Waiting on My Agent
So, I don't have an agent. I have been happily publishing my books with the assistance of two dynamic publishing houses, Astraea Press and Musa Publishing for the past two years. I hope to publish many, many more. But I would lie if I said I didn't want an agent. I, like, REALLY want an agent. This desire takes away nothing from how fortunate I feel to be with my current publishers. My issue is the marketing. And the time.
Before I wrote my first book, Spellbound, I wasn't even on facebook. Had no idea Twitter existed and even now, got no clue about Tumblr or Pinterest. But a very smart marketing rep at one of my houses told me I was insane if I was writing and not on anything resembling a social network. "Oh my God, you have to at least have a BLOG!" she wailed at me in emails with all caps. So, I started one. And I really have to admit, I enjoy it. But the rest? Time-suck sometimes.
Facebook gave me an amazing start and a wonderful base of great author friends and people I call fans (and then blush). I'm very grateful. But, I'm very tired too. I have a great base of support online, but I think it would be neat to have that one person who really believed in me and got me. Okay, to be fair I have that. I'm talking about that one person who does all that and ALSO knows some New York publishers.
With that in mind, I confess, I have sent my recent manuscript, The Deadlies, out to the agenting world. A dark, YA paranormal, set in the South, about catty girls possessed by the demons of the seven deadly sins, I am very proud of this one. So I set it free in the deep end of the pool. Two agents from the shark tanks have swum up to me, shown me their teeth, and asked for pages. I sent them. I was too scared not to. Now I wait.
One agent wanted the whole manuscript and one wanted my first 100 pages., which is really the first third to a half of the book. Now, I am wondering...how long is reasonable to be waiting for a response? I don't want to look like a newbie, but....I kind of am. I've only had two requests for pages before, when I was even more of a newbie, and tried my hand at my first story. One agent and Harlequin Teen requested pages, then ultimately passed. Quickly. So, is it a good sign when it takes longer?
Agents must be busy. There are, by my count, eleventy-billion of us trying to get one, and only, like, a handful out there to get. You do the math. They are only human. Is it unreasonable to hear back from one in two months? Four? Eight? How long is too long?
So, my post today is more of a call for help. Like a call for submissions, I need you. If you are one of my blog followers and you have a tad bit of insight into this mystery....could you clue me in? The myth and mystery of agents reminds me of the same one surrounding the elusive and unknown "underwriter" who decided my hubs and I's fate when we were buying our first house. One guy, one person, who held the key to my future. Would it be a two story colonial with a yard for the kids? Or a double wide in a questionable part of town with occasional hot-and-cold running water? Will I get the agent who gets me? Or always be one of the eleventy-billion.
Before I wrote my first book, Spellbound, I wasn't even on facebook. Had no idea Twitter existed and even now, got no clue about Tumblr or Pinterest. But a very smart marketing rep at one of my houses told me I was insane if I was writing and not on anything resembling a social network. "Oh my God, you have to at least have a BLOG!" she wailed at me in emails with all caps. So, I started one. And I really have to admit, I enjoy it. But the rest? Time-suck sometimes.
Facebook gave me an amazing start and a wonderful base of great author friends and people I call fans (and then blush). I'm very grateful. But, I'm very tired too. I have a great base of support online, but I think it would be neat to have that one person who really believed in me and got me. Okay, to be fair I have that. I'm talking about that one person who does all that and ALSO knows some New York publishers.
With that in mind, I confess, I have sent my recent manuscript, The Deadlies, out to the agenting world. A dark, YA paranormal, set in the South, about catty girls possessed by the demons of the seven deadly sins, I am very proud of this one. So I set it free in the deep end of the pool. Two agents from the shark tanks have swum up to me, shown me their teeth, and asked for pages. I sent them. I was too scared not to. Now I wait.
One agent wanted the whole manuscript and one wanted my first 100 pages., which is really the first third to a half of the book. Now, I am wondering...how long is reasonable to be waiting for a response? I don't want to look like a newbie, but....I kind of am. I've only had two requests for pages before, when I was even more of a newbie, and tried my hand at my first story. One agent and Harlequin Teen requested pages, then ultimately passed. Quickly. So, is it a good sign when it takes longer?
Agents must be busy. There are, by my count, eleventy-billion of us trying to get one, and only, like, a handful out there to get. You do the math. They are only human. Is it unreasonable to hear back from one in two months? Four? Eight? How long is too long?
So, my post today is more of a call for help. Like a call for submissions, I need you. If you are one of my blog followers and you have a tad bit of insight into this mystery....could you clue me in? The myth and mystery of agents reminds me of the same one surrounding the elusive and unknown "underwriter" who decided my hubs and I's fate when we were buying our first house. One guy, one person, who held the key to my future. Would it be a two story colonial with a yard for the kids? Or a double wide in a questionable part of town with occasional hot-and-cold running water? Will I get the agent who gets me? Or always be one of the eleventy-billion.
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