Only You Can Know

I've had a few responses to my requests. And they all go something like this:

One agent doesn't fall in love with Jenn's voice.

The next one tells me that Jenn is such an engaging character.

Then she goes on to tell me that the murder should be less of a murder and more of an accident, or a self-defense killing.

Yet a previous agent made it quite clear that she liked the gray-ness of the murder and appreciated that it wasn't an accident or in self-defense.

 I have come to the conclusion that you cannot depend on another person to tell you what your book is. They can tell you if it's marketable, and they can tell you if it's plausible. They can tell you how a scene made them feel.

But only you know how you wanted the scene to make them feel. Only you know what the book was meant to be. Critique partners and beta readers and agents can tell you stars* of valuable, valuable, valuable things about your book. I cannot emphasize that enough. Without them, you're pretty much...sunk.

Some of them, those that know your heart, can help you find out what your book is.

But only you can know it. Your book is your creation. It's between you and God, because no one else knows your heart like God does. And it's up to you to stay to true to your book. It's up to you to make the decisions that will make or break...everything.

* Stars: Synonymous with 'tons' or 'oodles'. References the fact the stars are innumerable.

Interrogation Points

Pins. Needles.

She said she was going to read it this weekend. And I haven't heard back. My head is full of interrogation points.

Is that a good thing?


A bad thing?


A very good thing?


A very, very bad thing?

Is she spending an inordinate of time crafting a rejection letter? An R&R letter? Is this going to be a repeat of last month's "I love your book so much I hate it" episode?

She's busy. Agents are busy. People are busy. You're busy, Melody. Relax. Chill. She probably just hasn't read it yet--

BUT WHAT IF SHE HAS?! I can totally live if she has yet to read it, but what if she has?!

What if she's trying to make sense of my reply to her question about whether or not I've worked with beta readers and critique partners? What if my nervousness made me even more incoherent than I first worried? What if my book is just sitting there in her Kindle...waiting for a decision? IS MY BOOK IN THE DECISION PILE?!

It's in the to-read pile. That's where books live.

I'm stalking her Twitter but she's not saying anything!


Melody: Go. Write. Something. Else.

Right Now

Since I know you're wondering, I ended up passing on the agent's R&R offer.

Do I still wonder if I made the right decision? Yes.

I think I'll always wonder. There are so many moments in our lives that have the potential to catapult us to an entirely different life than the one we're now living. What would have happened if I'd said yes? If I'd said no? If I'd replied to that text? If I hadn't been texting while driving? If I'd gone to the party? If I'd stayed home? If I'd flirted with that guy? If I hadn't? If I hadn't quit [insert extracurricular activity here]? If I had?

To know what would have happened, child? No. Nobody is ever told that.

I'll never know what would have happened if I'd accepted her offer to revise. I do know that I had good reasons to pass. I also know that I may have been able to make the revisions she was suggesting. I chose the best that I could.

And I have to be content with that. It's not the first time I've done something and questioned it. It probably won't be the last. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. We can't decide what to do with the time that was given to us five minutes ago. We can't really decide what to do five minutes from now.

Just right now. Decide what to do with the time that is given to you right now. Do your best, and don't regret it.

The Author

So last week, I received an opportunity to revise and resubmit my manuscript to an agent! *squee* Her letter told me so many things about my book, but what I picked up on the most was the fact that she was passionate about it. About my book!

Do you know what kind of a confidence-booster this is? To know that someone loved my book that much! To know that I can write! It's true! It's not me making this up anymore! It's no longer my friends telling me that my story is fantastic! It's a real, live agent who sells real, live books in a real, live industry!

Wow.

Not only that, I was the honored recipient of several tweets about her reaction to reading my manuscript. One of these tweets referred to me as "the author". THE AUTHOR.

An agent has called me an author.

Of course, she's suggested a lot of changes. I'm on board with most of them, and I can totally see how they'll make the book better. Some of them--some major {read: deal-breaking} ones--were, well, deal-breakers, for her and for me.

But when all is said and done, someone in the publishing industry has been passionate about my book. And they called me an author.

I can't see how this could get much better.

