Posting Rejection Letters

I've discussed this with Paul and here's what we've come up with.

Posting the format of rejection letters in a generalized way can be a great help to other writers. Knowing what to expect makes you feel less isolated when you do receive that rejection letter.

Posting an agent's name and rejection letter word for word is about as professional as having that agent post your query letter without your permission. Personally, I don't mind having my query posted. That gives me the chance to earn feedback and gives other writers one possible sample (good or bad). Not everyone feels as I do.

I do believe that agents should be as professional in their rejection letters as anything else. Firing off a nasty note in the heat of the moment shows a lack of professionalism and no writer should want to deal with that anymore than an agent wants to deal with an unprofessional writer. However, nastiness is often, and deserves to be, outed. Both agents and writers should remain aware that the definition of privacy is changing rapidly and after-the-fact lawsuits may not salve reputations.

That said, I will not post rejection letters, nor name agents. I will discuss the fact of some of my rejections, which may be legion, and perhaps the tone of rejection letters received. I will also post my reactions to said rejection letters and how they affect my overall outlook and whether they spark changes to my query, synopsis, or ms. But no more than that.