Blog - Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

How to interpret rejection letters

Nathan Bransford — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 21:30:42 +0000

If you’re pursuing traditional publication, brace yourself, because you’re gonna get rejection letters.

Even when a project ends up finding a literary agent and eventually a publisher, the “nos” almost always arrive before the “yeses.” Every single bestselling author you’ve ever heard of has received rejection letters at some point, and some received a mountain’s worth.

Aside from making great wallpaper, kindling, and kitty litter, believe it or not: rejection letters do serve a purpose. You can make yourself a better and more successful writer if you analyze them properly.

(I also offer online classes with exclusive resources about finding literary agents that you can take at your leisure where I talk more about deciphering rejection letters. And if you need personalized help, I can help edit your query letter or you can book a consultation to ask questions.)

But for today, allow me to dive into everyone’s least favorite part of the publishing process: the dreaded rejection letter.

In this post I’ll cover:

Why rejection letters are so difficult to decipher
What rejection letters look like from an agent’s perspective
Individual rejection letters are rarely helpful
Pay attention to the trends
The two scenarios where individual rejection letters are helpful

Why rejection letters are so difficult to decipher

Here’s the big problem with rejection letters: it’s practically impossible to make sense of a form letter that maybe includes one little teensy tiny bit of individualized advice.

Plus, they can be completely contradictory. One rejection letter could say “needs more monkeys” (probably came from me back when I was an agent) and the other letter could say “too many monkeys” (some lesser agent).

And that’s if you’re lucky enough to receive a personalized response, let alone a response at all. Many agents now have a “no response means no” policy, which means you have little way of knowing whether the silence is really a rejection or if your query was swallowed into an electronic black hole.

What’s a writer to do?

Well, as a former literary agent, first let me tackle this question from the other side of the computer screen so you have a sense of what’s happening over in literary agent land.

What rejection letters look like from an agent’s perspective

Literary agents receive thousands upon thousands of submissions every year. That translates to dozens every single day, 365 days a year. Staying on top of slush is like being responsible for mowing the world’s fastest-growing grass.

Out of that deluge, an agent will take on maybe a small handful of clients every year. And because agents work on commission, every moment spent responding to non-clients is a moment they’re not making money.

Because of that, literary agents usually either 1) don’t respond to query letters unless they’re interested, or 2) rely on generic form rejections.

It used to be typical for agents who requested an author’s manuscript to send a personalized reply giving some reasons for passing if it’s a “no,” but that too is going by the wayside.

And I’m going to be totally honest with you: When I was a literary agent, my rejection letters were not usually very helpful.

My rejections tended to be vague, formulaic, and brief. But polite!

Why? I didn’t want to lead anyone astray.

When a manuscript or proposal was a “pass” for me, chances are it was simply because I wasn’t feeling that zing I felt whenever I wanted to take an author on. But I wasn’t always able to articulate precisely why that was the case, and oftentimes I hadn’t read enough to be able to provide a particularly insightful critique.

If I was able to put my finger on the reason for the lack of zing, I would absolutely tell the writer. But most times? I said enough to show the author I really read it, but not enough that my response would actually be all that helpful.

It’s crucial to bear in mind that when you’re getting a rejection letter from an agent, they’re probably just finding something to say to soften the “no.” They’re not spending their entire day racking their brain to give you the best feedback imaginable.

Individual rejection letters are rarely helpful

Here’s the secret to understanding these maddening missives:

Rejection letters are almost always worthless by themselves.

Unless a rejection letter happens to be incredibly detailed and the feedback resonates with you on a gut level (more on these holy grails of rejection in a bit), you’re probably not going to learn too much from any rejection letter. And you’re going to learn even less if you analyze a rejection letter for hidden meaning (you’re also going to rack up the psychiatry bills).

Yes, I know, it’s so tempting to take encouragement from a personalized, detailed rejection letter with fulsome praise and an agonized pass that’s ultimately still a no. And you have to collect the hope wherever you can get it in this process.

