A Very Rare Rejection that Kicked Off 2014

I got this rejection for a non-fiction project at the same time I found out my novel was accepted for publication, so maybe it is not as warm and fuzzy to you as it is to me. Maybe I was under the influence of acceptance, but I did think it a very, very nice rejection.  And you know me: except for Rosemary Ahern, I do not use the n-label very freely, especially not for agents.  This is a special occasion:

Dear WR,

Thank you so much for contacting me with your writing. I am a VERY BIG fan of [referring editor], and her writing, and her judgment, so I especially appreciate her putting us in touch with each other – I trust and admire her taste very much. I have read your proposal for [non-fiction book], and I think you are a gifted writer.  You have a great voice and I am so curious about your book – I almost want to read it just for personal inspiration and because I know I’d enjoy it and it would be very thought-provoking. However – and it pains me to write this – I don’t know that I could easily sell your book. I represent two other books that also cover similar ground, in terms of subject and approach, and I’ve encountered difficulty in placing these works with a publisher. I am sorry not to be more encouraging, but I do want to wish you all success with your other writing projects and your [topic of a different non-fiction] book. I distinctly remember reading that piece in the New York Times when it appeared there!

Sincerely,
Claudia

I think that I may even nominate Claudia Cross for a GAK award. As I told her (weirdly) in my response to this rejection, I wish she could be my friend. Since that is impossible, perhaps she can be my 2014 GAK nominee.  p.s. Did you know that since 2007 when I started this blog, a substance called Gak has been introduced on the market as a child's toy? Reference the photo above for a sense of what the stuff is.