Sunday, June 26, 2005

Agent Rejection Sting # 1

Yes, it happened. And yes, I can now write about it, but the sting is still there.

Agent #1 turned down my hen lit. It was a form letter...no suggestions...no encouragement...no words to help me come down from the fall. Just a standard form letter. And what was weird was, a friend of mine got the same rejection (on the same day, same hour, same few minutes in fact), only the name of the book and our names were changed. And this is coming from one of my dream agents.

So, I pined for two days.

But you know what was funny? After that sting, I threw myself into finding promotional outlets for ROMANCING THE SOUL. I submitted my relationship column to even more websites. I even sent an article that I had submitted to Arabella, now defunct, to a paying market.

I also got to thinking about finding my author platform. I thought maybe I should dive headfirst into my relationship advice column, "Ask Dorothy." Even to the point of changing the name - making it flashier - and setting up a website for it.

I was on a roll.

It reminded me of the time when my twin soul died. I was at the computer and someone walked in and told me. I sat there numb. The mouse was in my hand and never left it. Instead of breaking down, I kept on, kept going, kept working...more vigilantly than before. Of course, I ended up breaking down, grieving, but I did it with the mouse in my hand.

There is a movie called "Sleepless in Seattle" (which incidentally is a great twin soul story) and at the beginning of the movie, we find that Tom Hank's wife had died and when he finds out, he dives into work. Same principle.

I think that work helps you to forget. Takes your mind off of it...helps you to forget the STING.

Anyway, after Agent # 1's sting, I queried Agent #3. I think. I'm losing count. Maybe it's 4. Arggg.

And, I dived into finding more ways to promote my first book...the book that means more than life itself. I guess. Do all authors think that way?

So, that's where I'm at right now. I won't give up on the hen lit, but meanwhile I'm going to work. Work my little toosh off. Develop my author platform. Write more columns. Forget.

It's all part of the game. If getting published with a NY house was easy, then everyone would be there. It's only for the dedicated. Only the strongest survive. And I'm not giving up without a fight.

4 comments:

  1. Kathy, thank you so much *smile*...it's been a long road so far and I just wish I could find that path I'm supposed to be on...maybe I'm already on it and confused about the directions but I won't give up. Thanks for the encouragement...times like this we really need to hear it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I had a flurry of agent interest in my hen lit... I had a great query. Now I have had five nos. I have a not so great first three chapters. I jusmped the gun...but you move on and work it into something else:)
    Teri

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks, Teri. Started promoting my first book, ROMANCING THE SOUL, more vigilantly...got the Amazon rankings up..don't know what worked, what didn't...might have something to do with the new column I sent out...dunno...but darn they tell us they're looking for hen lit, you write a hen lit and now it seems they are being a little too picky? Are there that many people writing hen lits?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Kathy! Sure do miss you. I haven't given up...just put it on the backburner for a second. It's brewing, stewing, and one day it'll be bubbly enough to take off the stove and feed it to hungry hen-lit starved readers everywhere. ;o)

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.