Actually, I can. I could find someone to go see see The Hunger Games with me. {I know! I still haven't seen it. Sad. I hear Haymitch is done quite well though, and that excites me more than anything.} {Team Cinna. Team Haymitch. Team Finnick. I'm pretty sure that Peeta and Gale aren't even on my list.}

Subjectivity

I was "out of the office" all day Saturday, which is to say, I was having lunch with my extended family. Of course, when I got home, I had a nice bunch of emails to sort through--mostly junk, as usual. I have seven email addresses that all flow to one melting pot of emails {thank you, Thunderbird}, which means I have everything from band updates, query replies, friendly emails, newsletters, forum updates, and everything in between...all in one place.

But on Saturday, there were two emails right on top of each other. And both of them were responses to partials I had sent out in response to requests. The first was a short rejection, shorter than even some query form rejections I've received. It wasn't right for the agent; she hadn't fallen in love with the voice.

The very next email was actually from yesterday's snail-mail agent. It began with how much she was enjoying the book, and could I send the full manuscript {via email, thank goodness} so she could continue reading. There were lots of exclamation points. {You can't judge a book by its cover, but you can judge an email by its exclamation points.}

Subjectivity.

Two agents, both with partials. One didn't fall in love with the voice. One wants more, please!

This is a subjective business. Everywhere you look, agents and editors are turning down books that others make bestsellers. One agent loves your voice, another hates it. One thinks your MC is depressing, another thinks she's way too bubbly. One thinks it won't sell, the next thinks it's been over-done. One likes the plot but hates the MC. The other loves the MC but doesn't think the plot makes sense.

Subjectivity.

Your book can be the next Twilight, and you're still going to get rejections. They're going to happen. You're going to get rejections from agents, from editors, and from readers. They're going to tell you what they dislike...and I doubt they'll all say the same thing. And that's okay.

I'm here to write the best book I can write. If someone doesn't fall in love with the voice, that's not my problem. {Unless 20 different agents are telling me the same thing, of course. Then it's time to go back to the drawing board} If someone disses my plot and someone else thinks it's brilliant...it's not my problem. It's my job to write the best book possible. That's all I can do.

Layman Publication: The Publishing Process

I'm in the process of writing a Facebook note detailing the publication process for my non-writer friends, because I've had to answer too many times that a "finished book does not a NYT bestseller make." This is part 4. (But if all the parts are this long, there will definitely be some cutting.)

Since I'm here, I'd like to highlight Stina Lindenblatt's (Seeing Creative) addition to the last post. She said: "And even if your agent is legit, you should still listen to your gut. It's too easy to say 'yes' to an agent who wants to rep your book, only to discover later you two aren't good together." Very, very good advice, even if turning down a representation offer would be the hardest thing ever!

• Once you have an agent, she (or he, but we're going with she) begins to shop it around to publishers. And, if your book is marketable good, you get offered a publishing deal, but...
• ...if your book is really marketable really good, there are multiple publishing companies that want to publish your book. That means your book will be sold 'at auction,' which is basically the publishing houses bidding higher and higher in terms of money and promotional plans. The agent and the author (though the author would be wise to listen to the agent's advice) choose one. Then...
• ...you wait. The book will undergo more edits, and more edits, and even more edits, and cover design, and formatting, etc... before it's finally printed. Plus, books have been planned to be printed from months ago, so you're going to be a bit behind anyway. Plan on 6-18 months before you see your book on shelves...
• ...but you won't have much time to see it, because you'll (probably, depending on your publishing deal) be busy writing your second book, since publishing houses usually buy a two- or three-book contract. You don't have as much time as you had with the first one, so you've got to go insane with writing. But you're book is selling...
• ...and it's slowly (or, hopefully, not so slowly) earning you royalties. You don't get any money until you "earn out" your advance, which is the money you got when you signed with the publisher. So if they gave you $1000 (it's usually more, but we're going with that) when you signed, you don't get any money until your royalties exceed $1000. Your royalty percentage varies depending on how many books you've sold and what type of book (hardback, paperback) is being sold.

And that, my friends, is what I know about publishing. I have the feeling I'll be looking back and laughing in a couple of years. :)

Did I miss anything? What would you add/take-out?

Layman Publication: The Agent Search

I'm in the process of writing a Facebook note detailing the publication process for my non-writer friends, because I've had to answer too many times that a "finished book does not a NYT bestseller make." This is part 3. (But if all the parts are this long, there will definitely be some cutting.)

