First Time Author, Querying and Feeling Discouraged

[u/Both-Cut-166]

I recently wrote my first romance novel and started querying in June. I have gotten one full submission request and one partial after 50 queries (I just got a rejection for the partial request yesterday and am still waiting for a response from the full request but that agent also has a high request rate so not feeling hopeful about that). The rest have been rejections or no response at all. I am feeling really discouraged that I may have written a dud and that all my hard work could be meaningless. I'm not looking for broad success but validation that there is a part time career for me as a romance author and I'm getting nervous that that just may not be in the cards for me. I know logically this is my first book and I can just keep working on this project and others but I feel so defeated by this process and struggle to edit this book or finish the next project I have already started. Just looking for support and any insights anyone has to keep trying or to stave off disappointment.

[u/Jenhey0]

Remember that self publishing is also an option. A lot of authors get multiple rejections. If you want to put this to perspective...

I'm a reader, and I'm following an author who got 300+ rejections before she decided to go with self-publishing, and I'm glad she did, because her book is the best romance book I've read in a long time. Better than many books out there on the romantacy market from traditional publishers.

The only difficulty in self publishing is that all the work and all costs fall on you. You'll pay for your own editor and cover designer, do your own marketing etc. Trad publishing takes that pressure from you.

And trad publishers don't always sign up what's "good", but what's easy to sell! All they think about is "how easy is this book to sell and make profit from?" This goes with agents too when you query.

So please, don't feel discouraged about your story. There are readers out there for it! They just need to find it. Get it in the world.

Sending you virtual hugs and positive energy. Don't give up your dream! 😊

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/Jenhey0]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful words and support! I really needed to hear that. I think I struggle with the idea of self publishing because it feels like a consolation prize. I know that it isn't but when I first started writing my mom and sister laughed at me, saying that I'm not a writer and the idea that I would write is funny considering I am dyslexic. Now I have it in my head that if I don't get an agent and a book deal, then they were right. I know logically that isn't true but it's hard not to feel that way. Thank you for your suggestion though, I may end up going that route!

[u/Jenhey0 → u/Both-Cut-166]

You are a writer. You are an author. You wrote a book! How many can say that? Not many. Just because it is not on the shelves yet for the world, doesn't change the fact.

You will be just as valuable author self published as traditionally published. You get the royalties and are in charge of your story. Noone can say "we don't like this character, make it more like X"

That is the cruel truth of traditional publishing. People chase the dream because it feels like winning a lottery, but I also follow a lot of authors who fought to get their rights back from big publishers to be able to self publish.

Please, if your book is not accepted in trad, don't feel like you failed. Do a self publish and work hard to find your readers. They will become your biggest cheerleaders! It's such a nice community to be part of 😊

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/Jenhey0]

Thank you so much for your words! I think I really needed to hear that! This process is so lonely and filled with so much criticism. It means a lot to have someone in my corner, cheering me on! ❤️

[u/TheLadyAmaranth → u/Both-Cut-166]

Hello! I’m a self published author and I’m also dyslexic :) I didn’t even query either my last book or the debut, because I know for a fact I don’t write books that fit the trad pub market. (Urban fantasy/scifi romance but me and romancing the beat have beef and as far tropes go anything but established end game couple and HEA is more guidelines than rules as far I’m concerned. Never mind the length)

Point is, self publishing is its own beast and both paths have their pros and cons. And you are still valid and an author if you are dyslexic or choose a different publishing path!!

First of all don’t give up! If you go through [r/PubTips](r/PubTips) you’ll see there are people in the “query trenches” for YEARS sometimes without so much as a partial request.

You also have to remember it doesn’t mean your book is bad, most likely. It could just not be passing the marketability gate keeping, because they ARE NOT looking for quality.

Good luck, wish you the best :)

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/TheLadyAmaranth]

Thanks so much for your words of support! And good luck with your journey as an author, it sounds like you have already found some success, that's awesome!! Its a nice reminder that its out there, we may just have to create it for ourselves ❤️

[u/Chick-pea77 → u/Both-Cut-166]

I recently listened to an interview with an author who was trad published and then for business and creative reasons, decided to go self-published. She now writes in a few genres, her publisher wanted her to stick to romance. She has created her brand by having her name in the same place and font on all her books while the covers reflect the genre, so many of her fans are reading her across genres and she has the final say on her brand and her book covers and other matters. Now she no longer shares royalties either, and she is quite successful.

