I’ve had a number of agents during my writing life and have worked with far more editors than agents. Generally, when work is accepted, the acceptance itself does most of the talking. In rejection letters, on the other hand, if the agents and editors are smitten but not sold, they tend to be more talkative about what they liked about the work. As a result, what they say in these letters is often more memorable than the “we’re accepting this story for publication in X. Please sign two copies of the enclosed contract and return.”
Here are some of the lines from rejection letters that gave various frustrating days a happier cast. I’m including more from my earliest writing days as my memory of them is longer.
“Regrets that I found so many things to complain about in one of the best written and most perceptive and mature novels I’ve read for years.”—Dan Wickenden, Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, February 3, 1975 (first draft of The Christmas Bombing, parts of which much, much later found their way into Time Stamp.)
“Emily Meier is loaded with talent, and she is game to try anything, however beyond her present skills it lies. The novel simply isn’t publishable as it now stands and yet represents enormous labor, courage, and seriousness of purpose, and a real, though still tentative gift.”—Frances Lindley, Harper & Row, April 8, 1975 (The Christmas Bombing)
“Emily Meier does write beautifully. I keep wanting to publish her.”—Sherry Huber, Seaview Books, January 12, 1981 (The Second Magician’s Tale)
“We found Will Wheelock a beautifully drawn character and were deeply moved by his inner struggle.”—Linda Nelson, Charlotte Sheedy Agency, June 27, 1984 (later draft of The Christmas Bombing)
“I found the writing to be quite strong—graceful, lyrical, often profoundly insightful. There were many, many moments of true joy for me in the simple reading of your words.”—Erika Mansourian, Houghton Mifflin, November 15, 1989 (later draft of The Second Magician’s Tale)
“The novel is haunting. I found the basic story quite powerful.”—Jane von Mehren, Ticknor & Fields—11-26-90—(The Second Magician’s Tale)
“Emily Meier is a wonderful writer. I loved her lyrical, free form style.”—Ann Godoff, Atlantic Monthly Press, July 18, 1990 (The Second Magician’s Tale)
“Emily Meier is a truly talented writer. There is a lyrical detached quality to The Second Magican’s Tale and it is a novel of intelligence and quality.”—Frederica Friedman, Little, Brown and Company—May 16, 1990
“I’m afraid we’re sending this back in spite of its merits. I won’t forget that wonderul last sentence!”—Roger Angell, the New Yorker, August 13, 1994 (“Birdman” from Watching Oksana)
“I believe that if the author of this manuscript will give herself the opportunity to work on it only a little longer, the result will be dazzling. Its writing is unpretentious and yet unfailingly interesting, un-show-offy and yet gorgeously rich in sound, image, and phrasing. For all the praise I hope I have heaped on the author’s skill with language, what is most amazing about her fiction is her understanding and variety of characters and her ability to orchestrate their individual narratives. The author’s maturity, compassion, hardheadedness, and authoritative compass of a wide range of experience and knowledge should bring her an audience and applause. These stories are superior to any of the trade-book collections I have read in the past four years.”—Unidentified reader for the University of Wisconsin Press, August 8, 2001 (In the Land of the Dinosaur)
“At the risk of making you feel much much worse, let me tell you that The Beautiful Ships was, after a first reading, actually my first choice. In the early summer, I had been feeling bogged down in novellas that weren’t reaching any parts of me as a reader, when I began yours, while waiting for a plane to fly me to South Carolina. Your pages were so fully alive, I got reinspired by the assignment to read 20-some works. I set aside the top 3 to re-read because 4-6 weeks had passed between reading the various entries. I wanted a second reading back to back to back, which I did this week. The difference between your work and the winner was a hair’s breadth.”—Michael Murphy, then with Queen Literary and final judge of the Faulkner-Wisdom Novella contest, August 31, 2007 (“The Beautiful Ships” from Clare, Loving)
“I should begin by saying that this is some of the best historical fiction to cross my desk in quite some time. Your voice captures an authenticity that is so often lacking from novels of a similar nature, and it was such a pleasure to read such carefully crafted, nuanced prose. I also found New Harmony to be a unique and fully realized setting – a canvas worthy of the intricate, rounding details you use to paint your story.”—Bill Clegg, WME Entertainment, March 9, 2010 (Suite Harmonic)