This week, I did something that I’ve never done before. I sent a query to an agent. I’ve sent queries to contests where several
agents are involved and slush readers go through and pick the best ones. In those contests, I’ve just never received a
response, meaning that I didn’t make it to the next round. But this time, an agent provided the
opportunity for anyone to send their query and first 5-10 pages and receive either
a request for more a very honest response as to why the query is rejected.
So I summoned up my courage and sent mine. For a week, I waited, and then I received the
response. It was a rejection, very clear
and concise as to why she didn’t want to read the rest of my story. Her reasoning made sense. She wasn’t interested in the genre because
she’d seen too much. I know that finding
the right fit can be a lot of work. It’s
like going through a bunch of job interviews.
Most of the time, (at least in my experience) rejection is more common
than acceptance.
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| Picture taken by me |
But there’s something more that this rejection means. It means that I’ve tried. I’ve put my toe in the water and stepped out
of my comfort zone. In a way, I’m proud
of this rejection. There’s a part of me
that wants to print out the email and save it for future references. To remind myself that if I don’t try, there’s
no way that I can achieve. So really,
this rejection is my first step towards achieving my dreams.
She also gave me some great advice (maybe inadvertently). She asked me what was unique about my
story.
I’d always focused on telling the important points in my
query, who my characters are, what they’re fighting for. But I’d never thought to focus on what makes my
story unique. Yes, every story has
similarities to another, but it’s the differences that counts. And now I know what to really bring out in my
query.
And that’s why I’m bragging.
I attempted and I didn’t get pulled down by a rejection. Though maybe you should ask me after
25-50.
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| Created by me |
What’s the last thing you did to work toward your goals?
I signed up for a Writer's conference, and a ten minute face to face pitch session with an agent. They will also read my first page out loud to a group of agents in an auditorium full of people. Yep, I'm jumping in whole hog.
ReplyDeleteI'm the kind of person who needs to wade in. I've never been able to cannonball. But I definitely admire you for doing it! I've always been amazed by your journey.
DeleteI had an interview question once: tell me about a time you tried your very hardest and failed. Woah. Kind of a loaded question, like: tell me what about you is going to disappoint me. I took it as an opportunity to explain how I failed but I learned from it (like you) and I wasn't going to give up without trying (like you). Great attitude! And good luck with your next submission.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is a hard question to answer! Especially when trying to impress. Thank you for your comment!
DeleteI commend you and the leap you've taken. Although everything you said makes the thought of trying a little harder, it also gives me the inspiration to try. Can you tell me how to go through the process of finding an agent. I've recently taken the a leap of my own and self published a book for young readers and I'm trying everything to put myself out there.
ReplyDeleteThank you Valerie! I'm glad that I could inspire you a little. There are quite a few processes to finding an agent, and everyone has their own way about it. I think the most typical is to send out queries to see if they would like to represent your work. I'm not sure how it works if a work has already been self published. However, there is a blog that might help. I've been following Nathan for years, and he usually has the answer for everything. Check out: http://nathanbransford.com/ He even has a forum on his blog where people can ask questions. Good luck! Let me know how it goes!
DeleteI sent out twelve query letters in May and only about half of them got back to me (all rejections) and only one was constructive, but I'm extremely happy I did it. I find the process empowering. It easy when writing to get lost in solitude of the craft. Writing is so isolating and separate from the industry of publishing it easy to assume what I write will never be seen by another person, that the books that fill my shelves were written by a certain type of person and that goal is unobtainable for me. Querying is that link to the industry that I need to remind myself that if I practice and get better I can join my favorite authors on my bookshelf and other people's bookshelves. Even rejection is a promise that publishing is a business that will take me seriously as I improve, and those rare constructive comments are better than Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing Mary! And for such a great perspective! That's such a great way to look at querying - a chance to connect with other people in the business.
DeleteI totally understand where you're coming from in this post. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete