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Showing posts with label Query Letter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Query Letter. Show all posts

My Writing Process, done with HILARIOUS WEB COMICS!?!? WHAAAAAAAT!?

0 comments Posted by Unknown at 6:53 AM

The other day, good 'ol Brooks Benjamin, decided to pin me up against the wall and threaten my very existence if I didn't partake in doing a segment on MY WRITING PROCESS. Well, seeing how I didn't want to get sent to the depths of Hades under the wrath of Brooks mighty fists of fury, I gave in.

I'm kidding, it didn't go down like that. He asked me (very nicely), if I wanted to do it and I said "BUT OF COURSE!". Then he mentioned something that I would have never thought of. He said to me, "Tom, do it in comic form." To that I said....

HELL....YES.....my good sir...

On that note, I spent the week whipping out some fairly quick web comics for MY WRITING PROCESS. While my writing process isn't explained in these strips, it's more of a gag, I had a great time doing it. No worries, I'll also explain in detail what goes on in my bonkers head.

Feel free to click on the images to get a larger version of them so you can read them better.

QUESTION #1 : Who Am I?

 (I really suggest listening to this while you read this first strip - MASTERPIECE THEATRE)


So who am I? Well, I'm 30 years old with the mindset of a teenager. Seriously, I can't picture myself even when I'm 80 not wearing video game apparel, and rocking my Saturday Mornings watching some cartoons and playing some old school games.

Before I was a writer, I was a wannabe artist. I was good in high school, and was a comic book fiend. I never payed any attention in class, and all I did was draw on my brown-bagged textbooks. So what does an artist do? He attends art school. I went to the School of Visual Arts with a major in cartooning (no joke, that's a major and that's what my degree says..BACHELORS OF CARTOONING / ILLUSTRATION. It's like clown school lol).

Well, I learned something in college. My creative side wasn't really in my art. I'm not bad...but I'm not good. My creative side was actually in my writing. I was delving into writing comic scripts (which I still do), and then novels. That's when I started working on some middle grade novels, which ultimately led to me developing my first agented manuscript, COPERNICUS NERDICUS. (which you can see a description of on the link to the left).

A shout out to my awesome agent, Dawn Frederick! *waves* Be sure to follow her @RedSofaLiterary

Of course, I still draw, but I mainly write. However, in a week or so, I will be unleashing my new web comic to the world that focuses on my love for retro gaming. It's actually a side-story to my COPERNICUS NERDICUS universe which is pretty exciting for me. After all, I need to kill some time during submission.

QUESTION #2 : How does my Writing Process Work?

I'm not going to lie. That's what happens a lot with my writing process. I get all pumped up, raring to go, and then you know what happens. I get distracted. My writing binges usually happen at the oddest times.

At work, I run a lot of reports and when I'm waiting for them to finish up, I tend to do a load of editing. At home, I dabble in writing in between watching TV shows, and going on a gaming run. But that's just when I write. How do I write???

Well, let's talk about coming up with ideas. I honestly have no clue where my ideas come from. Usually it's just from day dreaming. Something will pop into my head, and I have to feverishly write it down somewhere. Usually it's on my iPhone. After the idea starts to stew a little bit, I start whipping out a quick outline that I usually follow while I prepare my first draft. In all honesty, my outline is tied directly into my query. I write a query letter to make sure my story makes sense. After all, putting your story into less than 350 words makes you think about its core.

First drafts are a blast for me. I don't think. I just write. Sometimes whatever is coming out of my head is absolute gibberish, but I'm just trying to get my story down. This is where I feel bad for my beta readers, because I pretty much come across as an absolute amateur in my original drafts, but that's how I roll, baby.

After beta readers, it's more editing. And more editing. And then more editing. And then editing. And editing. EDITING...ED..I..TI..NG.....yup. Lots of editing.

QUESTION #3 : How does my work differ from other works in my Genre?

 You know, I thought about this question a lot. First of all, with COPERNICUS NERDICUS I can't find any legitimate "video game" focused middle-grade books out there. I mean there are a few futuristic based and dystopian based books (that are pretty damn good mind you), but nothing that takes place in this era of Video Games.

