Mommy, what did you do in the war?
I'm hoping to generate authors stories of how they landed their agent, contracts, etc. from a large writing group I'm in on Yahoo. How many queries did you have to send? Worst rejection? So ladies and gents, have at it! And if any agents should wander by (see Kim praying on her knees?) you can share your own good, bad and uglies. Feel free to use anonymous on this one!
Thanks.
Welcome! Come to Boston to meet Kat Cavicchio in my new e-book House of Cards available through Amazon on Kindle and supported devices!
7 comments:
I have to run a few errands. I'll be back before 2. If Ethel calls, please take a message.
Harvey, sitting NEAR the class slut in geometry class does not put you in the club. Or so says Ethel.
Hi, Kim, here's my story.
In 2002 I entered the Romance Slam Jam aspiring writer contest. I placed third. Genesis Press presented a special trophy that year, so immediately after the conference I sent in my query with the note about the contest. They gave me a contract! That was followed by a two book contract.
I'm still considering whether I need an agent.
I was feeling down, depressed, suicidal. I ingested a party mix of 11 valium and a fifth of Johnnie Walker Red. Luckily, my ladyfriend of the hour found me and called 911. For eleven days, I lay comatose at Mt. Sinai, all the while working on what would eventually become "Cocktail."
I have hired and fired 2 agents...both of them were on the bottom of my agent wish lists. The second one did get me all the way to the executive editor level at NAL...they said my Chick Lit was too romancey. I'm now on my third search for representation of another chick lit disguised as a contemporary romance. Heavy sigh. This business is so freakin' schizzo.
Oh, Karyn! You need to watch the filthy mouthed muppets to cheer you up. It's startling how tough the publishing business is -- truly. GOOD LUCK.
I still haven't sold, but I do have an agent. Pamela Harty.
I probably queried or pitched fifteen to twenty agents with the book that landed me an agent. I think I had four requests for the full... Two came the day after I got the offer. (I'd just done a big "push" thinking I was never going to hear from the two agents who had it. One had had it for 8 months. Pamela for 3 or so.)
BUT, this was my third completed manuscript. I didn't have a huge number of rejections on the first two, mostly because I didn't submit them that widely. Both were targeted at Harlequin and well, unless you want to go e-pub, books targeted to the category romance market aren't going to sell if harlequin doesn't want them...
My adventure the weekend I "got the agent call" was on Diana Peterfreund's blog.
Maureen lands an agent
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