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!)

Thank you too, Louisa. I hope your sales are going well.

Yes I will be published (August) by one of the publishers I submitted to. But thankfully my agent signed me up and then got stuck into negotiating the contract. She was happy with who had offered to publish me though as she already had an author with them and knew they were a good fit for my book.

That sounds fabulous, Louisa. Well done. August might be a good time to launch if things continue to normalise.

Well done. I do remember you saying August is your publishing date. Hurrah!

Gah. First two responses to my queries were full ms requests. Then they were rejected promptly. Now 7 rejections in a row! Even being on my masters @ Cambridge and being shortlisted in 4 competitions isnt impressing them either.
I give up!

That's really disappointing @blackwhiterabbit. Do you have any more you're waiting on? I have 4 in at the moment, not heard a thing. I remember getting so excited when I had a full request, it's so crushing when they come back and say no. Did they give you any feedback on your full?

The feedback on my full was that there was already a novel out there that was too similar! I can't find it, for the life of me.
They said my character development was brilliant, as was my voice. So disappointed.

Linguistically - you have four fulls in at the moment?

@blackrabbit don't give up hope, the comment about your characters is amazing, that is such a hard thing to get right! Do keep sending it out, someone else will think the same about your characters and not think it sounds like something else. Or will suggest edits to make yours a bit different

Thanks Louisa.

It sounds like you're really close @blackrabbitwhiterabbit, often when your book is similar to another published one that's a positive, not a negative! And if they think your voice and characters are great that's a really good sign too.

I meant I have 4 queries in, not fulls - how many queries do you still have in?

blackrabbit, that's unfortunate and surprising feedback (unless the two books were coincidentally so close in story (plot, character, voice) to query apparent copyright issues. Did the agent give you the title or could you ask her again, given how important it would be?

Most novels have similar novels out there and there's always a struggle when otherwise as agents and publishers always ask for the books on the bookshelf a novel would sit next to (while always saying they want something new and fresh, just not too fresh).

The feedback about voice and character is fabulous and core to being a successful author so good luck.

If there is any potential American readership and you're based in the UK, have you thought about submitting (querying in their language) to US agents?

Thanks Zilla, I might do. Are agents in the US likely to want writers from the Uk? I wasn't sure.
Linguistically, I still have around 15 queries in, I went a bit crazy with them last week!

15 queries is impressive! You've received great feedback so far, fingers crossed for you. I just put another one today and am working on one now, so that'll be 6 out for me. If I get no responses from the 6 I'll probably go back to the drawing board and rethink my first few chapters. It's a difficult one though because in the absence of feedback you just don't know what's put them off!

Linguistically, I spoke briefly to an editor of a publishers who I know a little bit (and have been pumping her on info of good agents) and she says most agents are weeks and weeks behind on even checking on their submissions due to being home with their kids at the moment. So if an agency says 8 weeks for a response, it may mean 14 weeks!
I just don't have the patience for this! I hope you do.

Blackrabbit, I understand US agents prefer American authors but ultimately want books they can sell so if you think there'd been some engagement and marketability with Amercian book buyers then best to try and good luck. I know lots of British authors sell rights to US publishers but I suppose it might be worth trying. If you do, the expectations for the query (submission) process is slightly different but I'm sure you'll want to familiarise yourself with that.

Final suggestion, if you have a finished manuscript with that good feedback and it's in a commercial genre then you might want to think about the Kindle Storyteller deadline.

Thanks for the advice Zilla, I'm not really sure if mine has US appeal!

I'll look up Kindle Storyteller.

Just got two more rejections within half an hour of each other yesterday evening! Agents just clearing out their inboxes at the end of the day...

Quick update: now have 14 rejections out of a potential 24. Grim! One came 9pm Saturday night!

Argh, what a bummer blackrabbit. What's your plan now? Are you going to put in any more or wait for the 10 to come back?

Absolute radio silence for me, I have 6 queries out now but not heard a peep. It doesn't fill me with confidence, that's for sure! Are you using Querytracker?

I'm not using Querytracker..
I do still have the 2 fulls out but God knows if/when I'll hear anything. I was SO disappointed when the first full came back as a no that I don't really want to hear back from these two!
I have a list of about ten more agents then I don't know what! Have also entered a few competitions to no avail.
Husband suggests starting the next book already!
Do you know what you will do next? What genre is your novel?

Definitely start on the next book! Agents often ask what you're working on next, they want a long relationship with you not just to sell one book so it's good if you can give them an elevator pitch on book two.

2 fulls is still good, it definitely shows that you're on the right track and you're very close. I would keep at it but of course no harm in starting on the next.

Mine's a bit of a weird one, I actually have 2 completed manuscripts. Last year I was pitching for the first one, got a full request and then it was turned down because the agent loved my writing but didn't feel she 'connected' with the characters, and although I'd only done about 8 queries I was so gutted that I started my second. Now I'm pitching for the second but it does feel like there's a bit of unfinished business with the first, so not really sure of the plan from here...both are accessible literary fiction

Maybe go back to the first book then? Is there more editing you can do to it?

With the second one, I consciously tried to give it more of a commercial 'hook' because another agent said that she also loved my writing but couldn't afford to give it a go for commercial reasons. I think I'll keep at it with the second and hope it'll get picked up - if not, I'll probably try again with the first. Or start a third, who knows! This is such a painful process

I was in Waterstones the other day and there were literally hundreds of novels, and I just have to wonder at how any of them get published!