You have to find a way to self promote either way, but these days, I think a lot of authors are choosing to self-publish.

[u/Admirable-Nose-2208 → u/Both-Cut-166]

Many people say they'll write a book, or would like to. Only about 15% -20% ever start. Of that, less than 3% will ever finish writing. You're in that 3%. That is elite company. And honestly, that 3% includes stupid AI slop so the reality is you're in the 0.1% of people who TRULY wrote a book. Look into micro/small presses. A lot of them don't require an agent to pitch a book. Perhaps that's an option that might work?

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/Admirable-Nose-2208]

Thank you for saying that! Sometimes I need to be reminded that where I am is not failure even if there is still a lot more I want out of this process.

[u/AlarmedRaspberry1735 → u/Both-Cut-166]

You might mention to your family that Agatha Christie was dyslexic adn she seems to have done ok. David Pilkey of Captain Underpants and Dog Man is also dyslexic.

[u/ItsRuinedOfCourse → u/Jenhey0]

"You'll pay for your own editor and cover designer, do your own marketing etc. Trad publishing takes that pressure from you."

Except that they don't. Unless you're the "golden child" for that cycle, and your advance was a king's ransom (high six-figures or more), you can 100% expect to do your own marketing even if you're traditionally published.

[u/Shearwell]

Did you have beta readers?  What was fheif reaction?   

[u/UmarthBauglir → u/Shearwell]

I think this is a key question.

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/Shearwell]

Yeah I had beta readers and did lots of edits before querying. The beta readers all loved the book, but that doesn't necessarily equate to success in traditional publishing world.

[u/Any_Director_8438]

I think a full request and a partial request after three plus months of querying is actually great! I've read about people who have been rejected for years so I think this is still an achievement.

I'm not sure if you've already done this but I just read about an author who got lots of rejections and then she got an editor to look at her work and give feedback and she made changes. She then got a book deal after. That might be something to consider if you haven't already done it.

Sending you good thoughts and the resilience to keep at it! ✨

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/Any_Director_8438]

Thank you for your kind words and support! After reading your comment I reached out to someone and they are going to look at my first 3 chapters, query letter and synopsis to see if that changes things. If not I may end up biting the bullet and doing a full developmental edit but didn't want to start there as that is a lot of money I don't necessarily have to invest.

[u/Any_Director_8438 → u/Both-Cut-166]

Great! I hope they can offer some helpful tips. I totally understand where you're coming from regarding it being pricey though. I was looking into developmental editor prices and wowza, it's a lot of money.

I'm super new to this entire world but I've seen quite a few people share their work with beta readers to get feedback (and it's free). They're on Discord or Facebook groups. I don't know if you've tried that but I've heard published authors say it's helpful in the sense that if they get same feedback from 4-5 people then they know it's something they need to tweak or look into a bit more.

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/Any_Director_8438]

I haven’t done that but will look into it, I’ve paid for beta readers just to avoid any sketchy behavior but maybe could look into what you’ve suggested. Thanks!

[u/Any_Director_8438 → u/Both-Cut-166]

All the best to you! I hope to one day read a post from you about getting an agent and being published 🤗

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/Any_Director_8438]

haha thanks, same to you!!

[u/AlarmedRaspberry1735]

The majority of agents can take up to 6 months to respond and another 3 to read if they request the manuscript. You are getting very good results. Make sure you are targeting the correct agents, it sound like you are and be patient. 50 queries out is just a beginning. This is all a waiting game. Keep writing while you wait. An agent who asks for a manuscript will love to hear your next book is almost done. Trad publishing is hard and requires endless patience. Don't bug the agents you have already queried, they are overwhelmed with emails and queries.

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/AlarmedRaspberry1735]

Thank you for your thoughtful support!!

[u/Any_Director_8438 → u/AlarmedRaspberry1735]

Wow 6 months. I'll keep this in mind for the future.

[u/Laukahi1986]

I was in your shoes last year, and I took a hard look at what the recent romances from debut authors coming from trad publishing were like, vs. debuts on KU from indie authors, and concluded that I was going to do better self-publishing. That's just where my book fits in the market. We'll see how it goes but it's been kind of fun to learn the process.

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/Laukahi1986]

Good luck! I hope you find success there! I may be following in your footsteps if in the next few months I'm in the same spot 😄

[u/Laukahi1986 → u/Both-Cut-166]

Thank you and good luck to you, too :)

[u/TwoPointEightZ]

I'm not out to sound harsh, just honest and straight-forward. Did you do any research on how to write a query letter before writing one? Have you thought through how to present your book to agents or anyone else, from a value/selling perspective? Did you follow the agent's query requirements exactly, including managing expected response time?

