Best Rejection Letter Ever

This little morsel flew into my inbox yesterday:

Dear Ms. C,

My name is Saba Sulaiman, and I'm Rachael Dugas's assistant at Talcott Notch. Thank you very much for your query and patience--we sincerely apologize for not responding sooner, but due to the sheer volume of queries we receive, we find it difficult to get to all of them in a timely manner. 

We just reviewed your submission, and after conferring with senior members of the agency, I regret to inform you we are going to have to pass on X. We read your query with interest, but we're afraid your project does not fit our current list, as Rachael isn't looking to acquire any MG/YA fantasy titles at the moment. Please do not despair--we are confident that with your talents and some perseverance, your book will find a home with the right agent.

Of course, our opinion are entirely subjective and other agencies may feel differently. I encourage you to query widely, as you never know who will feel that "spark" for your book as it currently stands. We appreciate the opportunity to consider your work and wish you the best of luck finding representation.

Regards,

Saba

Saba Sulaiman, Assistant
Talcott Notch Literary Services

2 Broad Street, Second Floor, Suite 10
Milford, Connecticut 06460
ph: 203-876-4959

My heart fluttered when I read the words. Sure, I'd been rejected, AGAIN. But it was an actual response, almost four months after I sent the query, and it wasn't a form letter. Okay, it might have been a form letter, but Saba didn't make it feel as such. The only thing better out of this rejection would have been if Saba had recommended an agent that might be interested in my book.

Agents often get a bad rap from writers like myself. Rachael Dugas and her assistant Saba, at Talcott Notch Literary Services, do not. Look her up, see if your project fits, and send your manuscript her way! 

P.S. In the event you say, Didn't you do your homework? She didn't even want MG/YA fantasy, so why did you query her? Nowhere on her site did it say that she was not accepting those sorts of titles. My guess is that she's received too many and changed her mind over the last four months. Too bad my novel didn't sway her to take on one more.