Dear Scared Writer

Dear Scared Writer,

This post stems off my last post: Dear Lazy Writer because while some may not do certain things after their book is published because it’s too much work, others may just be scared. If there are certain things about publishing that scare you, but you still want to publish your book then take a deep breath and read on.

Fear #1 - Beta Readers / Critique Partners

When you’ve edited your book as much as you can by yourself it is necessary to seek help by asking talented writers for their eye. Doing this can be so nerve-wracking (I know it is) but it is a MUST. I promise that you’ll learn a lot and your book will be all the better for it.

First, only approach writers you admire and know through blogging or other writing communities. After they agree to look at your book, send it to them with your expectations (What do you want them to do? Check for grammar, look for plot holes?). And there’s nothing wrong with letting them know how nervous you are. They’ll understand. Then keep busy with another WIP or hobby until you hear back.

Before you open their email, take a deep breath and try to slow your hammering heart. Read what they have to say while keeping in mind that it’s their opinion and the things they say are suggestions. Also scroll through the document to read any comments. Seeing all the red can be discouraging but once you buckle down and focus, you’ll see many of their suggestions make sense. When you finish revising, you’ll feel more confident in your story. You just have to get over that initial fear.

Fear #2 - Querying Agents

Many writers are afraid of submitting their book for consideration. If you let this fear consume you, you’ll never realize your dream of being a published author. Don’t let the fear of rejection stop you. We are all rejected. It’s true. JK Rowling and C.S. Lewis received many rejections before publishing their first book, but they didn’t give up. The same is true of every best-seller.

Take the time to perfect your manuscript and query letter, research agencies, find the appropriate agent for you and read their guidelines. When you submit, remember that you don’t know them and they don’t know you. As much as they're faceless, you’re faceless. Any rejection you get is NOT personal. They are only looking for the book that they can be invested in and love even after reading it a few times.

Your book could be great but not right for that specific agent. Keep looking, keep believing, and keep submitting! Chalk up each rejection as a badge of honor. Once you get enough, you’ll move from aspiring writer to agented writer.

Fear #3 - Reviews

Reviews of our books can make us bite our nails, especially if they’re one or two stars. The same faceless rule for agents applies for reviews, as does the opinion rule for beta readers. Whatever is said by a reviewer won’t be shared by everyone. What one reader hates another may love, and vice versa. That’s the beauty of individuality.

Don’t ever let a bad review bring you down. It can be painful but it’s also selective. Read a good review you got for the same title. Better yet, hop on over to one of your favorite books by another author and read their worst reviews. See? Every author gets them.

CONQUER YOUR FEAR!

QUESTION: What about writing and publishing scares you?

Author of Hurricane Crimes, 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death. Blogger. Reader. Auntie. Vegetarian. Cat Lover.

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How I Got My Agent: J.A. Bellinger

If you ever wonder if online contests really work for writers, this next author is proof that indeed they do! Today we have the world-traveling J.A. Bellinger here to share her agent story. I met J.A. through Query Kombat, and I was so excited when she made the announcement that she is now agented. Let's hear her story...

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How I Got My Agent

Typing the title for this submission was surreal. I’ve spent hours studying stories of how other writers got their agents, trying to piece together the formula to make that magic happen for myself.

Turns out that while there was a little magic to it, mostly it was hard work.

I’m going to back my story up a bit for those of you who are as green as I was at the beginning of this process—oh, those innocent days before I could distinguish between a query letter and a synopsis or decipher acronyms like TBR and WIP and CP (that’s To Be Read, Work in Progress, and Critique Partner for you newbies!). Because frankly, I never would have gotten an agent if I hadn’t gotten an editor first.

I started writing my first novel, The Art of Almost, over four years ago. I didn’t set out to be a writer, though I’ve written on and off for my whole life. But on the flight home from my brother’s wedding in Arizona, I had an idea that I loved so much, I knew I had to try. As I drove home from the airport in the middle of the night, I left a voicemail for my office that I couldn’t make it in the next morning. I woke up feeling like an idiot, my belief in my writing ability vanished as quickly as it had appeared. But I’d already called in—I think a part of me knew I’d never write that story if I didn’t start immediately—so I made myself sit down and try. And from that moment on, I’ve never stopped.

Early on, I hoped to avoid the daunting process of getting an agent all together. I had a few friends with some vague connections to the industry; surely someone would hear about my brilliant concept and be so dazzled by my writing that I’d never have to write the dreaded query letter.

That’s not quite how it went.

What I got instead turned out to be excellent advice: get an editor. I agreed, and within the week I’d submitted sample pages to several editors. Secretly I thought they’d read my work and tell me there was nothing they could possibly help me improve upon, then hook me up with their publisher friends and my book would become a bestseller . . . and then a movie . . .

