I’m an agented writer on submission to publishers. This puts
me in a kind of Limbo-esque state. There’s a thousand blogs on how to get an
agent. They cover everything from how to write a query letter to what kind of
shoes to wear. No one tells you what to do in-between.
So for all you writers trying to get an agent, I should let
you in on a little fact about having one.
IT DOESN’T MAKE PUBLISHING ANY FASTER.
Even though she’s tried her hardest, and is the awesome
cherry on top of the hot fudge sundae, she can’t move editors to make them read
your stuff faster. They’ll get to it, oh yes. But, it will be on their own
schedule. I’m very lucky to have an agent who is experienced, and also a
published author. She understands the strain a writer is under while on
submission to New York publishing houses.
Not that I whine or am a great-big-sissy-nag. (Okay, maybe a
little bit.)
So what I’ve learned is that editors, like agents, have a
boatload of clients. They (also like agents) put their clients first. So new
submissions are at the bottom of a rather long list of jobs, and like agents
with queries, they’re for extra time between editing, marketing, and any other
mysterious editor-job I don’t know about.
The thing to remember is that everyone in publishing needs
eyes and time to read. The more you gnaw on the fact, the crazier you feel, and
the less productive you are. Your best bet is to try your hardest with the
manuscript and then let it go and get busy with the next one. Don’t set your heart
one story. Jump your brain around inside that pretty head and find something
new to write.
