I completed my first work of fiction in September of last year, and struggled through the daunting tasks of working up a query letter and compiling a list of applicable agents around that same time. I've since sent out about 16 query letters but have yet to receive even a request for a partial. I've polished and revised the query letter a half-dozen times during this process, but am now beginning to believe the concept itself is very difficult to pin under a specific genre in addition to the fact that the work is far too long for a first novel (about 110,000 words or 289 single-spaced pages). I believe in the concept behind the book, and truly put my heart and soul into doing the concept justice in writing. There is virtually no "filler" in the storyline, and it would be the first of a two-book series despite the fact that it has its own semi-ending. This makes shortening the work by any signifcant amount nearly impossible without a complete re-write.
I am now considering simply self-publishing the novel, as I didn't write it for monetary gain and would simply be happy to have it read by anyone at this point.
With all this said, here is my question. What are your thoughts on possibly enlisting the help of a "literary consultant" service such as Cornerstone or The Literary Consultancy? I understand there are many scams out there, but are services such as these two legitimate, and, if so, are they something I should consider at this point? Thanks in advance for any of your thoughts!
I am now considering simply self-publishing the novel, as I didn't write it for monetary gain and would simply be happy to have it read by anyone at this point.
With all this said, here is my question. What are your thoughts on possibly enlisting the help of a "literary consultant" service such as Cornerstone or The Literary Consultancy? I understand there are many scams out there, but are services such as these two legitimate, and, if so, are they something I should consider at this point? Thanks in advance for any of your thoughts!