Again, that’s not quite how it went.

Turns out I didn’t need just one editor. I needed three.

I also needed Twitter, another recommendation I initially ignored and hoped I was the exception to. Social media? Not for me. I wanted to spend my time writing. But now I know that Twitter is the water cooler for writers, and there’s no more supportive, generous, gracious group of people than writers. Through Twitter I found out about the Query Kombat contest. At one point the name would have intimidated me—damn the query letter! —but by then I’d gotten tons of feedback on my query letter (and I’d queried before, in a wildly unsuccessful fashion). I was ready for Kombat.

Through the contest, I got in touch with the agents who had requested more pages after reading my query letter and first 250 words (250 words?! How much can someone possibly judge your brilliant story in 250 words?!). One of the agents, the wonderful Whitley Abell of Inklings Literary Agency, wrote back within a week asking for a full. My hopes were sky high. A few months went by, and then Whitley’s email popped up in my inbox (not that I was checking obsessively or anything)—the absolute best way to wake up on a Saturday! We talked the next day, and it was the most validating conversation of my life. She understood what I was trying to say and got my characters in a way no one else had. I knew immediately from Whitley’s enthusiasm that she’d be an amazing agent. We’re wrapping up editing now and will hopefully be submitting soon!

Hang in there, my fellow writers. It takes time to get there, but keep at it and one day the lovely Kristin Smith will be asking you how you got your agent!

J. A. Bellinger lives in her hometown of Indianapolis, a sweet city whose appeal only occurred to her after she had lived in six other places. Brisbane, Australia, where she spent a semester during college, provides the setting for her first novel, The Art of Almost. Bellinger still loves to travel, despite having once awoken to a cockroach scuttling across her cheek and having lived for months in a thinly walled mountain cabin, where a wood-burning stove provided both heat and a lovely substitute for TV. It was huddled by that stove that she met her husband, whom she wooed with the dozens of CDs crammed into her backpack. Bellinger is fascinated by why people make the choices they do and by what happens when regret creeps in, when the what ifs take over. In The Art of Almost, she gives readers the chance to live out those possibilities through the protagonist, Anna Marin.

How I Got My Agent: Gina Denny

The very sweet Gina Denny was kind enough to share her "How I Got My Agent" story. This story was originally posted on her own blog back in February 2015 right after she signed with her agent. You can read her original post HERE. Thank you, Gina!

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Not to give away the ending or anything, but the post sort of sums it all up. If you want the quick and dirty details:

I've officially signed with Kirsten Carleton of Waxman Leavell Literary. 

Pitchwars was involved and she originally contacted me via a PitMad event this past summer. 

That's the short version. 

Here's the long version: 

I started querying my first novel, SNOW FALLING, in the summer of 2013. As I was putting the finishing touches on that novel, I had the idea for what would eventually become SANDS OF IMMORTALITY. When I talked to other people, everyone said, "Write that book instead. That's way better than the Snow White one." 

I queried the Snow story anyway and racked up a whole lot of rejections, as would be expected. I wrote the next book - which is loosely based on Sleeping Beauty - and kept moving forward. I started writing in November of 2013, and in fact this novel was the only time I ever finished NaNoWriMo. 

In the late summer of 2014, I started querying SANDS OF IMMORTALITY. I entered it into some twitter pitch contests, one of which was the #PitMad contest. Kristen requested my work based on this pitch: 

Her mother's cryptic journal. An ancient spell. A prince on the run. Waking Sleeping Beauty was simpler when it was just a dragon


At the time, however, Kirsten worked for an agency that required exclusives. My query was with five other agents, and one already had a full manuscript, so I had to hold off on querying Kirsten.

Then came PitchWars. I entered. I was chosen by Mina Vaughn and we worked on my manuscript. When it was all done, I started querying. I got requests back immediately, so I felt really confident in my work. By this time, Kirsten was working for Waxman Leavell. They didn't require exclusive submissions, so I queried her with the new manuscript. She responded pretty quickly (next day, actually) asking for a partial, and then the next week asking for a full.

Then the holidays started.

And publishing slows to a crawl during the holidays and I sat, staring at an empty inbox for about four weeks.

Let me tell you, THAT was the agonizing part. Having fulls and partials out, knowing that everyone was enjoying time with their families and I wouldn't hear anything for weeks and weeks.

Anyway...

Kirsten emailed me last week, offering representation. We spoke on the phone and it was just easy. I'm not big on phone calls in general, but she had an excellent idea for tweaking my ending a bit. I was exceptionally nervous about this because my ending is definitely not a Happily Ever After, and it's not for everybody. But she doesn't want it to be a Happily Ever After, she just saw a way for it to be bittersweet in a more realistic and powerful way.

