Ow :( Sounds similar to uneducated comments us singers sometimes got/get, like "You have a pretty voice...have you thought of taking lessons?" It's just one reader. Perhaps the next one you submit to these people should have a kid who speaks like Rizzo from Grease. That would be dynamic, no? Chin up!
The thing is, I was prepared for people to not like it. I get that not everyone is going to like everything. I have already had lots of "this isn't what we're looking for" letters. It's disappointing, but understandable.
What caught me off-guard was the assumption that I needed to "take some workshops" and "get my craft down". I wasn't ready for my skills to be questioned. I wasn't ready for someone to treat me like a newbie, like a 15-year-old writing their first essay.
At the bottom of this message was the offer to read something else. So the question is, do I send something else and what? Do I feel lucky?
attending conferences could well be worthwhile - just from a networking point of view, but also maybe in terms of inspiration or reinvigoration; I love a good education conference for the new possibilities that they present to me - and not because I don't know what I'm doing now. (I don't know enough about writing workshops to comment on them; would they offer the same inspiration, or would they be kinda remedial?)
THat "reader" is really patronizing. I think the problem is that there really are so many people out there who think it's "easy" to write a children's book, with no writing experience or background in understanding what's involved- so these types of people looking at submissions just assume that anyone who sends in anything is a newbie with no training. Unless you're *already* a published children's author, they'll assume you're in the "everybody and their grandmother thinks they can write a children's book" pile.
If the agent offered to read more of your material, I'd send it. It seems to suggest that this person does have some faith in you, despite the condescending reader. Keep in mind this is only one agent. They might not be the right agent. You might have to keep trying. But then again, you might not!
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What caught me off-guard was the assumption that I needed to "take some workshops" and "get my craft down". I wasn't ready for my skills to be questioned. I wasn't ready for someone to treat me like a newbie, like a 15-year-old writing their first essay.
At the bottom of this message was the offer to read something else. So the question is, do I send something else and what? Do I feel lucky?
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If there's an offer to read more, take it!
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If the agent offered to read more of your material, I'd send it. It seems to suggest that this person does have some faith in you, despite the condescending reader. Keep in mind this is only one agent. They might not be the right agent. You might have to keep trying. But then again, you might not!
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