The querying process is a lot like the weather. Feeling great about a manuscript is like looking into a cloudless sky. The sun is shining bright and the world looks beautiful. But then, doubts arise as agents reject the manuscript, and those rejections are the nasty gray clouds that move in front of the sunshine.
Year 2013 is half finished. Half finished! Writing and submitting to agents makes time fly, and it flies because when you wait to hear from agents, you wish time away. Days turn into weeks and before you know it, it's time to write another manuscript and get it ready for submission.
My 2013 goal was to get an agent, and considering the time it takes agents to respond, I feel that goal might not come true this year. I still have hope, but in the publishing world, I come to realize how short a year really is.
On another note, I am trying to gear up for the Cheerios New Author Contest. Hey, it might be a stretch, but it doesn't hurt to try!
What are your writing goals for 2013?
My writing goal for 2013 is to finish the edits on my novel, get feedback, make additional edits, start querying some agents, and continue on track to self-publish by the end of the year if I don't get picked up by an agent. I know some don't like self-publishing, or abhor the thought of it, but I think so long as a writer does their due diligence, then there's nothing wrong with self-publishing.
ReplyDeleteI noticed you've queried 28 agents total? That's not bad at all, to be honest. I have a friend who's surpassed the 40 marker (probably 50 at this point), and she didn't get the first promising "Yes, send us more to see" until about her 30th query. If these ten that you're waiting on reject you, just keep submitting. Someone, somewhere, will pick you up :)