How many times have you had your fictional book rejected by Publishers / Agents?

Answer 1

Even the most successful writers have had numerous knockbacks. Think of Stephen King and "Carrie" - that was knocked back and wasn't published until years later!!
Get back on the horse and try again, and don't be tempted to self-publish.

Answer 2

I have had nine novels published (under my pseudonym which I am too modest to reveal) and many rejected, up to twenty times.
If a novel is publishable, it will eventually be taken. If rejected twenty times, you may as well save the postage,give up and write another.
I have made a good living from my writing, but it has got much harder to sell books today. Publishers seek "sure things" and continue to complain that fiction by "non names" doesn't sell much. They don't want to risk a failed book because too much money goes into promoting it, so they play very safe and tend to copy past success. This means (today) that anything with "Da Vinci" or "Code" in the title will be closely looked at!
My advice is to bombard AGENTS (not publishers, they no longer read books sent in by writers) with your work until you find an agent to champion you. If, for example, ten works of fiction get rejected by 20 to 30 agents each, you may have to face reality that it is not in the cards for you to be a published writer. You may wish to write a film script or TV script instead, or simply express yourself in another way.
Good Luck. If you have some talent, somebody will spot you and wish to represent your book.
Simon 2
PS Never use a vanity press, it is pointless and expensive, and try to be original.

Answer 3

Hi there. The average for most writers is to have at least 12 publishers formally reject them before they either give up or persevere to hit the magic number of 13.

In my case, the first publisher that read my manuscript accepted it almost on the spot. Why? They were looking for a great medieval fantasy epic and I just happened to be the guy with the right story at the right time. It helped, of course, that the book had ALL the elements they were looking for--fast action, magic, mayhem and a whole lot of characters. Oh, and the manuscript was almost letter perfect when they read it--very little editing was required, which is always a plus for a publisher.

So, the moral of this brief story is, you just never know in the book business. Your novel might hit a hot button and get a publisher's attention right away. Then again, it might not. The thing is, if you sit in the stands and never try to get into the game, you're guaranteed to remain a spectator.

Spectators don't get paid much. Only those on the field get the applause and the paychecks.

Good luck!

Jon F. Baxley (Author, Editor, Ghostwriter and Proofreader)

THE SCYTHIAN STONE (eBook only)
THE BLACKGLOOM BOUNTY (eBook and hard cover)
THE REGENTS OF RHUM (coming fall '07)

Answer 4

If the book's good enough sooner or later a publisher will take a risk. It's very hard for a no-name (previously unpublished author) to break in to the publishing world. It's a gamble the industry takes, they invest alot of money in a book, promotions, etc so they are abit wary with a newbie. J.K.Rowling and her wretched harry potter book was rejcted time and time again till someone decided to take a chance. All established authors say never give up trying. But if you're really crap then you should give up. You need someone to read it professionally for an unbiased opinion. Good luck.

Answer 5

I haven't counted the rejects I've received, but my reject file is as thick as a Detroit phone book.

Perseverance and patience are the key words in seeking representation.

Answer 6

i put foward a synopsis of my biography to a famous publishing house. they rejected it on the grounds of what i have done in reality could only be the subject of fiction.

Answer 7

about 17 times now. I still have all the rejection letters.

Answer 8

47 times for one, 13 times for another, and 28 on a third.

Answer 9

Last count 3.

Answer 10

stopped counting.