Selling My Soul (In a Good Way) is a weekly journal
about my efforts to get a debut novel published.
In the last week, Agent #18 became Agent #64 and Agent #33 is now also Agent #68.
A little magical sleight-of-hand on my part, turning one agent into a completely different one? Alas, it’s more mundane, since both Agents #18 and #33 changed agencies. Blame it on upward mobility or recruitment headhunting or who-knows-what.
On the part of Agent #18, she changed to a new literary agency with new contact information a short time after I’d emailed her my material for what was then called FINDING JOHN MUIR. I had no idea if she would respond to me, but I waited and assumed (red flag: assumptions) that she probably brought her “old” queries to her “new” agency. Additionally, I’d had a little contact with her in the past and had good feelings about her background for representing me. After awhile (three months), I sent her my material again. #18 became #64.
#33 also changed to a different literary agency. Her new position was recently announced in Publishers Marketplace (a resource for all things agents, publishers, and writers). As Agent #33, she’d expressed mild interest in my manuscript. Her response as #33 didn’t cause me to scurry out to buy a bottle of cheap champagne, but it represented a dollop of hope. I decided to send her another query, acknowledging the prior contact and mentioning I’d retitled my novel to THROUGH A FOREST WILDERNESS.
Change happens.
A long time ago, when gray was only a hint of salt and in my salt-and-pepper hair, I’d sought representation for a novel. Eventually, an agent from McIntosh & Otis (a literary agency still in business) offered representation!
Whoa!
Extra whoa!: McIntosh & Otis was the agency that represented Harper Lee of To Kill a Mockingbird fame. I was in the big leagues, baby!
I didn’t hear much from the agent after signing the contract. Then I heard about publishers that were being contacted about my novel. Then I heard nothing. And then I received a note from another agent at McIntosh & Otis explaining that “my” agent had quit. Gone. Off to another career or marriage or who-knows-what. However! This new agent said she would represent me. She’d take the “old” agent’s notes and do her due diligence with my novel. However! My novel went from someone who’d supposedly “loved it” to someone obligated to fulfill minimal contractual obligations. A month or two later, I was told that no publisher was interested.
Sorry. Contract fulfilled. End of business relationship.
Change happens.
I sent out four queries since last week, with one of those being a “repeat” to Agent #33/#68. I received three rejections, all apologizing for using a “form letter” email for their No, thanks.
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“If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act—truth is always subversive.” – Anne Lamott (from her Bird by Bird)
Photo by Sam Mgrdichian on Unsplash