Reasons For Rejection

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I want to pass on some interesting reasons for rejection when you are ready to submit a manuscript to a publisher or an agent. These are things that you can investigate in your own writing and see if you need to do some editing. Please remember that there are a gazillion reasons why an agent or publisher might not use your work. It might be as simple as the wrong genre for that agent or publisher. But investigating them beforehand is always prudent and will keep you from having to waste time submitting and waiting to hear back.

Here are some other reasons:

• An opening image doesn't work.
• Opened with a rhetorical question(s).
• The first line's hook didn't work, because it wasn't tied to the plot or the conflict of the opening scene.
• The first line's hook didn't work, because it was an image, rather than something that was happening in the scene.
• Took too long for anything to happen; the story taking its time to warm up.
• Not enough happens on page 1.
• The opening sounded like an ad for the book or a recap of the pitch, rather than getting the reader into the story.
• The opening starts with phrases, "My name is..." and /or "My age is..."
• The opening contained the phrase, "This can't be happening."
• The opening contained the phrase or implication, "And then I woke up."
• The opening contained too much jargon.
• The opening contained one or more cliched phrases.
• The opening contained one or more cliched pieces of material. For example: a character's long red or blonde hair.
• The opening had a character do something that characters only do in books. For example: a character shakes their head to clear an image, or "clearing the cobwebs."

Do you know of other reasons why agents or publishers reject manuscripts? Can you add to this list?

Comments about writing: I believe that whether or not you choose to follow the current flow of what's acceptable in writing, is up to you. You are the author and as long as you can present your material masterfully and creatively, then if you want to take ten pages to "warm up" your story that's great. It might not be received as enthusiastically by this generation of readers, but you have to write what's in your heart and not sell out to commercialism.