Agenting: Making a Living Off Opinion

So, like I said yesterday, I read a manuscript for an awesome agency this week. And I figured I’d share my scatterbrained ponderings with you as I consider the agenting biz.

Random thoughts from my first manuscript reading assignment:

-People love to have and give opinions, but I gotta tell you, it’ s a lot scarier to want to tout that opinion when your job or livelihood is on the line. Other industries like to back up their opinions with statistics, etc. It’s comforting to be able to find (as a lawyer or businessman or what have you) at least a few other smart folks who agree with you. If you work in an agency, you might be able to pass a manuscript around to get a few second opinions, but also might want. If you’re a one man show, then it’s just you and your gut.

-In law school, they like to tell us not to waffle. You’ve got to decide. Only in law school you can use a lot of qualifiers like “probably” or “most likely.” If you’re an agent, you could say “probably” or “most likely” all you want, but you’d be talking to yourself. The only words that matter are “Yes” and “No.” Yes, I’m going to spend my time trying to sell this manuscript. Or, no, I’m not.

-Most of us read finished, published books. Books that have gone through an agent who has edited and an editor who has edited. These books have shiny covers and thick pages and look like, well, books. Agents have to look at only a word document written in plain Courier and know that it can turn into one of those shiny books. It’s hard to know when a Twilight is going to be a Twilight without the aura of the hardcover.

-Reading takes a long time. I mean, I read the manuscript in less than a day, which doesn’t seem too long. But assuming that if I were an agent and I had no idea whether I would take that client on. I had no idea whether if I chose to offer representation that author would accept. That’s a lot of sunk cost. Then again, it’s not all that different from prospecting in other businesses.

Miss Snark, Jr.?

You might be wondering where I’ve been. (Of course, you also might not have.) But, anyway, I’ve actually been busy with quasi-writing-related things. Having caught the entertainment law bug while working here at the Cowboys, I decided that I wanted to better understand the agenting biz. I know many agents are lawyers and, as y’all know, I’m a lawyer-in-training. So, what the heck? Dive right in, right?

I emailed several agents and told them my story and was fortunate enough to get several positive responses back. This week, I’m doing my “trial period.” This particular agent with whom I’ve been corresponding sent me a full manuscript Monday and I had to answer questions like: Is this commercial? Could I sell it? If you were an agent would you take this on? Why or why not? What would you tell the author?

I finished the book in one day and sent my notes off yesterday. Hopefully, they’ll be satisfactory! I was very, very lucky to find an agent/agency that deals only with children’s books. I was prepared to work for an agent who handled adult projects as well, but am very relieved that–at least if this works out–I won’t have to.

So, basically, while I missed you, my little blog readers, I feel like I had a good excuse. Mainly, because I’ll have even more useful information to share with you as I’ll be seeing things from both sides of the fence.  I look forward to detailing my experiences (although, of course, I won’t name names or get specific about projects) and learning for myself how writing compares to the business of agenting and reading submissions.

Talk to y’all tomorrow.

Update and Here’s a Question for Ya

Okay, so today’s post (and by post I mean the one sentence I’m about to write here and slap up on the internet), is completely unrelated to the series of posts I’ve been doing. So, don’t try to draw any interesting paralells or find the missing link. K?

Quick update, though. I’ve officially started the agented author support group I talked about. So, if you are an agented writer and would like to join, please email me at chandler1986 (at) gmail (dot) com or you can comment on this post. Either one.

Now, for my question(s):

Are most authors women? If so, why?

The Hopefuls Day 4: Expectations (Guest Blog)

Hi, Everyone. Happy Friday! Please welcome our next anonymous guestblogger.  Behind her mask, she’s a very cool author, so I’m so thankful she’s agreed to come on and share her experience. Here you go…

Expectations

You’re finished your WIP, and it is a marvel. Beautiful. You’ve had it beta’d. It’s fantastic. You really feel like, patience notwithstanding, that you’ve waited and made this WIP as strong as you can. You work out your query letter, and you carefully research your agents, and you send out your first queries.

