How do you stay sane while querying agents?

[CakeRage]

I finished my first book earlier this year (after saying for years I was going to write it), and started submitting to agents 3 weeks ago.

I’ve had a couple of replies, both really encouraging, but ultimately both rejections, and I feel like I’m losing my marbles. How do you keep it together while waiting? Not sure I can take the emotional rollercoaster

The first agent replied within hours to ask for the full manuscript, emailed again the following day to say she was halfway through and absolutely blown away by it, then a few days later to say she did love it, but thought it needed a few changes making. I revised the whole thing (10,000 extra words of work), then she replied just to say it wasn’t working, and she wouldn’t be taking it further.

To be honest I’ve been pretty gutted by it. How do you stop the little judgy voice in your head which tells you you were an idiot for getting your hopes up?

The second agent replied to say she was really impressed by my writing, but didn’t feel I was a good fit for her list at the moment, and recommended another agent (different agency) who she thought would like it. I handled that one much better, even though I guess it was more of an abrupt no.

Please tell me how you cope with this stage - or come commiserate with me at its horribleness!

(Sorry for my crazed rambling - feeling all my feelings this week!)

I’d be tempted to take a few days to polish them as much as you can...

And then say they’re still draft!

Ha! Yes, I was thinking similar. I would definitely never send first draft level stuff , but I hope there would be an understanding that it’s a long way off the finished article?

I've now had a rejection of a full ms and two rejections of the sample. All 'nice' rejections lol but I'm definitely sat licking my wounds at the moment!

I've had a couple more Rs and suspect the rest of my first batch are non-responses, which I must say is disappointing. I've reread my material and I'm happy with it, but I wonder if it starts a bit slow for the genre. At the same time, I feel like the story's the story. I'm not sure I can fix that at this point. Eehhhhhh I'll wait for more Rs to come in.

Cake - I'd definitely polish up so at least there are no typos etc.

So I ended up just sorting out the worst bits, typos and repetition and anything that says (something else here) or similar, crossed my fingers and sent it off. She replied this evening to say she loved it and wants to have a chat about it

So yeah, basically, there’s obviously more than just one simple way this journey goes!

Yay cakerage that's great news!

Ooh, exciting times, Cake! That’s very promising - they don’t call for a chat unless it’s good news.

So exciting, Cake! You have to let us know how the chat goes/ went!

So this morning, sitting literally next to each other in my inbox, I have two emails from two agents I submitted to in the same week back in June.

The first is a form rejection. The second, sent 14 minutes later, is an offer of representation. Both agents had been greyed out on my spreadsheet as expired three months ago.

I think I’m having an out-of-body experience.

Wow. Congratulations! So exciting. Is this for the one you self-published?
It’s such a subjective business. For my first one I had about ten full requests and one offer of rep (turned it down in the end) - lots of feedback (including from three editors), in two camps. One camp said love your writing and your very strong hook but think the plot’s wrong. The other camp said love your writing and your plot but not saleable because there’s no strong hook. So much contradictory feedback and so many near misses... Have now given up on that one and concentrating on book two instead and hoping that the hook and content will match (and in a good way!!).
So anyway, yes, so subjective, as underlined by your simultaneous form rejection and offer of rep!
Congratulations!!!

Thank you! Ironically the offer is based on the very rough partial of a book I’m not even half way through, although she did like the one I self-pubbed, it would remain as it is for now.

I’ve got a few questions to work through, but I really liked the agent. She spent nearly an hour on the phone with me, working through the details and brainstorming plot ideas, which I really appreciated. It wasn’t just vague feedback I didn’t know what to do with, but positive, actionable input that sparked a load of ideas. I thought she got me and my characters, and I understood and agreed with the changes she wants to make to the original plot outline I’d written.

I was on the fence about trad publishing vs indie after my entire journey, but this experience has definitely reassured me on the trad side.

Amazing news, Cake! And well done, gives us all a bit of hope too :)

Sounds like the agent is perfect for you - huge congratulations!

That's fantastic news! Well done, I can't believe it after they left it so long. Thanks for making us all feel a bit more optimistic Where does that leave you now that you've self-published?

Fantastic news, Cake, huge congratulations!

Congratulations, that’s great! She sounds like a really good agent and worth the wait!

Thanks, guys Nothing’s definite yet, but I have good feelings about this one. Definitely worth the wait!

everythingcrossed - I’m not 100% sure at the moment but she didn’t seem to be concerned about it. The book she’s most interested in isn’t that one anyway, so not sure how much impact it’ll have.

Such fantastic news cake congratulations! And it definitely gives hope to those of us wallowing in the doldrums of querying.

Any further news, Cake?

Signed last week!

She was definitely the right call for me. She wanted to make changes, but all of them were plot/structure type changes. None were the fundamental things that other agents wanted to change. Every suggestion she made I found myself nodding along with. I could imagine having a productive and not frustrating working relationship with her, so the decision was straightforward.

So yeah. Just gotta write the bloody book now!

Super news! Well done

Cake - huge congratulations! That's fantastic news!

No news here, sadly - I've all but given up - I've heard nothing since the last subs I sent out in August - not even forms. I keep telling myself to keep going but I can't even bear to open the file which is my novel at the moment.

Anyway, whinge over - do keep us posted about what happens next. You must be so excited!

Fantastic update @CakeRage it gives us all hope!

Congratulations Cake!