What will a publisher say in a rejection letter?

What will a publisher say in a rejection letter?

Alexandra Pringle (Editor in Chief) gives expert video advice on: My rejection letter was very short - what does this mean?; My rejection letter was full of detailed criticism - what does this mean?; My manuscript was returned really quickly - what does this mean? and more...

A publisher will say lots of different things in a rejection letter, depending on the book. Sometimes, it can be a very short letter just saying, "I'm sorry, this isn't right for me." Or they can go into more detail about what the strengths and weaknesses of the book were. Publishers can also say that the rejection is because there's a book that they've already published, or are going to publish, that's too similar, so there wouldn't be space on the list.