The first agent I ever queried was my ideal agent. I mean, I'd give the woman every penny I made to represent me. (Not that that's that much, given what a genre mystery writer gets these days. That is, after all, what day jobs are for.) My manuscript...well...sucked. It went through a revision or two and then came the Sleuthfest application, which asked anyone who wanted an agent or editor critique to send in 10 pages. So I did. Since then, the manuscript has been substantially re-written. (Now it--as they said about Mac OSX--sucks less.) Today I got the notification that the person they'd sent those 10 pages to (the ten pages, remember, from two revisions ago) was the same poor woman who had to read it the first time.
I dread meeting her. I mean, really, what do you say when your ideal agent has had to read the same piece of ghastly writing from you not once, but twice?
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Weird Things That Happen
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4 comments:
Smile determinedly. Keep smiling until she is so dazzled by the glare that she reaches for her sunglasses. And remember - she might love it.
Laura, when I first read this, I thought: What a mess! Then I saw Dawn's comment and she is absolutely right. This is not grin and bear it--this is smile, smile, smile. The agent may not even remember reading it before and even if she does, now you have a chance to see if her critique is in any way aligned with your revisions. If so, maybe there is hope for the two of you in the future. If not, then maybe you'd never be right for each other.
Oh dear, this is starting to sound like "advice for the lovelorn."
Go to Sleuthfest and have a ball! Terrie
Well, first of all, I gasp and moan in your general direction.
That being done, perhaps the ideal agent will be favorably impressed- how could she not be?- by the current quality of your manuscript.
After all, she above others will be able to judge how far you've come, and I feel excitement for her, not sympathy, that she'll get to read the upgrade. I have heard horror stories about the writers who won't change a word, who keep pushing the same dreck around w/o ever considering why everyone's holding their noses.
I know that as writers we may be perceived (or like perceiving ourselves) to be born like glorious Athena from Zeus' head, fully formed and perfect. But most of us aren't, and agents are as aware as anyone of the trajectory of progress we follow as we get better. Your persistence along with your openness to substantive revision, and of course, the improvement in your work are the signs of the real deal.
And if, sadly, she doesn't see it, there will be other vulnerable agents/publishers carousing in the hotel lounges.
Have a wonderful, productive time!
"other vulnerable agent/publishers carousing in the hotel lounges"!
You wicked woman, clare2e! Are you suggesting that we writers would take advantage of a vulnerable agent?
You betcha!
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