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So, how’s the agent search going?

I’m glad you asked!

It depends on how you measure progress. Have I gotten an agent to express interest? No. If that’s the yardstick we’re using, then yeah, it’s been a failure.

Fortunately, that’s not the yardstick I’m using.

While I can do as much as possible to make sure my query letter and writing sample are as polished as they can be, I cannot reach through the ether and plant a suggestion in an agent’s head compelling them to write me back or ask for more. That’s up to them.

So, what can I do, you ask? I’m glad you asked. I can keep offering my work to agents. There are literally hundreds of literary agents out there. Not all of them are open to new clients, of course. Of those who are open, not all of them represent the genres I write in. (That’s primarily young adult and speculative fiction, and usually very, very gay, in case you didn’t know — and if you didn’t, how on earth did you wind up here? No matter, I’m glad you’re here.)

That leaves the agents who are open to new clients and who represent the genres I write in (and who aren’t, y’know, homophobic and shit). From there, it’s a matter of fit… and luck.

I don’t think people place enough emphasis on the role luck plays in the publishing process. (Note that publishing is a separate consideration from writing, where the writer reigns supreme.) I can — and do — conduct as much research as possible on the agents I contact, from looking at their client list to recent publishing deals, to Manuscript Wish Lists (yes, these are a thing) and social media accounts and interviews/blog posts. Honestly, it feels borderline stalkerish at times.

Basically, finding an agent is like finding a business partner. Well, no, it’s not like that; it IS that.

Back to the original question, though. How’s the search going? Let’s check the board:

• Two manuscripts: one YA speculative, the other adult dystopian speculative.
• Agents queried: 22 for YA, 32 for adult. Of the 32, 11 have been queried this year. (That novel has been in progress for a long time. I wrote it in grad school and only seems more topical as time goes on and the world goes, well. waves hands)

My goal this year was to rack up 25 rejections. When I set that benchmark, I was only sending out the YA to agents. So, with the two manuscripts combined, I’ve exceeded that. But I’d like to hit that mark just on the YA, which should certainly be doable.

Even with all that, I might not find an agent for either of these projects. Then what, you ask?

Good question. There are small presses around the country (indeed, around the world) that work directly with authors who don’t have agents. A lot of them are good, reputable companies focusing on a narrow, specific literary niche. I could also go the indie publishing route. (I’ve done that before. It’s… a lot of work, some of which I’m not very good at, to be honest.)

Those are two options. The third option is to put them in a drawer and move on to the next thing. That may seem disheartening, given all the time and effort I’ve expended on these two manuscripts, but I don’t think that renders them without merit. It depends on how you measure the worth of something. I certainly learned a lot in the process of writing these two books, and I have a lot of affection for my main characters. I’ve certainly spent a lot of time with them.

In a way, I’ve already moved on. I’m writing a holiday novella and am working on an idea for another YA novel, not to mention a raft of short stories in various stages of completion. Thankfully, there will always be stories to tell, and I haven’t run out of ideas or time yet.

And that’s all for now. See you in... December? How is it almost the end of the year already?