• Rejections are usually form rejections. Agents don't have time to tell explain themselves - and they shouldn't have to - so they send you a quick email that says something to the effect of, "This is great, but not for us." (Some authors collect their rejections and then parade them around when they get famous.) But requests...
• ...are more fun. You send out the requested material and wait. Hopefully you're already working on another story, because you can't spend all your life waiting for a response...
• ...which is sometimes a rejection. "Thanks for the look, but this isn't for us." But it's not always a rejection. Sometimes it's a...
• ...request for more. So you send them more! And you wait. And wait. Again, you can get a rejection response...
• ...or one of two things: revision advice, which means the agent isn't ready to commit but would like you to work on specific revisions and send it back when finished, or work more closely with you on said revisions; or...
• ...an offer of representation. This is when the agent says, "I want you to be my client, and I'll represent you to publishers." Sometimes, if your book is stellar, you've been undergoing this whole process with multiple agents, and then you contact them all to let them know you've been offered representation (you don't do this if they've already rejected you). You talk to each one, decide who you want to work with, and...
• ...you sign on the dotted line.
• But be careful! Some agents aren't really above board, and it's easy to get scammed. Agents should never ask for money up front; they don't get paid until your book sells. Do your research and check with the AAR and Writer Beware to see if they're legit. You can also look at what books they've sold in the past.

Next up: publication

Did I miss anything? What would you add/take-out?

Layman Publication: The Querying Process

I'm in the process of writing a Facebook note detailing the publication process for my non-writer friends, because I've had to answer too many times that a "finished book does not a NYT bestseller make." This is part 2. (But if all the parts are this long, there will definitely be some cutting.)

• Once you're happy with your book, and your critique partners are happy with your book, and you feel that there's nothing you can do to make it better, it's time to send it off. You do not (usually) send it directly to publishers. That was how it was done "back in the day," but now most writers send their books to literary agents...
• What are literary agents? They are people, usually with legal and/or publishing experience, that now work as a liaison between writers and publishers. Agents are appreciated by writers because agents have relationships with publishers, can understand contracts, and have experience in the publishing world. Agents are appreciated by publishers because the agents act as a filter for all the bad writing out there, and because they provide a buffer against the eccentric author. :) Agents generally receive a 15% of the author's check.
• ...using something called a query (pronounced: kweer-ee) letter. Gone are the days of printing your entire manuscript and shipping it to publishing houses or literary agents. Now you email (about 85% of the time) a one-page letter that contains a quick summary of your book, its title, genre, and word count, and a little bit about yourself. Sometimes you include the first chapter of your book, or a two-page synopsis. You research which literary agents you would like to represent you (deciding upon certain ones based on what authors they've previously represented to which publishing houses), send them your query letter...
• ...and then you wait. If you're smart, you begin writing another book. You'll also continually check your email inbox and receive one of two things...
• ...rejections and requests. Rejections are usually form rejections that say nothing more than "thanks, but no thanks." Requests mean that your query letter sparked some interest, and that they want to see more. You email them what they ask for; a partial request means they wanted a part of the book to read, and a full request means they wanted the entire book...

Next up: offers of representation

Did I miss anything? What would you add/take-out?

Click, Click, Click

Click, click, click. Up, up, up, nose to the bright blue sky. With every click, something flips beneath your ribcage. What if it doesn't catch? What if something goes wrong - there's any number of things that can go wrong on a roller coaster - and the entire train goes sliding back down those tracks? It doesn't seem possible that such a heavy contraption can continue trekking to the clouds.

There's a pause, and suddenly the breath you wanted to catch is no longer there. You're finally horizontal; the world below you is once again straight and flat. So far away, like something that doesn't even exist in real life.

The nose of the car tips downward.

You don't scream. You don't raise your hands. Anyone watching would think you were calm, cool, collected. Fine. At ease. What they don't know is that your heart skipped a beat, totally and completely forgot to pump blood through your veins for a split second. They don't know that your stomach suddenly disappeared, took advantage of gravity and sank down, down, down so fast it might as well have been lead.

They don't know that you're holding your breath.

That's what it feels like to have completed your book, your edits, your polishing, your query, your agent list, and your synopsis. That's what it feels like to be ready.

