Some publishing and agent sites recommend querying widely--to anyone and everyone in the business. But I don't agree with this. Why? Well, for starters, it's unprofessional and embarrassing.
"Dear agent, I'm querying you, well, because you're an agent. Isn't that enough?"
Um, no. The fact that you're an agent, even an awesome one, doesn't necessarily mean I want you to rep my book. Let's face it, the whole author-agent relationship is a big deal. This is the person who will represent you and that novel you've been obsessively writing.
Is it wrong to want a rock star agent? No, I don't think so.
Writing is a labor or love and after spending months and countless hours on a novel, I'm not about to hand it off to just anyone.
Oh don't worry, I'm not that naive. I know my approach isn't the most practical, but it's the way I'm wired. I also know that signing with a rock star agent doesn't guarantee me more than a sense of accomplishment. I'm not shying away from hard work either. I expect a rock star agent to demand more from my writing, and I know my work will be better for it. Publishing isn't my end goal, but really the beginning.
There's a saying that attitude determines aptitude. If that's the case, you better look out because my confidence is soaring.
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6 comments:
I like your attitude, girl! Send a little of that confidence my way, would ya?! :-)
Will do. I don't know where it's coming from lately, but I'm not complaining.
It might also fade a bit throughout the day as I dive back into editing...
Excellent mentality. Finding an agent who loves your work is critical, but what good does it do if they don't have the resources to plug you in?
I think it's hard to determine from a web page if someone is going to immediately click with me. I'm querying, but not everyone under the sun. But I'm waiting to actually talk to the person to decide if they're my rockstar agent. Or would they be my groupie? Hmmm...
Bane, I think the plugging you in part is key. I've noticed a lot of agents say they rep mystery or fantasy, but they don't sell it. I'm a little skeptical of that...
Yeah, Stephanie, it's hard to tell from a website. I try to check multiple sources (Publishers Marketplace, Agent Query, Query Tracker, etc.) and sometimes I still can't decide. Of course, it doesn't help when the sites seems to have conflicting information.
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