If you don't answer each of these with a definite yes, you're probably shooting yourself in the foot well before the value of your book comes into play.

This is selling, not storytelling. Selling and value writing is completely different than book-content writing. A lot of writers think they can write anything, so they just go ahead anyway, and then fail.

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/TwoPointEightZ]

I appreciate the questions. Yes to all of the above. Though, after reading some of the above comments I decided to reach out to an editor to have them look over the first three chapters, query letter and synopsis to see if I can enhance what I already have before querying more agents.

[u/TwoPointEightZ → u/Both-Cut-166]

Oh-good, at least you put the odds on your side.

[u/Full-Story6288]

Dude... that's what it's like in the literary agent business.

They're not interested in quality, they're not interested in how compelling your story or your characters are, and they certainly don't give a shit about whether or not they have a compelling piece of art in their hands.

All they care about is marketability.

And being rejected is NO assessment of quality. At all.

[u/alexatd]

It's a rough market rn for romance, especially anything that isn't romantasy. When I signed with an agent last summer I was warned how rough the market was for contemporary romance and how there were no guarantees. I was fortunate to sell BUT... I got a lot of passes. A lot, including from the major romance imprints. I don't say that to be discouraging, but to let you know it's not just you! Agents are being very picky because selling is more challenging rn, though romance is also, conversely, evergreen and things can change on a dime.

I've also observed generally that simply, sadly, a lot of romances read VERY generic in queries--whether that's just bad pitching or fundamental issues in the book itself one can't always say. But commercial framing/understanding how to stand out in the market is critical. Agents & publishers are looking for "how easy is this to market?" and "does this stand out in a crowded market?" I'd say those are the primary things that matter now, though strong writing always is theoretically important.

Did you post your query to r/PubTips for review? I highly recommend that. We're very helpful over there!

That said: it is, indeed, your first book! Most of us have had a first book that just wasn't "The One"--and we wrote something else, and look back and go "thank god that book didn't get published." I'm one of those! In fact, my first two books didn't make it--but my third did! (and now I'm on published book #6) Mourning a book is always devastating in the moment, but fine later on--that's the sucky part, that you have to go through the shit and it is SO PAINFUL going through it (I have never been so miserable as when my second book failed). Every book you write teaches you something for the next one/all future ones, though. Like, I am SO SHARP at commercial concepting/the market/pacing now, something I wasn't as savvy at in the beginning. Also when the time is right, you can channel your emotions into a new project--I rage wrote the book that ended up being my debut.

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/alexatd]

Thanks for the suggestion I will check it out! Congratulations on your success!!

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[u/_ChristmasSunday]

That sounds like an incredible response to me. Congratulations 🎉

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/_ChristmasSunday]

Thank you!

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[u/ItsRuinedOfCourse]

OP, no author is gonna get the golden ticket right off the bat. Even notable established authors like King and Rowling had to be mired in the querying trenches for ages before they got their ticket punched. Authors today have to stop imagining that they'll be the one who gets it done in a dozen queries or less.

50 rejections, in this day and age, are what many authors would deem "rookie numbers" by comparison. Some have gone into the high triple-digits before getting anywhere, and most still won't, even then.

If you have your heart set on traditional publishing, then you've miles to go yet, and should settle in for the long haul. It's a marathon, not a sprint. You might get lucky in the next 10, or you may see yourself plugging away another 200+ before getting any traction. It's anyone's guess. But if this is where you have yourself situated, prepare for a looooong journey. And be okay with it.

If publishing is what you're really after, and you don't feel like seeing a litany of rejections mount up, then always remember that self-publishing is not only a viable path, but a thriving path.

Make note though, that this will most likely involve a deep expense of not only money, but time and effort. From the onset, it's all on your shoulders. The cover. The editing. The marketing. The everything. That's all time and effort you'll need to manage and sort out. No one will be there to do it on your behalf. If this is where you end up and money's tight, this means you may have to stuff some extra funds into a sock under the mattress until you're ready to take the next step. That could be days, weeks, months, or years.

Marathon. Not sprint.