But at the end of the day, a beautifully written, encouraging “no” and a form rejection “no” and a super mean “no” are functionally the same. They’re all just different flavors of “not for me.”

It’s more helpful to pay attention to what agents do, not what they say.

And that’s why one letter by itself usually isn’t much help, no matter how positive or negative it is. BUT. When you start accumulating rejections, you can start to make more sense of them by analyzing the trends.

Pay attention to the trends

I highly recommend sending query letters in batches of 7-10 at a time. Receive a rejection or two months of silence go by? Send another one out. Keep 7-10 floating out there at any given time.

If, however, after 15-20 queries you haven’t gotten a single manuscript or proposal request and you received only form letters, something’s wrong.

The most likely scenario is that your query letter isn’t working, and you may need to take a step back for a revision (or get editing). But it could also be your project isn’t marketable, you queried the wrong agents, or, for whatever reason, it’s just not clicking.

Something is preventing you from getting in the door. Struggling to get requests doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a bad writer, but it means that you’re due for a reevaluation of your query, your overall project, and your approach to the process.

If, however, you’re getting requests for partials (hooray for you!) and fulls (even better!), but you’re not getting an agent to bite and offer you representation, it may mean that you’re close to the zone for getting representation, but that something isn’t quite right, and maybe you can make some changes to the manuscript that will make your project better.

And then there are “revise and resubmit” requests, which means you’re in the ballpark, but maybe not quite all the way to an offer of representation. If an agent is investing time in you or keeping the door open, they’re showing you you’re close.

This is where an accumulation of personalized rejection letters can actually be helpful in gauging how well things are going. Again: for the most part, judge by what agents do, not what they say.

Nothing but rejections and silence? Something’s wrong. Re-evaluate.

Requests for the manuscript/proposal and doors kept ajar? Keep going. You’re in the zone, and may just need a dash of luck for lightning to strike.

The two scenarios where individual rejection letters are helpful

Once you’ve accumulated some personalized rejection letters, spread those bad boys out on the table. Avoid the temptation to set fire to said table. And start to analyze the common threads.

Don’t go nuts with this. You aren’t looking to crack some secret code here. Just see if there are a few common threads that you can pick out from the personalized rejections.

Maybe a few people said they are worried about your pacing. Or maybe a few had similar problems with certain characters or plot lines.

Here’s the next most important step: if you are hearing the same piece of feedback more than once: listen. Don’t say, “Oh, well, my work is what it is, agents are just STUPID.” Agents are not stupid. Most of the time. Consider addressing any piece of feedback you’re hearing from multiple agents.

Or, if a rejection letter speaks to you, and you know in your core the agent is right, definitely take a pause and revise accordingly.

You ultimately have to write the book you want to write and you shouldn’t bend past your comfort level. But don’t overthink a rejection letter that leaves you saying, “Huh?” Again, most individual rejection letters are just a “not for me” and you’d be better off just moving on.

Once more: Focus on the rejection letters that:

Resonate with your gut
Repeat feedback that you’ve heard before

If you do that, you’ll learn as much as possible from your rejection letters without going crazy.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: February 22, 2007

Need help with your book? I’m available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!

For my best advice, check out my online classes, my guide to writing a novel, and my guide to publishing a book.

And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter!

Art: Jove decadent by Ramon Casas

Court docs show OpenAI and Microsoft knew book copying was illegal (This week in books)

Nathan Bransford — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 17:23:02 +0000

This week! Books!

Unsealed Files Show Open AI/Microsoft Knew Copying Was Illegal and Could Hurt Authors – Jim Milliot, Publishers Weekly – Unsealed court documents show OpenAI and Microsoft employees knew their book piracy operations were illegal and could harm authors, which should have plaintiffs’ attorneys salivating over penalties and a potential settlement. Pay up!

The Rise of Parasite Authors (gift link) – Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly, The Atlantic – The latest scam that Amazon and its broken child site Goodreads are seemingly doing little to stop: scammers are uploading fake AI books “by” real authors, duping their fans into buying them.