This is the book.

Within a month, you have five offers of representation. Your brain is spinning, you can’t sleep and can hardly eat. What do you do now?

In my case, I could easily discount three of them after speaking with them on the phone. They were okay there was just … something not right. It was my turn to say I really thank you for offering, but…The other two were far harder. Agent A was with a big agency. Huge agency for my genre. Agent B was just starting her own but was super prompt and blew my mind when I spoke to her. Agent A called me crying on the phone right after she finished my book and gushed on my answering machine for five minutes. How could I decide?

I knew them both. I’d spoken to them both. They both had sales. They both were what I was looking for in an agent. And I was stuck.

What would you do?

In my case, I went for the small. I knew that probably a larger agency had ties to the movies, audio, what have you. I knew the bigger agency would probably add cachet to my submission where ever I was at. But you see, when it came down to it, I wanted the comfort and assurance of an agent who was just like me – starting out on their own, big ideas about my book, and a belief in me that somehow I could believe more than a huge agency. I haven’t been sorry one moment since, which is how I know I made the right choice.

I know that if this book can be sold, My Agent is the one that will sell it.

What about you? How did you decide on your agent?

The Hopefuls Day 3: Deep, Dark Fears

Hi, guys. It’s me again. Big thanks to our guest blogger yesterday who was very helpful and awesomely candid. Today, is day three, and in the spirit of true Support Groupage, I’m airing all my deepest, darkest agented-authorly fears. So, try not to laugh. I’m taking a breath. Okay…here I go:

1. After I signed with my super agent, I felt like it’d be good to come clean with friends and family about what I was doing with my time—writing. I wanted people to celebrate my big achievement with, I wanted people to appreciate when that big deal did come in and not think that this was something that was so easy it all happened overnight. More importantly, it was sort of weird when people asked what I was doing and I was like, “Oh, just watching TV” or something. Yeah, I’m not that big a couch potato. So, I mean, I was pumped when I signed with Writers House. I mean, how awesome are they? That’s when I told people that I wrote…a lot. Now, having retired book one, I worry that people will think that I’m a failure. Or that they’ll think I’m just some weird girl writing poetry on myspace. Or that I actually can’t write at all. Sure, it’s a little vain.  It’s a little silly. But I think deep down, we all worry about what people think sometimes. Our friends in the writing biz and publishing industry know and understand this is a process, a career, and a commitment, but to the folks in our outside lives? It’s sometimes hard for them to understand.
2. I worry about disappointing my agent. Agents don’t get paid until we get paid and unless they sell something, they’re working for free. I know that my agent has been wonderful about returning all my emails, usually within 24 hours, and I am just so grateful for how hard he worked subbing my graphic novel. I am so ready to give him something he can sell, which I absolutely plan to do this summer. The only thing that gives me consolation over this deep, dark fear is that I know that I’m at home working hard, too.
3. Missing seeing my books in bookstores. Okay, I KNOW this one is silly, but we’re sharing, right? Everywhere I look I see more and more about the changing industry. The focus of bookstores on blockbuster hits. The rise of the e-book format. And I keep worrying that I’ll just miss the whole see-your-book-on-shelves thing. Which thrusts me into the whole what-if thing. What if I’d started writing a few years earlier? What if I’d used this free time or that free time in college to write? What if I’m not writing fast enough? Luckily, I’ve had some great writer friends talk me off that ledge. I do think the whole industry/economy will pick back up and someday, that’s a joy and an accomplishment I will experience.
4. When you sign with a reputable agent, you can kind of get this feeling of Okay, I can write. But, there is also this sense of so-close-yet-so-far. It’s hard to feel day after day how badly you want something and wondering how much longer you’ll feel like that. But, as I’ve said before, you’ve also got to embrace that feeling because when it goes away, so might your passion for the craft and for the industry. It’s a love/hate relationship, I guess. With the anticipation, the obsessive attachment to the cell phone. But, I have a fear that I’m going to be a prime candidate for an early heart attack!

