Query help: feedback or form?

I hang out here a lot. Every other week, I see someone excited about feedback they think is specific but which is actually a form rejection.

On the one hand, I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by telling them the feedback they got isn’t personalized and that they thus didn’t get special attention. But on the other hand, I know people revise based on that feedback, so I feel compelled to tell them they’re not following specific, actionable, targeted advice.

Instead of doing that, I’m making this: a list of agents’ form rejection language. Each of these rejections was received by a writer, and most of these rejections also come with the agent’s name so you can check your rejection letter against the listed one to see if any part of what you got is personalized. And the rejections and agents are also here for anyone who needed or wanted a different format.

If you’d like to add to the list, please send me the language of your form rejection. And no, you don’t have to tell me who rejected you. In most cases, I can find that information myself.

Good luck <3