If you’ve ever queried a literary agent, you know what I’m talking about. Rejection is a part of every writer’s life. Some sting more than others. The sting subsides, though. Usually, after you fall asleep and wake up the next day. You keep a wary eye on your inbox and can guess the result (rejection) accompanied by a feeling of doom when you see a QueryTracker reply from someone you queried. On QT, if you’re familiar with it, you know that a red frowny face appears on your query if an agent rejected it. You wonder whether there’s a green smiling face out there.
Buck up. It’s life. You gotta have a thick skin. Getting rejected by an agent is a lot worse than getting picked apart in Publishers Weekly. I was thrilled to see my work had been reviewed! (Then I read the review.)
And today wasn’t necessarily a bad day for me. Yes, I got a rejection, but it rolled off me. The sting comes when you begin questioning yourself, your ability. If you’ve done everything you can to perfect your manuscript, paying a professional editor to give you the god’s honest truth and then heeding advice to fix it, revising the manuscript (and having tons of fun doing it because what the editor said was spot on and you discover ways to fix things), then keep going. And always remember you are not alone.
As of right now, I have 51 subscribers on WordPress and fewer than that on Twitter/X/Evil Elon. I have an Insta account, but I don’t post photos of meals I’m about to eat (I like to paint, so I post them on occasion). I have no idea who most of you are, but I thank you sincerely for sticking with me after years of inactivity. There’s a reason I’m poking my head out of my shell: I’m an author who hopes to get a book deal this year. I know, join the club.
I’m previously published through independent presses and even garnered praise from several New York Times bestselling authors and Bram Stoker Award winners. I’m also terrible at publicity, but I would like that to change. I mentioned a book I hope to get published. It’s humor-based, and that’s my calling. I’ve written supernatural thrillers, horror, and straight crime thrillers. Most, if not all, of them had elements of comedy in them, but stayed more along the serious side. This new one, a Krampus novel, is rooted in satire and humor. The sophisticated kind, not the lazy bathroom variety.
My options are as follows:
Query literary agents (which I’m currently doing);
Submit to independent presses that accept unsolicited manuscripts (also in the works);
Go it alone. Take the plunge. Become a true Indie Author and publish it myself.
The third option is the most daunting because I’ve never done it before. Fortunately, though, writers have this option. If you’re an indie filmmaker, you need to buy/rent a bunch of equipment, scout locations, hire actors, and probably a million other things I cannot think of. How do you distribute the film without studio backing? I have no idea, but filmmakers do it because they love it and want to share it with the world. Do they want to make money? Sure, that’s part of it, but not the primary motivator.
That’s where I am. I’ve written a book I love and believe is funny, and I want to share it with the world and give it the best chance to reach readers. The Big 5 publishers are the best way to do this. But like with everything in life, that ain’t easy. You need a literary agent to get your work in front of them. And it’s challenging to get one. But it’s not impossible. I had one years ago for a book I wrote, but we weren’t able to get a deal. That’s fine. It’s called dying on submission. Happens all the time. I ended up getting it published without that agent (who literally vanished on me).
I’ve neglected this blog for years, and it’s my New Year’s Resolution to post something every day. (That’s not difficult, actually. I mean, I could post a sentence that reads “This is my post for the day,” and it would qualify.) But I’d like to share this daunting journey of rejection and hopeful acceptance with readers. And if I go it alone, I will explain what I’m doing and why I hope it works. If you’re an indie author reading this and have thoughts, advice, or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you. Likewise, if you’re an agent reading this, I’ve probably queried you or someone in your agency. Hello.
The one thing you won’t get from me is complaints about the publishing world, like, it’s so unfair!
Grow up!
If you’re endeavoring to succeed in the arts or any competitive field, you will be rejected. Be professional about it. Don’t act like Johnny Fontane.
Please give it a look and feel free to subscribe/follow if it strikes your fancy. And if you’d like me to follow back, please contact me, leave a comment below. I’d be happy to chat. It’s a vast world out there, and I hope to meet a few of you.
