This blogging thing continues to be awkward, I think because part of me feels like, "who out there possibly cares about my silly little life?" But then I remember (I SO remember) when I was in the earlier stages of my writing career, and any little scrap of encouragement I got from blogs, any little story of how authors got agents, got their books published...helped. Tremendously. (Still does, in fact.)Because of this, I thought I'd share what happened to me, in hopes that others might find something of value to take away.
Back in late March, I signed with my first agent. I was elated! She was sweet, professional, enthusiastic, and most of all, she really got my book. We were a very good fit. And she helped me edit my book--thanks to her critique, in a month's time I added about 12,000 words and a whole lot of texture to the story. We were just about to get ready to go to submission when she told me that she needed to leave agenting to pursue her own writing career.
Oh, I was bummed. Devastated for a brief, brief moment, but then I realized, you know what? It was meant to be. She needs to follow her dream, and I need to keep following mine. So I picked myself back up, brushed off my query, gave it a mini-makeover (extra lip-gloss and hair product, so fab), and started querying again in May.
Things happened, guys. This time, I got a lot of interest right away. Nine requests for fulls. And for a grand total, five offers. Wow. Needless to say, I was stunned that the situation was so different! I had five lovely phone calls with five amazing agents, and instead of being elated, I was stressed (I know, I know--how ridiculous). But it was very hard to choose, partly because I hate to hurt people's feelings and partly because it was all so overwhelming! (But in a good way, my husband kept reminding me.)
In the end, I decided to sign with the lovely Gina Panettieri of Talcott Notch. She loved my book, and I think when she referenced The Bachelorette, I knew she was a girl I could hang with. But most of all, she got my book, and the thought of FINDING PONY on a bookstore shelf is just...well...I'm pinching myself.
So here it is, my little story. It sounds cliche, but I guess the lesson here is when you have a dream, don't give up, and keep trying. You will get there.
9 comments:
I can only imagine the mix of feelings you went through, during this journey! But what an amazing experience and now you have a fab agent!
Thanks so much for sharing - I love reading stories like this. And it keeps me hopeful that someday, I'll get to write a blog post on how I came to be agented. Oh, to dream!
I am so so glad you now have a top-notch agent who can make your dreams come true. (I hope I don't get arrested by the cheese police for that.)
Hugs and cheers and all that jazz. Keep us posted!
Thank you for posting your story. You're right that it helps others on this journey. :-)
Thanks Erin, Lora, and Shannon! I'm glad you enjoyed my sharing--I love hearing everyone's success stories and want to see us all published. :)
Lora--no cheese police (but maybe some kittens and rainbows, lol ;) )
Awesome story!! And 5 agents offers?!? Amazing!! Congrats!
HUGE congrats to you!!
I'm so sorry I didn't see this sooner! CONGRATS to you! It says so much about the quality of your work that you had several agents vying for you. How exciting and wonderful -- I look forward to reading about what happens next.
Thanks for sharing this accomplishment. I think it's really important to acknowledge each step in the process. Congrats again!
Thanks everyone! And it is so lovely meeting everyone--you're right Sarah---publishing moves so slow that you have to honor each and every step. And congrats again to you on your book selling! :))
Wow, five offers! Go you! I'm sure it was meant to be that you ended up with Gina! Good luck, and can't wait to see your book on shelves!
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