I’m Agented!
It seems a bit serendipitous that right after I wrote a blog about being back in the query trenches, I get an offer not even a week later! This post is mostly to share the news of one of my biggest writing dreams but to also share with you how I got here.
Why is an agent so important?
I touched on this topic a little bit in my earlier blog, but I know this is confusing for a lot of people who aren’t in the writing industry. I have already published books so why would I need an agent? Although self-publishing and publishing with a small press have been an amazing experience for me, without an agent I cannot reach a bigger publisher that could potentially push my career further. Publishers, excluding small presses, do not accept submission without a literary agent. Not only that but literary agents help you negotiate a better contract, film rights, and foreign rights. Literary agents are like your writing best friends that help you level up your writing career.
You may be asking yourself, “Okay cool. Then why didn’t you get an agent in the first place?” and let me tell you, I TRIED! Querying agents is not for the faint of heart. I guess this is where I drop my stats a lil. For A Girl Called Ruthless I received 27 rejections, and for my latest story, A Story Unfinished, I received 33 rejections. I’ve attended conferences, done Twitter pitch events, and did whatever I could to get myself in front of an agent but could never find the right fit.
Now for the good part
I’ve been dreaming of signing with an agent. If you’re a writer, you know the feeling. I imagined that it would validate myself as a writer, and for the most part, I was right. Sometimes I’m just doing normal life and I stop to think, “Oh my gosh, I have an agent!” It really has been the best writer feeling in the world.
When I would get rejections from agents claiming, “I don’t think I’m the right fit,” or “I don’t think this story is a good fit for my list,” I use to think, “What does that even mean?!” But now that I have an agent that is a PERFECT fit, I completely understand! Not only does your agent need to be someone that can sell your book, but they also need to be passionate about your story and have a similar personality so you can work well together. I’m lucky enough to have an agent that checks all the boxes.
My querying success story
I’m hesitant to share my story because I don’t want people thinking this is the way to go while querying. Just a disclaimer: Do NOT be poppin’ up in agent’s direct messages trying to query them. They will not like this! My story is a bit unconventional and goes a little something like this:
Hearing I should be using TikTok to share about my book—feeling lame but doing it anyway
Sharing a TikTok about my book that I was querying
Getting a direct message from my agent asking me to query her
Sending my query letter and getting a request for a full within a few hours
Sending the full and getting an email the next day saying she loves it and wants to set up a call
Receiving an offer of representation three days later
A total of 5 days of screaming and crying tears of joy
So, as you can see, my story is not one that can be easily replicated. I don’t even think I can offer advice on the perfect query letter. But what I can say is, you never know where you will get noticed, so keep on doing you and talking about your writing. Even when it feels like no one is watching or listening, you never know what miracle is in store for you.
