Hi, I’m Kate. Ask an Author is a reader-supported newsletter providing advice and support for authors at all stages of writing, publishing, and hand-wringing. If you know someone this applies to, you can forward them this email and encourage them to sign up. Have a question? Fill out this form and I’ll answer it in a future response.
Two weeks ago, I posted a great interview with author Marissa Higgins about her debut novel A GOOD HAPPY GIRL, in which she talked about her querying, submitting, and revising process. If you missed it, be sure to give it a read! It connects to today’s question, about the revise and resubmit Marissa received when she first submitted her novel to editors. I love getting follow-up questions like this from readers—if you ever have q’s about what I or anyone else has said here, ask away! Thank you, anonymous poster, and thanks again to Marissa for swinging by the ’Stack with us.
Dear Kate,
In the interview with Marissa Higgins, Ms. Higgins mentions that she got a revise and resubmit from her editor. When I got a R&R last year from an agent and resubmitted the manuscript after working hard on the changes she’d asked for, she sent me a form rejection! I felt terrible about it, but a lot of people told me those don’t have a good chance of turning into anything—which made me feel like I’d wasted my time on that R&R anyway. But it obviously worked out in this case. Did I just not do a good job on my revisions? Do you have a sense of how most R&R’s work and whether it’s worth it to do them? I’ve shelved that manuscript, but I guess I’m still thinking about it.
Thanks.
- Revised and Rejected
Dear Revised and Rejected,
First, please know you’re not alone in being rejected on a revise and resubmit (R&R). I’ve had R&Rs that turned into gushing emails about how much the agent or editor loved loved loved everything I did. To their exact specifications! And yet! Because the planets weren’t aligned or their tastes had changed or there was still something nebulous missing or my changes had made them think of other ways they still felt the manuscript wasn’t quite right for them, it didn’t happen. And of course to get a form rejection after so much work is extra demoralizing. Consider it a reminder that, as with all things in this industry, we can’t control how anyone is going to respond. We can only control our own work and the time and care we put in, regardless of outcome.
It’s true that statistically speaking, most R&R’s don’t turn into an offer. I don’t have any numbers on this (although I’d be curious). I just, like you, have heard through the grapevine more authors talking about their resubmissions not panning out, and agents saying the same. But MOST doesn’t mean ALL. Marissa’s turned into a yes, and that’s obviously because her revisions worked and clicked well with that editor, and it’s also because the planets aligned and shit just worked out. Most of the time shit doesn’t work out, but again, most of the time doesn’t mean always! If she’d said, well, most R&R’s don’t pan out so I’m not going to bother, she wouldn’t have had a shot at that yes.
Also, gently: what happens to another writer has no bearing on what your path will be. Another author who gets an acceptance doesn’t mean you will or should have been accepted. Writers love to gather information like how long did other people query, how many did they send, how long were they on sub, how did it work when they got their offer, and all this data is helpful if it encourages us to keep going with our own projects, but not helpful if it turns into, “This person heard early and I haven’t heard yet so that means it’s a no” or “This person had an R&R rejected so my R&R is pointless” or “This person’s R&R led to a book deal so my R&R has a really good shot” or “This person got blurbed by this big author so I expect them to blurb me too.” There are general trends we can glean—in this case, that R&R’s are often a long shot but nevertheless provide another opportunity to get your work in front of an agent or editor again. But beyond that?
I think what it comes down to is: did your revisions make your manuscript stronger? Did they teach you something you can apply to your next book? (Because I hope you’re writing a next book, even if you shelved the previous one!) If you did the R&R begrudgingly, making changes you didn’t like, only to check the boxes you thought the agent wanted to see, then yeah—you might have wasted your time (and theirs). But even then, you probably learned something about what you want and what feels right for your work. And if you wound up with a better manuscript as a result of the revisions you did, then that’s where the value lies. It’s never a waste of time to work on your craft. And, because we all need the reminder sometimes: you don’t suck just because somebody brushed you off. (This is publishing—someone will always be brushing you off.)
Agents and editors are so busy that they aren’t asking to see work again unless they genuinely want to see it. At the same time, pretty much everyone does extensive revisions with an agent and then revises again (a lot!) with an editor. If the person really wanted the book, the hard truth is that they’d make an offer of representation (agent) or try to acquire it (editor) and work on the changes through the editing process, and it says something that they’ve chosen not to take that step.
Again, it doesn’t mean they won’t get there! But I think having that measured understanding of the process can help balance hopes and expectations. It’s not a doomed undertaking, because they could have rejected you outright but chose to give you feedback and re-open their inbox to you instead. At the same time, an R&R is not an acceptance or a guarantee of one. The only thing that means yes is an actual yes.
Every R&R you get is going to have to be evaluated on a case by case basis. Does the feedback resonate with you? Does it speak to the book you’re writing (not the one the other person wishes you’d written instead)? Do you think these changes will make your book stronger? Will they help your writing overall? Are you excited to get back into your manuscript with this person’s feedback and insights in mind? You never have to decide right away, or rush through the changes—agents (and editors) want you to take your time. I think an R&R has a better shot at succeeding if the feedback feels concrete and actionable, and if working on it genuinely excites you and doesn’t feel like a chore or a simple checklist. Your goal is always to wind up with a stronger manuscript, regardless of whether it pans out with that one agent or not.
I know this doesn’t help with your R&R from a year ago, but I hope it helps gives some perspective and a sense of closure (if you’re done with that ms) or renewed interest in working on it (if it doesn’t feel done to you yet). No matter what, keep writing!
Kate