Getting an Agent

Something I've learned about trying to get published: You can't just write to publishers and hope they will want to read your manuscript. There are a few publishers that accept letters like this, but for the most part, you have to go through agent.

It is not easy to get an agent.

I did some research on how to go about getting one, and it is quite the process. First you need to write a Query Letter. The letter essentially the equivalent of a cover letter on a resume. You need to talk about who you are, what you've written/published in the past, your experiences and also give a summary, including word count, of your story.

For me, it was really difficult to toot my own horn. Furthermore, I hadn't ever tried to summarize my story in a paragraph. Sure, I can tell you all about it in a long drawn out description, but summarizing was difficult. When i finally got my letter written, I did some more research.

Apparently, a previously unpublished author, such as myself, can expect to send out hundreds of query letters, and if you're lucky, you will get a positive response from ten or so. About a 5% return. Yikes.

I jumped the gun and started sending out letters soon after I had finished the first round of edits of my manuscript. Most agents just ask for the letter, but a few ask for the first couple chapters as well. I figured that by the time i started getting responses I would have fine tuned Force enough by then that it would be ready to be sent out in full.

You can expect wait two weeks or so for a response from an emailed query letter (up to six weeks for snail mail). I had only sent off about a dozen letters before i heard back from the first agent. I reprinting it here because he was the only agent so far to send me back a response that wasn't a form letter (agent's name is deleted):

Dear Shawna:

Thank you for your recent query letter. I appreciate your patience while I’ve considered your project.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid I must pass on Force. The prologue got off to a great start, giving Alexis a strong and likable voice and a strong hint of intriguing things to come. The chapter, however, I felt got bogged down in backstory. You clearly know a lot about the characters and world you created, but I feel the story might be too caught up in the details rather than focusing on the plot.

Thanks again for thinking of me. Please accept my best wishes for your project’s success.

I wasn't upset when i read his response. I had known my first chapter needed work. It was 30 pages long, whereas the rest of the book averaged about 10 pages per chapter. But, I also had already started book two, and the ideas were spilling out of me so fast i didn't want to revisit Force. I decided to hold off sending out more query letters until i could properly revist the first chapter.

In the meantime, the rejections kept coming in. I had four come in that week, all in a form letter format. I never heard from the other six (that means no). I did finally hear from one agent who requested my manuscript. Yay!! But i hadn't fully retooled my manuscript. Still, I was too excited to wait. I sent if off immediatly, but was determined not to get too optimistic.

It's been just about six weeks (you can expect to wait 4-6 weeks for a response from a manuscript request), and i still haven't heard anything. I wrote the agent a follow up email, but haven't heard back from that either.

It's okay though. The lack of response reminded me i needed to go back and fix up those first thirty pages. I rewrote them last night. Chapter 1 is now four chapters, and instead of being told in the past tense, i told it in the present tense, giving more weight to why Alex ends up working for Mobius in the first place.

I'm happy now, despite having placed the agent hunting on hold. I think i might try again in a couple weeks.