The World’s Most Reliable AI Detector Has a Human Problem (gift link) – Vauhini Vara, Bloomberg – Novelist Vauhini Vara profiles the rise of controversial AI-writing detection tool Pangram. She put it through the paces and seemingly came away impressed with its lack of false positives, even if it seems possible (even easy) to dupe.

Ukraine’s Publishing Industry Nears Breaking Point Amid War – Ed Nawotka, Publishers Weekly – The Ukrainian publishing industry is struggling under the onslaught of Russian attacks, with over 10 million books destroyed.

He Scammed the Book Business for Years. Is He Back? (gift link) – Miguel Salazar, New York Times – Enigmatic scammer Filippo Bernardini impersonated real publishing employees to purloin more than a thousand unpublished manuscripts for confusing reasons. Someone is at it again. Is it him?

SoCal’s Vroman’s, Book Soup Find New Owner – Sam Spratford, Publishers Weekly – Legendary Pasadena bookstore Vroman’s has new ownership, led by Robert Hoffman, who has worked in public policy.

Where Are All the Young Writers? [2026 Redux] – Sean deLone, Dear Head of Mine – Why do young literary writers seemingly have a less prolific output than comparable peers of yore? Sean deLone digs in.

The Roots of the Novel Are Parody, Pastiche, and Play – Lincoln Michel, Counter Craft – Author Lincoln Michel read Don Quixote and considers a great question: If the book that’s considered a foundational text for the novel in Western culture is a parodic pastiche, what does that say about the roots of novels?

CYOA Unbound – Choose Your Own Adventure – The publishers behind Choose Your Own Adventure announced the launch of CYOA Unbound for adult readers. I, for one, can’t wait to turn to page 158 to find out what happens when I decide to stay at the bar for an ill-advised drink instead of going home.

How do you define success as a writer? – Dan Blank, The Creative Shift – I always appreciate Dan Blank’s take on the creative life, and this week, he encourages writers to move beyond sales as the key metric for success.

Hijacking Your Vision – Kristen Weber, Inside an Editor’s Brain – Editor Kristen Weber tackles a great, nutty question: How do you know when to trust an editor’s feedback, and when do you stay true to your vision?

Maestoso, doloroso – Sophie Newman, Attunement – As the days shorten and the weather chills, some of us have a tendency to fall into the doldrums. Writer Sophie Newman has a lovely post about appreciating the growing darkness, with an assist from Louise Glück.

This week in bestsellers

Here are the top five NY Times bestsellers in a few key categories. (All links are affiliate links):

Adult print and e-book fiction:

Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

The Perilous Fight by Colin Kaepernick with Nick Chiles
End Times Fascism by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor
One Man In by Christian Craighead
Confronting America by Bill O’Reilly and Josh Hammer
The Nerd Reich by Gil Durán

Young adult hardcover:

Styx by Nikita Gill
Barbie: Dreamscape by Alex Aster
Our Strange Duet by Erin A. Craig
Winterveil by Ava Reid
Anger is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo

Middle grade hardcover:

Spooky Rivers by Geo Rutherford
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono
The Secret Bookstore Sleuth Society by Lindsay Currie
Kiki and the New Magic by Eiko Kadono

This week on the blog

In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:

10 things that don’t belong in a query letter

And keep up with the discussion in all the places!

Follow me on Threads, Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter

And finally:

Season 51, Episode 1: New Beginnings – Alison Coffey, Coconuts & Castaways – Season 51 of Survivor kicked off this week, and if you’re looking for a great recap site to revel in all the fun and games and backstabbing, subscribe to Alison Coffey’s Coconuts & Castaways!

Have a great weekend!

Photo: The Huntington, San Marino, CA. Follow me on Instagram!

10 things that don’t belong in a query letter

Nathan Bransford — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 21:30:05 +0000

I’m going a little retro today with a Buzzfeed-style header and some hot takes about elements that don’t belong in a query letter.

