Okay, here's my tale of woe (which really isn't that bad, I know. But I need to vent and could use your thoughts.)...
About three years ago, I finished my first novel-length story. Yippie!!
I showed it to a few people and one of them recommended that I speak to this agent friend of her's. I checked the agent out. She's well-known and successful, but not in my genre. She mainly does nonfiction. I wrote a fantasy. Still, I thought...what the heck? At the very least, I'd get yet another rejection letter.
As it turns out, the agent loved what I wrote. Really dug the main character and the twist at the end. She loved it and wanted to represent it.
Groovy!
So I signed with her.
After making the edits and so forth that she wanted, the agent sent my work to seven publishers. Five of them asked to see it. Four rejected it outright. The fifth actually called me, said she loved the characters and my voice, and offered a ton of suggestions to get the story moving faster. She literally talked with me for a hour! So I was over the moon. She then told me to resubmit it. Which we did a few months back.
No word from the fifth editor even though my agent has e-mailed her about it.
Moreover, my agent has recently submitted the manuscript to two other publishers...both of whom didn't want to see it.
Now my agent is talking about self-publishing the book.
In short, it feels like she's given up on it.
I'm very new to this game, but I figured that she'd approach dozens of publishers...from the biggest of the big, to new indie shops. Am I demanding too much?
Should I try to get another agent who works within my genre? And if so...should I "dump" my current agent first and then go hunting for somebody else or should I ask around, see if there's any interest, and then jump ship after I have found somebody?
Ugh...I have nobody to really talk to about this. So I'd love to hear what you all think!
About three years ago, I finished my first novel-length story. Yippie!!
I showed it to a few people and one of them recommended that I speak to this agent friend of her's. I checked the agent out. She's well-known and successful, but not in my genre. She mainly does nonfiction. I wrote a fantasy. Still, I thought...what the heck? At the very least, I'd get yet another rejection letter.
As it turns out, the agent loved what I wrote. Really dug the main character and the twist at the end. She loved it and wanted to represent it.
Groovy!
So I signed with her.
After making the edits and so forth that she wanted, the agent sent my work to seven publishers. Five of them asked to see it. Four rejected it outright. The fifth actually called me, said she loved the characters and my voice, and offered a ton of suggestions to get the story moving faster. She literally talked with me for a hour! So I was over the moon. She then told me to resubmit it. Which we did a few months back.
No word from the fifth editor even though my agent has e-mailed her about it.
Moreover, my agent has recently submitted the manuscript to two other publishers...both of whom didn't want to see it.
Now my agent is talking about self-publishing the book.
In short, it feels like she's given up on it.
I'm very new to this game, but I figured that she'd approach dozens of publishers...from the biggest of the big, to new indie shops. Am I demanding too much?
Should I try to get another agent who works within my genre? And if so...should I "dump" my current agent first and then go hunting for somebody else or should I ask around, see if there's any interest, and then jump ship after I have found somebody?
Ugh...I have nobody to really talk to about this. So I'd love to hear what you all think!
