Why Good Writing Still Gets Literary Rejections
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
It can be so frustrating to feel like you’re writing at a top notch level, but still seeing literary rejections for your best work. There may be several different reasons for this, so read on to find out why you might feel like your writing is still bumping up a frustrating invisible ceiling.
Putting Literary Rejections Into Context
When I was a literary agent, I would read excellent stories with realistic characters, strong voice, and solid writing … and still send literary rejections. Sometimes, I would offer representation on these projects, sure. But sometimes, it would be a lot harder for me to make a decision, even though the writer had done everything “right.” Why? Because a strong piece of writing that works well is only part of the equation. A literary agent must believe they can also sell that piece of writing in the current marketplace based on premise. And this is not always the case, even for the most beautifully written manuscript, earning it literary rejections.
When you are on the submission trail, it’s often good to try and think like writing agents and publishers. See your project with new eyes—even though it’s nearly impossible to be truly objective about your own creative work. Consider: Does your novel have marketability? Is there a larger demand for it? Are books in similar categories or comp titles selling well?
Predicting market trends can be challenging—not even publishers can do it, as revealed in the DOJ trial for the PRH/S&S acquisition. But if you make yourself more aware of the market, you raise your odds of avoiding those itinerary rejections. It’s no longer enough to write a beautiful manuscript to get a book deal in today’s brutally competitive atmosphere. You need a good story as well.
In addition to reading their slush pile, literary agents are constantly talking to editors, scouring Publishers Marketplace and new releases, staying abreast of publisher and librarian social media, studying industry publications, and attending trade shows. This is all meant to keep agents informed about the market. Extra credit goes to publishing industry people who visit bookstores, whether it's a local indie, the big box store, or even the airport, just to get a look at the books being stocked and sold. By taking note of the queries they receive and listening to rumors about upcoming trends, agents and acquiring editors hope to stay ahead of the game.
And if your work is well-executed with authentic writing, but doesn’t have a premise that dovetails with what an agent is learning about the marketplace, you might still see some literary rejections.
The Flip Side to Literary Rejections
All this being said, no matter how much research an agent or editor does, there is no surefire guarantee of what will be the next hot category in the market. It's true—books that people are sure will do well end up failing, and others that seem like long shots end up being picked up by publishers. The publishing business is incredibly subjective, which is true, and not just something gatekeepers say when doling out literary rejections.
An agent or publisher’s best guess, combined with enthusiasm for the project and a sense of intuition, is the best anyone can go on in this industry. It's this ambiguity which makes justifying literary rejections so difficult, especially if a writer is convinced that they’ve leveled-up their writing craft by taking classes, joining a critique group, attending writing conferences, developing a daily writing practice, and learning to not only draft but revise). (It’s an especially bitter pill to swallow if a writer has paid for freelance editing services, which a lot of aspiring authors do these days to stand out.)
I'm a firm believer that every talented writer should have their work read, so when I come across a manuscript that stands on its own, I want to reinforce that the writer has done a great job. However, getting that book into the publishing system requires that it is so much more than simply technically good. That's why, if you're trying to crack the code of literary rejections, and you’re not getting anywhere, consider your big picture pitch and story outline.
All the execution in the world won’t matter if you are writing an idea that isn’t marketable. Have you checked your premise lately? Did you use a strong logline to write your project? You may have a story issue, not an execution issue, to blame for your literary rejections.
When I was a literary agent and was faced with a tough decision, I would try to remind myself (and the writer) that there are always other agents who could possibly see the potential that I didn’t. In the end, it boils down to why great writing still gathers literary rejections—sometimes an agent just doesn’t find the passion for the project, as is, or doesn’t know how well a writer will be able to revise.
A writer deserves nothing but the best from their literary agent. Therefore, whenever I sent literary rejections, I did so because I felt I lacked the confidence and inspiration needed to effectively market a particular project. Sometimes even the strongest projects still get turned down. The only things you can do are to revise the project (from the ground up, if you have to) or move on to something else. But all that time you spent developing your craft—despite the literary rejections—wasn't wasted. It went to making you a better writer and storyteller, which counts for a lot on your writing journey.
Click here to purchase Irresistible Query Letters, my book on query letters, including over forty examples with comprehensive notes on each one. There’s a ton of submission advice, best practices, and insider information in these pages, and you’ll really enjoy seeing what other writers are doing in the slush.