Here’s the thing though, if I’m being fully honest: there are no rules. There’s no industry standard when it comes to things that MUST or MUST NOT be in a query letter.

Ask ten agents for a list of what must and must not be in a query letter, and you’ll probably see some of the same elements appearing in both the must and must not lists.

One agent hates themes and thinks you should focus on the plot. Another agent thinks you should lead with the themes and dispense with the plot. (Wonderful agent Betsy Lerner suggested just this in a recent course).

One agent doesn’t care why you wrote the book. Another thinks it’s super important.

The good news is that only my opinions are the correct ones. You’re in luck! Huzzah!

So here we go. After nearly twenty-five years reading and writing query letters, first as a literary agent, then as an author who had to go through the query process, now as a freelance editor helping authors navigate the industry, here’s my take on what doesn’t belong in a query letter.

Self-praise

We live in shameless times, and when it comes to marketing, authors must learn to be their own personal hype beasts.

So when it comes to writing a query letter, some authors will assert their novel is funny, spell-binding, spine-tingling, fast-paced, yada yada yada…

These are wasted words. Agents are never going to believe you.

Read enough slush, and you’ll see a very strong correlation between authors who engage in lavish self-praise and manuscripts that are a steaming mess. Paging Dunning & Kruger…

Instead of needing to tell the agent your book is good–no, really, I pinky swear, promise–demonstrate that you write well by writing a vivid, specific plot description that captures the voice of the underlying material.

Beta reader praise

If you have a killer blurb from a famous author or celebrity, definitely include it in the query letter. Blurbs from famous people can move the needle, which is why you see them on so many book covers.

Otherwise?

No agent will care that your mom, a beta reader, someone you paid to edit your book, or a kid down the block liked your book.

Plot descriptions beginning with rhetorical questions

Light them on fire.

The word “ensues”

First, pour gasoline on the word “ensues.”

Then light it on fire.

Why you wrote the book

Let me start this section with a caveat.

You are free to tell the agent whatever you want to in the bio section of your query letter. If it’s important to you to tell the agent what led you to write the book, have at it.

The agent is just not likely going to care.

Here’s a pretty decent question to ask when you’re on the fence about what to include in a query letter: Will this information help sell the book?

Think about what you see on jacket copy in bookstores. Do you ever see, “Oh, and this story is personal to the author because it’s loosely based on their great-grandmother?” Unlikely.

The reason you wrote the book is immensely important to you. After all, it’s what led you to spend hundreds of hours huddled over a laptop.

It’s just not likely going to be important to anyone else. Sorry! This is the life we’ve chosen.

The amount of research you put into the book

Let’s go back to the bookstore test. Do you ever see on jacket copy, “The author spent a year researching various wig powders during the American Revolution to lend authenticity to this novel?”

If you’ve written a book that requires research, agents and readers will simply assume you performed all appropriate research in order to create the book. Writers don’t get extra credit for doing what they’re supposed to do.

What ultimately matters is whether the story is compelling. So focus on the plot description.

“A shocking secret that changes everything”

Authors are often terribly worried about preserving spoilers, which leads them to be very vague.

This is an important area where query letters depart from jacket copy. Agents are not normal readers, and they don’t need to be shielded from spoilers like civilian readers. You don’t need to tell the agent how the novel ends, but when it comes to the ins and outs of the story?

Spoil away. Swap out vague phrases like “a shocking secret” and just be specific about what happens.

Themes

Here’s where I depart from Betsy Lerner, who, to be clear, I have an immense amount of respect for. I don’t think themes belong in a query letter. Even if an agent explicitly says they want themes, I still don’t think you should put them in a query letter.

I believe authors should simply focus on making the plot as vivid as possible. Why?

If an agent cares about themes, a good query letter will make the themes apparent even when you don’t spell them out. A cracking plot description with a strong voice will make it extremely clear when there’s, say, revenge, family drama, and a gothic atmosphere.

