Starting with today's posting, once a month I plan to publicly record my journey through the maze of professional writing and publishing. Everything from formulating the idea to the day when a publisher finally prints my words for the world to see will be fair game.
Today is blog #1: Finding the perfect literary agent.
Last fall, with one children's book in tow (meaning I had completed a manuscript to the point that my writing mentor said "Let her rip!") I forged ahead into the world of book publishing. Very quickly I learned that few publishers accept unsolicited manuscripts any more. Thus my first step was to find a literary agent. I surfed the web and read everything I could find about the process and listened to my mentor's advice; to research different agents and only send to the ones who meet the following criteria: 1. They represent children's book writers. 2. They currently represent books similar in genre and story to mine. 3. They are accepting submissions.
The next step was to create the query letter and submission packet or e-mail based on the agent's submission's guidelines. As of last December I have submitted a query letter and sample pages to over 20 agents. I sent them out 5 at a time as everything I've read indicates that agents do not appreciate a writer blanketing their work to every agent on the planet. Over the last year about half of these agents have sent me a rejection letter, postcard or e-mail. The other half have just been silent, their silence speaking volumes.
Up until last week, my last submission had been several months ago. So I made a commitment to myself to send out four more queries before I left on my next trip. On Tuesday I researched my list, personalized my query letter for each agent and sent out e-mails to my chosen four. Within an hour one of them had responded. With hope in my heart I opened the e-mail. Rejection. Though I appreciated the response there was a part of me that wished the agent would have at least waited a day or two, just to give me the facade that he had considered my work. But alas reality struck me in the face instead.
As with every other rejection this past year my ego stung for awhile and I spent a few hours licking my wounds, listening to my critic rip apart my abilities, and wondering if my dream was hopeless. Then I picked myself up, dusted myself off and did what I always do, I distracted myself. Luckily I had an impending trip to Wyoming to plan. And like most injuries, it will take several weeks for the wound to heal and more skin armor prepared before I climb back on the next bucking bronco.
Many techniques assist me in staying focused on the brass ring and not lying in the dust allowing the horse to trample me. First, I remind myself that Rome was not built in a day. I dust off the old story of Alexander Graham Bell who had to create many failed prototypes of the telephone before perfecting a device that successfully transmitted words across the wires. I read my affirmations continuously reminding myself that God inspires me to write and that God can do anything. I affirm to myself over and over again that I am a good writer, I am a successful writer, and that I am meant to write. I read other children's novels, dissecting their writing styles, reminding myself that if they can be successful so can I. I read blogs of published writers who talk about how many hundreds of queries they submitted before they found the one person who loved their work. And I have faith. Faith that I am doing what I love and thus what I love to do will be successful. Last but not least, I write, write, write, and write some more.
So onward and upward I climb, one step at a time. When I look back at all my accomplishments and experiences over the many years of this journey called life, I remember that every one began with a dream and were followed by action. Many manifested quickly, others took years. But the one thing they all had in common was that I kept my eye on the prize, kept moving forward and kept the faith.
