Agent, anyone?
Here I go again. I've had a few agents throughout my career, but for the past eight or ten years, I've gone without, largely because I didn't need one to publish my nonfiction but also because I spent the past three and a half years working on my Ph.D. I'm happy to say that my dissertation is done and all that's left is to defend it, but the fact that it's done means it's time to get serious about publishing the novel that was such a big part of the dissertation. And that means searching for another agent.
Thankfully, things haven't changed much with regard to getting a package together to send out, writing a query letter, and making sure I target the right agents. The only thing that really has made me sit up and pay attention is that the agents are a whole lot younger than they used to be!
I have spent the past couple of days searching out agents of writers for whom I have a great deal of respect, then sending emails and letters to those who are on the top of my list. One has already said I could send the novel to her, which is great, but ethically, I feel that while she's reading it, I cannot contact anyone else. That might hold me up for another month to six weeks. Longer than that is not an option for me (and pretty inconsiderate, if I might say so).
In the meantime, I have contacted Algonquin (with fingers crossed). I can't remember a time when I did not have a yearning to be part of the Algonquin authors group. Perhaps I'm shooting for the stars, but that's okay. If I can't reach that particular universe, I'll settle down to something more reasonable. At this stage in my career, the money isn't as important as the prestige. I want to go out on a high in my writing a career.
And now that I don't have homework to occupy my time every night, lunch hour and weekend, I can attack the pile of books on my bedside stand. But I'm not ordering any new ones. Am looking at purchasing a Kindle to make my load lighter!
On another note, spring has come to North Carolina in the shape of fat robins, pink cherry blossoms, wandering roses and green shoots sticking up everywhere in my garden. Unfortunately, it's also brought the thickest yellow pollen I've seen in a while and I can't keep my car clean!
Thankfully, things haven't changed much with regard to getting a package together to send out, writing a query letter, and making sure I target the right agents. The only thing that really has made me sit up and pay attention is that the agents are a whole lot younger than they used to be!
I have spent the past couple of days searching out agents of writers for whom I have a great deal of respect, then sending emails and letters to those who are on the top of my list. One has already said I could send the novel to her, which is great, but ethically, I feel that while she's reading it, I cannot contact anyone else. That might hold me up for another month to six weeks. Longer than that is not an option for me (and pretty inconsiderate, if I might say so).
In the meantime, I have contacted Algonquin (with fingers crossed). I can't remember a time when I did not have a yearning to be part of the Algonquin authors group. Perhaps I'm shooting for the stars, but that's okay. If I can't reach that particular universe, I'll settle down to something more reasonable. At this stage in my career, the money isn't as important as the prestige. I want to go out on a high in my writing a career.
And now that I don't have homework to occupy my time every night, lunch hour and weekend, I can attack the pile of books on my bedside stand. But I'm not ordering any new ones. Am looking at purchasing a Kindle to make my load lighter!
On another note, spring has come to North Carolina in the shape of fat robins, pink cherry blossoms, wandering roses and green shoots sticking up everywhere in my garden. Unfortunately, it's also brought the thickest yellow pollen I've seen in a while and I can't keep my car clean!
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