Waiting on agents

[IceRoadDucker]

I'm a regular but frequent name changer, if that matters to anyone.

My first novel went out for query at the end of last month. So far I have a great success rate - 11 rejections, 3 partials and 1 full. The first partial only went out on 5 Feb but the wait is already killing me! I've been taking the rejections really, really well but I know a rejection on a partial or full will sting.

I'm trying to put my energy into writing my third novel - 48k words in - but I can't write continually and whenever I have a spare moment I'm impatiently drumming my fingers on any hard surface I can find.

No reason for posting this thread except that I need to keep my hands from refreshing Gmail every 10 seconds even though it's way too early to expect replies, I have desktop notifications AND it updates itself automatically.

Hi guys. I've got a "strong stench" of rejection over here after a slightly dodgy experience with a small publisher who I'd sent to. Would highly recommend sticking to agent queries for anyone contemplating it.

Rejection definitely takes the wind out of your sails as far as writing new stuff is concerned but school hols and weather is also distracting from the task. I'm getting some editorial input on the book and considering a rewrite based on whatever feedback they give. So, summer looks like a 'write off' but good luck to all with your projects and creative juices!

I've still heard nothing, and my optimism is decreasing as time goes on. Hadn't realised things go quiet over the summer holidays... might be in for a pretty long wait, then...

Hi everyone , I've come to join you in limbo.
Did you send your manuscript to a few agents mumofawoodlouse? I sent picture book manuscripts too. I am at the beginning of my wait but I have received one rejection albeit a nice one. I was so happy I'd been rejected with some feedback. This is what it's come to , happy with a no

Welcome pinocchiosnose! Welcome to the Waiting Room...

A rejection with feedback is good news. Keep going!

Thanks MissBattleAxe it's nice to be here with people who understand. I am prepared for my soul to be temporarily destroyed over the next few months.

Jumping in a bit late to the party, but... An agent just asked to read whole thing (had sent in the first 10,000 words.) Am trying to stop myself getting too wildly over-excited... Does anyone have any sense of how likely it is they would be properly interested? I started off thinking 1/million chance, so...

Ooh, congrats Bitof! Very exciting news.

Hi bit of, congratulations, no idea what the odds are but it is definitely a good sign - I have sent off to a few agents but only had rejections so far so would be delighted if I were you! What kind of book is it?

Well done Bitof. Many a slip...etc, but that's a definite step in the right direction. Fingers crossed for you.

More or less finished my latest: The "snot" book. A few months tweaking and I'll send it off. Rory O'Grady

Thanks all of you! It's a thriller... Am now feeling slightly terrified as had polished the first bit, but the rest needs a bit more work! And want to send it off ASAP...

Ah well done everyone, sounds like people are moving towards their goals.

I have started tweeting as if I'm a published author with a large fan base. Occasionally a window company will give me a like. It's er strangely demoralising.

Came back from holiday to a rejection from the agent with the full....no feedback at all though, which I was hoping to get, even a little would help.

Feel a bit destroyed but onwards and upwards....I have it out with a few more.

There's always Kindle.

Oh that sucks, Madhairday, especially after such a long wait.

I'm glad it's out with a few more - keep on, keeping on - and remember all the ones that were rejected but then went on to become sensations...

That's a real shame Madhair. I would have expected even a couple of lines of feedback if they've read the whole thing!

Every No brings you closer to a Yes. Don't let it stop it you. Get stubborn and keep sending it off.

Thank you. I emailed her and asked if she would be able to give a little feedback, and she did then reply immediately. She said it was basically a matter of it not being to her personal taste but she did find the whole concept extremely interesting... Sigh.

I know I should keep on trying but I feel like giving up right now. I guess that's normal though after a rejection for a full.

Any more news for you, Helmet or MissB?

Don't ask!

Nah, nothing, na-da, Nyet, etc etc.

Tumbleweed here.

Ah Madhairday, I'm really sorry. What a f*er especially after such a long wait. This process really is torture.

Tumbleweed here too.

If I haven't heard by this thursday I'm nudging one of the agencies that's reading the full. Mostly because it wasn't a main agent but one of the agency editors who contacted me to request it so it feels less high-stakes/like professional suicide to do so, maybe... But who knows. Really feel now that if it's been weeks it's likely to be a no.

Either way I've decided to start on the next book after plotting and planning for the past month or so. Be good to really get going on something new. This time I'm gonna put my big girl pants on and get some beta readers to look at the result before I attempt the submission process. Again. God can't believe I'll be putting myself through this torture again.

Helmetbymidnight - I've been trying to get out there a bit with social media but I find it pretty excruciating. Like muttering to yourself in an empty room. do you blog or anything? I do a bit mostly so I can torture myself on the stats page and imagine my one reader for the week might be a literary agent.

Ha ha.

*Weeps.

I find social media a bit excruciating too. I have a twitter account for my 'pen name' where I've followed a load of author types who've followed me back, and I occasionally go on and re tweet some stuff. It all seems like shouting into a void really. I do have a website/blog too and need to build that up really.

I've heard the most important thing is to build a mailing list but don't know where to start with that.

All so dispiriting.

Hope you all hear something soon.

I used to blog, wishful, but then realised that it was taking up a lot of energy that was stopping me from actual writing...so stopped. It was v. good discipline to get into writing again though, and I enjoyed the mumsnet blogging community.

Im just doing twitter for now. Mostly retweeting other people! Or making some tired observation - to myself. I read Susan Cain say to try to see it less as self-promotion and more as self-expression, so I say to myself, 'self-expression, self-expression' but that makes me even more self-conscious!

Ha, quite. It's so hard being an introverted writerly type in this age of self promotion!

I listen to the creative penn podcasts and everyone's always talking about how important building mailing lists are for writers. I suppose I should get myself on some to at least see what gets sent out.

What is this 'mailing lists' of which you speak??!!

When they said the publishing industry grinds to a halt in August, they really meant it, didn't they?

Bored, bored, bored.

I didn't know that about August, I'll maybe use the time to work on something else before sending out any more queries. I also haven't heard of mailing lists.

Does anyone use a critique group? Have you found them helpful? I've just joined one that starts in September. I'm excited but also terrified.

Joanna Penn and other successful self-pub'd authors often discuss how building a mailing list is the most important part of their marketing strategy and also works for trad pub'd authors.

It's really just a way to email readers directly, I guess and to contact them about competitions, to send out blog postings or a newsletter, that kind of stuff.

She talks about it here:
www.thecreativepenn.com/2015/01/15/fiction-email-list-subscribers/

or she talks about it quite a lot in her podcasts here:

www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/

Even if you don't intend to self-pub, I'd definitely recommend her pods - they're really inspiring and give loads of tips and have great interviews with authors. They've also made me realise that if this route doesn't work, I should give self-publishing a try or at least consider it.

Also, I emailed the agent editor - who requested the full 2 months ago - last week and haven't heard a whisper back. I'm hoping she's on hols, but suspect I'm just being ignored. urgh...