So, what are your biggest writing-related fears?

**Be sure to check out The Hopefuls prizes.

The Hopefuls Day 2: False Start (Guest Post)

Chandler asked me to write briefly on my sordid tale of finding an agent and then needing another one. So, I’ll do that. Write, briefly, I mean. Because it’s not the most uplifting story, but I do think it’s one worth telling and worth hearing. I apologize for not taking my figurative clothes off and telling you who I am, but as I believe Chandler has pointed out, some of these topics are a bit taboo in the industry. Writers are afraid of being blacklisted, blackballed, what have you. That’s probably a bit dramatic and wouldn’t really happen, but hey, we’re writers! We have a flare for that sort of thing. Truthfully, though, I’m still on sub, so don’t want to shout my tale of woe from the mountaintops—or Fumbling with Fiction.

Anyway, getting an agent was easy. Wait! Don’t hit me! It was too easy. All my bruises and scars have come post-signing with an agent and it’s nothing to be jealous of, I promise.

I had a friend who in the writing biz; he seemed to do okay. I got most of my info from him and can’t claim that I did a ton of research beyond that. But I trusted him. He gave me a referral to his agent who will remain, of course, nameless. Nameless Agent (let’s call her NA) got back to me quickly. At the time, I had queried other agents and had received some positive responses, but when NA called to offer representation, I jumped at the chance. This was great! I barely had to do any work. Sure, I checked to make sure she wasn’t on any of the “Bad Agents” lists (see, Agents can get blacklisted, too, and those lists are a lot easier to find). She wasn’t. She charged nothing upfront. There might have been a few complaints about her online, but nothing major.

I wrote the few agents who were reading and told them I was off the market, a married man. A polite response from an *extremely* reputable agent still haunts me to this day: “[Redacted], I wish I’d gotten back to you sooner. I would have loved to snatch this up.”

Damn.

But, at that point, I wasn’t concerned in the least. I went through some revisions with NA. She sent me the list of houses we’d sub to. A lot of big name houses and some smaller ones. We went to acquisitions at a smaller one. That’s when things started to go downhill…fast! I had actually talked to the editor interested in my book on the phone. He was really excited about it, so naturally I was excited, too. Unfortunately, that’s when I stopped hearing from my agent. Nothing, nadda, zip.

Eventually, I tried to get in touch with the editor on my own. I couldn’t. I figured this was common practice. Now, I realize that it is totally not. I went 5 months without hearing from my agent.

FIVE MONTHS! And I kept wanting it to work out. I spoke to writer friends who told me things like “No agent is better than this agent.” But, nobody wants to hear that. Not when you are surrounded by message boards and blogs that detail the heartache tied to finding an agent. You want to believe that this agent is your soul mate, your true champion. And that maybe, she’s got some sort of terminal illness? Or going through a messy divorce? Geez, you know you’ve hit a low when you are wishing major life crises on a fellow human being.

Finally, after six months of radio silence, someone got stern with me. They said: Look, this isn’t going to work out and even if it does, do you want it to? But, more importantly, every minute you waste with this person, is a minute you won’t have a book deal.

True.

I tried to get in touch with NA, couldn’t, and then figured that would have to be good enough. We were broken up.

Then, I had to query the good old fashion way. I went through Query Hell. I found an agent by being one of many in a pile of slush. This agent I checked on. She seemed to have a more realistic vision for my book, more expertise in the field. I love her. But you know what? It had already been sent out to 15 houses. And while I so appreciate my new agent taking me on. She’s not a miracle worker and, likely, I’ll have to start a new book.