That sold me.

She got my book and my reasons for doing it the way I did. She liked the ideas for the whole series and wanted to work with me all the way. I was sold already, but I wanted to do the right thing and make sure I had all the information before I made a permanent decision, so I contacted everyone else who had my work. Two more agents requested fulls (one had a partial already, one only had the query), and I sat and I waited, refreshing my inbox like a crazy person for ten days.

But here we are. Today, I signed the contract and I am officially represented by Kirsten Carleton. I'm so excited to make some changes and to make this book the best book I can produce and eventually work towards putting it on some shelves!

For those who like the stats:

First manuscript:

Queries sent: 70

Requests: 10 (including partials, fulls, and 2 R&Rs that asked for wildly different things)

Months on the query circuit: 15

Second manuscript:

Queries sent: 27

Requests: 10 (including partials and fulls)

Months on the query circuit: two, then a break for PitchWars, and then three more, for a total of five. 

Gina Denny is a homeschooling mom to four very noisy boys and part-time band and orchestra director. In both settings, she talks a little too much about Harry Potter. She has a bachelor's degree in business, a master's degree in education, and once stood in line for NSYNC tickets for just over fourteen hours. She loves live music, hiking, overly silly sitcoms, and burritos. She writes fantasy for grown-ups and lives and works in the Phoenix area. Visit Gina's website at ginadenny.blogspot.com and follow her on Twitter at @ginad129.

How I Got My Agent: Tiana Smith

Today we are super lucky to have the lovely Tiana Smith here to share her "How I Got My Agent Story." This series has been pretty popular in the past, so I'm excited to have another weeks worth of awesome author/agent stories.

Take it away, Tiana!

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While I've been writing for years, I didn't query my first couple of books because they were just that bad. Take my word for it. But my third book felt different. It had more life to it and I was completely invested in it, heart and soul. I sent it into the world and was pleasantly surprised when positive feedback started pouring in. Queries turned into partial requests, then full requests, some R&Rs and even talking with a few agents on the phone. But still, no offers.

I can't describe how incredibly disheartening it is to speak with agents (plural) on the phone and get SO FREAKING CLOSE, only to walk away to the same place you started. It was like competing in the Olympics and leaving without a medal. So super close, but still .003 seconds away. This went on for months and months. And months. I put the book away and waited until I felt ready to try again.

When I finished my next book, I slowly dipped my toes into the query trenches again. I started with the agents who had expressed interest, and as before, the requests came pouring in. This time, it wasn't exciting. It was dreadful. Each request was like a punch to the stomach, because I knew from experience it would end in rejection. I widened my umbrella and queried more agents. After a few months, I decided to send it to a mid-sized publisher who accepted non-agented proposals.

I was incredibly surprised when they made me an offer, and I wasn't sure how to react. I contacted the agents to let them know about the offer. Suddenly it was a flurry of activity as agents rushed to read my book. I got more requests in those two weeks than I'd had in months of querying, and that's saying something. There's no surer way to get an agent's attention than by telling them of someone else's interest. It was crazy. Surreal that querying could take so long, only to have everyone want it at once.

Rachel Marks called me the very next morning after I let her know about the offer of publication. At first, I wasn't even sure if she was offering representation. I'd talked with agents on the phone before, only to have them request revisions. I was a mess of nerves on the phone call with her, but she actually got my book. The changes she put forward meshed with my vision for it. Her personality and mine matched well. Anyone who likes Disney is a friend of mine ;) She recommended I turn down the offer of publication so we could pursue other options, which was what I really wanted.

As other agents came forward, I kept comparing them to Rachel. I knew she wanted what was best for me, my book and my career. I signed with her not long after that and now I'm working on revisions. So, it's been a long process. Longer than I would have liked, but honestly, I am incredibly happy with how things have worked out so far. Full speed ahead!

*     *     *

Tiana Smith is a young adult author represented by Rachel Marks of Rebecca Friedman Literary. She makes a mean box of Mac & Cheese and likes to play around with graphic and web design. She firmly believes in happily ever afters and is married to her own Prince Charming. She doesn't blog a whole lot, but when she does, it's at tianasmith.com. She loves to connect online:

How I Got My Agent: Brianna Shrum

To finish off our week of "How I Got My Agent" stories, I'm thrilled to have the very cool Brianna Shrum here to tell us her story of how she snagged her amazing agent. But first, I have to say Happy Book Release to Brianna whose novel NEVER NEVER released this week. I simply love the cover, don't you?

Take it away, Brianna!!

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Hey all!! So, my agent story!

I’ve been writing for several years, and after having sold two books, found myself in the querying trenches again. Being there once is tough and nerve-wracking. Being there *again* is BLERGH. SO VERY BLERGH.

