Here I am ... on my third romance novel, and once again searching for a literary agent. I went through the whole rigorous process of sending out queries for my first novel, Whispers in Time, and then again for my second, The Devil Rogue. I bought books like The Writer’s Handbook and Guide to Literary Agents. I searched the internet for advice on how to write the perfect query letter. I researched the list of agents that matched my genre, visited their websites for submission guidelines, and even created a spreadsheet to keep track of which agent I contacted, the date the query was sent, and their response (rejections).
After so many rejections, I decided to publish myself. I registered an account with a reputable book printer, purchased a block of ISBN's, designed my own book covers, formatted the interior, and I was on my way. I had two books out on the market, for sale by Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and a slew of other online book retailers. I did a few book signings, and didn't do too bad ... until I started getting returned books.
Boy did my bubble burst!
Little did I know what the consequences would be when the books that didn't sell began to come back to me … kinda like the acid-reflux I get from an especially garlicky plate of spaghetti.
Well anyway, the experience brought me back to that original know-in-my-gut-this-is-what-I-really-want yearning to stand out against the thousands clamoring to get their manuscripts published.
So I continue my quest to find an agent who will, by way of a query with a great hook, ask for my manuscript, will love said manuscript, and then make an offer to represent me. But that won’t be the end of it. My new, super-talented agent will have to find a publisher willing to take on this new author.
It all begins with that all-important query letter.
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