It Came Out of Nowhere

Finalfinalfinal edits complete? Check.
Query written, edited, polished? Check.
Agents researched, list made? Check.

I was ready. I was poised on the edge of the cliff I've eyed for so long without any desire to jump. But now I was prepared, and I was dying to jump. It was time.

I looked through the "Dream Agent" list and picked my Number One. Went back to her website, read her bio, her dislikes, her likes...oooh, we're a perfect match! Looked at her requirements.


Two-page synopsis? *crickets chirp*

Well. That came out of nowhere.

Cue face in hands. Cue moans of agony. Cue constant head-pounding against desk.

Cue Luke Skywalker finding out the identity of his father.

I'mgoingtodiethisisn'tfairwhyisthishappeningtomeIdideverythingelserightcan'tIjustnotdothisit'snotthatimportantwhyohwhyohwhyohwhyisthishappeningtome?

 So now I'm writing a two-page synopsis.

What about you? Any more 'came-out-of-nowhere surprises' I need to know about?

Dreaded Question #2: So When Are You Going to Get It Published? (or, an exercise in sarcasm)

"So when are you going to get it published?"

I have a sarcastic streak that a friend of mine swears I don't have (she doesn't know how much I've tried to temper it), and there are times when I have to grit my teeth to keep it from showing its face. This question is one of those times

Tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow. You should start seeing my book next to Twilight in less than a week. Because it's just. that. easy.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

*sigh*

I have it down. "Well, I'm still editing. And once I'm done with that, I have to send it off to agents. They read it and decide if they want to represent it to a publisher, who has to decide to publish it. I don't have that much say in the matter."

To which they reply, "Oh, yeah, I know about agents. I heard an interview with an author on NPR, and he talked about writing the query letter and how hard it was to find an agent."

Yes. Thank you for your words of wisdom. NPR, why didn't I think of that?

*sigh*

It's okay. I probably ask stupid questions about your job, too - I'm sure I do, actually. And I'll answer this question again...
...and again...
...and again.

"Soon. I'm going to get it published soon. God willing. It's really a 'God willing' thing. No, really. Seriously. I don't have any control past my storytelling skills and query writing skills. No, you don't understand...I can't set a date!"

What about you? Got any good sarcastic - or, better yet, gracious - answers to this dreaded question?

Paranormal vs. Abnormal

I haven't read Twilight. The majority of my peers look askance at me when I tell them this interesting fact, and then they proceed to gush. I'm all about gushing (especially when we're gushing about Megan Whalen Turner). I don't mind it. I admire Stephenie Meyer (say that out loud - it's fun) for what she's been able to do and the following she's been able to gain. It's incredible.

Up to this point, I haven't read anything by her. However, I WON SOMETHING at Sara B. Larson's blog (which you should totally check out because she's an authoress, too, and she has contests where real people like me win things!). Want to know what I won? Yes, a book by Stephenie Meyer! I'm looking forward to being introduced to her and Bree Tanner. Hopefully it will make some sense to this un-Twilighted-authoress because it is, after all, an Eclipse novella.

I read something this week - and I've read it before. Kody Keplinger interviewed agent Jennifer Laughran on the YA Highway about publishing and YA and all that good stuff. It was insightful, as always, but she said something that gave me pause,

"Ugh. I am so NOT fascinated by trends. I am the opposite of fascinated by them. I would say 95% of my inbox at the moment is paranormal romance with some sort of creature (mermaid, selkie, siren, werewolf, unicorn, vampire, zombie, mummy, or some combo like selkwolf or mercorn) - and I am totally not interested..."

Here's the thing: I don't write paranormal romance. It's not like I never made a conscious decision to write it, just like I never consciously decided to write "low" fantasy, spy/mystery, dystopian, etc... But when I read that, I realized, I've never written paranormal romance.

There was a quick moment where I wondered if something was wrong with me. After all, pretty much every other authoress is writing these things, and we all know it's because of the Twilight trend. Because falling in love with sparkly vampires is all the rage.

Then I realized - I have something different. If her Inbox is 95% full of paranormal romance, guess where I am. I'm in the 5%. I stand out (or I will once I submit). Since I haven't read Twilight, I'm not going to sound like in-love-with-a-vampire-ness that everyone else is submitting. I'm unique. I'm writing about princesses while everyone else is writing about vampires.

