Querying Agents
I won't be doing a book review this week, so instead you get this.
Just a fair warning, this will be a bit of a rant post.
So, on my journey to get published, I am currently on the querying stage of it. Querying agents can seem terrifying. And trust me, it is.
I know what you probably expected.
"Don't worry, it's fine!"
"It is simple!"
NOOOO. No. It is not fine, it is not simple. And you're probably thinking I'm crazy, you probably think I'm overreacting.
I'm not.
Not by a long shot.
Let me explain to you what happens when you query an agent.
You spend hours on the computer, searching for the right agent. It's not easy! There are a lot of agents out there. You go through a lot of them. "Oh this one's perfect! But... they don't do YA." "This. This agent is the one. Nope, they only do Contemporary YA." "This one is perfect, they even do my genre! But they don't accept email queries." It's a hard process! It's bad. And confusing. And I've had to hit the table many times. It's stressful.
Then, the most amazing thing happens! You find one. They're perfect; good resume, great clientele, and they do your genre!
But once you find your Agent Charming, you have to send them a query letter. That's a whole other thing though, so I'm not going to rant about that. Although it is rant worthy – query letters are like mini essays on crack that continuously ask you about your writing and your nonexistent writing credentials.
Once you send the query, then comes the waiting. And the waiting. And waiting. It's stressful! And most of the time, the longer they take to reply the more anxiety you suffer from. It's not fun.
But then, you get an email.
THIS IS HORRIBLE. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE ACCEPTED OR NOT, ALL YOU SEE IS:
agent@agency.com
RE: Query: Book Title
BUT YOU MUST OPEN IT.
So you do. And you don't know if it's an acceptance or a rejection.
But you still do it. You still send out letter after letter. And after a while, it pays off.
I haven't yet found an agent, but I am getting close. And while I hate this, I also know that my book could never be seen if I didn't go through this.
~Olivia Ann
Just a fair warning, this will be a bit of a rant post.
So, on my journey to get published, I am currently on the querying stage of it. Querying agents can seem terrifying. And trust me, it is.
I know what you probably expected.
"Don't worry, it's fine!"
"It is simple!"
NOOOO. No. It is not fine, it is not simple. And you're probably thinking I'm crazy, you probably think I'm overreacting.
I'm not.
Not by a long shot.
Let me explain to you what happens when you query an agent.
You spend hours on the computer, searching for the right agent. It's not easy! There are a lot of agents out there. You go through a lot of them. "Oh this one's perfect! But... they don't do YA." "This. This agent is the one. Nope, they only do Contemporary YA." "This one is perfect, they even do my genre! But they don't accept email queries." It's a hard process! It's bad. And confusing. And I've had to hit the table many times. It's stressful.
Then, the most amazing thing happens! You find one. They're perfect; good resume, great clientele, and they do your genre!
But once you find your Agent Charming, you have to send them a query letter. That's a whole other thing though, so I'm not going to rant about that. Although it is rant worthy – query letters are like mini essays on crack that continuously ask you about your writing and your nonexistent writing credentials.
Once you send the query, then comes the waiting. And the waiting. And waiting. It's stressful! And most of the time, the longer they take to reply the more anxiety you suffer from. It's not fun.
But then, you get an email.
THIS IS HORRIBLE. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE ACCEPTED OR NOT, ALL YOU SEE IS:
agent@agency.com
RE: Query: Book Title
BUT YOU MUST OPEN IT.
So you do. And you don't know if it's an acceptance or a rejection.
But you still do it. You still send out letter after letter. And after a while, it pays off.
I haven't yet found an agent, but I am getting close. And while I hate this, I also know that my book could never be seen if I didn't go through this.
~Olivia Ann
Good luck finding your agent! God, someday I hope to be in your position. Querying agents and waiting for that email.
ReplyDeleteBut I do get where you're coming from. "'Fear the unknown", isn't that how the saying goes? Just remember that all of this, the anxiety and the waiting and the tough spots, are going to be worth it. And when your book hits the shelves, we'll all be rushing to get a hold of it. I believe it you, Olivia <3
Thank you! Your encouragement is very appreciated. And I'm sure that someday you will be in my position. All I can say is all the work, late nights, and anxiety is worth it.
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