As we all know, this is not the job or field for the weak or the flighty. You have to contend with hours of labor, waiting, rejection, more waiting, criticism, more waiting, and maybe more rejection. It sucks. And it sucks on our end too. We aren't always winners, can't always sell the project, and have to give some bad news. Just the other day I finally got some great feedback on a project that'd be sitting out with editors for awhile, which reassured me and made me shout, "I don't suck at my job!" 

So undoubtedly there are many stages at which you have to evaluate your status and decide, "Do I give up?" It might be mean giving up on a certain book. Or giving up in general. Truth be told, I encounter a lot of people who maybe need to give up. They aren't skilled enough, their books aren't ever going to make it. But I can't do that. A) It's cruel. B) It's not the point or my job to do that.

While I do think there are too many people who think persistence is enough to get published, or feel the need to even be published when maybe they should just be writing for themselves, it's really an individual's call. So if you're not ready to let go yet, who am I to tell you that?

But there do come points where giving up might be necessary. Sometimes I've had to retire a project, or table it for awhile. And my decision to do that is part gut feeling (What kinds of responses am I getting? Are they encouraging or not?), but mostly when the following statement is true: there aren't any more options.

Which I think are things you have to take into account when looking at a story you're working on or trying to get placed. Look at the responses. Look at the options. Weigh them against each other and think about how quickly you want to exhaust those options or if there's work yet to be done. Unfortunately, it's case by case, and I can't give such quick advice.

And for the authors who are still waiting for that deal...I have a few clients you can talk to. It's rough. But that's the point where you try and trust your agent that it'll happen. We can't always predict exactly when it'll happen. The industry is mercurial like that. I've signed clients for one book, and then sold their second one. I've sent books on 3 rounds of submission before selling them. There are so many permutations, and you just have to take it as it comes.

So...hang in there. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen. But keep your butt in the chair, keep working, keep assessing the feedback, keep your options open and in clear view. And good luck.