The reverse is not true. If you only tell the agent you’ve written a novel with revenge, family drama, and a gothic atmosphere, that could literally mean anything and cover all sorts of different stories. An agent who cares about plot isn’t going to be able to discern what makes your story unique.

Ultimately, vividness and specificity carry the day. By definition, themes are vague catch-alls that encompass a multitude of potential stories.

My strong opinion is to steer clear.

Excessive self-deprecation or apologies

You are absolutely not wasting any agent’s time sending them a query letter. So don’t act like you are.

Stand tall behind your story and try to sound like you had fun writing your query, even if you assuredly did not.

Business letter formatting

I learned to type on a typewriter in high school. I learned how to create proper business block formatting with the date and addresses and all the right numbers of spaces.

Those skills are now utterly useless.

You are not writing a business letter when you’re sending a query letter. You’re writing an email.

You’ll instantly date yourself and raise questions about your digital literacy if you use business letter formatting in an email.

See anything I’m missing? Let me know in the comments!

Art: Trompe-l’oeil still-life by Samuel van Hoogstraten

Microsoft employees wondered whether OpenAI was committing “largest theft of labor in human history” (This week in books)

Nathan Bransford — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 17:21:53 +0000

This week! Books!

Microsoft and OpenAI Workers Worry About ‘Largest Theft of Labor’ in History (gift link) – Karen Weise and Mike Isaac, New York Times – Microsoft and OpenAI workers were taking notes during a criminal conspiracy, namely Microsoft employees wondering whether OpenAI was busy committing the largest labor theft in history. (Yes! They were!)

The 2026 National Book Awards Longlists – The New Yorker – Congrats to the National Book Award longlisters!

EXCLUSIVE: Author Jerry Falade Reflects on Losing His Book Deal and Being Accused of Using AI. – Kathleen Schmidt, Publishing Confidential – Author Jerry Falade, whose multi-million dollar book deal fell through when his previous agents dropped him over suspected AI use, wonders whether his “Yorùbá-inflected voice” triggered AI-detection software.

Bourdain’s ’90s gangster novels couldn’t escape the kitchen – Francesca Giangiulio, Salon – Anthony Bourdain, crime fiction writer? Yes, indeed. His old crime novels are getting a re-release. The kitchen is never far away.

Execution is More Important than A Great Book Idea – Sean deLone, Dear Head of Mine – Your regular reminder, this time from a book editor, that execution matters way more than a good premise.

Can You Identify These Places That Nurtured Writers? (gift link) – J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times – A fun quiz for NYC literary types about some fixtures in various lit scenes.

Syrian man uncovers library hidden behind wall for 15 years – Al Jazeera – Now that the Assad regime has fallen, a Syrian man was able to tear down the wall hiding his secret library.

In Memory: Author Jane Yolen – Gayleen Rabakukk, Cynsations – Legendary author Jane Yolen passed away earlier this year, and on Cynthia Leitich Smith’s blog, Gayleen Rabakukk rounds up some of the advice she dispensed over the years.

This week in bestsellers

Here are the top five NY Times bestsellers in a few key categories. (All links are affiliate links):

Adult print and e-book fiction:

Fury In Death by J.D. Robb
Theo of Golden by Allen Levi
Burn of the Everflame by Penn Cole
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

The Counterrevolution by Victor Davis Hanson
How to Eat an Elephant by Sarah Longwell
Plot Twist by Harlan Coben
American Scoundrel by Kai Bird with Susan Goldmark
Regime Change by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan

Young adult hardcover:

Our Strange Duet by Erin A. Craig
Espíritu by Aiden Thomas
Barbie: Dreamscape by Alex Aster
Wings of Reverie by Anna Bright
Falling Like Leaves by Misty Wilson

Middle grade hardcover:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono
Kiki and the New Magic by Eiko Kadono
Wombat Waiting by Katherine Applegate
Forbidden Mountain by Brandon Mull

This week on the blog

In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:

How long does it take to sell a novel?

And keep up with the discussion in all the places!

