Queried: 04/10/2026
Full Request: 04/12/2026
Rejection: 04/21/2026 (Very kind response. quite vague so I'm not sure any specifics which kind of sucks but that's okay!)

83K adult romantasy

Q 4/15/2026
R 4/19/2026 Kind form rejection.
I appreciate the quick response!

Adult grimdark fantasy 118K.
Form rejection within about 12 hours. First rejection in the process. I'm sure there will be many to come. Still sucks to be rejected though, especially when I hady query professionally edited by a really experienced editor and told my query so good, they didn’t have any suggestions to improve other than to cut a few words and change the order I listed my comp titles in.

Q:4/12/26
R:4/12/26
35k Upmarket fiction.

I appreciate the quick response

Q: 3/20/26
R: 3/24/26
112K Fast Fantasy

<Thank you for thinking of me and BookEnds on your search for an agent. I'm sorry to say that after careful consideration of your work, I've decided I'm not the best fit at this time. Please note that mine is only one opinion in a very subjective industry, and I encourage you to continue querying to find the right match.

I wish you the best of luck on your publishing journey,>

This rejection hurt more than most, because I've been watching the YouTube channel that James does with Jessica Faust, and gotten a lot of good advice out of it. He was the first agent I queried after I took a break from the process - it was messing with my head. Because of YouTube, I felt more of a connection to James; he wasn't just another name I picked at random on account of them including fantasy in their MSWL.

James, if you're open to suggestions regarding the YouTube channel, I'd like to find out what it takes to get a personalized rather than a form rejection - what grey area was achieved that made you pass on requesting a full or partial manuscript while still being intrigued enough to give a specific response as to why it's ultimately a "no" for you. If nothing else, it would help writers (me) understand whether the problem is the query letter or the story itself. I get that agents are busy and simply don't have the time to personalize every response; but after 39 form rejections, I'd almost be happy just to get a single personalized rejection.