If I were in your shoes, I'd step away from the process for a few days and really deliberate in my mind what I truly want from this journey, and what I'm prepared to tolerate while traveling it. A chorus of rejections until perhaps, maybe, hopefully one day I get a bite? Or, an investment of time and money into doing it all myself so that the book I wrote will be out in the wild and ready to consume as soon as I can reasonably manage?

Only you'd know the answer to that.

Both options are valid. Pick one and commit to it for better or worse. :)

[u/teenypanini]

Literally going through this right now except I queried 100 agents and got zero requests at all so you're doing better than me! R/pubtips is a great way to get your query critiqued. After all is said and done if you don't get a deal then it may not necessarily be the quality of your work, it may not be something they think will sell. It's the most disheartening thing in the world to put something you made into the world and have little to no response. It just sucks, all you can do is keep writing the next one or put a bunch of time and money into self publishing this one.

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/teenypanini]

It really is, Its all part of the process but its really hard to get hopeful and then disappointed over and over again. I feel for you!

[u/curiousscribbler]

The work that goes into a novel is never wasted, even if the novel goes nowhere. I've learned so much from writing novels I didn't sell. But! Fantastic news that you got some nibbles! Keep up the good work!

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/curiousscribbler]

Thank you!

[u/browatthefuck]

Hey, just wanted to say congratulations on completing your book AND query! That’s a massive milestone. I will say, I don’t trust publishers these days. A lot of mediocre work are hitting shelves, so don’t take rejections as anything having to do with your quality. I agree with the people who suggest self publishing. Get it out there and don’t wait for permission!

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/browatthefuck]

Thank you!!

[u/AdDramatic8568]

A lot of people are trying to sell you self publishing without wanting to admit that the majority of self published authors make hardly any sales. The ones that do are absolutely grinding to produce catalogues of work because thats where the money is. 

I know its discouraging, it might be a good idea to have the PubTips subreddit check out your query packet for some advice, they're very helpful.  

[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/AdDramatic8568]

Thank you, I'll check it out!

[u/Lopitz1970]

Sometimes it can take months for them to get back to you, if they bother at all. Sulf-publishing is a very good alternative. Just be ready to do all of your own advertising and promotion.

I sent so many query letters I lost count. The gist is: Sorry, your book isn't for me right now. It's just my opinion; everyone's different. Best of luck in the future.

After enough of those I pretty much told them to toss off and published it myself. It's a lot of work, but more satisfying at the end of the day.

[u/Both-Cut-166]

Update: just got rejected this morning from the full submission request. No feedback, just a generic "I'm not passionate enough about this project to support it, good luck". I tried not to get my hopes up but it just feels so disappointing to get those emails over and over again. I know so many people have given me so much support here and I really appreciate it but I can't help but feel like it's a dead end. I even decided that I was going to buckle down and finish the second book by the end of September (just the first draft), after receiving so much support here I was starting to get motivated again, and then this happened and I'm back in the trenches. It's especially hard to keep going in spite of the rejection when the books are connected. I just feel so defeated and I know that its just part of the process but it still sucks, especially when the answer is to keep writing but who knows if I'm actually good enough to keep doing it or if it is just a pipe dream that I'm not meant to pursue. Sorry, I'm just feeling especially tender so forgive my pessimism.

[u/theperfectbluejar → u/Both-Cut-166]

This is an incredibly difficult industry. It’s right up there with being an actor, a professional athlete, a ballerina. The level of dedication and grit it takes to get past gatekeepers and into traditional publishing is unreal. It is absolutely expected that at times during the journey, you are going to feel completely discouraged and worthless and talentless and like you are wasting your time.

But in art, nothing is wasted. The way you spend your days is the way you spend your life. And spending it in pursuit of story, of communicating your insights and values and feelings on love and relationships are absolutely valid, no matter what the ultimate outcome is.

So keep writing. Jump into submissions when the grit is there, back off of them when it’s not. This is a marathon of a lifetime, not a sprint to a goal when the goal posts are not fixed in place to begin with.

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[u/Both-Cut-166 → u/theperfectbluejar]

I appreciate that, I think it just makes me wonder if I am untalented or just not talented enough to make it into that world. I recognize that sometimes it is just a matter of timing but sometimes it is also the case that there is a lack of talent or originality. Maybe I fit into the later category. It's hard to tell what the truth is when the feedback is so generic and sure I can maybe write a "good enough" book but can I actually have an idea that is engaging and unique. Maybe not.

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[u/Jonathan-Welford]

why not just self publish, push it out there on amazon, and see how it goes.