But that’s where I was at the beginning of the year. I tossed my hat in the ring, because I believed in my book, and that was worth diving in again.


                      


It was an edgy book—super dark and intense and pushing the line on everything, and so wildly different from anything else I’d ever written, such that I was pretty terrified to query it, honestly. But I *believed* in it. My CPs believed in it. So I queried.

I got several rejections right away, which WOMP womppppp. And those first rejections are so disheartening. Like, “CRAP. WHAT IF EVERY SINGLE AGENT FEELS THIS WAY?” But then a few requests started to trickle in. From agents I LOVED.

One night, after a couple rejections, I was perusing around and came across this absolute dream agent’s website. Their guideline had you fill out a form and attach the full right off the bat. So I just kind of went, “LOL ok, I’ll do this. Then I can be like, ‘Well I *do* have a full out with Dream Agent.’” I was this close to writing myself off with them before I sent it. But I didn’t, because what if?

                                 


Fast forward a couple weeks later. I had a phone call. With an agent I would’ve been thrilled to be repped by. AAAH. But it was an R and R. It was a very small R and R, one I was able to do over the weekend. So I turned it in, and a week later, I got another phone call from him. IT WAS AN OFFER THIS TIME. This agent was incredible and savvy and SO personable. So I told him I wanted to give the other agents a week, sent out my, “Yo peeps, I have an offer!” e-mail, contacted clients, and all that jazz.

WELL, two days before my deadline, I got an e-mail from the agent I’d sent the form and automatic full to. The one I almost wrote myself off with and didn’t query? Yeah, him. He was asking me questions, and had me send a previous manuscript to him as well. Then the day of my deadline, we scheduled a call. I knew immediately that I wanted to sign with him. He got my career vision, and believed in my book and in me, and I felt 100% secure tossing my whole career into his hands.

                     

SO, before he actually offered, he had to get off the phone and then call me back.

I spent the thirty minutes between call #1 and callback pacing and nervous-crying and “BAHHHH WHAT IS HAPPENING.” Then he called me back and I actually thought at first that he was telling me he’d changed his mind and didn’t want to offer.

                    


But clearly I suck at interpreting tone of voice, because he offered rep on the phone. I adored and greatly respected both agents, but I knew I had to go with him. I accepted. I’m now represented by Josh Adams at Adams Literary ^_^

                     

So you know, sometimes there are big bumps in the road and things don’t go the way you expect, but if you have something you believe in, it’d be a crime not to push forward. And please, WHATEVER you do, never ever write yourself off. Never assume it won’t go well for you, because what if it would have? Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, take a risk, and believe in yourself, peeps.

---Bri out.


Links:

http://briannashrum.com

http://www.amazon.com/Never-Brianna-Shrum/dp/1633920399/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1443737957&sr=8-3&keywords=never+never

How I Got My Agent: Julie C. Dao

As writers, we may feel discouraged at times, especially if we are trying to get an agent and are stuck in the query trenches. But the key is to never give up! Today, we have another awesome "How I Got My Agent" story from the wonderful Julie Dao. Take it away, Julie!

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There are lots of different paths to getting an agent.

Some are straight and narrow. Perfectly paved, maybe even made of yellow brick. There might be singing and dancing and lollipops right up to the main gates.

Other paths have bumps. Potholes. R.O.U.S.’s. Roundabouts and rotaries (whichever word you prefer) that only take you right back to where you started.

My path was definitely of the pothole/R.O.U.S./roundabout variety.

But you know what? I got there eventually. That’s the key word. Whether your fate is on Easy Street or in the Fire Swamp, the destination is the same and you will get there. It just might take a little bit longer.

The book I finally signed with in February of this year was my fifth one written, second one queried. It’s called ELEGY, and it’s a young adult Gothic suspense flavored with ghosts, music, and French chateaus. It was – and is – the book of my heart.

When I took it out into the world in 2013, there was a lot of fanfare.

My CPs swore up and down that this would be THE BOOK. I got accepted into every contest I entered: Pitch Wars, Cupid’s Literary Connection, and The Writer’s Voice. Suddenly, agents who were way out of my league sat up and took notice. For every three queries I sent, I would get 1-2 full requests. I had an 80% request rate at one point – crazy odds for a girl who’d queried one other book prior and gotten nothing but crickets.

But then I started racking up the rejections. I spent another year fixing and polishing and querying every so often. I asked my CPs to read a zillion versions of the story, and I fixed and polished it some more.

FINALLY, something happened. An agent emailed, asking: “Can we talk on the phone?” But all of my happy dancing was for naught, because it was just a revise-and-resubmit (R&R) call. Still, this was a door open! And when I got a call from a second agent, asking for similar fixes, I knew I HAD to try.