I tend to focus on my interests, and blow them up to a point where it can catch everyone's interest. I wrote COPERNICUS NERDICUS for the video game lovers out there, but I know I couldn't just write it for gamers. So I built an adventure-heavy, mystery diving plot into the book. It's all about figuring out who your platform is for your books that your writing.

QUESTION #4 : Why do I write what I do?

The thing is, my works are all bits and pieces of me put onto paper. It's all of my childhood dreams, and even my current dreams transformed into a middle-grade universe. I figured, hey, I'm crazy enough and act enough like a kid that other kids would enjoy my insanity! It could work, right?

I feel like I relate with kids more than I do anyone else. My wife says I'm never going to grow up. So do my parents. So does everyone else that I run into. But you know what? I don't want to grow up. What's wrong with wanting to live through the eyes of a child? I feel like I enjoy things more that way. I'm not saying I'm not mature. I whip out the maturity when I have to be. I'm like Robin Williams. Goofy most times, serious when I have to be. I'll run around my office doing impersonations.

Who else sits at their desk and talks like Smeagol while they enter reports? Me.

That brings me to why do I write middle-grade? Well, for me, it's all about being that kid at heart and pulling out that kid mentality and throwing it on paper. It's a venting system for me, and hell, it works.

QUESTION #5 : What are you working on now?

 That's a bit of a secret. My beta readers know about because they just finished ripping it apart. But I'll give you a few clues because I kind of have to with this question. Picture Indiana Jones.....just cooler. Hahaha. Alright, alright. I've been working on a query for it so I'll put it here along with my final web comic on some of the things you'll see in my next book.....LUCAS PEREGRINUS and the ESCAPE FROM MANUKI ISLAND.

(please ignore the horrendous query below, it's in the alpha draft phase lol)

For thirteen-year old, Lucas Peregrinus, summer vacations were never anything to brag about. After all, being stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere surrounded by Easter Island Moai statues wasn’t exactly his idea of fun. But when Lucas uncovers a relic that could lead to the forgotten Polynesian island of Manuki, his summer vacation enters uncharted territory.

 Lucas and his archaeologist father take to the skies in an attempt to discover the island and the fabled Manuki Idol. The idol, worth billions could be the break the museum was looking for and secure his dads standing as lead archaeologist for the Museum of Natural History. But the vile, millionaire relic hunter, Arthur Stanwall, is following their trail and will do anything in his power to get his filthy hands on it first. After losing him in a mysterious storm shrouding an uncharted area of the Pacific, a shadowy creature stalks Lucas and his father from above and overtakes their plane. Lucas awakes from a crash to find that they are castaways on Manuki Island. 

 But Stanwall is already there waiting for them.

 On the island, Lucas befriends a local masked native named Kahu, who helps him unravel the mystery hidden behind the fabled Manuki Island and its priceless idol. But ancient treasures aren’t the only thing hidden on the island. A gigantic creature is hunting them in the shadows. To make matter worse, if the idol is taken, the once dormant volcano  on which the island lies on will erupt, destroying the island and its people.

It’s up to Lucas and Kahuto rescue his dad and prevent Stanwall from stealing the idol and therefore destroying the island. But Lucas needs to beware, for the island will do anything to do protect its secrets.

I hope you enjoyed that little trip into MY WRITING PROCESS. Be sure to check out others on #MyWritingProcess hashtag on Twitter. And thanks again to 'ol Brooks for asking me to do this. I had a blast.

 

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*gulps* The CALL

0 comments Posted by Unknown at 7:08 AM

You've been waiting for this day to happen for what seemed like an eternity. Since the first word fell on the page, until the last. You've done your research and you've queried only agents you know that would be interested in your epic tale. A handful have gotten back to you and requested pages, and some of them have even upgraded to full manuscript requests.


Then it happens.

You receive an e-mail (or a voice mail) and you can't believe it. An agent wants to schedule a phone conversation. That's right, an AGENT WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!


