The Books We Lost

Authors are always fascinated by stories from agents about the books we lost or, maybe better put, rejected. Most authors probably don’t care about those we offered on and didn’t get. They are more fascinated by those we didn’t bother to consider and later became big hits.

In other words, everyone wants to know if I made the mistake of passing on Brit Bennett, Glennon Doyle, Delia Owens, or Michelle Obama. For the record, to the best of my knowledge, I did not.

I have however passed on other authors who went on to achieve great success, some with the books I passed on. I have no regrets.

If I passed on a book it’s because I didn’t have a vision for it. I didn’t have a clear eye to edit, to submit, or to make it the hit it became. I was not the right agent for it. The flip side is that I have taken on a ton of great books and authors who other agents passed on. Many who have become big hits. There is a balance in the universe.

I don’t live with regret because it won’t move me forward in life or career. I do however learn from my mistakes if I think I’ve made some.

Learning from Misses

I don’t usually think back to the books I missed out on, but there is one I will never forget. I don’t regret passing because it gave me the lesson I needed for future success.

It was early in my agenting career and I received a submission for a book I read cover to cover (if it had covers). I really enjoyed it, but in the back of my head, I kept hearing the voices of editors who had passed on my other submissions.

I let those voices make the decision for me to pass. The book, and author, later went on to great success. In fact, I’m very friendly with the author today. They are fantastic as a writer and a person.

I learned from that to trust my gut, to take chances, and to not let the fear of rejection control me. I still have to remind myself of those things today and will likely always remind myself of those things.

I don’t regret losing that book. I was not in a place in my career that the author needed me to be. I am now, but we aren’t a good fit today.

Agents will always have books that got away. I hope so, it means I’m getting the good stuff. I will always have books that other agents “let” get away. The books I am the right agent for.

Luckily for all of us there is no end to the number of great books and authors out there. I’m just lucky enough to get a shot at so many of them.