The Hard Wait

David McAfee said:

Well, a legitimate agent responded to my query by asking for three chapters and a synopsis, email attachments ok. So I sent them. Now, I'm waiting. Hasn't been long at all (a week), but man, my Pins and Needles have become Spikes and Daggers!

I know a week is a trifling amount of time in the publishing world, but this is the first real agent who expressed any interest, as well as the first work I have ever submitted. So I'm just a tad excited.

Just for the record, I am not complaining, I'm just thrilled to get my work in front of an agent in the first round of queries.

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Congratulations! Even if they don't sign you at least you've made it this far.

I'm not even close to where you are .

My complexion you ask? It's not really green from envy, must be something I ate!

That's tremendous news, David - must be a great feeling. Bet your computer is now on 24/7 and every time the 'mail received' bleep goes your heart does another flip. Fingers crossed for you.

Have to say congrats! Especially since you're another Jurassic Park fan.

I didn't mind the movie, but it could have been a lot better if it followed the book more closely.

David McAfee said:

Well, a legitimate agent responded to my query by asking for three chapters and a synopsis, email attachments ok. So I sent them. Now, I'm waiting. Hasn't been long at all (a week), but man, my Pins and Needles have become Spikes and Daggers!

I know a week is a trifling amount of time in the publishing world, but this is the first real agent who expressed any interest, as well as the first work I have ever submitted. So I'm just a tad excited.

Just for the record, I am not complaining, I'm just thrilled to get my work in front of an agent in the first round of queries.

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I'm in the same boat except this is my second round of queries with a revised (much better) letter. (My first one had a pretty poor response--in fact, I'll admit that you beat me in my first round of queries and that my first query letter pretty much sucked.) I was totally warned, but I've been checking my email obsessively anyway--and I've only had one response from an agent thanking me for my query letter but declining. Now, that confused me--he already expressed interest and I sent him the first three chapters. Talk about a form rejection! Now I'm sitting here waiting for answers from nine more requests--all I need is one yes. Just ONE. Talk about pins and needles or...spikes and daggers.

Good luck and keep us updated. This waiting game is the WORST....

Congrats, take yourself out to dinner. Then when they take you, go out to dinner again.

Awesome!

Congrats on having somebody actually ask you for something you created. Try to focus on that positive feeling. Now is the time all things are possible, anything could happen. The dream is still a possibility, relish in that! When success comes it can be in varying degrees, but for now your book could be a best seller. You may never be here again. Smell the roses now.

I feel for you. An agent asked for my completed manuscript after three and a synopsis, which is very exciting (!) but now is time for thumb-twiddling and message/mail checking.
Actually, I'm going to take a couple of days off and maybe start something else to take my mind away from it. This could be weeks/months wasted if I just keep checking my inbox instead of getting another project underway.

And just to weigh in on 'Jurassic Park,' overall I liked it okay, but there were parts that were completely riveting. I took the subway to work back then and one day I read past my stop... "Sh*t!" So, I got out on the next platform and caught the next train back and promptly put my nose back in the book. Predictably, "Sh*t!" I read past my stop the other way - eventually I made it to work and my boss was sympathetic to my idiocy.

A friend of mine found an agent, and the agent showed his book to two publishers in a year, so he dumped the agent. The next agent took over two hundred queries to find, and he wrote nine different manuscripts for the second agent before they sold one, but now he has a 3-book, six digit advance deal. Never second guess yourself or the agent. Celebrate. Agents reject 98% of the manuscripts they receive. And if they don't work out, learn from it, and then go find a better one. Waiting is a part of the game, by the way. I'm waiting right now as a couple publishers are looking at my book and it's driving me nuts - - - so my wife and I go out and have dinner, and then I work on my next project. I can't make it go any faster, so I might as well write. Damn, it's the most excruciating happiness I've ever encountered.

Don't wait! Never wait! It is an eternal law of the writing business that good news NEVER comes when you are watching the inbox or waiting for the postman. Put it out of your mind - completely, think about something else. Fall in love. Go and climb Everest. Anything to get your mind off your ms.
The only time I've EVER had good news in this business was when I was least expecting it. The good news that I had a publisher came when I was sleeping off jet-lag after a transatlantic flight - I had to be woken up to come to the phone!
But I know the exhileration of feeling you are really IN. My very first attempt at writing was a children's book of about ten pages. I sent it to Penguin and I got an almost immediate rejection. But I was on cloud nine with that rejection - because I knew it was no longer a game; a publisher had responded to my writing, things were moving!

Dave, congrats!

I wish you all the best. I can only imagine the hard wait. I'm still many months away from a finished MS, and after that, the agent search will be gruelling enough. Good job at getting a bite on the line, and here's hoping they agree to represent!







-Pat

That's fantastic! I've never been where you are, but I can imagine how excruciating it must be to not know. Here's hoping for the best! :Cheers:

..having said that bit about "not waiting" and "not thinking about it", here's what happened today:

Last week I sent off five partial manuscripts to five London agents. Today one of them - a top agent from Curtis Brown! - called me. She had a beautiful voice and a wonderful manner, and she told me she hasn't had the time (after ONE week!) to read my partial yet but she has glanced at it and really wants to read it but is going off on holiday for two weeks tomorrow and won't be able to read it till she returns and she expects that I have sent it to several agents, but she wanted to let me know that she's interested and I should wait... and now I'm out of breath. I just can't believe she told me that. She also had a few questions about why I'm changing publishers and agents etc but was so nice it almost blew me over.

OK, I am NOT getting euphoric. She hasn't even read the damn thing yet, much less the full, and she may just hate it, and I know it's going to be difficult to get past acquisitions teams and that might be scary for any agent - that's the whole reason I'm here right now. But it was a really high point to a beautiful sunny day, I just wish I'd had time to go to the beach before it turns cold and grey again... anyway, my fingers are crossed and I just wanted to say that there are some wonderful, human, FAST agents out there!

And now I'm off to climb Everest to stop thinking about her...

Congrats, that's very exciting Aruna! Have fun finding a Mount Everest to climb--mine is going to be called three volleyball practices a day. It's difficult (but entirely possible) to think about an agent while conditioning or practicing in order to beat another team into submission...now, if I can just get email on my cell phone and sneak it into my uniform....

I am so envious of you people who have stuff to submit.

This probably won't make anybody feel any better, but at least it had a happy ending. The agent who sold my first book took about six months from my original query to read the book and offer representation (she's prettty selective)--so it can take a REALLY long time. You're best off trying not to think about it too much (if such a thing is possible!), and keeping yourself busy with other work: a new book, revising the current one, playing golf, whatever gets you through the day.

And remember, many agents like to have an exclusive look when they ask for the entire MS--but until then, you're free to query other agents at the same time.

Good luck!

Congrats! I hope it all works out, and you never know, the tension could lead to another masterpiece! I always like to write when I am in the mood of the book (i.e. happy mood, happy book. Sad mood, Sad book) Maybe you could write a good suspense novel. lol.

Great going, David, and welcome to the initiated ranks. Get some more material out there and take no prisoners. I have four manuscripts out there now, and they are all terribly late, which I hope, is a good sign.

Hoorah for the dino buffs and Crichton's book which really kicked azz.

Triceratops

Way To Go!

Conrats Dave!, and please take a lot of time NOT to think. Okay?
What will be, will always be. No matter what.
Now this is just my opinion (which you can take or leave...it makes me no nevermind).
Books are always better than movies! Movies are good though.
Volleyball? Hmmm...
Great idea!
Wish I could join you!