Six months later (yes, SIX), I finished the revision. I asked everyone who had my full whether they wanted the new draft, and they all said yes. I turned it in to the two R&R agents, and the first one responded within minutes, telling me how excited she was. But a week later, she emailed again to say she wanted more extensive revisions before she could even consider offering representation. Right after that email came in, I got five rejections from other people I’d been crossing my fingers for.

It was a crushing blow. I think the worst part was knowing how close I had come: close enough to expect an offer, close enough for busy agents to call and help me fix my book. Close, but STILL not there.

They say you need a thick skin in this business, but even a thick skin can wear down over time. So in January, after a dozen more rejections (and silence from the second R&R agent, who, as it turns out, had left the business), I threw in the towel, even though I still had fulls out.

I was unhappy and discouraged, and I felt more so every time I heard about someone else getting signed within hours/days/weeks. I had been trying for YEARS. I felt like a fraud, and I felt like I wasn’t talented or deserving enough. At last, everyone who had ever mocked my dream – including my own father – had been proven right.

It was a dark time, but I told myself I wasn’t *really* giving up. I was just taking time off to remember how much I loved this. So I joined Wattpad and happily started writing an awesome new story, hoping to build a readership to encourage myself.

That was when The Call came, on a bleak February afternoon when eight feet of snow coated the sidewalks. I returned from a meeting to find a voicemail from an AWESOME agent, one of those “way-out-of-my-league” agents. I had never even dared to query her, and she only had ELEGY because she’d requested it through #PitMad the year before.

I tried to protect myself and temper my expectations by saying, “It’s gonna be another R&R,” but that stupid, stubborn heart of mine insisted on hoping.

The agent put me at ease right away. We laughed and joked and it felt more like a conversation, not a Phone Call. She talked about her vision for the book and made excellent suggestions on what she thought could change. And then she asked me how I felt about her ideas. When I told her they lined up well with my own, she said the magic words.

"Sooooo... am I taking you on as a client?"

I screamed. (Inside. I didn't want to scare her!)

She suggested I take time to think. So I spent a week and a half nudging everyone else, and within days I got a second offer of representation from Writers House.

There was a lot of crying during this time – a lot of joy and heartache and relief. I was at my lowest point in January, convinced that I’d never even get close to seeing my book on a shelf. And in a few weeks’ time, I had somehow bagged two unbelievable offers.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t give up even if it seems hopeless right now. If things get to be too much, take a step back. Stop reading other people’s agent fairy tales, because we all have different timelines and there’s simply no rhyme or reason to it.

Just because it takes longer for us for some strange, cosmic reason, does NOT mean we are any less talented or deserving. It just means that when things DO happen for us, victory will taste all the sweeter for how hard we worked and how long we waited. Remember you are doing this for love – love for the words you put on the page, love for the worlds inside your head and the people you create whose hearts beat in pen-and-ink. Keep going and don’t stop. If I can do it, you can do it.

Oh, and I ended up signing with the awesome agent who offered first, Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Literary Agency!

Julie C. Dao is a native New Englander who once studied to become a doctor – until she realized the only surgery she should be doing is revising her manuscripts. Though she is anything but a musical prodigy, she likes to write about them and relive her days as an orchestra geek. When she’s not working on her books, she enjoys reading, going for long runs, and beating everyone at Pictionary. She is represented by Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Literary Agency. Visit her blog at juliedao.com.

How I Got an Agent: Guest Post by Mark Noce

Are you feeling frustrated with querying? Are you beginning to feel like nothing will ever come from sending out dozens upon dozens of query letters? Well, don't give up yet. Querying does work!

                        

While some people find their agent through online contests, the majority of writers land an agent the good ole fashioned way—the query letter. All it takes is the right book, at the right time, and with the right agent. Sound like a piece of cake? 

                         

We both know it's not...But it is doable!

With that in mind, I'm excited to have Mark Noce here today to share with us his story of how he got an agent and then a two-book deal! I'm so happy for Mark and all his success! Take it away, Mark!

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Thanks for having me here, Kristin!

So, the big question…how to get an agent? Gosh, that’s like asking how to fall in love. It’s different for everyone. All I can do is share my experiences, and tell you from the bottom of my heart that you should persevere because good things really do happen to us all.

I wrote a bunch of books over the years, submitted them to just about every agent alive, and got hundreds of rejections each time. Not very encouraging math. I went to conferences and did “speed-dating” with agents, I read all the right books, put in the time, and did all the other stuff you’re probably already doing now. It all added up to squat. No agent, and no interest from publishers.

