In the first of November I discovered through an email from another editor that that same Biblical romance had won a writing contest I had entered. The editor had hoped to see it, but since I had accepted an offer on it a few days before there was no point. Instead she took a western romance, which had also been entered, and took third out of fourth, in that same contest. I sent it off and then began the sprint of finding an agent.
Well, that's much easier said than done, especially in the height of the holiday seasons. But so many people told me, 'Once you sell you'll have no problemo'. Mmmm hmmm. And in all actuality I haven't been sprinting too hard. A query here, a query there, just to see if I could get any bites. It's one thing to send a query out there, another to get a request. So now, it's just a waiting game to see how it goes.
And I'll tell you this right here and now, I'm not freaked or any of that kind of stuff, I've been praying a lot about all of this and trying to be led by the Spirit and not my own emotions. There is a lot of advice about how writers should go about seeking an agent, but not every avenue works for every writer. Sometimes it's just about being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes it's about who you know. And sometimes it's what some people will call 'pure dumb luck'. I, however, call it Godincidences.
I don't know a whole lot about running. Yet. My goal for 2013 is to run a 5k. I know it'll take training to build up my stamina. And I know once I'm ready I'll need to pace myself so I don't succumb to exhaustion and give up all together. Sprinting isn't something I'll want to do for the entire 5k else I will exhaust all of my body's resources.
And so it is with finding an agent, I don't want to exhaust all of my resources. Why work months, even years on a manuscript just to send off one query to hundreds of agents without even knowing if my query has that WOW factor? That's not a real smart business decision. At least not for me. And I'd hope not for you either. Maybe I'm a little cautious, just dipping my toe in the water here and there, but I don't want to risk being burnt by a hundred nos, do you?
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