So, I hope there are several things I hope you can glean from my story:

1. You can’t always predict—no matter how much research, no matter how much digging– how an agent-author relationship is going to go. That said, I could have done a lot better job trying to figure it out.
2. It’s not all a bed of roses. Sometimes, your first book isn’t going to sell. And you know what? I still think I’m a darn good writer. And I’m glad, that after all this, I can still feel like that.
3. Shoot, this isn’t brief at all!

Happy Writing!

The Hopefuls: Day 1

Hi, friends!

Today, is Day 1 of The Hopefuls blog series. I’m kicking us off today and tomorrow and will be posting periodically in between guest posts.

But before we get into it, I first want to backtrack to my last post. I mentioned I had a new man. Yes, it’s true. Sorry, Nate. I have a new man…uscript. Oh, okay, fine. Not as juicy. But I’m excited about it. So I wanted to share. I have delved into the world of middle grade fiction and am slugging my way through. Any MG writers or authors out there, who think they can help me out, shoot me an email. I’m happy to critique back!

Onward!

The Hopefuls is an agented support group, for those of us whose journey from signing with agent to publication hasn’t exactly zipped right along. The message is: Look, this happens to a lot of people, it’s just not *talked* about by a lot of people.

We’ll have posts on all sorts of topics: how hard it is to work on something else while obsessing over submissions, concern over disappointing your agent, knowing when to start something new, tips on not going insane, perseverance and more.

If you are a writer and author with a post you’d like to share or even just a quick word of encouragement or advice, email me and I’ll include you. Feel free to remain anonymous.

As always, I can be reached at chandler1986 (at) gmail (dot) com.

You can follow posts in The Hopefuls series by clicking on the relevant category on the righthand sidebar.

Prizes:

Oh yes, I’ll be giving away prizes, of course.

1.)   I’ll give away one book or ARC that I think has a hopeful message for every 50 comments I get. The first book I’ll be giving away is Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. Each comment gives you an entry to win. I’ll use a random number generator to pick.

2.)   Because I don’t want to leave out the un-agented among us, I have something for y’all, too. I’ll be doing 2 query critiques for the commenters w/ the most points. You get 1 point per comment (of substance, please), 2 points for tweeting about The Hopefuls, and 3 for linking via your blog or website.

3.)   Other prizes will be announced as we go. But expect more critiques from other great writers as well. Points from #2 will count toward the new prizes as well.

Last logistical bit: If you would like to be included in The Hopefuls Support Group, email me or comment and I’ll email you. I’ll be setting up a group for agented writers to vent about the process and to help each other to ensure that the first offer does come sooner, rather than later.  This will probably be in the form of a listserv because I think that’s the easiest to keep up with, but suggestions are welcome.

The Hopefuls Day 1: My Story

I always, always loved the idea of being an author. That was about it, though. The idea of being an author. Beginning when I was 12 or so, I started a random array of books. I’d be surprised if I ever wrote more than 10 pages. Around 18-years-old, I realized that there may be a difference between loving books and wanting to write them. I decided I would stick to loving them, reading them, the end.

Then, my junior year of college, I started dating someone. We had known each other for a bit, were on the same sports team, and so had pretty much all the same friends. He was the captain of our team and I was just on it. I had this weird need to have something that was only mine. There was that and I had just heard about this thing called Nanowrimo. So, I’m not sure which came first—the wanting something of my own or hearing about Nano—maybe Nano was first and that’s how I justified. Anyway, with Nano you are expected to write 50k in a month. I thought it’d be one of those great stories, do it once in a lifetime, you’re only young once sort of thing. I did it and finished the 50k. Go me!

The writing bug went away for a bit, but I started feeling like I wanted to dabble. So, I wrote some short stuff the next semester. I started subbing at the end of the summer. Got a few little acceptances here and there.

I started reading Miss Snark. That’s when I decided I wanted to go all in. The writing community was just so cool. Publishing is one of those opaque, mysterious industries from the outside, I think. And I felt cool knowing a lot of insider info, through research, etc.

