Special Guest Interview: The Rejecter on NaNoWriMo

While compiling the NaNo interviews I've been publishing this week, I had the bright idea to get the literary agent's perspective on NaNoWriMo, and the NaNos who submit their "novels" to agents in the first weeks of December.

I thought, of course, that it would open a floodgate of deliciously quotable sarcasm. But I forgot to consider the very thing that agents are infamous for. (Next year I'll send out hundreds of requests, months in advance. They'll love that.)

The one who did reply turned out to be, of all things, an enthusiastic NaNo participant.

The Rejecter is an assistant at a New York literary agency, which means she's the person who wades into the slushpile, looking for the scraps of usable driftwood. If you're wondering why you're in the 95% of submissions that get rejected immediately, read her blog. When you still can't figure it out, come back here and stop writing.

She posted her responses to this interview on her blog a few days ago. You can compare and contrast, and see where I've mangled edited her responses.

Regular readers of 101 Reasons will note the leading direction of my questions.

How did NaNoWriMo first appear on your radar?

I'm a writer myself and 2005 was the first year I participated because I heard about it through fellow unpublished writers. I have never heard of it at work and when I mention it, honestly, very few people know what it is.

NaNoWriMo, to my knowledge, has not hit the cultural consciousness of agents and the publishing industry yet, despite the publication of Chris Baty's (founder of NaNoWriMo) book, No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days. In the book he discusses how 50,000 words is not actually an acceptable length for an adult book, but he chose it because it was a more reasonable goal for people achieve. Most literary agents are looking for first -time novelists to keep their work in the 70k-100k range.

Have you received queries or submissions that have mentioned NaNoWriMo? If so, have any of these submissions been accepted for representation, or at least passed up the ladder?

If the agent would recognize it, they would actually probably pass on it, for a number of reasons. First of all, 50k is just too low unless it's YA or a children's book. Second, only the fastest writers can write a quality full-length novel in a month - most authors need a year. The speed at which it was written is an indication against it. Third, if they wrote it in November and they submit it in December or January, they obviously haven't done the heavy polishing any manuscript needs before it's ready to be submitted.

I honestly haven't seen anyone who has said they did the novel for NaNoWriMo, but as the program gains in popularity, I have no doubt that it will eventually start showing up in query letters and the agency world will collectively grown.

Is there a noticeable "spike" in queries or submissions, particularly for 50,000 word novels, in November to February?

Most people do NaNoWriMo for fun, and not everyone finishes. Serious writers who do it realize that they need time to revise and polish it - at least a few months. Besides, if a few extra queries come in during this time, we wouldn't notice. Query letters tend to spike in the fall, get heavy up until Christmas time, and then drop off again until about mid-January. This is because writers, like agents, are on vacation in the summer (August is notoriously the slowest month) and during the last week of December. They pick up again in February and March. Agencies review dozens, maybe hundreds of query letters a day. They're not going to notice a few more.

Do you believe that participation in NaNoWriMo is a "good thing" for inexperienced writers?

Yes. I have been writing all my life, but I found it to be a useful exercise, which is why I'm repeating it this year. To start blank on November 1st with only the vaguest book idea and then to try and produce massive amounts of material by November 30th is an experience that builds stamina and quick-thinking. I am always surprised how much the plot I might have planned will change as I go along.

Do you believe it creates unrealistic expectations for participants?

I don't think 1667 words a day (or something like that) is particularly crazy, but it's asking a lot of someone who doesn't want to write for a living and hasn't been writing for many years. Many people don't hit 50K, but the point is, they tried, and they learned. Also, November is generally a very busy month for just about everyone, with the school cycle being what it is and the holidays approaching. In his book, Baty discusses why he put it in November instead of a month like June or July. I don't remember precisely what he said off-hand and my copy of his book is not at-hand, but I think it was something about how the program teaches you how to make time for writing despite your schedule. If you have lots of time, you may not actually be as productive as if you have to set aside an hour a day and you sit down at the computer knowing you can't waste that hour sitting at the screen or you're screwed for the day.

If you were in charge of NaNoWriMo, what rules would you set or change?

I would give people a little star next to their username on the lists for every year they've succeeded in "winning" NaNoWriMo. That would make of my friends who have been hitting 50K every year more accomplished - because it is an accomplishment.

The notion that someone who reads queries for a living would still have faith in the principles of NaNoWriMo is truly astonishing.

Then again, the serious (or hopelessly ambitious) writers among may have noticed this little gem in there:

Agencies review dozens, maybe hundreds of query letters a day.

That's thousands a month, tens of thousands a year. Of which only 5% make it past the first filter.

Now if we could just get that other 95% to stop writing, or at least slow down ... would the publishing industry be a better place? Or would it just put The Rejecter out of a job?