For once, something an agent said has encouraged me. Sometimes, being different can be good. (That's a quote from a movie somewhere. I can't remember.)

So what about you? Do you write Paranormal? Do you write Paranormal Romance? How do you feel about the YA market (and probably all ages, too - has it spread to picture books yet?) being over-saturated? Or maybe you think there's still a need...

EDIT: An interesting article about the remaining prominence of Paranormal from Publisher's Weekly, posted by Stacey over at the Dystel & Goderich Literary Management Blog is over here if you want to read further on what Stephenie Meyer has set into motion.

What If? What If? What If?

I made my 2000 word goal today! I'm so very, very excited. Meeting goals is always nice, even if they're small, daily goals that rival Ted Dekker but not Erin Healy. So we're up to 7410 total words, as of now, and have begun the third chapter.

I'm a little worried about my first three chapters, actually. I think - imho - that they're readable and intriguing and that there is tension and conflict. But isn't that what the agents ask for if they want to see more? Yes, my preface is good and bam!-first-person-present-tense-someone-just-died-what's-going-on and I'm very happy with it, but what about the chapters? They take place when Ivolet is a kid, and so is Daniel. It's really difficult to make it intriguing, because it's a lot of character development/introduction and story development/introduction.

I should feel successful. I've chopped what was 26,000 words of introduction/backstory to what will probably be about 10,000. And I have to say that condensing all of that was probably the best thing I ever did. Where dialogue used to mainly be used for character development, it now presents the story, the conflict. I've sweated over these chapters. (The third chapter, begun, has very few changes from earlier drafts and hopefully I won't have to do much adjusting there. I know exactly what's in it.)

But I can't help but wonder: What if an agent reads those first three chapters and thinks that my YA novel is actually about 8-year-old kids? What if they think Daniel is too impetuous? What if they think Ivolet is too demure? I really don't want to write a flashback book, and I don't think it's needed. But what if, what if, what if...

So much is riding on that preface. Maybe I'll facebook it and see what my friends say. I know, I know, a friend's critique isn't true critique. But I need so much to get a feel besides my own. I like it. But what if it's not that great? What if my assumption that first-person-present-tense is easy...is wrong? Maybe I just think it's easy because I do an awful job.

Most of the time I try to keep the what-if's out of my head. They don't do me any good; I know that. (But they did convince me to cut 26,000 to 10,000, with excellent results, so they are good for something.) But somethings I just can't help myself. Sometimes I just wonder what an agent is thinking as he or she reads it.

I need to stop that. I don't write books for agents. I write them for readers.

But then, readers won't read them if agents don't like them. (UGH!)

There's really only one choice. Write the best story I can, to the best of my ability and to my satisfaction. It's like Elana's 100%. You've got to be happy with it before anyone else is.

And you can't sit there wondering what this agent or that agent is going to think. I learned - or I thought I learned - a long time ago that you can't control what anyone else thinks. You can't worry your head about it, because you have absolutely no control over anyone thinking you're insert descriptive adjective here. If the agent doesn't like it, you can't help it. If a lot of agents don't like it, then yeah, maybe you need to rewrite or shelve. But, in the end, you can't control what they think.

So no more what-if's. Write your best. Be happy with what you write. And send it off, sure that you've done your best.

Won't You Be My Agent?

I've decided to blame the lack of blog posts on the National Day of Prayer. I was busy. You could also throw in Little League and Mother's Day. They're too blame, too. But I've been writing blog posts in my head.

Last week I finally discovered who Shannon Hale's agent was. His name is Barry Goldplatt, and he represents a lot of children/YA authors. He represents Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty) and authors of books like The Year We Disappeared, Going Bovine, and The Princess and the Bear. He's what we writer's dream about at night. Who needs Valentines? Won't you be my agent?

I can't really say what appeals, besides the fact that he represents Shannon Hale and Libba Bray (and, granted, he's married to Libba Bray). There are other big name agents out there. Tracey Adams represents Margaret Peterson Haddix (Among the Hidden), Nancy Gallt represents Jeanne DuPrau (The City of Ember) and Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & the Olympians), and Mary Kole (from the Andrea Brown Literary Agency) knows her stuff and seems like someone I could work with (her agency has Neal Shusterman on their client list). And then there's Writers House...

