Hi everybody.
I just arrived from a day out, to receive yet another 2 rejection letters.
This is my second round of querying - my first round was about a year ago, to about 20 agents - and then I took a LONG (1 year almost) pause to start submitting for this project again. I just felt depleted, no agents gave me any feedback, the few that answered either did it with form letters or with simple "this is not for me".
A fellow writer inspired me to start submitting again, when he introduced me to "Query Shark", and I completely revamped my query and learned A LOT more about the process, starting with gusto a new round of submissions.
I started submitting again on May 7th and have since queried 20 agents (today was number 20). From those 20, 7 people replied already. 1 agent asked me for a sample of 5 pages, but still no bite.
I was about to log on and write a message asking someone to give me a pep talk, man, doesn't it just suck balls to read "It's not for me?/Thank you, we're gonna pass"" so many times? Man, it friggin' stinks! Particularly when they dismiss your work based solely on the query and never even read a page or a synopsis!
But you know what, when I was just about to start typing, I decided to not wallow in self pity and instead write an encouraging message to every single person who is going through this process. Hold your head up high everyone, do not give up, fight for what is yours!
Yes, it hurts like hell every time I fall and my face gets covered in mud, and my knees are bleeding and my arms are scraped and my face is dirty, but I am getting up, dusting myself off and I am getting back up.
I am keeping on the search for my agent, I'm coming, guns blazing, so they better be ready! Staying down simply isn't a choice for me and I am sure it is not a choice for you either for the same simple reason: my book was written to be read, to be a book, to be published. Not to sit in my drawer or in the external drive where I back up all my stuff.
If agents A, B, C, D, E, FWJJEHDKLND didn't think it was for them, that can only be good news, because it means I am getting this much closer to finding my agent, by thinning out the herd.
Call me optimistic, call me whatever you want but this feels helluvalot better than sitting in silence and feeling like crying because this process is so exhausting and frustrating! So if I come back some time to ask someone to give me a pep talk, by all means, please do, I'm not made of iron and this gusto with which I'm talking is not at all typical of me (but I'm enjoying it, so just go with it
)
But by now here is my advice, to anyone and everyone who may be feeling low due to agent rejection: play your absolute favorite motivational song and remind yourself of the badass genius you absolutely are, dust yourself off and look for somebody else.
Oh, and don't forget to GO OUT AND LIVE between submissions. I was neglecting that part and was making myself miserable. But when the sun came out again, I simply went for a walk outside. I walked for hours exploring the neighbourhood. And the next day I went another way. And the next day I took the bus to and saw the sunset on the beach. It felt good to breathe again.
Love to all of you, a massive hug to fill you with courage.
Paula
I just arrived from a day out, to receive yet another 2 rejection letters.
This is my second round of querying - my first round was about a year ago, to about 20 agents - and then I took a LONG (1 year almost) pause to start submitting for this project again. I just felt depleted, no agents gave me any feedback, the few that answered either did it with form letters or with simple "this is not for me".
A fellow writer inspired me to start submitting again, when he introduced me to "Query Shark", and I completely revamped my query and learned A LOT more about the process, starting with gusto a new round of submissions.
I started submitting again on May 7th and have since queried 20 agents (today was number 20). From those 20, 7 people replied already. 1 agent asked me for a sample of 5 pages, but still no bite.
I was about to log on and write a message asking someone to give me a pep talk, man, doesn't it just suck balls to read "It's not for me?/Thank you, we're gonna pass"" so many times? Man, it friggin' stinks! Particularly when they dismiss your work based solely on the query and never even read a page or a synopsis!
But you know what, when I was just about to start typing, I decided to not wallow in self pity and instead write an encouraging message to every single person who is going through this process. Hold your head up high everyone, do not give up, fight for what is yours!
Yes, it hurts like hell every time I fall and my face gets covered in mud, and my knees are bleeding and my arms are scraped and my face is dirty, but I am getting up, dusting myself off and I am getting back up.
I am keeping on the search for my agent, I'm coming, guns blazing, so they better be ready! Staying down simply isn't a choice for me and I am sure it is not a choice for you either for the same simple reason: my book was written to be read, to be a book, to be published. Not to sit in my drawer or in the external drive where I back up all my stuff.
If agents A, B, C, D, E, FWJJEHDKLND didn't think it was for them, that can only be good news, because it means I am getting this much closer to finding my agent, by thinning out the herd.
Call me optimistic, call me whatever you want but this feels helluvalot better than sitting in silence and feeling like crying because this process is so exhausting and frustrating! So if I come back some time to ask someone to give me a pep talk, by all means, please do, I'm not made of iron and this gusto with which I'm talking is not at all typical of me (but I'm enjoying it, so just go with it
)But by now here is my advice, to anyone and everyone who may be feeling low due to agent rejection: play your absolute favorite motivational song and remind yourself of the badass genius you absolutely are, dust yourself off and look for somebody else.
Oh, and don't forget to GO OUT AND LIVE between submissions. I was neglecting that part and was making myself miserable. But when the sun came out again, I simply went for a walk outside. I walked for hours exploring the neighbourhood. And the next day I went another way. And the next day I took the bus to and saw the sunset on the beach. It felt good to breathe again.
Love to all of you, a massive hug to fill you with courage.
Paula
