I’ve been hawking one of my manuscripts since just before Covid. It’s a post-apocalyptic SF novel. I used a friend-cum-agent at first. She was a food book agent, so lets say there’s a mismatch in terms of her experience and the material. Still, even after I wrote the pitches she should use with the publishers, of the eleven pitched, 2 were no-answers (even agents get ghosted), one was as form rejection, and the rest were personal, indicating that (1) it was great, and (2) it wasn’t in their wheelhouse, or that their book list (what they were publishing in the upcoming year) was full.
Frustratingly, this was the rejection from the last agent:
You’ve created such a compelling–if devastated–world and I really enjoyed this look at a different kind of Texas through Tim’s eyes. And I definitely see THE ROAD comp here as they undertake this epic journey. Unfortunately, after careful consideration, I’ve decided I’m not the best agent to represent you – post-apocalyptic can be tough for me, and knowing what else you’re working on, I think you’re probably better set up with a true SFF agent (versus me, the dabbler!), who has a really deep sense of the market.
I’ll be excited to see where this goes though, and will definitely be following your career with interest! I’m grateful I had the chance to take an early look and I hope you find a fantastic partner for this project and your others!
Well, dang. If it’s so great, why aren’t agents willing to take a chance on it? It all comes down to $. Not how good a story. Not how well it’s received. Not how anything, other than how much $ can be made and how little of that can flow to the author.
And, no, I’m not bitter. Not. At. All.
