There Are Only So Many Ways To Say No

I stumbled across a comment from an author I passed on who was upset that I did not go into complete detail as to why I passed on his/her (leaving gender out for a reason) project. They noted my response which was a rejection simply because I did not connect enough with the premise of the story. In other words, it wasn't the writing. It wasn't the topic. It just wasn't for me. 

This is an industry that is subjective. What works for one person doesn't always work for someone else. You should know this by now if you are a reader. Your best friend reads something and thinks it is the best book ever and they want you to read it. You pick it up and say "Ok, sure... it's a book but I just didn't get into it." 

That's what I am talking about.

There are a lot of times when I get a submission that does just that. There is nothing necessarily to fix in the story, but the pitch you provided in you query just did not click with me enough to want to read more.

So I pass on the project.

But here is the thing. This author was complaining that I was not personal about the response and did not go into detail more so that he/she could fix the story and make it better. Again, this was a subjective call. There really isn't much more I can say. It just wasn't for me.

As the title of this post states, there are only so many ways I can say no to something. Will it sound a bit form like. Sure. But when it comes down to something as simple as that, then you will get that type of a response, especially from an initial query.

When I do request more, guess what? I do go into detail because A) there was something in the premise that intrigued me enough to want to read more; and B) I can now give you that detailed response. I know some of you are saying, "then ask for a partial every time!" The deal is, I don't need to see a partial IF, in your query, the premise is not something that I would be interested in. The writing could be fantastic, but I have to totally love the project to really want to work with the story.

I guess I would also add one additional point. This particular author who was complaining is someone who sent the query to me as a "form query letter starting with Dear Agent..." How do I know? I keep notes on what I was thinking about projects in my database as well as whether it came directly from an email, using the form on my website, at a conference, during a Twitter or Pitchfest, or on Query Manager. 

I get it. Rejections are not fun. As I have said, you will get a response from me. At least you get one. There are far too many editors and agents out there who are now operating with the "no answer means no" response, which really doesn't tell you anything. Heck, how do you even know if your query even made it to the right person? The deal is, I will pass for the following reasons on an initial query and there are only so many ways to say no:

• Wrong genre - Why did you send me something that wasn't a romance or women's fiction
• Not romance or women's fiction - It is trying, has elements but not either
• Subjective call and just not right for me
• The story is not finished - You shouldn't have sent it in the first place.

Can't really say no any other way with these!