So, I decided to graduate college a semester early and write something. I wrote a book. I queried it too early. I got rejections. I started this blog. I got more rejections. Lots of requests, though. I was happy about that! I realized I actually really liked writing queries. Totally bizarre.

I got an idea for another book. I started writing it. Oops! This book should be a comic book, I realized. How cool was that? I researched comic books. I talked to comic book writers and artists. I did some random work with graphic novel organizations, etc. Wrote for a few people when I could for free. I then wrote my story idea as a graphic novel and found an artist.

In my head, I already knew that this idea was a winner. It had a great twist. I felt so much better about this idea. I queried about 16 agents. Meanwhile, I got an offer of representation on the first book. That agent wanted to rep the new book, too. Yay! But then I got 2 more offers of representation from two great agents.

I ended up going with an agent who wanted to represent the graphic novel. It was Dan Lazar at Writers House. Having him call me up when I wasn’t expecting was one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me. Ever! I signed with him, finished the script, and we started subbing in November.

We made it to acquisitions at a couple places, but lots of editors said: I love this story, but can we see it as a regular book maybe?

I wrote 80 pages of the story for Dan in a traditional novel format. He’d never seen my “prose” (for lack of a better word), but thankfully, he loved it! This was incredibly validating for me and I was thrilled.

We officially retired the graphic novel project in March. It was hard to realize that my first project didn’t make the cut, but ultimately, I feel like it is going to work out better in the long run.

Now, I’m writing my story in a whole new format. Many things have changed. The mythology, the setting, the character names. Graphic novels and traditional ones are two very different mediums and you can’t just translate one to the other in a lockstep approach. So, I’m trying to be flexible as I go, realizing it is the same story, but I also need to allow it to evolve. As I said earlier, I’ve also started a new book, a middle grade. Because when you’ve been working on the same story for a year, sometimes it’s good to let your brain cut its teeth on something new. To create again. So that’s where I’m at.

I thought agents were the gatekeepers and that after I tricked (just kidding) one in to signing me, everything would be downhill. Now, don’t get me wrong, the whole journey has been fantastic. I’m thrilled to have my agent as an advocate and I know it really hasn’t been that long. But, that’s why I need a support group and I seriously doubt I’m the only one.

The Hopefuls

Ok, I promised an addendum to my last post–A little belated. Oops. Anyway, my addendum to my last post is: WRITE.

You can only be so involved. You can only be in so many groups and keep track of so many message boards. Maybe “Total Immersion” wasn’t the best title. Because, honestly, I see the pressure get to people, of trying to be everything to everyone. Online, offline, to their agents, to their editors, to their friends and family. And ultimately, you need to have time to live your life and to write your books. If you aren’t producing anything, you’re really not a writer now, are you?

That being said, I do think involvement is a necessary part of engaging with your craft. The people that you meet are those that are going to be most empathetic,  most motivating, and most helpful in making you the best writer you can be.

So do engage. But engage to the point where you are not melting beneath obligations. Engage for support. And never be afraid to dip out when you know it is limiting, instead of enhancing your productivity.

That said, I want to give an update on THE HOPEFULS. (Name courtesy of the lovely Shelli.)

What: A series of blog posts by guest authors and me whose journeys quick and painless after signing with an agent.

Why: When my first book didn’t sell, I was crushed, but, in talking to people in private, I’ve found that the lesser known truth is that slow sales or no sales for the first book happen maybe even more often than not–And even with a super fabulous agent like mine! But, see, I didn’t know that. I thought my career was over before it started. For those of you that are involved on message boards, etc., we’re seeing the deals posted, the accomplishments getting their own thread. And that’s great. But it’s tough when you get the impression that landing an agent is the main hurdle of the biz. Because there are hurdles at any level! Luckily a few good people were willing to talk me out of my despair and now, I want to impart those truths and insights more openly. Plus, I think everyone could use some good ‘ole fashiong venting and maybe some empathy, too.

