Beyond Frustrating

icerose said:

Hi Everyone,
Sorry I've been off board for ages, had a baby and such.

Congratulations! boy? girl? name?

Everyone says the best way to get your book placed with a publisher is to get an agent, well I have. Two of them. Both retired for different reasons within a couple of months of accepting my work.

Ouch. My condolences. That really bites.

Now new agents are telling me my work sounds intriguing but isn't right for them.

They are not the only agents in the universe. At least they say it's intriguing. Better that than a form rejection, eh?

I am sick and tired of quering everyone under the sun.

Of course you are. It's a very tedious process.

I was so excited when I signed with the first agent, then she retired, and was excited when I signed with a second, and she retired too!

then you have an enormously frustrating coincidence on top of that. Lordy, what are the chances of that happening?

All the publishers say "We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts, please get an agent."

Maybe because these are the publishers worth landing a contract with? but I'm sure it still feels like they keep erecting a steel wall in front of you...totally impenetrable.

I don't know what to do anymore. I've gone through two of them, still no results. I'm at my wits end, I don't know if I can query any more.

Yes, you can, and you must, unless you're implying that you might be considering giving up on writing-for-publication??

Any advice???

Take a break. Not many people are very productive when highly frustrated. Engage in other activities or hobbies. Read. Enjoy your baby. Indulge yourself. Bake some bread (I use a bread machine, myself ). Obviously, you know what to do because you signed with TWO agents! So the situation may be more about managing the stress of your situation vs. doing anything wildly different.

Further more I am terrible at selling my own stories and finding the points that would grab an agents interest, all I'm good at is talking about it, but then I tend to ramble.

Suggestion: Use your break time to improve those skills. Learn what's worked for others. Attend a writers conference or become more active in the craft part of queries with an online group. Above all, challenge yourself to THINK differently about what you cannot do. If you're good at talking about it, role-play with a tape recorder or with a friend and write down the parts that seem to be most effective.

ARGH so frustrating! I thought for sure that once I got an agent I would have a chance.

Naturally. But now you know to never let down your guard, and maybe that will give you an edge next time.

So how do you not get frustrated and not give up when these kinds of things happen?

I don't think it's healthy to try and NOT become frustrated. It's natural to want to give up. How you manage these feelings can make all the difference in the outcome. Most everyone experiences some frustration associated with the creative process as well as the business side of writing. The difference is how each person manages the frustration. You took a strong first step by voicing it. You are obviously willing to look at things differently (otherwise this post wouldn't have existed and you would have given up, and we would be none the wiser). You have many different choices here. This might be a good time to re-prioritize or reflect on your personal writing goals, as corny as that may sound.

Again, taking a break will provide some objectivity as well as allow for more agents to pop up in the field. Nourish yourself so you can reactivate your well of creativity.

Thanks for listening,


Sara Price

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writermom said:

Clara -

I have been reading some of your posts... I just have to say, you are so nice! You're very helpful too.

(sorry this really had nothing to do with this thread)

WriterMom

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