Agent Phone Call?

Axordil · May 21, 2013

If I knew what an emotional roller coaster this business can be when I started, I would have bought the unlimited minutes plan with my therapist. Congrats on staying the course!

Quickbread · May 21, 2013

Congratulations on your agent!

It sure is a hard journey to agentdom. Took me 2.5 years, several revisions, umpteen query versions and 131 rejections to get one offer. I have felt all your frustrations so many times. (I don't know if they ever really go away.) Enjoy the high moment because you've earned it. May you have a speedy sale.

Barbara R. · May 22, 2013

Quickbread said:
Congratulations on your agent!

It sure is a hard journey to agentdom. Took me 2.5 years, several revisions, umpteen query versions and 131 rejections to get one offer. I have felt all your frustrations so many times. (I don't know if they ever really go away.) Enjoy the high moment because you've earned it. May you have a speedy sale.

Congratulations to you, too. That's showing writerly perseverance! Did you feel that the long and frustrating process of querying, dealing with rejection and revising actually resulted in a better book? I ask because I'm nursing a theory that a certain amount of rejection actually aids the creative process.

kenpochick · May 22, 2013

Awesome! I just read your announcement post! Congratulations and good luck! Can't wait to read it!

Quickbread · May 22, 2013

Barbara R. said:
Congratulations to you, too. That's showing writerly perseverance! Did you feel that the long and frustrating process of querying, dealing with rejection and revising actually resulted in a better book? I ask because I'm nursing a theory that a certain amount of rejection actually aids the creative process.

Thanks, Barbara! It was absolutely a better book (and query) for having gone through all those rounds. I got feedback from one agent in an earlier round that took the story to a whole new level. I think rejection can definitely aid the creative process when there's feedback involved. Otherwise, I think it either gets you down or thickens your skin and rolls off you. Or maybe one first and then the other.

Barbara R. · May 22, 2013

Quickbread said:
Thanks, Barbara! It was absolutely a better book (and query) for having gone through all those rounds. I got feedback from one agent in an earlier round that took the story to a whole new level. I think rejection can definitely aid the creative process when there's feedback involved. Otherwise, I think it either gets you down or thickens your skin and rolls off you. Or maybe one first and then the other.

It's good to hear that. The best lesson in writing I ever got was from an editor who was rejecting me. It's a long story, but she felt obliged to meet with me and explain why very specifically. It was eye-opening. I rewrote the book based on what I learned from that conversation and sold it to another publisher.

wampuscat · May 22, 2013

Congratulations! Thanks for taking the time to post about your agent story!

Agent Phone Call?

Axordil

Is this thing on?

Quickbread

Barbara R.

Old Hand in the Biz

kenpochick

I should be writing, not on AW.:-)

Quickbread

Barbara R.

Old Hand in the Biz

wampuscat

Recovering adjective addict