YES, YOU!

You are about to make - THE CALL!!!




Feel free to dance! You've earned it! It's no easy feat to get this far, but through perseverance and hard work, you've done it! But now the most important thing is not to panic, and not to let excitement get the better of you. It's time to put your business hat on.

When I first received the e-mail that my agent wanted to talk on the phone, I couldn't believe it was happening. I remember exactly where I was too when I saw it come in. I had just come back from Cape Cod, and picked up my dog from the kennel only to realize I had no dog food left at home. I was at the pet store, and lo and behold the e-mail came in. I responded almost immediately and arranged a call for the next week.

The first part of the call is all about preparation. It's a great way of calming your nerves too. I'll assume by this time you've done your research on the agents you've queried so you pretty much know what to expect in terms of what they're looking for, what sort of clients they have, and whether or not they are a boutique agency. But now is the time to prepare a list of questions that you can ask them.

Here is a handful of questions that I had locked and loaded for my phone conversation -


  1. What did you enjoy most about my work? What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses?
  2. Are you an editorial agent?
  3. Will I be working solely with you or with someone else at the agency as well? An Intern?
  4. How long have you been an agent?
  5. What are your most recent sales?
  6. How many clients do you currently have?
  7. Can I speak to a current client of yours? (this is insanely important. I can't stress how helpful it is to get insider feedback from someone already working with the agent. It's VERY helpful in making your decision!)
  8. Are you interested in future works by me?
  9. What happens if you can't sell this manuscript?
  10. Which publishers did you have in mind for my work? Will you update me on the submission process?
  11. Besides the novel, what other routes do you feel we can take this manuscript? (great when talking about merchandising, film rights, audio books, etc.)
  12. How much work is needed to prepare my manuscript for submission?
  13. Will you help with my proposal?
  14. Do you work with international rights?
  15. Do you have a verbal or written contract? (although I think now a days most agents seem to have a written contract. It's the best route too. Cover your bases)
  16. What is your percentage? Most agents to my knowledge are 15% domestic and 20% international.
  17. What would happen if we have to part ways? (if it turns out it just isn't working out. This does happen, as unfortunate as it may sound)
  18. What do you look for in a client?
  19. What questions do you have for me?
Now I'm sure you can come up with some other questions that are more specific to you, but this is just a general list I had scavenged up. It's better to be prepared though, trust me!

So the day arrives, and you're waiting for the agent to call you. The phone rings, and the first thing that comes out of your mouth is some sort of gibberish that you never knew was in you. Your nerves have gotten the better of you. It's all over! You've domed yourself!


Alright, alright. Calm down. Here's the most important thing to realize. AGENTS ARE PEOPLE TOO! They are JUST as excited to make the phone call as you are to receive it. There's a reason they are calling you, and it's because they LOVE your work!

Let the agent lead the conversation. Be personable, friendly, and throw in a sense of humor. You don't want to come across as a robot. Unless you are one. Then that's pretty cool. Anyway, they are calling you because they want to know if they can work with you. It's one thing for them to fall in love with your manuscript, but they have to know that you aren't going to be some crazy person too. 

Okay, you can be crazy. But not TOO crazy. 

Now the agent is going to be asking you a lot of questions. Think of it as a casual interview. They're trying to get a read on you and how well you know the industry and how it works. And to prepare you for this, I've even drummed up a list of questions I remember being asked across my phone conversations, and some that I had even planned to be asked about!

  1. How did you come up with your story?
  2. What is your platform?
  3. What is your target age group?
  4. How are you involved in social media? What is your presence?
  5. How would you market your book?
  6. What are your goals with your book? What are your expectations?
  7. Do you see this as a stand alone, or a series?
  8. Are you working on anything else currently?
  9. What do you look for in an agent?
If all goes swimmingly, you and the agent are probably having a shockingly smooth and natural conversation! Just when you think it couldn't get any better the agent hits you with this -

"I would love to represent you."

Feel free to dance again.