But I learned a lot, and made a habit of reading and writing a lot and getting feedback from others. More important than just my writing, I made sure to balance the things that really matter in life, like my wife, kids, job, etc. I’d rather be a good person than a good writer, but I’ve found that the two are definitely related.

I turned 30, had zero writing prospects, and was a bit sleep-deprived by my awesome, but energetic one-year-old at the time. Nonetheless, I went ahead and wrote a new book. My best book to date, by far. I knew I had something different on my hands than any of my previous novels, and some of my readers saw it too. I knew that if this puppy didn’t shine, nothing else I wrote would.

So I submitted it to agents. Guess what? Rejections galore. Worse, tons of non-responses. Just that deafening silence, a pain that only the lone writer can fully understand. But then I started to get some interest. A few partials, a couple full manuscript requests, but I’d gotten this far with previous manuscripts and knew that I shouldn’t expect these to pan out.

Nonetheless, I tried looking in some different areas, especially for new agents. This was key for me. It led me to blogs where agents introduced themselves, and even though a “new” agent could actually be someone quite experienced with lots of clients, what it really signified to me was that this was someone as hungry as I was to get a good story out there for others to read.

I sent an email query with the first 3 chapters to a literary agent named Rena Rossner. Yep, despite all the conferences, “speed-dating” face-to-face with agents, and trying everything else under the sun, I found my future agent via a simple email query. Like I said, good things eventually do happen to us all.

Rena emailed me back within a day. She said she was loving the story and would like to see more. I sent her the whole thing, and got a really nice, long email back from her several days after that. She told me she was seriously considering offering me representation, but like many agents she works as part of an agency and as a consequence, the whole agency must agree when taking on a new writer. What took days felt like centuries to me, but Rena was awesome and always let me know how things were progressing.

Everyone talks about getting THE CALL. For me, it was actually THE EMAIL. My agent lives in Israel and I’m in California, so time zones aren’t always cooperative. Although we did eventually speak on the phone, I signed with her via email first and it’s definitely been one of the most important and transformative moments of my writer’s journey thus far.

So I just signed with the most awesome agent on the planet, it should all be smooth sailing going forward, right? Nope. Let’s just say, dealing with rejection is a part of a writer’s life that never goes away.

We submitted my novel to publishing houses, all the big ones. Rena has great connections and got my manuscript in the hands of people who had never heard of me and would’ve been well beyond my reach as an obscure average Joe. If you think waiting on an agent’s response is hard, wait until you try it with publishers. Whew. They’ve got very limited time and a lot to do, and some people wait a very long time to get responses. But we finally started getting responses, and guess what? More rejections.

My agent was frustrated herself, because she knew my book was something special too, and yet we weren’t getting anywhere. Then we submitted to Peter Wolverton, the head editor at Thomas Dunne Books (a subsidiary of St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan). Pete was interested, but believed we should market it toward a different genre. At that stage, I would’ve pretty much added flying donkeys to my story if it sealed the deal, so I was more than happy to market my novel as historical fiction rather than fantasy.

So a couple months after signing with my agent, I signed a two-book deal with Peter. A real book deal that would actually get my book on the shelf in bookstores! Needless to say, my wife took me out and I had plenty of absinthe that night at a nice restaurant in the city. Because that’s what writer’s do, right?

Everything should be all peaches and cream now, yeah? Not quite. Time, time, time. Everything takes time. I’ve gotten great edits back from my publisher and have resubmitted my changes, but my publisher, understandably, has hundreds of other books to worry about during the course of the year. Which means that although I wrote my novel and inked a contract in 2014, my book won’t actually come out until sometime in 2016. Yep, that’s two years, and I’m lucky at that.

So my historical novel, Between Two Fires, will come out sometime next year, and I couldn’t be happier. In the meantime, I’ve sent the sequel to my publisher and have already written a first draft of another series. One plus side to having to wait on edits, is that I can always start writing the next book.

As you can see, I’m very much on the long journey to publication myself, and that story has only just begun. I wish I had some formula that you could follow that would get you an agent or a book deal, but like a lot of things in life, it isn’t that simple. Everyone’s path is different.

But what I can tell you is that whatever place you’re at right now, you are meant to be there. You’re meant to take in this moment and learn from it. Turn your disadvantages into advantages. No agents interested in your work? You’ve got no pressure or time limit to come up with your next book. No beta readers seem to like your last manuscript? Listen and see who your audience is and what they like. See what some of your favorite books have in common and see how you can incorporate that into your own story. Waiting on a publisher or trying to get your self-publishing efforts off the ground? Looks like you’ve got an impetus to start a new book.

I’m an optimist, in case you didn’t already guess, and I can tell you that the difference between a writer before and after their agent also isn’t as great as you might think. You still have to write, you still have to rewrite, you still have to read, you still have edits to do, and you will still get constant rejections. What you are doing right now, wherever you are in your journey, you are developing the skills and attitude that will see you through to whatever destiny your are meant to achieve.

