7
Aug
To say that the days leading up to the Midwest Writers Workshop were filled with drama would be an understatement. I ended up missing the events that first evening as a result of a family emergency. But after making sure my family was safe and sound, I was once more on the road again by Friday morning and heading to what I hoped would be a fantastic experience.
Fortunately, I was not disappointed. The workshop was wonderful! I had the chance to listen to some incredible presentations by several successful authors, including Marcus Sakey and John Gilstrap–two incredibly talented writers who were not only knowledgeable and helpful but also freaking hilarious! The session they did together had me in stitches.
In addition, several agents were there and gave attendees insight into the DO’s and DONT’s of dealing with those in their industry. Definitely a plus! Meeting a few agents in person also helped to demystify them a bit. I think we all tend to see these folks as titans who hold our entire writing future in their hands, but they’re really not as unapproachable as you might think. I certainly feel a lot more comfortable about the querying process now.
Which is a good thing because it’s time to hit the querying hard on behalf of Red. I’ve put together my list of agents I want to approach in this first round and will be sending out query letters to five or six individuals next week. I’ll keep you posted!
In the meantime, I have some very exciting new to report already! If you’ve read my previous few posts, you’ll recall that I was scheduled to make my first face-to-face pitch to an agent at the Workshop. I was nervous as hell about it, but the pitch went great! The agent loved my pitch and requested a partial of the manuscript. I sent that to her a couple of days later and was then asked to submit the full manuscript for consideration! “Elated” doesn’t even cover it.
This was my first ever request for a full, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. I remember driving up to the Workshop that Friday morning, my chest aching from bronchitis, my head pounding from a sinus infection, my nerves on edge with worry for my family, and wondering if I should just pack it in and head back home. But, as the great Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” And, man, am I ever glad I took this shot.
It could be a couple of months before I hear back from the agent — hey, these things take time (and really, do you want an agent rushing through your manuscript? I certainly don’t!) — and she could still pass on it, but at least she asked to see the full in the first place. And, regardless of the outcome, my friends, that’s wicked cool.
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