Okay, okay. That's enough. 

I know part of you wants to just scream YES, but hold on there! Aren't you forgetting you have other agents out there with your manuscript?

The first thing you want to do is thank the agent for extending the offer. Tell them how excited you are and how much you enjoyed speaking with them. Then tell them you would like a week or so to decide, and that you also need to get back to other agents regarding this turn of events. Trust me, they'll understand. It's business. They know you have been querying other agents, and they probably assumed other agents already have your work. They aren't going to retract their offer just because you asked them to wait a little bit. 

It's a courtesy! And it's very professional of you. Once you say your goodbyes, and you've caught your breath, go ahead and do your third little dance...yeah yeah, go ahead. Do a little jig.


Done? Okay.

Now all you have to do is e-mail every agent out there that has your manuscript currently and let them know that an offer of representation has been extended to you. It's up to you WHO you want to send it to. I personally sent it to agents that had some form of my manuscript (whether a partial or a full). Some of them will get back to you, some of them won't. You might find yourself scheduling a few more phone conversations in the next week depending on how much time you gave. 

Typically, the best mindset is to give around 7-10 days. That should be enough turn around and enough notice for everyone. Not too long. Not too short. 

After another 2 weeks or so, you've had all your phone conversations, and you may have even received a few more offers of representation. The only thing left to do now is decide who you want to champion your book. Now I cant make that decision for you, but I can leave you with a little piece of advice.

Go with your gut. Usually that's the right route to take. That one agent you KNEW you had an awesome connection with is probably the one who is going to work the hardest to sell your manuscript. 

And don't forget to pat yourself on the back - you did good, kid. Go treat yourself to some pizza.


 

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Welcome to Query Letter Hell (for middle grade, and BEYOND)

0 comments Posted by Unknown at 7:06 AM

So let's talk a little bit about Query Letters -




Alright, alright! Chill out! This has to be done!

Before we get started, I'm going to give you a little bit of a warning.

I am by no means a "go-to" person for Query Letter advice. I for one despise query letters. They are torturous, foul beasts that need to be sent back to the confines of hell where they belong. Just the idea of summarizing your novel into a few measly paragraphs makes the average writer want to rip off their hands and fling them into the fiery pits of Mount Doom.

Another thing is, there are so many different opinions, suggestions, tutorials, guides etc on how to write a Query Letter scattered across the internet and various books that this is just my humble interpretation. Take it with a grain of salt. I'm just trying to help based on my own experiences dealing with query letters for the last year or so.

Unfortunately, they are what separates you from snagging that gold star agent that you have been drooling over for the last year or so.

With that said, let us continue. I'll separate this into a few Q&A's to make it easier to follow.


Well, you BETTER LISTEN!

What is a Query Letter? 

Simple question, right? Unfortunately, it's not an easy answer. To sum it up, a query letter is a short (typically one page) pitch sent to agents with the hope of peeking their interest enough that they request pages to read based off your manuscript. You need to be creative, yet professional. All in all, you need to show agents that this is the book they have been waiting for their entire lives!

What is a Query Letter Format?

It generally follows this format (although it differs depending on personal preference). So don't go too crazy over formatting. 

The Greeting : (Dear Awesome Agent,)

The Reason you are writing : (some people don't do this. But it adds a personal touch which agents seem to appreciate) I am writing to you today seeking representation for my kick-arse manuscript. I feel that you may be interested since A) you represent these books in my category B) you are looking for a book of this type based on your website / twitter / etc. C) an interview I read says you are seeking this type of book.

The Hook : This is your chance to reel in that agent. Usually this includes a one sentence tag line bringing us right into the thick of your story. You should be introducing your MC in this paragraph as well as giving as a strong idea as to what awesome plot line he is up against. Should be short an sweet. But it all depends on taste.

The well crafted "synopsis" : Summarize your book, but make it enticing. Don't summarize each chapter, because that's not what a query is. Give us the juicy details, but leave us hanging for the outcome. Make us want to know what is going to happen to your main character if he doesn't "Save the day". Back flaps of a novel are a great way to get an idea of what should be in this paragraph.