Oh, Writers House, how I dream of being added to your list of Nora Roberts, Stephanie Meyer, Christopher Paolini (Eragon), Barbara Park (Junie B. Jones), Dave Barry/Ridley Pearson (Peter and the Starcatchers), Melissa Marr (Ink Exchange), Andrew Clements (Frindle), Kenneth Oppel (Airborn), and James Howe (Bunnicula).

I am Cinderella and you are my impossible, untouchable prince, oh Writers House. I can dream, but even to gaze upon your list of bestsellers gives me an ache in my chest that whispers I'll never see your greatness. Just to have you touch my query would make my heart flutter. Receiving a rejection letter from you would have me floating on air for at least a day, because you - you - wrote it. Writers House, oh Writers House...

Before all my research last week, I would have been happy with just any agent. They were all the same in my mind, although I may have had a vague idea of things like AAR and Client Lists. But now, now I'm hoping for that one or that one. No one spectacular in your client list - never mind. I feel rather like a snob, but then this is writing. It's a cutthroat business, my friend. You should take up piracy if you want something less grievous to the heart.

In all honesty, however, any of the above listed agents are big hopes of mine. I respect all their authors, write similar to some of their authors. Mary Kole wants a rock 'n' roll story, or a dystopian novel (both for YA), and I have both in my "working on." Barry Goldblatt represents the woman who introduced me to princess/romance/light fantasy (Shannon Hale). Nancy Gallt gets stuff made into movies. Tracey Adams represents the best sci-fi/dystopian YA author of all time (Margaret Peterson Haddix). And then Writer's House...is the unattainable bestselling conglomerate.

[Because of all this research, the links page has practically doubled in size. It's newly organized. Check it out and realize how many agents keep helpful blogs.]

Certifiably Insane Behavior

If you saw a teenage girl with her laptop in the YA section of the library, her laptop open on the bottom shelf, you may think she was just a teenage girl. But if you watched closely, you would see her scan a row of books, choose one, sit down on the floor, flip to the first three pages of the book, and type something into the computer. Then she would flip to the end of the book, and type more. And more. And then she would put the book back and get another one.

Certifiably insane behavior, I would say. Stories are for reading, not for typing. But it wasn't the stories I was perusing - it was the Acknowledgements.

Contrary to my expectations, no one harangued  me for having a laptop in the YA section. The library did not cart me off to the insane asylum or even ban me from the library forever. They didn't seem to notice my bizarre behavior. They just let me be, which is just another reason to go hang out in the library for no reason whatsoever. The people are nice and tolerant, it's quiet, and there's practically endless entertainment. But I recommend you going during the day before the school-age kids take over.

The Acknowledgments. I could have sworn that I got this idea from Shannon Hale, but now that I search, I can't find anything that she may have said that led me to this. It could have been Pat Walsh's immeasurably helpful 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why It Just Might. In fact, it probably was. That book - priceless. I've finally gotten past the first reason (...because you haven't written it), which is totally relieving!

The Acknowledgments. Authors commonly recognize the people who helped them to publication, and there tends to be a little-read list at the beginning or end of the book that reads something movie credits (unless the author is particularly wordy or witty). I didn't used to read it, but now I do. It's often interesting. And today I went to the library and typed them up, gathering lists of agents, editors, and publishers.

(Prize for the most witty goes to Shannon Hale, and prize for the most wordy goes to Christopher Paolini, who thanked everyone.)

The point of all this was to see who may be interested in my genre of books. If I have a book similar to Shannon Hale's books, for instance, I may want to send a query to her agent. (There is a downside to this, also; the agent may now have too many in that genre.) It's also good to be able to say, "Dear so-and-so, my book is similar to The Goose Girl (which I know you represented)..." (That is a very informal representation, and I by no means recommend it as good query letter form, but I hope you get the picture.)

After I flipped through a dozen books in the YA section, I discovered the 2010 Writer's Market and sat down. Very proper and library-esque. I'm sure they were relieved.

A quick note about the Writer's Market. There's a new one every year, about three inches in width. The most recent one is consistently in the reference section of the library, which means you can never check it out, but it is very valuable. It has everything. Lists and lists of agents, publishers, conferences, all cross-referenced by genre, query-letter samples, articles on everything you could ever think of. One may fear that it is going out of date with all the information currently out there, and the marvelous blogs by authors and agents, but I still find it helpful. (And when I find a book more helpful than the internet, that's saying something.)

