Are rejections ever good?

This writing business is tough at times! You think you have the best idea out there, you spend large amounts of time to get the words written, you pass it off to your critique partners, and then after more time spent on it, you start submitting to agents or publishers. The magic response arrives. You're all nervous wondering if the day has come to take the next step in your career. Instead of the words you had hoped for, you get something like this:

Dear Author,

Our agency feels that your novel wouldn't fit our needs. This is a tough business, forcing us to send this form rejection letter.

So this isn't an exact rejection I've received but close enough. That didn't tell me anything, only crushed my spirits for a day (or three!) but I kept going anyway. The only way I would fail is if I gave up. Anyway, as you guys may know, I'm trying to snag an agent. The other day I received another rejection by a big New York agent that I'd had queried and it went something like this:

Dear Ms. Ely,

Thank you for thinking of our agency during your query process. I found the plot of your book very intriguing but don't feel as though I'd be the right agent to represent it. Keep looking and you'll find the right agent.

Sincerely,
Ms. Agent

Wow! That sort of rejection told me lots and gave me hope that I'm closer to getting an agent than I ever have been. For me, that is a good rejection!

If you are in the process of getting rejections, take a moment to see the difference in them. Do they tell you what's wrong with your book? Did the agent take the time to personalize the letter? Those things mean something. It's still a rejection but it's a good rejection.

Talk to you soon,
Wendy Ely