The first said: `I'm afraid the news isn't as good as it could be, and HER SILENT THROAT isn't something for us. I hope all this means is that we are the wrong advocates for it and that you are about to be snapped up by another.
At your level there is usually a happy ending and I do like hearing them, so will you let me know?
Good luck, and thank you so much for letting us read the whole thing and for your patience.
With all my good wishes'
I felt very childish at first- why isn't it something for you, why did you ask for the full MS- surely you could tell after the first three chapters? I was stamping my (not so little) foot! And then I thought, just focus on `At your level there is usually a happy ending'. When has anyone ever said anything quite so hopeful?
The second agent said: `Thank you for sending me your mss which I enjoyed reading. However I don't feel able to offer representation for the novel in its current form. It has a very strong idea and writing but the issue for me is how Mags' muteness is treated which doesn't ring true for me. Also while it jumps into the story well enough, there isn't a strong enough sense of setting or of character motivation to really make me invest emotionally in the protagonist and her story. However another agent may feel differently. If you do not find representation this time round and decide to do some more work on it, I would be very interested in seeing another draft.
All best wishes'
I don't quite understand what all the comments mean, particularly the one about the treatment of her mutism- is it how other people treat her or how I present her mutism per se? There seems to be quite a lot to fix, but upon reading the comments for the third or thirteenth time, it's clear the door has definitely been left ajar. Now all that's left is the hard work. And I've never minded that.
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