In addition to the 2010 Writer's Market, I also picked up the 2010 Writer's Market for Children's Books, as well as the 2010 Writer's Market for Novels. Since what I write falls into all three of these categories, I get stuck with three books instead of one or two. It's quite annoying. (I didn't pick up the one geared for Poetry; my thoughts about poetry are strong, so strong that they'll have to wait for another blog post.)

I read some sample query letters, which I have read before, and realized how daunting the task is that lies in front of me, which I have also realized before. It's a rather gloomy book, all told. I don't recommend it unless you can't stop writing. And then you have my sympathy.

The last thing I discovered was the Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency. It was the last in the agent list, I believe, and what caught my eye was that their agents can be found on Facebook and Twitter. A more in-depth perusal revealed that they accept my genre of book, and that they have a helpful and informative blog. I'm all over helpful and informative blogs, so I wrote it all down. The blog is over here, and so far I'm enthralled. Quotes from the current post may show up in future blog posts; they have some brilliant things to say. So I'm putting the blog over in the Links section after I post this. Hope to read it many times in the future. (The blog also has a lovely link list that I'll be perusing over the next few days; if I find anything interesting, I'll put it on the links page.)

All in all, I got a lot of names that I have to go research. As much as I like research, I sometimes wish I could just write and have people read. That's what I want - for people to tell me they love it, people that I don't know. For people to tell me that they were moved, they were changed, they were entertained. But there's such rigor in getting to that point. It's tiring.

Agents, Blogs, and Comments

This time I was not bored and still spent about an hour looking up agents. I go back and forth between being ahead of myself and actually ready. I can't be actually ready, can I? I should at least pursue one more draft, I think, before I write an agent.

The main thing I have learned is to obey the submission instructions. I think I would have done that already, but it was a good reminder. I've always been a stickler for directions.

I'm beginning to think that I may change the design of this blog if only to better feature other blogs. I have all these links that I found today that I'd love to share with you, and there is nowhere to put them so that they'll stay around!

The quest for discovering the agent who represented Shannon Hale's Princess Academy began with Agent Query, a splendid website with a directory of agents from everywhere that represent everything. I discovered Dystel & Goderich Literary Management and their blog. Their blog is proof, by the way, that the template doesn't make the blog; they have over 400 followers - including me.

My journey then took me to Et in arcaedia, ego, the very informative blog of agent Jennifer Jackson. I highly recommend this blog if you want a behind-the-scenes look at the life of an agent. Experience the poorly written query letters (if any at all accompany the full manuscript, of which you only requested five pages) and know what to do better. I love all of her statistics (Emerald!), and I love her site. I think that The Girl With Violet Eyes may fit with her agency very well in genre. Her profile on Agent Query says the following about what she's looking for:

• First love is science fiction and fantasy; always interested in a variety of new projects.
  
• Pioneered the expansion of the agency into romance and women's fiction and continuing to look for more projects in these genres.
  
• She is actively expanding her list in the mystery, thriller, and suspense genres.
  
• Also looking for additional authors of young adult fiction

That fits me pretty well. Ivolet is a type of fantasy, it's romance, it's for females, and it's young adult. It's a perfect match! I'm restraining myself, however, but only barely. Gritting my teeth against the want to dash off a query letter and my first five pages. Though I'm not very fond of my first five pages; they need some work, perhaps. Not a total revamp, but definitely some work.

In the course of perusing Jennifer's blog, I happened upon a comment that led me to The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment, by Matthew Rush. Admittedly, I didn't spend a whole lot of time there, but it looked interesting. It navigates the treacherous world of query letter writing, the good, the bad, and the ugly. That was my catchphrase, by the way, not his. (His is "A clumsy attempt at making some sense of the sinister submission process." That's an excellent one, too.) Time will tell if this blog is either helpful or entertaining (hopefully it's both), but anyone who has over 100 followers has my attention. In a blogging sense.

I never did discover the agent who represented Princess Academy. I guess I could just go to the library and look in the author credits.

EDIT: Someone near and dear to me gave me a comment on my blog. And he's following it. (No, it's not my boyfriend.) He is so amazing.