The Bio : Depends on you. If you have a bio with some great credentials to back your book, go ahead and throw it in there!

The Closing : If you haven't already given your word count, title, and category. Now's the time. Thank them for taking the time to read it, and sign off. 

That's it. Easy, right?


Yeah, you're right. Nobody likes queries :( Unless you're talking about me....*glares*

When should you write your query?

Now this is entirely up to you. I'm the type of person that starts writing a draft of a query as soon as I have an idea for a book. For some reason it forces me to summarize my book quickly, discover my main characters stakes and objectives, as well as a generalized story. To me, it's like a "pre-synopsis" of my book. But it shouldn't sound like a synopsis (more on that later)

Others write it after they've finished their manuscript, and it's gone through its 8,363 revisions, been read and re-read by CP's, and you've finally decided it's ready to be pitched. Most people go this route, as they don't even want to focus on a query letter until the last possible moment.

TAKE THAT, QUERY LETTER!

When to Query?

There's a little known disease out there called PQS - premature query syndrome. Some people suffer from it, and it's evil. I first heard about it on the absolute writer water cooler forums, and I realized I had it. I sent out my first query letter for Copernicus right when I finished my last bunch of edits and had the go ahead from a few CP's. I thought it was ready....but it wasn't.

Got some responses, but ended up losing out because my MS still wasn't 100%. You NEED to make sure you hold off on sending any queries until you are so sick of editing your MS that you'd rather stab yourself in the eyes with a pen. Hold off until you are ABSOLUTELY SURE. And once you are absolutely sure, WAIT SOME MORE. Put it in a drawer for a month or two. Then come back and look at it. 

TRUST ME - WAIT.

Final Advice

The biggest advice I can give is to subject your query letter to as many critiques as possible. Get a slew of feedback, and apply it as you see fit. Not every piece of feedback will work, but ultimately your goal is to make your query letter sound as awesome as possible, while still maintaining your voice. Don't make it Frankenstein. Just make it effective.

Re-write it a dozen times. Then re-write it another dozen. It's worth it in the end.

The "DO NOTS" of Query Letter Writing :

  • DO NOT get the agent's name wrong
  • DO NOT forget to provide all your contact information
  • DO NOT forget to include the title, word count, and genre of your book
  • DO NOT forget to personalize each query letter (subjective..not everyone does it)
  • DO NOT forget to check your query letter for spelling and grammatical errors
  • (repeat above)
  • (repeat above again)
  • DO NOT send the query letter to the WRONG agent
  • DO NOT send query letters to agents NOT representing your category
  • DO NOT forget to read agent's guidelines for querying. Each agent is different.
  • DO NOT forget to show past publication credentials (especially if they're good!) - great to put in bio if requested
  • DO NOT forget to include pages if asked for in guidelines
  • DO NOT send your query letter without having other people read it first
  • DO NOT give up
Well, there you have it. My little blog post about querying. And just to make things a little bit crazy, here is my far from perfect query letter that helped me snag my uber-awesome agent.

Dear Ms. Dawn Frederick,

I am writing you today seeking representation of my 54,000 word middle-grade adventure novel, COPERNICUS NERDICUS. You had mentioned in your twitter feed under #MSWL that you are seeking a "middle-grade not-overly-sci-fi adventure with robots", and my novel taps into both. It targets readers who are gamers at heart by bringing to life video game elements while combining the hilarious adventures of Michael Buckley's NERDS series, with the robotic action packed pages of J.V. Kade's BOT WARS.

Thirteen-year-old gamer, Copernicus ‘Nic’ Wilhelm, has one chance to win fifty thousand dollars and prevent his dad from losing his laboratory to the devious inventor, Geoffrey Zorn--The Digital Zone video game tournament. But when Geoffrey Zorn unveils a new virtual gaming console called EVO to be used in the finals, Nic only has a week to master a futuristic robotic fighting game.

Easy enough for Nic, that is, until the game fights back. 

