You think your work is good… but…
Just like every other aspiring, wanna-be author, I’m trying to find a literary agent. The process may seem easy, but don’t believe the hype. It sounds as simple as contacting someone in the industry to seek representation because “my stuff is the best thing ever written.” Why in the world wouldn’t they snatch me up like a two-for-one sale at Walmart? The answer is very simple; the agent to author ratio is dramatically lopsided. As a result, my book may not be given the appropriate amount of time for consideration.
Literary agents are a sought-after commodity in the writing world. They receive hundreds if not thousands of submissions on a weekly/monthly basis. My little bitty, peon book is a small fish in an infinite ocean. Relative to my peers in the same genre, the competition is fierce. Chances of signing a contract with an agent are, at best, slim to none.
So, Steven … Now that you have presented absolutely no hope of turning your dream into a reality, what’s the use of continuing on?
What a great question! I’m glad that you asked.
I have passion and belief about my stories and what they can offer the world. I also love to write; that part helps a lot.
Discouragement is probably one of a writer’s worst enemies. It’s not bad enough that people like me agonize over every single sentence in our stories, but we have to live with the fact that some people just plain aren’t going to like it no matter how much polish we put on it. That includes literary agents, and that’s ONLY if they have truly looked at it.
It’s their job to suss out all the wheat from the chafe. They have to decide whether or not that, not just this particular book, but the author and the possibility of the brand itself, is sustainable for an already over-saturated market.
What makes my stuff different from every other manuscript they review? This is the part where I sing and dance accolades about how “my world-class stories are the greatest ever written!” Well,… I’m not going to do that. Mainly, because I don’t believe it. I’m not in the same league as Tolstoy, Hemingway, Victor Hugo or any of the other literary giants over the last few centuries, but I do think I have something substantial to offer. Now, of course, I think my books are good; it would be stupid for me not to have a belief in my own work. I also think they’re special enough to create something much-needed in the literary world; decent storytelling! The only people that can decide whether or not my stuff is great, or even good, is my readers. It is their opinion that will cause a change for my stories in this marketplace. Literary agents are readers too. I just have to get the right “reader” to discover my stories and see their potential.
Discouragement… It’s a crappy word that cannot only bring a halt to a dream, but can prevent stories from ever seen the light of day.
The Joshua Chronicles started out as a mere thought. Because I believed the story wasn’t half bad, I let some other people read it. Their opinion led me to where I am today. They saw the potential; that something special my storytelling represented. I’m in the middle of the second book, which has just as much potential as the first. That part is my opinion as no one else has read it yet.
I just have to get a literary agent to see that potential as well. I will keep trying; I will not give up. Each no that I receive means that I am one step closer to a yes. When the right agent says yes, that means we were destined to work together because they see that something special too.
I do know this… When the right agent appears, we will create a partnership that will change the world.
Discouragement… Don’t believe all the hype.
