Rejection #26

Rejection #26 William Morris Agency (UK) Ltd

22 July 2008

Dear Dominic,

Thank you for approaching William Morris regarding representation for your book, THE VOICES OF LIGHT AND DARK.

While we enjoyed the concept, unfortunately your book is not quite right for; we don’t generally represent sci-fi authors and their work. You may well be aware of such resources already, but I encourage you to obtain a copy of a book like the WRITERS' AND ARTISTS' YEARBOOK, which could direct you to an agency with more suitable specialties.

I am very sorry to write to you with this disappointing response. I wish you the best of luck in seeking representation at another agency.

With kind regards,

William Morris Literary Division

All rejections are posted AS they were printed or written onto my submissions.

(234 left to go)

2 comments:

Paul said...

Hi Dominic -

First time here so you may be aware of all this stuff but just in case:

Several years ago after finishing a nonfiction ms that I'm well qualified to have written and for which I have plenty of independent evidence to support that the quality is there, I read this in Literary Market Place:

"If you are submitting a nonfiction book proposal without a marketing platform you are wasting your time."

Because I'm severely disabled and it had taken me 25 years to write my book under tremendous adversity I wasn't going to let that stop me but I got just the same "not quite right" kind of - well, frankly crap - from every agent and trade publisher I approached.

Since then I've learned a lot about the publishing industry - for example, there is no "slush pile." The reason my proposal/ms would come back looking untouched is that no one had read it.

Being housebound and mostly bedridden I have no abiliy to get a platform - very ltd. productive time in a day.

But I hear the platform thing is more and more a requirement for nonfiction too. Publishers want as much of a guarantee that they can get that the book will sell to a preexisting audience, and if you offer nothing there it's curtains for your work regardless of quality.

Victoria Strauss writes in your genre - she has a web site and blog - and she's the most reliable online source of info for writers that I've found.

Best,
Paul Martin

Dominic Took said...

Hi Paul,

Sorry to hear how hard it's been. If you believe in your work and life isn't necessarily on your side, or like me your a little unlucky, then it can be very difficult.

I wasn't aware of the Strauss blog, I've just checked it out and it's a fnatastic resource. I had been using Absolute Water Cooler up until I saw this.

I hope you're still submitting, I find speaking to the agent within the agency before you send, to query your submission always helps.

Thanks a lot for the comment and I wish you all the best.

Dominic Took