When EVO transforms into a short-circuiting attack robot, the term video game realism takes on a completely new meaning. With the help of his friends, Nic re-programs the rampaging robot, but that wasn’t the only problem. EVO was also installed with a brainwashing microchip by the vile criminal organization, C.O.R.E (Coalition of Rogue Engineers) in order to kidnap tournament contestants, including Nic's best friend, and transform them into pilots for an army of kid-controlled robots straight out of the game.

With the police now controlled by C.O.R.E too, Nic and his friends must pummel their way through C.O.R.E troops using everything from stink bombs to slime cannons in order to rescue the contestants and discover proof of Zorn’s involvement in the mind control plot. Meanwhile, a fleet of robotic drones is preparing to invade Nic’s hometown of Twin Valley, and ultimately the world. Nic is in a race against time to put a stop to C.O.R.E and ensure the tournament goes on, before his gamer guile and new robot’s battery, runs out.

Regardless of your decision, I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to consider my work. 


That's it - see? not even close to being perfect. Heck, I still despise it to this day.

Hope you guys aren't still freaking out about query letters now. And feel free to ask any questions you may have about em. So, everyone okay with query letters now? Not so bad, right?



Guess not....

 

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Who has two thumbs and a kick arse agent? THIS GUY!

0 comments Posted by Unknown at 6:41 AM

Who has two thumbs and a kick arse agent? This guy!

Well, I've been waiting approximately one year to the day to write this blog post. One long year of major ups, and major downs. Finally, after a grueling wait, I can finally say those three words. BUT, let's not jump the gun yet. Our story actually begins.....



Oh, come on. You know I had to throw that in there.  So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn, a soda (or preferably water...too much sugar, ya know?), and enjoy the blog.

It started two years ago during a random car ride into the NYC that I came up with the title for my middle grade book, COPERNICUS NERDICUS. It was all thanks to a friend of mine who told me to name my future son, Copernicus, which I immediately rejected. "Copernicus?" I said. "Are you nuts? You might as well call the kid Nerdicus." I stopped the car, pulled over, and jumped out screaming 'I'VE GOT IT!'.

The 54 Best Animated GIFs Of 2012

"Awesome title, BRO!"

Okay it didn't really happen exactly like that, but that's pretty much how the idea came to be.

A few months after that fateful car ride, I had the first draft complete of COPERNICUS NERDICUS. After another month or so of edits, I gave it to a few beta readers. I got a slew of rips, but also a ton of praise. It wasn't quite ready yet, but I was getting close. In August of 2012, I finished the final batch of edits (I thought anyway), and was ready to start pitching.

The hard part, was coming up with the query. But I'll get into that in another post. I sent my first query letter out on August 19, 2012. I also received my first full request, from that same query, on August 19, 2012...approx 2 hours later. I know what you're thinking. That DOES NOT HAPPEN. The first thought that went through my mind was "That was easy. I don't see what all the fuss was about." I sent out my full manuscript, and 2 weeks later I received a friendly, positive, and reassuring rejection. Within those 2 weeks though, I also received around 5 other rejections from my query alone.

Well, I guess this wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Almost as easy as the rebels thought it would be to blow up the death star with a few measly pilots. (I was definitely porkins)



I took the opportunity to revisit my manuscript and revise it again based on the feedback I received from that first rejection. The MS came to life, and I started to start the query process again. This time, with a revised query and an updated manuscript. By February 2013, I had around three or four full requests out with different agents. I thought my chances were getting up there. But a month or so later, I received rejection letters on each. One open to a revise and resubmit, which sparked a major MS overhaul that would reflect in my manuscript today.

I'll say this - the rejections I received from every agent I queried were better than anyone could ask for. They were reassuring, and complimented my writing abilities. I just didn't seem to be connecting with the right agents at this point. I was a little dejected, but I was forced to push myself forward, especially after one agent who reached out to through twitter to even read my manuscript, told me "Keep trying. You've got something really cool here. Another agent is sure to pick you up." Whether they were telling me that just to be nice, I took it to heart anyway. I had to keep going.



