How I Got My Agent

This is a post that, at my darkest moments, I never thought I would write. 
This is a post that, at my most hopeful moments, I only dreamed about.
But here I am, sitting in front of my computer, fingers clicking away at the keys, a smile on my face, telling you lovely blog readers...

I GOT AN AGENT.

To those of you who are reading this post, jealousy twisting your hearts, I've been where you are. I know. I know how hard it is, how discouraging, how depressing. Especially when reading success stories. 

Don't. You. Dare. Give. Up.

To show you how much I do understand, here's some background information.
I signed with my agent for THESE WICKED WATERS. My fourth book. That's right. I wrote four books and queried three of them (one was a sequel) before I found an agent. I'm talking over 150 query letters and subsequent rejections.
That doesn't even count the queries I sent out for THESE WICKED WATERS. 
(Hint: here comes the actual How I Got My Agent story.)
Back in June 2015, after winning a few contests, I sent 53 query letters for TWW. Of those, I received the following:
Partial Requests: 1 Partial Upgraded to Full: 1 Full Requests: 1 Rejections: 51
...Or so I thought.
The usual policy with agents is that if you don't hear back in four weeks or so, the answer is "no." I'd closed out all my outstanding query letters and retreated from the front lines. I knew TWW was The One. The truth of it resounded in my bones. But I realized it needed work. And maybe my query letter did too.
I let TWW sit. For almost a year. In the meantime I wrote two other books and focused on this blog. Finally, early this year, I came back to TWW and began a massive rewrite that took months.
The day after I finished my overhaul (June 8), an email pinged my inbox. It was an agent, asking to see the full of TWW, from a query I sent a year ago. I did some hurried proofreading and sent off the full a day later, not expecting much. 
Okay, to be honest I was expecting something: A Rejection.
On the evening of June 15 I got another email. I was sitting at my desk at work, eating dinner with my sister. My phone vibrated. I opened the message, already brushing off the "Unfortunately this isn't what we're looking for." 
When my gaze reached the, "I really enjoyed your book" sentence, I leapt out of my chair. I didn't even read the rest of the email! I started squealing, pacing around my--thankfully empty!--office, babbling nonsense while my sister read the rest of the email. Once sufficiently calmed down, I hurried back to my desk and read the message in a daze.
An agent liked my book!
An agent wanted to talk to me!
To me!
I was shaking. I was so happy tears threatened. I was disgustingly sweaty with nerves. I had no idea what to do with myself. I called my family, told my closest friends. It took me a literal hour to relax enough to think clearly enough to email the agent back.
Things moved quickly at this point. I set up The Call (or so I hoped), accepted her offer of representation, and ok'ed the agent-author contract.
So, now, in as much disbelief as I was when I first got that email, I can say:
Hello. I'm Emily Layne, represented by Becky LeJeune of Bond Literary Agency.
I can't wait to share this process with you guys. This is a phase of the writing world that is brand new to me. I hope we can learn together! Thank you for sticking with me in the querying trenches. Through the ups. And the downs. You're all so wonderful, and I don't deserve you.
Now, how about some help thinking of a new slogan? I'm no longer "a young adult writer braving the slushpile." 
...Am I?

Vlog #19: Don't Settle: Querying

Drowning My Sorrows

In all three of the books I've queried...

I've never failed this bad. Only one request so far (a partial at that). And fourteen rejections.

Guuuyssss.

This is like my darkest hour. My sadness is demanding boxes (yes, BOXES) of chocolate, a bubble bath, and a really good book.

Instead I'm drowning my sorrows--literally. On Monday I restarted (yes, I've done it before) this kick where you drink the recommended amount of water for your body. 80 ounces, people. I've become very good friends with the bathroom at work. Considering my bathroom phobia, this is a big accomplishment.

Enough peppy humor. I really am concerned. I thought my query letter was perfect. At least, that's what everyone told me. My nearest-and-dearest and strangers around the world can't be liars.

(ARE YOU?!?!?)

By my highly mathematical equations, all these rejections mean one thing: fate owes me, and I'll have a request sitting in my inbox soon.

That logic works, right?

It Only Takes One. It Only Takes One. It Only...

I hate querying.

I really do.

The stats don't looks so lovely for THESE WICKED WATERS. I've been repeating the phrase "it only takes one" over and over in my head. Yet... I'm still largely pessimistic. What if the concept for TWW is too outdated? I mean, sirens aren't hugely popular anymore. But then I tell myself that it's not really about sirens.

