What the Agent Said Vs. What the Reader Said

I spent the better part of five years submitting to agents, editors, and publishers.  While those years were mostly painful, the experience was an eye-opener. Looking back at those past submissions now, I'm glad there's a system in place that protected me from total embarrassment later in life.

However, with EVE HALLOWS AND THE BOOK OF SHRIEKS, I believe the traditional system got it wrong. I truly do. So, I thought it would be fun to go through some old rejections for BOOK OF SHRIEKS and compare them to readers' responses. I didn't put names to anything, because this isn't meant to be an attack on anyone's judgement. I know a lot more than just the quality of a manuscript goes into getting the nod from an agent.  Case in point: Snooki.

Anyway, here we go:


What the agent said:

"I read this quickly, as I was really excited for the concept. Unfortunately, the voice didn't quite work for me."

What the reader said:

"The book is written very well. I especially liked the characters' insights. The book has humor, inference, and mystery."

What the agent said:

"Although there is much to recommend in your manuscript, ultimately I just didn't fall in love with it."

What the reader said:

"Not only is this one of THE best-looking self-published books I've ever had the pleasure of seeing – excellent cover, excellent layout, clean and crisp appearance, professional; I had a hard time believing it WAS a self-pub, had to check and re-check to make sure I wasn't just missing the company logo somehow – it's also one of THE most enjoyable reads of what's been an enjoyable-reads month!"

What the agent said:

I'm afraid this is too tongue-in-cheek for me to take on."

What the reader said:

"This book was laugh out loud funny. I loved when Mom accidentally turned people to stone. Dad's crazy attempts at running a pizza store were just hysterical."

What the agent said:

"There was so much here that I admired and enjoyed, but I do not feel confident enough there is an audience for this."

What the reader said:

"As I was reading this book, I kept thinking how my middle school students would enjoy reading it."

What the reader said:

"Reading this to my daughter and we are enjoying it."

What the reader said:

"My daughter really enjoyed this book and she is waiting for the next book to come out."

What the reader said:

"The kind of book I would have loved as a kid--and do as a big kid."

What the reader said:

"I read this aloud to my 8 year old. His verdict: amazing, awesome, and all the stars."