Mario never gave up..even after dealing with those annoying toads.

By April of 2013 I had rewritten my manuscript. AGAIN. This time, it switched over from a battle-bot focused manuscript, into a mixture of battle-bot and video games. For those of you that don't know me, video games are my passion. I'm a nerd, always will be a nerd, and I'm damn proud of it. With my newly revised MS, I felt my chances were the best they could be. But I also didn't want to drain my precious query resources. Instead, I started entering a few writing competitions.

These proved to be invaluable, and really pushed my manuscript to the next level. Especially THE WRITERS VOICE competition. I was lucky enough to be picked for the amazing Team Brenda with the fantabulous Brenda Drake, where my manuscript was exposed to a number of agents. My query and first 250 received more praise than I expected and I was ecstatic when I received a few requests. I sent my manuscript out one more time, and waited. And waited. I was getting SO CLOSE...I could taste it.



During the wait however, something unexpected happened. A little twitter event called #MSWL - a chance for agents to post their manuscript wish lists. I browsed through them, and tagged a few agents that may enjoy COPERNICUS NERDICUS. But I apparently missed out on the most important one. My good writing buddy, Jamie Krakover (@rockets2writing) messaged me and pointed out one particular MSWL. An agent was looking for a Middle Grade Adventure book that wasn't overly sci-fi that involved robots.

I blinked. This can't be true. That was my book. That was EXACTLY my book. I didn't waste a second, and I sent my query out. An hour later, I received a partial request.

The 54 Best Animated GIFs Of 2012

(yup that's what it felt like)

This time, the wait wasn't as bad. One week after the partial request, I received an upgrade to a full. I told myself not to think much of it. It's happened before. I went away for a weekend trip to cape cod a few weeks afterwards, and on the day I returned an e-mail came that I didn't expect.

The agent wanted to talk on the phone. At that moment, I practically pooped myself. Yes I said that.

The 54 Best Animated GIFs Of 2012

I e-mailed back, scheduled a time to call, and prepped all the questions I could. The day of the call, I was a nervous wreck. I needed to pull myself away from my desk and find a nice quiet spot to talk. She called, we had an amazing conversation, and of course with my luck I lost connection three times. Thank you bad office reception. You are so helpful. We talked about my book, what she loved about it, what she thought she could do with it, and her entire process. It was like she was reading my mind and answering every question I had. Even at the end of the convo I had to tell her "geez! you answered practically all my questions before I had the chance to ask!" She laughed, but of course I had a few more back ups!

At some point in the middle of the convo, she asked to represent me. And....I basically felt like this.

The 54 Best Animated GIFs Of 2012

I asked for a little over a week to get back to the other agents that still had my work, and promised I would get back to her with any other questions I had. So, we parted ways, and I immediately sent out a notice to the remaining agents that I now had an offer on the table.

A few agents got back to me immediately saying that they would read the MS asap. Others requested upgrades to fulls. A few stepped aside, wishing me the best of luck and expressing their excitement to see my book on shelves. It just felt weird. I never received so many agent e-mails in such a short span of time.

A couple of days later, I received another offer of rep. Two days after that, one more offer. I gathered my thoughts, took another day to think, but I already knew my decision.

So, I e-mailed agent numero uno back, and accepted the offer. So, I've waited a while to post this, but now I can happily say..I HAVE AN AGENT. I am now represented by the spectacular DAWN FREDERICK of RED SOFA LITERARY. I couldn't be happier. And how do I feel after all this? This sums up the awesome-sauce.

The 54 Best Animated GIFs Of 2012

My final stats, after browsing through all my notes and query tracking are as follows.

Queries sent : 62
Full Requests : 12
Offers Of Rep : 3

And thank you to everyone who helped me out during this long process. Thanks to those who put up with my complaining of the querying process, and to those who helped me revise my query. Without you, I would have never have gotten this far. You know who you are! *POINTS!*

Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a proposal to work on. *bangs head on desk*

 

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