Happy Friday, everyone! Here's hoping we all get a great weekend, filled with quality R&Rs (Rest and Recuperation, that is, not Revise and Resubmit! – although a few of those would be appreciated as well, at least in this neck of the woods…) writing, dancing, caring for kittens of all species, holidaying or sleeping or anything that gives us joy…
(and perhaps a few offers of representation?
)
I've spent the last few days whittling down my agent list to four,
and whittling down my synopsis (
again, grumble grumble) to appr 500 words, which is what one of the agents on that shortlist asks for. It's insane how much time I've spent on this. Especially the 'whitting down the synopsis part.' It's now down to 520 words, and I honestly think I can't make it any shorter, Not if it's going to be both coherent, well written
and an accurate representation of my core plot. So – when the agent submission guidelines use words like 'ideally' and 'approximately' about their 500 words requirement, I'm going to read that as 520=OK.
This morning, I sent a query to the last of those four agents. So, now I have seven submissions out, four queries and three fulls. I think that'll be enough for now. I'll try to forget about them (hah!) until I get some answers (OR it's CNR time) and see if I can get that book two project going at last.
Good luck to everyone trying for Peter Knapp – here's hoping you get an offer, too, not just feedback!
Although feedback is also good
. (Does say something about this process, though, that a short feedback is something special, a giveaway. But that's how it is, sigh. Agents so swamped with queries they can barely find the time to send a form rejection…)
Welcome to the query trenches,
DanaeMcB!
I agree with Raggy, rejections are like a red badge of honour, proof that you're a serious professional in this game. Maybe I should start handing out rejection medals instead of rejection cakes? – except I can't find any on the smilies list here. (The trophy one seems a bit much.) So cake it is, here, enjoy!
Stuff it down the throat of those dejection thoughts – we've all got them, this thread's not called 'rejection and dejection' for nothing…) And here's hoping that agent who requested at the conference
really likes it and comes back with an offer!
Here's your rejection cake as well,
ap123 Keep trying – in your own time of course – even if you think it's a hard sell. You never know in this business, some agent and editor out there might think,
yes, this is
exactly what I didn't know I wanted, this is perfect!
– and here's your's,
litdawg – and good luck with your new submissions! That's the spirit, sending out new ones each time you get a rejection. I plan to do that, too, send out one or more for each rejection letter I get, until I've gone through all the agents on my longlist. (Let's hope we both get an offer before it comes to that…)
noranne – congrats with the full!!
You're really on a roll now, and yes, how cool that you can put that pub credit on your bio now! Keep going and good luck!!! And maybe the lack of motivation to write is not you being lethargic – maybe it's the kind of break you need away from it all. Indulge in some quality R&R this weekend so you can come back fresh and rested to Nano preps next week.
(listen to mama Torill now!
)
Hope Raggy Kitten#2 is well now,
Raggy, and that you get lots of editing done. And good luck with the synopsis writing and agent research – I'm so glad I'm done with that for the time being!
(And yes, I'm addicted to smilies,
everyone, in case you haven't noticed…
)