Young Writers Society

Yeah, well, it's been a year....

Last summer, I sent off my first Quary Letter to an Agent in New York. Since then I have been doing the same. Can you say 22rejection letters! And going. I still have two that have not come in.

I'm really starting to get bummed, man. It's been a year, to the day. I know, I know, it takes a while, but still man... bummed.

For those of you who don't know about Quary Letters, it goes something like this...

print out two copies of the letter, one for them one for you, and what ever work you going to send them. You stick it in a brown envolope with a Self Adressed Stamped Envolope in side, if you want you work back, and then you wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait and wait....

Any Suggestions on how to un-bumm myself???

Keep on writing? As a rule of thumb, when you're sending off one piece, you should be working on the next.

So you don't feel so bummed, cos you'll have your second novel to try once you finished it, and you'll be doubling your chances of getting published.

Also, read up as much as you can about getting published. There are plenty of books and websites that give advice, and can help ensure that you're doing every correctly.

And remember to not give up.

Any Suggestions on how to un-bumm myself???

Well, I'd try to engross yourself in something else. Maybe another novel but if it reminds you too much of what you're waiting for then perhaps just writing for fun or with a friend or summat.

Don't worry about not getting it first time. If everyone got what they wanted immediately, it wouldn't feel nearly as good. So, chin up and smile, 'cos there's nothing much else you can do .

DarkLight

I'm going through exactly the same thing. It's tough, but just keep writing!!

Not to sound like an echo, but don't be disheartened. I've heard publish authors say they've had 30, 40 even 50 rejection letters before they were published. Writing is a tough industry to crack into, so you gotta be patient.

I highly reccomend getting your hands on a copy of "Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul".

It really brings me up when I'm discouraged, and somewhere at/near the end of a book, the co-authors list many famous authors who were rejected multiple times, among other things. Some where rejected over one hundred times before becoming world renowned authors. One author that I'm fond of, Leon Uris, failed high school english.

So don't give up!

There is a Chicken Soup for the Writers soul? Wow I didn't know that i've got to get me one of those now. Didn't know why I clicked this at the time but now I'm glad I did.

I don't want to be the one who crushes a dream or hope, but maybe the material you submitted isn't good enough to be published. It's all fine and well for us here to be saying "Keep trying", "It takes a long time" etc.

Perhaps take your work and look at it yourself and maybe see what could be wrong with it. Have you gotten any advice back from the rejection letters? Did they say why it was rejected?

Don't worry you are not crushing the dream or the hope, all but one rejection letter has been the: just shove it in there, type, and I've only had one peronalized, and they said I needed a few more years under my belt!

I'm heading for a writer's conference at the local collage next week, I've been waiting to send out more query letters, because I'm signed up for the manuscript review, and I'm hoping that they can help me.

I'm now up to twenty-five, in the last few, I've changed the title, the query letter, and took my age off of it, until the very end, as sort of a foot note.... oh, by the way, I just happen to be 16, but that's not really important is it? ...guess it is.

I'm thinking maybe I just tell them I'm a Jr. in High School, maybe they'll think I'm 17 then...

Not so bummed anymore though, I've turned out a shorter novel, that urban-fant that is publishable, and I'm submerging myself into editing that. Fun. It's way different then anything I've ever written before, it's more of a modern day Sci-fi... because these warriors were made in labs and test-tubes...

Severe bummer...

I wonder if the formal letter people actually read it or not. If not, do you think it was because of your age? That is highly discriminating! Ugh.

I doubt it's cos of her age. Usually, being able to point out that a 16 (or whatever) year old wrote the story is a selling point.

By 'more years' I'm assuming that actually mean 'more experience in writing'. I got a similiar reply from a magazine, saying my writing style wasn't yet up to scratch.

Another Rejection, I think that makes 26, this one I sent out back in Jan. I thought it was coming back...

Hey, Sid, how's this for kicker, I once got a rejection letter back, where I had sent out pages to be read, right. Well when I got it back, the pages wheren't even unfolded, and the Rejection letter was format, sitting on top, you could so tell they didn't read it, but who am I to judge?

You know what, they should have a publishing house that just publishes minors, it would makes this a lot easier, and it would give us more of chance, and our age would so NOT be an issue. But what do I know, I'm only 16?

Lady P

author13 wrote:There is a Chicken Soup for the Writers soul? Wow I didn't know that i've got to get me one of those now. Didn't know why I clicked this at the time but now I'm glad I did.

There's a Chicken Soup for the Chicken's soul.

Not really, but they might as well, they have one for everything else. xD

Lady Pirate-- I remember my school librarian telling me about some publisher who publishes only the work of minors. She never did remember the name of it, though. Sorry, not very helpful. >.<

J.K. Rowling, too, wash rejected...but then she sold 8.3 million copies of a book in one day.

Seriously, though. You're young, and you can say that you've written something long enough, and probably good enough, to be considered for publication. It's a dog-eat-dog world as far as getting a book out there goes. So just keep working, keep revising...and know that you have to try over and over before you get results. And definitely DON'T stop writing.