What literary agent rejections ACTUALLY mean ❌

Answering your questions about literary agent rejections

Rejection is an inevitable part of every writer’s journey, but that doesn’t make receiving them easy. When you’re querying, those rejection emails can feel like one closed door after the next. Worse, they can leave you spiraling and overanalyzing every word.

Why did the agent pass? Was it your sample pages? Your query letter? Or something else entirely?

As a developmental editor who has helped hundreds of authors along their publishing journeys, I know that rejection can derail your confidence and motivation, but it doesn’t have to.

By understanding what rejections really mean (and, just as importantly, what they don’t), you can shake them off and realize that with every door that closes, another one opens.

Here are the questions we’ll discuss:

• How can you tell if you received a form rejection?

• How can you tell if you received a personalized rejection?

• How can you figure out what is wrong with your query?

• Should you revise after a full-manuscript rejection?

• Should you re-query agents who gave you feedback with a rejection?

• What should you do if all your full requests end in rejection?

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How can you tell if you received a form rejection?

No author wants to receive a form rejection, but this is the most common and standard response you’ll get to your queries. It typically looks something like this:

“Thank you for your query. Unfortunately, your project isn’t the right fit for my list at this time, but I appreciate the opportunity to consider your work. Publishing is highly subjective, and another agent may feel differently. I encourage you to continue querying and wish you the best of luck on your publishing journey.”

This type of response simply means the agent determined that your book wasn’t the right fit for them. Perhaps they made the decision quickly, such as if your book is in a genre they aren’t interested in representing at this time, or they may have seriously considered your query but didn’t have the time to write a more personalized response.

Ultimately, you can’t read too much into form rejections, because it’s impossible to tell for certain what made the agent pass.

If you’re unsure whether the rejection you received is a form rejection, check the comments for that agent on QueryTracker. Other authors often share their response timelines and post the rejection language they received, which can help you confirm whether yours is a standard rejection.

In this situation, the best—and frankly the only—response is to brush it off, cross the agent off your list, and keep querying.

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Want to ensure your query letter is hitting the mark?

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How can you tell if you received a personalized rejection?

A personalized rejection has much of the same language as a form rejection but also includes specific feedback. An example might look like this:

“Thank you for letting me review your work, but I’m going to decline at this time. Your premise is interesting, but unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the narrator’s voice. I sincerely appreciate you considering me for this project and wish you all the best with your writing career.”

This means the agent took the time to thoughtfully read through your query and sample pages and considered taking on your project, but ultimately still didn’t feel it was a good fit.

Personalized rejections give you more insight into the agent’s thought process, but what should you do in this situation? Should you jump to change your query letter or sample pages to address their feedback?

I’ve seen many authors misunderstand and misinterpret personalized rejections, which can hurt you in the long run. Here’s what you need to do first: