I've just submitted my work

[user48675]

Well, I've gone and done it. I've been working for a number of years on my book and this evening I have just sent it to an agent (just one agent because then I lost my nerve). I can't believe that on this very evening, I pressed the send button. I know not what the agent will think. Most likely I will receive a thank you but no thank you. But, I have at the very least had the courage (I suffer from chronic anxiety) to do it. Nothing much else to say but I just wanted to tell someone.

Oh congratulations! Why not play it safe and send it half a dozen more? Keep a spreadsheet of dates and responses and if you get a rejection, send out another one. Agents don't expect you to send it out to just one at a time. Best of luck!

Hollow, it's taken all my nerve to send it in the first place. Tomorrow, I will look at the other agents I deemed appropriate. It sounds dramatic but I am sitting here in tears - never thought I would have the courage to send it in the first place (I am a stay at home mum with chronic anxiety). I possess a degree I have never used. A good degree. I have never used it mainly because I was abused as a child, told that I would never amount to much, time and time again, then beaten for failing.

Once upon a time there was a little girl who used to write about fairies and witches and dragons. As soon as she could form letters, this little girl would write these stories, quite often there was a rainbow in it too. When she wasn't writing, she could most usually be found with her head in a book - her safe place. Well that little girl grew up but as she grew a lot of stuff 'happened.' She didn't know it then but forty or so, years later she would write another story, this story is a little gritter that's all. x

Great! You're living your childhood dream.

As far as agents are concerned, it's a matter of finding one that wants to read your kind of book. An agent told me that if you put every agent into a library and told them to choose a book, they'd all choose something different. You have to find the one who'd choose your book. Really research those agents this weekend and look at who they represent - they will have taken those writers on, usually for their debut, and love that kind of work.

And you do need a thick skin - believe me! The way to look at it is that it's not your work that's wrong, but that you sent it to the wrong person.

Thanks Hollow. I can't quite believe I've done it.

But at the very least, I will self publish.

Don't think of self publishing just now. It's incredibly difficult to market your own books and once you have it's almost impossible to get the same book published traditionally. Look at what agents say, first. They really know what they're talking about!

I'm not looking to make money from this really. I have only ever written it for myself because I needed to write it. But somehow it turned into a novel (well actually the story came to me instantly and I knew straight away that I had to write it). It is part memoir/part historical/part fantasy/ with a sprinkle of romance. A book for women mainly. To think that even one person might read it and gain comfort would be enough of an achievement for me.

But thanks for the advice. Very much appreciated.

Good luck and well done!

Thanks Tiredmum x

Feeling very emotional. For you Alexander x This book is dedicated primarily to you x

And to my girls of course. My living children.

Thanks also to J. who held my hand and corrected my very many grammatical errors. My secondary education was shocking to say the least but J. appeared just when I needed her. x

Well, that was a quick no. Not even time to build any excitement and fantasize about becoming a fully fledged writer x

2 more agents to try. But part of me can't be bothered. I think I am going to regret not going self publishing route in first instance because this might affect my love of writing by knocking my self confidence.

No actual feedback. Agent said they read with interest and advised about subjective nature of process, but they didn't feel passionate enough about it.

If you love wtiting, keep writing.

Writing and 'being a published writer ' are very different things.

Please don't be put off by one rejection. Unfortunately, rejections are a large part of the route to writing success. Many agents don't bother replying at all unless they are interested - personally I prefer to get a rejection so I know where I am.

A quick rejection isn't a reflection on your work. It could mean that the agent isn't interested in taking on new clients at the moment; or is knee-deep in submissions so not entertaining any others; or that at first glance your work simply wasn't a fit for their list (but might be just what another agent is looking for).

Send it to the other agents you've lined up - it's quite possible you'll have a much longer wait to hear anything. The self-publishing route will always be there but it's far too soon to give up on getting an agent.

Thanks preparing. I am just a bit put off by quick response. It says to me they've barely taken the time to look as it.

OP, you really do need a very thick skin if you're going to submit your work. That means accepting that your work will be rejected by people who have barely glanced at it - who can judge it on the strength of half a sentence.

Do you have that nice thick skin? Because if not, you'd be well advised to forget submitting your work for the present and focus on honing your craft. How much do you read?

My understanding is that agents will only read submissions in detail when they're potentially interested in them - they will rule things out at a glance for all sorts of reasons - e.g. if it's not a genre in which they're looking to build their list; if they have too many similar things on their list already. They look for reasons to reject rather than reasons to request.

That shouldn't put you off - your next submission might land on the desk of an agent who's looking for exactly what you've written. Or it might be the tenth agent who likes it, or the fifteenth. That's what we all hope for. Many successful writers can count dozens of rejections - it's the way the business goes.

@HollowTalk
I am so very proud for you and so happy that you were able to tap into the person that the fabulous little fairy writer was meant to be before all the verbal abuse. Good on you
Now keep going! Don't let those naysayers from past and present win. Your story was meant to be written and read, and there is someone out there just waiting to be touched by it.
Come on, OP, you CAN do it! Prove them wrong!
Even if you have to self publish it....with Amazon now I believe a books can be published once it is ordered so you aren't stuck with 100000 copies. ( feel free to correct me if there's someone who knows this isnt a true fact)
I love reading books like yours...They are hard to find.
If your story is meant to be a success, it will be! The right person will read it and then share it on Facebook where a zillion people will share about it and it will go viral ...
But, as the old saying goes " if you don't fill out the raffle ticket or contest ticket you have 100% chance of never winning". Keep going, OP, you are on a roll!

Thanks sissy. I think that's part of it that I can hear the naysayers voice and my skin isn't as thick as it otherwise might be. However, one way or another, I will self publish most likely via Amazon. And yes when time permits, I read lots but my work specifically the narrative is individual.

Is there anyone you can ask to look at your submission material (if you haven't already)? Another pair of eyes might spot ways to make it more appealing. It's easy to read your own material so often that you almost lose the sense of it.