Support thread for those waiting to hear back from agents.

[Showmethefood]

Hi everyone ☺️

I'm currently querying literary agents for my children’s picture book and the wall of silence/waiting game is driving me up the wall 🙈. Sent queries to around 30 agents and have received 4 rejections so far. Started querying three weeks ago. Would anyone like to join by keeping each other company/keeping each other motivated during this difficult time?

The more the merrier ☺️

Hi all! May I join your ranks? Here's my baggage:

Book 1: first book i wrote, got 4 offers of rep, got dumped by my agent.
Book 2: thought this was way better both in terms of writing and the story, got requests for fulls but no offers
Book 3: started querying today. I hate it 😂 I think its a stupid, skinny plot but I spent 2 years wrestling with it so very glad its out of my life.

About to start working on Book 4 and I think im going to try my hand at YA/crossover

Querying is hard! Persistence is so key, @PearlClutchUser, well done for keeping going. You're obviously a good writer and if you got an agent once it'll come round again. Let us know if you hear anything.

Good for you @Pollyanna123456. The WriteMentor picture book competition is running right now if you fancied having a go at that. I was shortlisted a few years ago, it was a real confidence boost. In terms of agents - there's honestly no standard time. When I have queried I had a reply in 3 days, replies in 6 weeks, some in 12, some not at all! Also, it's just been London Book Fair and Bologna Book Fair is coming up so it's a busy time for agents, might be even longer than usual. 🙈

Welcome @PearlClutchUser and wishing you every success as you march once more into the querying trenches. It’s very interesting—and sobering—to read your story so far. It must have been bloody agonising to get four offers of rep and then lose your agent. Did that book get published in the end? Would you query it again? And then to get so many full requests but no agent. Admirable that you have kept going.

What would you say has changed during your journey, both in your own approach and in the market? Would love to hear what you’ve noticed.

@PearlClutchUser - keep at it, you are doing amazing! Such rotten luck regarding the first agent - but you are obviously talented as you got so much interest in the first place! Fingers and toes crossed for this next book.

Thank you so much @ponygirlcurtis - the deadline is 11 days away - gulp - so gives me a much needed push to get finished on my next one which I've been playing around with for a while! I know how I'll be spending my Friday night once the little one is tucked up 😅

This morning I've woken up to two requests for fulls so I guess at least I know the query letter and 3 chapters are doing what they need to.
Now that ive been at the rodeo a few times though as sad as it sounds I know not to get my hopes up!

Being dumped by my agent was made all the worse by having had that choice initially, as obviously you can't help but beat yourself up about the decision you made. I felt I couldn't query that book again as my agent asked me to do rewrites again and again over two years (!!!), it went on sub but I think by that stage its moment had passed if you see what I mean, and I felt it had been sullied. If I had queried it again, I would have had to tell agents at some point that it was "damaged goods".

What the experience taught me is to maybe care a little less. It was a dark time, getting dumped and then not getting any bites for my second book. I was forced to distance myself from having my identity too tightly bound up in "being a writer". Another thing I'm learning is to make my novels less personal. I poured heart and soul and so much of myself into my first and second which made rejection even more painful. I wrote this third one with zero of me in it and I intend to do the same for my next one.

Huge congrats on waking up to two requests for fulls—wow! Like you say though, this must feel like only a very tentative step towards success given what you’ve been through. Can you share more about what genre and style you’re writing? You must absolutely be doing so much right to have such interest so soon. How fast did those requests come in? I’m convinced that all interest comes in the first few days. I wish agents would send emails to reject. It’s agonising waiting for CNRs

Wonderful news to have two requests for fulls. Fingers crossed for you!

That's brilliant news @PearlClutchUser - you're right, it's early days but I think it definitely tells you that your writing is good and your story has what it takes. You are on the right track. Fingers crossed for you.

Thanks for the supportive messages gang, now on 6 requests and its exciting but ive got this heavy lump in my gut where im just waiting for the first axe to fall: "while there was much to admire, I couldn't quite...." etc etc.
I know the plot is slightly chaotic and my protagonists back story is underdeveloped.
My first was speculative, my second was uplit, this one is a thriller.

Have any of you taken a little break from writing between projects and channelled your creativity into a different medium before starting a new novel?

Six requests, that’s incredible! Keeping everything crossed for you. Just goes to show that (almost?) all requests come swiftly or not at all. No idea why agents say to wait 12 weeks, it’s just prolonging the agony for authors as we’re hoping against hope but they end up CNRs.

How many queries have you sent out? Six must be great odds of an offer of rep. Hopefully an editorially-minded agent who can get stuck in with the plot elements you’re feeling less than happy with?

Good idea about channelling into another creative medium. I haven’t tried that yet but I did feel much, much better when I started writing my next novel while querying my first.