Follow me on Threads, Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter

And finally:

Susan Te Kahurangi King’s Way of Seeing – Laura Preston, The New Yorker – Artist Susan Te Kahurangi King doesn’t speak, read, or write, but her lifetime of work has attracted serious interest in the art world.

Have a great weekend!

Photo: “Rocks Amid Crashing Waves” by Yamaato Kakurei at LACMA, Los Angeles, CA. Follow me on Instagram!

How long does it take to sell a novel?

Nathan Bransford — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 21:51:45 +0000

How long does it take to sell a novel to a traditional publisher? About that long.

But in seriousness, while there aren’t statistics that track average time spent on submission, anecdotally it seems like it’s taking longer than ever.

In this post, I’m going to break down how long you can expect it to take, what accounts for the lengthy delays, and why all of those bottlenecks can be thrown out of the window at any time.

How long it takes to sell a novel

I often receive distressed e-mails from authors who have reputable agents who have sent their novels out on submission to editors. The authors really want to trust their agents, and they’re trying to be good and non-high maintenance, but, seriously, could the submission process really take this long?

Yes, it can.

But what if, one of these authors asked, a publisher expressed interest several months ago and then nothing has happened at all? Could they really still be interested? And if they were interested a couple of months ago, why in the heck haven’t they made an offer already?

Happens all the time.

I always assure these authors to just keep in touch with their agent, be patient, take up knitting, and go easy on the bourbon. Settle in for the long haul. (And start working on your next book).

A book might sell in a week. Or it might sell in a year. You never know. Three to nine months is a good range, but I’ve known books that have sold after several years on submission.

And, yes, sadly some books end up dying on sub.

So why does it take so long for an editor to make a decision anyway? Well, there are many reasons. Here are a few of them.

Bottleneck #1: Editors are besieged

Over the course of the last twenty years, there has been quite a lot of industry consolidation that has resulted in numerous imprints getting shut down, and an entire tier of mid-size publishers either absorbed into the Big 5 or shut down.

This means there are fewer places for agents to send projects. And yet there are more agents than ever.

The result? Editors are getting drowned in submissions. While reputable agents used to be able to count on a reasonably timely response from editors, “no response means no” is increasingly common, even for top agents.

Bottleneck numero uno is simply down to an editor slotting your book into a long, growing queue.

Bottleneck #2: It takes a long time to read a novel

Once the editor actually gets to your novel, well, they have to read it. And reading a novel is time-consuming! Six hours on average, if you are a speed reader (and you’d better be if you’re in publishing).

Editors receive multiple submissions a day. Do the math, and even if they quit reading as soon as it’s a “no,” there just aren’t enough hours in the day to keep up, especially when you already have a full-time job while you’re not reading.

But let’s say the editor does read the book, loves it, and wants to make an offer. What then?

Bottleneck #3: Quite a few people have to read the book before an editor can offer

Unless they are a serious publishing muckety-muck, editors have to get approval to make an offer, a process similar to unlocking a nuclear bomb.

They have to get it past their editorial board, they have to get more reads, these reads have to be good, they have to unlock the failsafe and contact the president to press a button on the nuclear football, the sales team gets a look, some higher up has to sign off on it… and all of these people have to read the book too.

Multiply those six hours by ten, and then maybe the editor gets approval to make an offer of a certain amount.

For more on what’s going on behind the scenes at the publisher, check out former Big 5 editor Christine Pride’s inside look.

Slow, then fast

Now, what’s funny about all this is that when there’s a hot project, all of this goes out the window. People can quickly lose their minds and the whole above process can be condensed to a couple of hours.

Frankly, it’s a good thing publishing companies don’t actually control our nuclear stockpile. One whiff of an aging rock star memoir and take cover.

I know it’s terribly frustrating to go months and months looking for an agent and then finally the book gets submitted… and then wait months and months while you’re waiting for editors to read it.

Welcome to publishing. You have no choice but to stay a while.

Originally published March 7, 2008

Art: Vanitas – Still Life with Books and Manuscripts and a Skull by Evert Collier