So bottoms up, this life is meant to be enjoyed! Enjoy your writing and enjoy your journey! I’m Mark Noce, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. You can connect with me at my website where you can learn about my upcoming novel, Between Two Fires, and hopefully anything else you might be interested in. Many thanks!

Mark Noce

                                                  

My Agent Story: Guest Post by Beth Fred

Not all agent/client relationships go according to plan. 

For some of us, perhaps we feel that the moment we get an agent, it's smooth sailing from there on out. But, unfortunately, that's not aways the case. Bad things happen. Clients and agents end their working relationship for many reasons, just like once you have an agent it doesn't necessarily mean your book will sell to a publisher. 

For today, I've asked romance author Beth Fred to stop by and share her agent story. Beth was kind enough to take a minute and share some of her experiences. Thank you, Beth! Take it away!

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When Kristin first asked me to write a post about how I got my agent, I hesitated. Why? Because I no longer have an agent. While it was a very mutual parting of ways (I started writing genres she no longer represented), it still felt like a huge step back to be in the slush pile again.

But at the time Kristin asked for this post, I was already thinking about what my next steps would be. I’d decided to query three agents with a YA novel I’m working on and begin work on a clean na/adult romance while it was on submission. Two of these agents were people who I’d pulled fulls from in 2013, and one works at an agency I highly admire. Here is something important to think about—and that I couldn’t help but think about. In 2011, I queried for the first time. 110 letters sent. 105 form rejections. In the fall of 2012, I was more confident in my writing and looking for something more specific in an agent. I’d decided to query less than 20 agents and if I didn’t get an offer self publish. I queried 19 and obviously signed. After my agent amicably separated, I’d decided I would query only 3 agents and self publish until someone queried me. This means one thing: I thought being queried as an author was a real possibility.

I got my agent with a query letter straight from the slush pile, but I had an offer from a publisher at the time. At this point, I don’t foresee myself querying again. I will write a more detailed post on this later, but I thought my story would help show that times have changed. The publishing industry has changed.

Beth Fred: YA & Romance author

Her books:

How I Got an Agent: Guest Post by Beth Ellyn Summer

Are you ever drawn to reading authors' stories of how they got an agent? Do you find yourself hanging on to every word, hoping they will impart some bit of wisdom that might help you find your dream agent?

Everyone's story is different. For some it may take years to fulfill their dream of getting an agent while for others it may seem like they've won the golden ticket in life with quick response times and multiple offers of representation. But for this week—and this week only—I've asked several authors to share their "How I Got an Agent" story. I'm super excited to have the lovely Beth Ellyn Summer here today to share with us her own story of how she got an agent. Take it away, Beth!

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I am so happy to be here at Unicorn Bell! :) Thank you so much for asking me to contribute, Kristin!!

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"That will never happen to me."

Every writer has thought this at one time or another. It's hard not to when you read about the perils of querying: No response means no. Partials getting bumped up to fulls only to turn to rejections. A revise and resubmit request from an agent that doesn't end in an offer. Writing a novel that an agent really likes, but doesn't feel the timing is right for the current market. Developing an agent crush ("they love classic sitcoms and devoured the Babysitters Club series as a kid. It's fate!") only to be rejected just as fast as you fell in love with their bio.

But surely if you write a great manuscript, polish it to perfection and do all your agent research you'll avoid all that, right?

                                              

I queried two manuscripts before AT FIRST BLUSH. My first had a good request rate, but there was no clear boundary between MG and YA. Looking back, I definitely gave up too soon. I didn't know about the art of revision.

My next MS had its own special set of problems. It was an 80,000 word tell-a-thon. I had no idea what it meant to show, therefore, I didn't do it. My request rate sucked, and the feedback was all the same. "Either lower or raise the ages. There's no market for twenty-two." Of course, less than a year later, NA became a thing.

                  

And just like that, it WAS me. All the bad things that were previously hearsay were happening to me. By the summer of 2012 I had had enough.

I cried. I slammed my laptop closed. I swore as God as my witness I'd never write again.

An hour later, I had a few thousand words on a brand new YA.

                                     

Six months later, I knew this was The One. Everything about it felt so right. By the time I finished AT FIRST BLUSH it was late January, 2013. I queried and received requests instantly. Even better? The (very kind and helpful!) rejections were just as instant. Speed is this elusive, mythical creature in the publishing world, and I was experiencing it! I knew I had something here.

Then one night in mid-February I was lazily scrolling through my twitter feed when I saw it: a retweet advertising a "Girly YA" contest over on Monica Bustamante Wagner's blog the following day. I immediately booted up my laptop and proceeded to check out the agent.

