Fait Accompli
It is done. My query letter, synopsis, and sample chapters are on their way to a literary agent in New York. Now, the waiting game begins. And as Tom Petty said, "The waiting is the hardest part."
I started writing my novel a little more than a year ago. I've written, re-written, read, re-read, edited, proofread, cut and pasted. I'm sure I'll continue to tweak it, but for the most part, it's done. And now, I don't know what to do next.
I researched my agent choice carefully. I selected someone that I met briefly at a writer's conference, who expressed enthusiasm for my 30-second pitch. She's said in interviews that she's interested in material that will make her cry, and she accepts submissions from unpublished novelists, so I think I have a decent shot. She's also said that she has trouble keeping up with her mail, so the wait could be a long one. I'm glad I sent my package out, but I'm also a little nervous, because one person told me I shouldn't even be thinking about contacting an agent without having first hired a professional editor to read over my work. I'm sure a pro could have helped, but I didn't have an extra $1,000 to spend on that. I did take a workshop and two classes, though, and I got a lot of feedback from friends and a published author, so I'm hoping that will stand me in good stead. Fingers crossed!
Mr. Pink is encouraging me to start work on my next book, but although I have a few ideas, I don't really know what I want to write about next. What I really need to do, as mentioned in my last post, is find a source of reliable income. So far, my job applications have been unsuccessful. I'll keep trying, and I'll keep trying to drum up freelance business and tutoring clients, too, but I kind of feel like I'm in limbo.
Any suggestions on what to do next?
I started writing my novel a little more than a year ago. I've written, re-written, read, re-read, edited, proofread, cut and pasted. I'm sure I'll continue to tweak it, but for the most part, it's done. And now, I don't know what to do next.
I researched my agent choice carefully. I selected someone that I met briefly at a writer's conference, who expressed enthusiasm for my 30-second pitch. She's said in interviews that she's interested in material that will make her cry, and she accepts submissions from unpublished novelists, so I think I have a decent shot. She's also said that she has trouble keeping up with her mail, so the wait could be a long one. I'm glad I sent my package out, but I'm also a little nervous, because one person told me I shouldn't even be thinking about contacting an agent without having first hired a professional editor to read over my work. I'm sure a pro could have helped, but I didn't have an extra $1,000 to spend on that. I did take a workshop and two classes, though, and I got a lot of feedback from friends and a published author, so I'm hoping that will stand me in good stead. Fingers crossed!
Mr. Pink is encouraging me to start work on my next book, but although I have a few ideas, I don't really know what I want to write about next. What I really need to do, as mentioned in my last post, is find a source of reliable income. So far, my job applications have been unsuccessful. I'll keep trying, and I'll keep trying to drum up freelance business and tutoring clients, too, but I kind of feel like I'm in limbo.
Any suggestions on what to do next?
posted by Astera @ 2:19 PM
2 Comments:
At 9:53 PM,
Anonymous said…
I agree with Mr. Pink about starting work on your next book. I also suggest making a list of other agents to contact, in case the first one doesn't work out (although I hope she does).
At 4:43 PM,
Astera said…
Good idea...I've got several other agents in mind, but I'll need to tweak my query letter for each one.
Post a Comment
<< Home