Ugh. I'm obviously a bit discouraged. I just want to show up at an agent's office and be like, "Please want me."

 Those of you who have followed my blog from the beginning watched as I fielded rejection after rejection for AFTER ALICE. You saw me throw in the figurative towel and move on to another project.

Well, guess what?

As much as I get depressed over and frustrated with the "business" aspect of the literary world (agents have to make tough calls on what will sell--and what won't--I know), I'm not giving up.

THESE WICKED WATERS is worthy of a publishing contract. Just wait, guys. It will be on a bookshelf. Maybe not this year or next year, but one day.

Keep the faith!

P.s. I recorded reaction videos for the first five of my query letters. They'll be up on my YouTube Page on 6.26.15.

Release the Kraken

Substitute "queries" for "kraken," and you'd have the perfect summary of my weekend. 

Yes, I started querying Friday. Oh, sorry. That calm font is not even close to the way I felt when I clicked the "send" button. Let me rephrase.

I starTed qUerying FRIday!!!!

Much better. Sheesh, I was a mess. Never, on any of my books, have I been this nervous. Also, never on my other books have I:

1. Finished writing in two weeks.

2. Worked on my query letter four four months.

3. Wanted to die at the thought of not hooking an agent.

I love These Wicked Waters SO SO SO much. More than I've loved any previous work. 

And I'm terrified of rejection. But I know without a doubt its all part of a grander plan. So I'm just going to sit back, relax, write something else, and be patient.

For at least five minutes each day.

;)

Slow & Steady Gets an Agent

What's the first thing about your book an agent scenes?
A query letter (usually).

How important is a query letter?
Very!

How long should you spend working on your query letter?

First off, everyone's different. Some people can get a perfect query letter in one day of writing (if you're one of these people, we really should meet up) others it can take weeks. In my case, two months. And I'm still not finished yet, though I think I'm close.

The thing is, unlike my last three queried books (unsuccessfully, might I add), I'm not in a rush to send out my letter. I want to take it slow and get things right. Which, in turn, will get me an agent (I hope!).

How am I so blase about querying? Let me tell you my recently discovered method via a step-by-step diagram. I was a business major, after all.

1. I wrote These Wicked Waters.
2. I did a quick edit of These Wicked Waters.
3. I wrote the query letter for TWW.
4. I started planning/writing another book.

While writing my other book, I go back to my query letter and make changes, then I send it out for other people to edit. I've got about 12 different drafts of it. Currently I'm on my 13th.

Honestly? It's the best query letter I've ever written. We'll see if the whole process works come June 29th, when I plan to start querying. Fingers crossed!

Value of A Tweet

I will admit it, I rarely use my Twitter account. I'm not famous (yet!), and I don't have anything interesting to share with the Twitter-verse. Odds are, I'm not alone.

Hold your horses though! Don't sprint to your laptops and deactivate your Twitter accounts (because you totally would if I told you, right? Ha!). Twitter does serve a purpose for the boring, Z-Listers of the population. Especially in the next few days.

                            

#PitMAD and #PitchMAS are starting!

                                         

You must be squinting at the computer screen and going "Um, what?" or maybe you know what I'm talking about and are giving excited nods. If you're in the second group, make sure you're alone. People tend to look strangely at people who encourage their electronic devices.

                                         

In lieu of giving a lengthy description, check out these two links for details. #PitMAD and #PitchMAS. They'll explain everything and answer any questions.

                                   

As far as the basics, here they are. #PitMAD and #PitchMAS take place on Twitter, thus the trendy hashtag (the number sign, in case you don't speak the lingo). If you don't have a Twitter account and are seeking an agent...make one now! 

On Thursday, December 4th #PitMAD starts on twitter. You have 140 characters to sum up your book in a catchy way. Well, less than 140 characters since the #PitMAD hashtag plus the genre of your book is required. The same goes for #PitchMAS on Thursday, December 11th. There are some other details along with #PitchMAS so you'll definitely want to click the link above.

                                  

Just to give you some inspiration, here are the pitch I'll be using:

150yrs after Alice's legacy, a spirited 17yo races to escape a steampunk Wonderland before she loses her head. And her heart. #pitmad ‪#‎ya‬

Fun, huh? Good luck! See you on the Twitter feeds!

A Writer's Wounds

I got another rejection yesterday.

Well, more like yesterday at 5 AM. Why did I voluntarily put my email on my phone again?

