Words to Live By

From Julie Leto’s excellent series on finding an agent:

Read it, learn it, live it, love it. Read the whole series.

As I have posted before, I didn’t get an agent with the first book I sent to agents. I actually sent one agent, on request, my third manuscript, but she passed. My first real agent search was for my fourth manuscript. Over the course of a month or so, I sent out 21 queries/proposals (some agents will accept chapters straight off).

I got 18 rejections and three requests. Over the next few months each of those requests turned into requests for the full manuscript. Seven months after my original queries, I had one more rejection.

At that time, I started querying Secret Society Girl — not because I’d given up on manuscript #4 (since there were still two more chances), but because people who had heard about it in passing seemed interested. (As I’ve reported before, my critique partner, Marley Gibson, pitched it to an editor during dinner at a writing conference, and it snowballed from there.)

I queried four agents. All four requested the partial. I sent out three partials, over email (the fourth agent wanted hardcopy, but because I was literally in the process of moving apartments, I had no printer and no time to get to a Kinkos that day. I’d planned on going the following week). I had an offer in a half an hour, and two more within a few days. The fourth agent never did get the manuscript.

Do the math. 21 queries, 19 rejections with one book. 4 queries, no rejections, 3 offers with the next. Write the next book. Move on.

Another great piece of writing advice I once got (unfortunately, I can’t remember the source) said something to the effect of: “People often ask if it’s difficult to find an agent. The truth is, if you have the right book, finding an agent is a relatively straightforward process. If you don’t, it’s very very very very hard.”