Agents Get Rejected Too

We all know that once an agent takes on a client, their next job is to convince and editor how awesome the book is. We also know that obviously every editor/publisher isn't going to say yes.

But I have now seen a form rejection to an agent from a publisher.

I have to say, it was weird. I suppose I should know better, this late into the game, but for some reason I assumed that because there are fewer agents out there sending stuff to publishers that they would get actual responses. I assumed editors would send back replies saying no thanks, maybe not in great detail, but done themselves nonetheless. I don't really know why I thought such a thing, but I did. It was really strange to see though. A printed form letter with the title of a book scribbled in by someone. And it sounded almost exactly like what most of us see from agents. The usual, "Sorry we can't repsond personally, but we get so many submissions it is impossible. Sorry this book doesn't work for us, and we hope you find success elsewhere. We know someone else will probably love it." That sort of thing.

So now I know. Agents get form rejected just like the rest of us. And it probably sucks. The book they've fallen in love with yet again put back down by another editor. So even though many of us fuss and lament about getting rejected (and I'm not saying we shouldn't because rejection sucks no matter who you are), it's good to be reminded once and a while that agents get rejected too and it probably bums them out just as much.