Carrie Pestritto was with Prospect Agency, and had a really fun blog. I spent a good hour reading through her posts and learned that she had great credentials (phew), she loved Essie nail polish (I have two salon style racks filled with Essie nailed to my walls), and most importantly, she'd recently read THE SELECTION by Kiera Cass, and was on a girly, makeup/fashion fueled YA kick, hence why she was holding this contest.

My new MS was about a teenage girl who loves makeup so much she films YouTube tutorials, and has to decide how far she's willing to go for a million subscribers. I had to enter. I also had mixed feelings. If this agent didn't want AT FIRST BLUSH, I doubted anybody would. And then I really would quit for like a week forever.

                   

I tried to remain upbeat. I tweaked my query and posted the pitch on the blog at about 8 A.M. the next morning.

The following day I wasn't thinking much of it anymore, to be honest. My parents were at the hospital for my dad's between-chemo-rounds-checkup for his rare blood cancer. Any time the phone rang or my email buzzed I'd tense up, thinking it was bad news about Dad. So when the email came through from Monica that I was one of 4 winners, I was just so excited to have some positive news to share. I called my brother, and then called my mom at the hospital. Everyone was extremely excited, but we've all learned by this point not to get our hopes up too high.

The winners got to email Carrie Pestritto our first 100 pages. After a quick sweep-through of my pages I sent them off to her that afternoon. Seconds later she wrote me back thanking me and saying she was really excited to read!! Yes, there were two exclamation points in there.

An agent, excited to read my MS? It had to be an overly upbeat auto-response message.

I decided to try and put it out of my mind to the best of my abilities. It was a Wednesday, which meant a good television lineup. So, that very same night I'm watching Modern Family when I get a new email from Carrie.

My brain: WOW. She must have hated it so much she can't wait to reject me.

But no, they were notes about a revision, and she said we could set up a time to chat on the phone.

My brain: A PHONE CHAT WITH AN AGENT? How will this go? How will I speak? What if I forget how to speak? What if I forget how to breathe? What if I forget everything my mind has retained since Kindergarten and I just recite vowels and consonants like a jumpy Wheel of Fortune contestant?

I spent hours composing my calm, cool, and collected reply. It said something along the lines of, "yes, Ms. Pestritto, I would very much like to have a phone discussion regarding revisions. I am free any moment for the rest of my life, which of those moments works for you?"

We spoke the following evening and I felt like I'd known her forever and we could be best friends. I was shocked that she was asking me questions that sounded suspiciously like pre-offer questions. I loved her ideas and completed the revision in a month.

                     

Unfortunately, since it was my first real, major revision, I didn't really know much about them. It still needed some more substantial work. So no offer.

                                          

But nope! It wasn't over. We had another great call, and now I had a clearer idea of what needed to be done. Carrie is incredible at giving authors chances to develop and grow as artists. She saw something in this manuscript, and in me. I was more determined than ever.

                                               

 A couple of months later in May, I was about halfway finished. It was a beautiful but very miserable spring day. My dad was coming up on two weeks in the hospital due to a very bad reaction to his stem cell transplant (he's fine now and in complete remission!) but it was a really really scary, bad time. I was trying desperately to concentrate on my MS when my phone rang. I was shocked to see it was Carrie. Also, a little nervous. Did she change her mind? Was she calling to tell me to forget the whole thing? Except she sounded too excited for it to be bad news. All I remember thinking is, it can't be healthy for a heart to pound this erratically and fast. I glugged some water and sat down.

And then the offer came.

                                         

She was having lunch with an editor and started pitching my book as though I was her client already. That's when she realized she should make it official with me. I was shocked. She said she loved my voice, the MS, me as a person and had enjoyed working with me. She officially offered me representation.

Before I'd even finished that second revision.

                  

I was gobsmacked. I was also happy that I was able to instantly say yes. I stopped querying while revising, because I really liked Carrie and didn't want to spread myself too thin. The other requests had been passes, and one agent really liked it but the head of her agency was leaving to form a new agency and she wasn't sure where she was headed.

So yes, it DID happen to me. The bad stuff, but also the good stuff.

If you're currently in the query trenches, please do NOT give up. Don't stare at the clock or calendar and panic that time is running out for you to achieve a dream. Time doesn't exist in dreams. You will get there, and it will happen for you, too.

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About Beth:

Beth writes girly teen fiction, because writing about a smoky eye look is a lot easier than actually doing it. She used to work at 30 Rock, where she laughed a lot and learned some stuff too, interning for Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon. She lives on Long Island and can usually be found watching Wheel of Fortune, and tweeting too many pictures of her kitten, Penny.