Agents Queried: 33. Rejections Received: 3 Cats: Bleeding me dry.

 So there's one thing I've been able to be pretty productive about despite my crazy stress/grief-filled week last week, and that's submitting my query letter, synopsis, and excerpts to a plethora of agents that are accepting submissions for debut authors. There were 74 or so that popped up on the list via Reedsy, but many were at the same agency company, and you can only submit to one. So between that and the agent's desire for a particular type of fantasy, I was able to submit to 33 of them (it takes MUCH longer to submit and make-personal each one). That was all done between 2/2 and 2/6.

Since, I've received 3 rejections. I expect to receive rejections from them all.

Am I saying this out of sorrow? No. I'm being practical. What I wrote is not really in the market right now, but I do believe it is a good story, and will only get better as the series continues. I've had many of my betas tell me the plot moves, is a great story that keeps them turning pages and not bored, but most of what agents are looking for right now is Upmarket, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fantasy for Young Adults or New Adults type of stuff. I've written a more traditional, medium adult fantasy. My critique partner of Candy Store Stories via Amazon said it could possibly be considered New Adult, because the characters are in their mid-twenties vs teenagers, as is common with Young Adult, but... eh. It's pretty adult. Not crazy graphic, but to give you an idea: it opens with a hanging, and there's sexually explicit stuff (if not too detailed). Definitely things that COULD be in a young adult book, but which I believe SHOULDN'T be.

So anyway. I'm glad I got those done. Most agents request 3-4 months for response, and I'm pleased to have received the responses I already have. Moving forward, assuming I AM rejected by all 33 agents, I will submit directly to the publishers accepting queries without representation, beginning with DAW (an affiliate of Penguin; if I could get into an affiliate of the Big Five/Four, you better believe I will!). I'll also begin with DAW because even though they require exclusive submissions, if I haven't heard back from them in three months, then I can submit elsewhere. THEN, I'm not sure if I'll submit to Baen (it can take a year) or some others which are known but not AS known as those two.

But. Though I EXPECT to be rejected by all agents, I HOPE to be represented by one that can get me a solid book deal. I kind of view this as a "right of passage" towards getting my book(s) published. Start with the agents. Get rejected. Shift to the publishers themselves. Get rejected. Self-publish OR maybe go hybrid. I'm very intrigued with the hybrid approach, but I'm not sure which hybrid company would be best for my book or trustworthy vs accidentally going to a vanity press. I used to work for Morgan James Publishing, which is an awesome hybrid publishing company, but they focus mostly on nonfiction business books, and while they have a fiction affiliate, and I've already spoken with one of their aquisitions editors, and she THINKS it could be a fit (they are very particular with regards to cursing/using God's name in vain -- as am I; my world does have a God, but they don't call him God), etc, etc. So. Other than MJP, I don't know which hybrid company would be reliable.

We'll see. Let's start with the agents then move to the publishers, and keep praying. As I wait, I'll be working on Book 2, and I'm trying to see what editing I can get done in an affordable manner vs paying out the wazoo for it before I need to.

(And for any agents reading this blog, who have read this far into this long-winded post, please know that my books do not read as such. This is my blog and my internal monologue about the goings-on of my life and this process, and I'm basically doing this because I have to. My joy is writing, not blogging, and while it can be fun for a bit, and I'll do what I have to... I kind of hate it. I have TONS of favorite authors and while I'll look up their websites and youtube pages -- namely Brandon Sanderson -- I read NONE of their blogs. But alas, they told me to write this, and I am.)

So. Anyway. This week/weekend has been a doozy. To give you just a TASTE of what I've gone through this week:

Last Friday: learned by 13/14-year-old cat has immune-mediated hemolytic anemia that, if left untreated, could result in thrombocytopenia; he may have gotten into rat poison, he's severely dehydrated, and there's some type of internal bleeding that is causing him to be so anemic, with a very low red blood cell count and a very high white blood cell count. You should SEE the amount of meds we give him every 12 hours. Poor guy. He's what I call my "first born.

Last Friday: learned my granddad died. 90 years old, married to my grandmother for 70 years. Adorable. Severely advanced Alzheimers reduced him to a child-like state for the last two years in which my amazing grandmother still cared for him with the help of my father in recent years, and died of congestive heart failure with apparently two lungs completely full of fluid (how he was still breathing, no one knows). Went to see the family last-minute for a week.

Saturday: got home late.

Sunday: One of my young, one-year-old twin cats decided to swallow and inch-long metal clasp along with several inches of string, resulting in a $3500 vet bill from two emergency vets an hour from the house, an endoscopy to remove the objects, and is now at home sedated with my husband, who is taking a nap and forcing my rambunctious kitten to stay still. The pain meds are helping, so he's high right now, but otherwise he'll be fine. Let's just say I haven't slept hardly at all, and I spent most of last night reading through the ENTIRE book of Psalms. No exaggeration. I fell asleep for what few hours I could with my Bible on my chest. God is good, and He carried me through it.

So. Now we're just hoping the old guy heals up; the young one should.

It's crazy, right? Life's crazy. Makes for a good story though.

I'm back to work like normal tomorrow. Looking forward to some stability, though all this traveling does have my mind toiling. I've got some soul-searching to do.

Until next time,

Jess