Whether a success or not, most of us will find ways to do stupid things along the way. I'm willing to fess up. I'd love to hear your stories about your own slip-ups.
1) I went to a writers conference and found myself in the perfect place to pitch my story. Most people went to lunch and I was in the auditorium and found myself with publishers, editors, and agents. One asked the question- What's your story about?
I'd written an Epic length fantasy, knew nothing about query letters, synopsis or whatever. I just supposed if I wrote a novel someone would want to read it. I had no answer to the question. None. Dreaded silence. Ur...do you want to read it? The chorus of "no" rang in my head for days.
2) I made a laundry list of everything a publisher would want. But there was one little detail, one mystery in their request that I didn't understand. "What is an SASE?" - well, this was also before I knew of writer's sites. Pathetic yes. I printed and sent my ms to the black hole at Tor, now knowing they will just toss the ms in the can if there's no SASE.
3) The next time I ran into agents- yes it happened again. I went to a "meet the agent" night at a local college- for its creative writing major. Well, I wasn't a student, and was invited by a friend. My friend was late in showing, and all the tables were filled except one, a table where this lone guy was sitting. I asked if he was a student? "No..." Oh, you're a teacher? "No..."
Well I sat with him and hadn't a clue he was the entertainment atty for the group that represented the Tolkien Estate during the filming of LOTR. Moments later I recognized one of the faces coming over, and then another, two agents I'd met before. I inadvertently sat at the golden table where the agents and authors sat. Now I had been chatting with this atty- and right away the conversation turned to "What is your book about?" Maybe they thought I was important sitting next to this guy??? This time I had an answer and two agents handed me cards telling me to contact them, one that co-owned the agency.
This actually led to a request for a ms by a literary agency that was not even representing my Genre- which at the time was Epic Fantasy, because it could also be sold as YA fantasy, as I wrote it with a fifteen year old MC.
The agent asked for a second revision with a faster beginning, and here's where I bungled it big time. I wrote it as fast as I could, wanting to get it back right away. I didn't put it aside and sent it without proofing it. - well, not with fresh eyes. When I read the drivel I'd sent I was aghast. To make a long story longer, the story was ultimately rejected- though kindly and with great suggestions. Still, I felt like I'd missed the last chance for the prom, and boy did that stink.
Well... you live you learn.
1) I went to a writers conference and found myself in the perfect place to pitch my story. Most people went to lunch and I was in the auditorium and found myself with publishers, editors, and agents. One asked the question- What's your story about?
I'd written an Epic length fantasy, knew nothing about query letters, synopsis or whatever. I just supposed if I wrote a novel someone would want to read it. I had no answer to the question. None. Dreaded silence. Ur...do you want to read it? The chorus of "no" rang in my head for days.
2) I made a laundry list of everything a publisher would want. But there was one little detail, one mystery in their request that I didn't understand. "What is an SASE?" - well, this was also before I knew of writer's sites. Pathetic yes. I printed and sent my ms to the black hole at Tor, now knowing they will just toss the ms in the can if there's no SASE.
3) The next time I ran into agents- yes it happened again. I went to a "meet the agent" night at a local college- for its creative writing major. Well, I wasn't a student, and was invited by a friend. My friend was late in showing, and all the tables were filled except one, a table where this lone guy was sitting. I asked if he was a student? "No..." Oh, you're a teacher? "No..."
Well I sat with him and hadn't a clue he was the entertainment atty for the group that represented the Tolkien Estate during the filming of LOTR. Moments later I recognized one of the faces coming over, and then another, two agents I'd met before. I inadvertently sat at the golden table where the agents and authors sat. Now I had been chatting with this atty- and right away the conversation turned to "What is your book about?" Maybe they thought I was important sitting next to this guy??? This time I had an answer and two agents handed me cards telling me to contact them, one that co-owned the agency.
This actually led to a request for a ms by a literary agency that was not even representing my Genre- which at the time was Epic Fantasy, because it could also be sold as YA fantasy, as I wrote it with a fifteen year old MC.
The agent asked for a second revision with a faster beginning, and here's where I bungled it big time. I wrote it as fast as I could, wanting to get it back right away. I didn't put it aside and sent it without proofing it. - well, not with fresh eyes. When I read the drivel I'd sent I was aghast. To make a long story longer, the story was ultimately rejected- though kindly and with great suggestions. Still, I felt like I'd missed the last chance for the prom, and boy did that stink.
Well... you live you learn.
