimate reason, the work is denied, and anyone is as polite as this agent seemed to be, the author should have considered the free advise and taken it from there after his hurt and disappointment had abated, which is exactly what he ended up doing anyway! Good story. Thanks!
Agreed, thank you, and have a great weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
This is great, Mark! A weird way of establishing an agent relationship. Hope mine goes better. I KNOW there is always something GOOD in EVERYTHING! You keep us looking for it, Okay?
🙂
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
What a great story, Mark. It emphasizes the importance of
following your lead that we signed up to do by investing in your expertise. Reading ALL the material you sent is the first
step, which I did, and have referred to numerous times.
You are the master and we the students, but we work together.
That was a great lesson for all of your clients including me.
I try to respond to every rejection I get which makes me feel
better and hope it does the agent as well.
Cheers, Darlene Dihel
Hi Darlene, thank you for that, and your trust… I love that it paid off… congrats on getting an agent… and I’m looking forward to catching up with you on the phone soon. 😉
Have a great weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Hi Mark! I enjoyed reading the article! I have been there (rejection letters),however, I did not respond to them. I took their constructive criticism of my query letters and made some changes and turned it into something positive. I refuse to give up! Rome was not built in a day!! Lol
🙂
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com
Hi Mark:
I think the author was very lucky. Words do have consequences. I find it best to to just move on to another Lit Agt. Your advice was exactly right.
Josh
Thanks Josh, and have a great weekend!
– Mark
Mark Malatesta
The Bestselling Author
http://thebestsellingauthor.com
Literary Agent Undercover
https://literary-agents.com