The rejection stung particularly more than the others. Why? Because now I only have one submission out, a full request. Of course there are still some odd twenty query letters awaiting responses, but still. The realization that I might not get an offer of representation for "After Alice" was terrifying.

               

It still is, honestly.

I allowed myself to mope for an hour or two. I googled "way to deal with rejection" and all the sucess stories of writers who were rejected tons of times. I even contemplated the possibility of driving to the store and purchasing Woe-Is-Me Chips (aka Cool Ranch Doritos). Luckily for my waistline, I didn't.

                                

Instead I started writing "Shattered," the sequel to "After Alice" and the book I'm doing for NaNoWriMo. At first the words didn't flow.

And then they did. Oh, yes they did!

Yesterday, in the midst of my despair and self-doubt, I hammered out over 6,000 words in five hours. And by the end of the night, I didn't care what any agents thought about my book. I know it's worth publishing, I've just got to make them realize that too.

                      

Growth

Back in September I planted some forget-me-not seeds in a teapot. I was hoping for beautiful blue flowers in a whimsical pot to brighten up my desk. That's not quite what I got.

                                

A week passed and green shoots emerged from the soil. But so did nasty little bugs the size of a pin. I tried a soap and water trick via my mom to get rid of the mites. No such luck. Disappointing.

                                         

Saturday evening found me dumping out my plants and refilling the teapot with brand new soil and seeds. So far no bugs. Trust me, I've become OCD with checking.

This planting mishap applies to writing too. I have a first manuscript that I am 110% ashamed of. But through that mishmash of plot and romance, I learned how to write. Writing is a gift that can only be honed by experience. Now I'm querying my third book that I think is fantastic (if only the agents would think so too!). But I bet, two years down the road, I'll look back on AFTER ALICE and cringe.

                                    

It's the nature of the beast.

Slogging Through the Slush

So last week I entered the miry trenches of querying. I was so involved I forgot to do a post last Thursday.

                                     

But here I am now! That has to count for something, right?

Here are so updates for you so we can commiserate together. Over the last week I have received the following:

Query Rejections: 18
Full Requests: 2

You know that sound Lucy makes in I Love Lucy where she messes up pretty bad and Ricky finds out? Yeah, cue that.

                                     

Not as stellar as I was hoping. In fact, I was pretty annoyed/frustrated/depressed/melancholy over it this weekend. Especially since my novel for NaNo happens to be the sequel to After Alice (my querying manuscript). My family tried to cheer me up, but it didn't really work. I was determined to be pessimistic.

                                   

Then I got to talking to this writer on twitter then on NaNo's website. She probbaly doesn't realize how much she boosted my spirits, but shout outs to her website! She's querying too, so we commiserated and she reminded me how cool of an idea After Alice is.

Maybe you're wondering what the point of this post is? Well, let me sum it up for you in one sentence. When braving the querying trenches, have a fellow writer/soldier at your side, it works wonders.

Unfortunately, I'm still going to jump every time my phone vibrates...

                                   

Let the Querying...Begin!

On Monday I entered a whole new realm of the writing adventure: querying!

                                               

After three weeks spent writing/editing my query letter...

After two months (in total) editing my book...

After five months writing my book...

I knew I was ready. After compiling a list of agents on Query Tracker, I set to work. After 62 emails, all my "letters" were sent. Phew!

Since I had off work that day, I pretty much spent the waiting period cleaning and watching Firefly. Oh, the wretched waiting period!

                                       

Then I got an email.

                                                        

And in that email was a full request! Ensue running around the house and screaming.

Of course, this is only the first response and I've got about 61 to go. Eek, I can already feel the pang of soon-to-be rejections. But honestly? I love every moment of it. This is what being a writer is about. Throwing yourself out there and seeing the result.

We'll see if I'm still saying that come Thursday ;)

Instincts

A few blog posts ago I discussed this awesome schedule I planned to use. Well, last post I talked about flexibility. Now I'm combining those two posts into one epic finale...

               

I'm not waiting until December (or whenever I said I'd start querying for "After Alice"). In fact, my first queries are going out Monday, October 13. Yeah, that's in four days.

                                           

But you know what? I am so ready.

As a writer, I've learned to always trust my instincts. It's my story after all. Who would know it better than me? Exactly.

So wish me luck! On Monday, I'll be braving the slush pile! While keeping you wonderful readers updated, of course. Let the adventure, begin!

              

Oh, woops... That's Firefly...