When: Beginning the end of this week, I’ll start us off. I’ve got people lined up, but if you have a story to tell or inspiration to give or…yanno…whatever, email me at chandler1986 (at) gmail (dot) com. I’d love to have you on. I’m welcoming anonymous posts because some people are still on sub and whatnot. So, no worries on that front. Your secret is safe with me.

Who: Everyone, of course! I’m even planning on having a couple doe-eyed freshly signed authors on to give us all that fresh, new car feeling. Okay, um, maybe not that, but you know what I mean.

A Bonus? YES! A bonus. For those of you who want to join, I am starting a little support group. After all this started as an agented (or “un”) support group idea. I’m either going to begin a listserv or a private blog (so people can be open and honest), but most importantly, get in there and really make connections with people, maybe find some critique partners or an extra set of eyes when needed, generally shoot the breeze, so the next time that book goes out on sub, there will be a deal, waiting for you!

And tomorrow, hopefully I’ll post about my new man….

Up Your Critique Technique

Tomorrow, I’ll post an addendum to yesterday’s post on Total Immersion. Can y’all guess what that addendum will be?

Today’s Thursday Post, is once again inspired by my evening spent at the DFW Writers Workshop. It was a pretty crazy last night. We were locked out of the building and tornado sirens were blaring, but the few and the brave lasted until someone arrived with a key.

I was cowering in my car and just happened to last that long on account of having nowhere to go. 

Anyway, this was my second workshop. Again, totally worth the $25 to participate for the summer. But what I want to talk about is the skill of critiquing. Because yes, it is a skill. And it is really amazing to see how talented the longtime members of the Workshop are at critting. 

So, you might be saying to yourself, Why should I care about critiquing? I want my work critiqu*ed* and if I give okay critiques back then great. 

Just kidding. I know none of y’all would say that. But even if you did, I think it’s a worthwhile exercise to really look at the skill of critiquing, not only so that you can be a good critter, but also so that you can direct the person that critiques you.

When I crit, it’s often unguided. But it is so helpful if the person whose work I’m reading asks me a few specific questions, so that I can think about those while reading or make sure that I’m giving back the most useful response for them. 

When my work is being critiqued, I know the responses could be more useful if certain aspects were touched on. So, here are some of the things I think make for an effective critique (of your own work, of others, or for others critiquing your own work):

 

The CheckList:

-word echoes

-too many metaphors/similes

-What was your favorite part? (It’s just as important to hear what is working the best because, as writers, it’s so easy to second guess. We need to know which parts to keep and feel good about it!)

-How did each of the main characters come across?

-voice consistency/strength

-What didn’t you like? (A lot of critters don’t want to say “I didn’t like that part at all.” But let me tell you. Some of the most helpful critiques last night were ones where people were like “No, that’s not any good.” Saying you don’t like something doesn’t have to be mean. That’s the whole point of critiquing, though, so don’t be afraid to use it!)

-weird character or object emphasis (sometimes authors will zero in on something or someone sort of random and the reader is thinking, Ok, this must play a major role–>it’s always odd when it turns out just to be a self-indulgent description instead)

-varied sentence structure

-forward motion (are you both creating and answering questions in your passages so that the reader is compelled to move on?)

-rising and falling tension (the reader needs to catch her breath, too)

-extra words, especially adjectives (Do you consistently have one adjective or one word too many?)

-gaps in logic

-clear character motivations 

-Is the story told in scenes?

-check for info dumps/authorial intrusions/and “explain-y” language

-Along the same line, in an attempt to avoid an info dump, are you making the dialogue too contrived in trying to get the characters to give up the information? In other words, would your characters really be saying those things to one another right then?

-Enough description? (all five senses touched where possible?)

-Do the descriptions match the perspective and worldview of the pov character?

-Scenes have premises, too. Is the premise of the scene interesting? 

-Too much narrative in action sequence?

 

AND THE #1, ABSOLUTE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS: SUGGESTIONS. 

