Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Beautiful Rejection.


"This is the art of courage: to see things as they are and still believe that the victory lies not with those who avoid the bad, but those who taste, in living awareness, every drop of the good."
- Victoria Lincoln.

Hello my little blades... Long time no write! Today, I have 5 blogs to make up!!! So -- hold tight, little ones, you shall be hearing from me A LOT today!!!

First blog of the day is my beautiful rejection from a top literary agent at William Morris Endeavor. Though I do not agree with her about the universality of my story -- considering cancer affects 1/3 of our population and much of the world at large. I SO appreciate her thoughtful and specific and encouraging words to me...

Read on. And see why I call this "rejection" beautiful. 

Love... Always. 

p.s. May this letter be an inspiration to all of us to continue to stretch ourselves towards our dreams, to never give up and to see that life always presents us with commas and not periods. This letter -- it makes me want to strive harder. I am close... As are we all.


Thank you for giving me the chance to consider MIGHTY FORCES ARE GATHERING ON YOUR BEHALF.  Personal essay is near and dear to my heart, and I like the idea of this coming-of-age memoir about how profound personal loss can lead to an exploration—a loss and subsequent rediscovery—of faith.  I am also very fond of stories about place and specific pockets of culture, and your exploration of 1980s New Jersey was effectively brought to life on the page.  Your writing was sophisticated, too, and you have a real talent for crafting sentences that bypass cliché to emote intimate, human truths.


That said, I found myself wondering about the scope of your story.  I wonder if the events, places, and insights you recount—though very poignant—are broad, or relatable, enough to effectively resonate with readers.  To me, they seem far too intimate and personal to effectively reach outside of one family.

Publishing is such a subjective industry, and it is an incredibly precarious marketplace that we are finding ourselves in—as you undoubtedly know.  Your work deserves energetic and passionate representation, and since I cannot offer that at this point I am stepping aside for an agent who can.

I’m so glad that Judy put us in touch and I wish you tremendous luck in finding a home for your work.

I wish you all the very best.

Dorian Karchmar. 
(WME agent.)


p.s. I am contemplating this picture of my mom and me for the cover. What are your thoughts? Please let me know, you little readers!!!

3 comments:

  1. That's an awesome letter of which you should be quite proud. Agents and editors seldom have the time to devote to such detail, even when they want to, so this is in fact a tribute not only to your writing but how much Dorian was affected by it--and what a nice person and professional she must be. Keep submitting--your words will fall under the right set of eyes; the lightbulb will go on over the agent's head; she'll sign you and send it to the editor she knows is going to love it.
    Keep rawking most righteously,
    RDG
    I'll call you in a couple of days--I have a ton of from-experience advice on this, if you want it.

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  2. Thanks, RDG! Your comment makes me smiiiiile :):):)

    I sooo appreciate your love and watching over me!!!

    I'd love to chat tomorrow if you have a moment -- let me know.

    Big hug,
    KvdB.

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