There is nothing more valuable to me than suggestions. To some extent, if a writer knew how to make something better, she would. So if a critter can bring fresh eyes and try to come up with a *solution* that is awesome and oh-so-appreciated. Don’t be afraid to get in there and say, “Oh, yanno what? This might work.” Because even if that idea doesn’t make it into the cut, you never know what will spark the next idea and the next and so on. 

Remember the author has been looking at these pages forever. And what do I always say about editing? It’s hardest to see what’s not already on the page. Critters can more easily separate themselves from the words and, thus, can sometimes more easily help solve. 

 

These are a sampling of the ideas I got by listening to people critique last night. I hope they are helpful and I will continue to post as I attend my Wednesday meetings. 

 

Happy (almost) Friday, Everyone!

Total Immersion

Don’t know if y’all know this, but Shelli (of Market My Words) just nabbed herself an agent. Congratulations, Shelli. I’ve linked to her post, so definitely check that out if you love a good agent-signing story, but what really struck me were her comments about getting involved and giving back.

As I go into my second workshop meeting today, I’ve been thinking about the reasons I decided to sign up for the DFW Workshop. Is it just so that I can get my own manuscript critiqued? I don’t think so. The main reason I wanted to do the workshop was to immerse myself in writing and to surround myself with people who were serious about the craft and made writing a part of their lives.

When I first started out writing, I just went after it on my own. Then I started reading some blogs like Miss Snark, etc., but didn’t do much commenting or participating.

Next I joined AbsoluteWrite and participated a bit on there. I also became a member of the BlueBoards.

But, right before I signed with my agent was when I’d really begun to dive in. I somehow stumbled my way into AbsoluteWrite’s purgatory thread where a funny thing happened. I started making friends. Writing ones. Ones who cared about the same things I cared about and had the same goals I did.

I met a critique partner. I started corresponding with other writers about the ups and downs of the process. I got encouragement and empathy. I interviewed authors. I gave advice because I’d been given advice.

In doing these things, somewhere along the way I got so entangled in the writing community that I knew I’d never escape. Which was a good thing because I didn’t want to. But writing and the road to publication is difficult and it’s easy to want to quit sometimes if you don’t have good people strapping you in.

The more you make writing a part of your daily life, the greater your chance of success. If writing is just something that exists around the fringes of your universe, is that really commitment to your dream?

For me, the next logical step this year was taking my writing life into my real life. I went to an agent/editor day. Met a writing friend offline in flesh and blood. And now have joined a critique group where I get to see my critters face-to-face. I’m becoming more integrated and I fully expect the returns to keep reflecting my level of integration.

Finally, Shelli mentioned giving before you get. This is essential. The publishing industry is one of the most collegial communities I’ve ever seen. But becoming engaged, truly engaged, is the key to experiencing it. It doesn’t work just to show up on a forum and ask for a critique. There are things to be gained through continued interaction that just can’t be gained by taking and never giving. But I know I’m preaching to the choir on that point because everyone I’ve talked to that reads this blog has been nothing but helpful and giving.

However, I still want to work on giving and supporting and advising, so I have a new series coming up.

Drum roll….

THE AGENTED SUPPORT GROUP

If you participate in the types of boards I’ve been talking about you’re probably swamped by the number of authors who seem to sell their books in 4 weeks or less. It can seem like you get an agent and then *poof*, the deal is the easy part.

The less talked about truth is that it doesn’t always happen that way. There are folks that get agents and still have to wade through a long waiting process.

So, starting late next week, I’ll be started the Agented Support Group, which will be getting a more clever name (hopefully) before it begins. I’ll post a series of guest blogs of agented writers who have yet to land their first book deal and published authors who took a longer time to make that first sale. The series will deal with a variety of issues including how to stay motivated, what to work on, and tips on not going insane.

Now, I’m off to practice reading for the Workshop while hopefully implementing my tips from Mandy/CA.