Letters home from the querying trenches by a weary writer, describing the travails of flogging a manuscript.
Essays:
Tools in the Trench
A Brief Rant About Editing
Wabbit Hunting
Commercial Enough?
Too Good to be True?
A Sharp Left
Did the Rabbit Die?
Sanity Saver?
We Create Our Rejections
Writers and the Bird
Inventing Quicksand
A Question of Style
120
Comparable
5 Things
Tappity
CPTSD and the Status Quo
Book Reviews:
Quick and Dirty or Reviews that Reveal
Newest Post
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In the Trenches: OMG- 240 days
Oh, my G*. 240 days.
240 days it took to get a reply from one agent. And that was after a nudge. Still it was a rejection, but that’s ok. At least, after 8 months I can say that query is closed.
So, why say anything, after all it’s been 2/3rds of a year, almost to the day?
A couple of reasons. First off, I think it is a really good example of just how swamped some agents are at this time.
Secondly – if like me you really need that response from the agent, yea or nay, to have that mental/emotional closure on a query I think the answer is patience pays. Not always, there are plenty of agencies out there giving the ‘ghost response’ but this is evidence, at least in my mind, that some agencies genuinely do give half a rats ass about the people who send them queries. Maybe more. But – all metaphor aside – the agent/agency is decent enough to press a button and send an automated reply saying “thanks we pass.” It’s a recognition that there is a person, a real human being, behind that query. And that, in this day of automation and AI generated schlock, is more important than I think it is given credit for being.
A simple recognition of humanity. How has that become so rare? And with all the tools at our disposal, we still find it acceptable to justify denying this tiny act of humanity by saying we are too busy.
Now that, is a sad state of affairs.
But, if there is a bright side to this, I guess it lies in the knowledge of who isn’t willing to grant that small act of human to human recognition. I suspect, agencies who practice ‘ghosting’ or who choose not to reply are agencies that I won’t query in the future.
By not doing so I’ll save myself some heartache, protect my mental health, and save them time. It’s an all around win, where everyone loses.
Photo credit:
Pexels.com/Pixabay
Blog Posts
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In the Trenches: Re-Thinking
In the Trenches: Re-thinking After a bit more exploration, I need to revise my initial opinion of the QueryTracker timeline feature.
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In the Trenches: Question, Information Overload
In the Trenches: Question, Information OverloadWhat is your method for keeping your sanity among all the bits and scraps of information you generate as a writer?
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In the Trenches: Pro-cras-tin-a-tion
In the Trenches: Pro-cras-tin-a-tion The fine art of laying about as personified by writers and their cats.
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In the Trenches: HOLD ON!
In the Trenches: HOLD ON! Well, that’s an interesting thought. I’ve just been doing a bit of navel gazing and came up with a surprising thought.
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In the Trenches: A Note on Noting
In the Trenches: A Note on Noting I have a habit of annotating my manuscripts. Thoroughly. But, just how far is too far?
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In the Trenches: Eye Opener
In the Trenches: Eye Opener Taking a bit deeper look at the types of inboxes you can find in Query Tracker. Probably working up to an essay here, but unitl then, a few thoughts.
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In the Trenches: Jon Taffer and Organic Chemistry
In the Trenches: Jon Taffer and Organic Chemistry Some days writing is a breeze. Some days writing is a chore. Anyone who tells you they adore being a writer 24/7 is either lying or they aren’t really a writer.
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In the Trenches: Lost in Limbo
In the Trenches: Lost in Limbo Yeah the last few days have not been good and that’s an understatement. Between the physical health and the mental health problems it’s not a pretty sight.
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In the Trenches: Take Two!
In the Trenches: Take Two! I dedicated a year to learning my craft, a process which is in no way finished. Fingers crossed as I try this again.
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In the Trenches: Motivation-less
In the Trenches: Motivation-less Attempting to herd the pieces of a new essay into line.
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In the Trenches: An Ill Advised Note to Neil Gaiman
In the Trenches: An Ill Advised Note to Neil Gaiman There is a great image of Neil Gaiman floating about the internet. Hold on. Let me go find it….
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In the Trenches: Friendly Questions
In the Trenches: Friendly Questions Disappointment properly applied can lead to advancement.
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In the Trenches: Data Head
In the Trenches: Data Head Data is good. I’ve been data mining into the QueryTracker timeline feature.
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In the Trenches: Forward
In the Trenches: Forward Finding the right formula for your query can be a frustration, especially when a major step is, wait.
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In the Trenches: Inventing Quicksand
In the Trenches: Inventing Quicksand The phrase ‘rich world building’, if that isn’t the ultimate invitation to do, and over do.
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In the Trenches: Cutting Bait
In the Trenches: Cutting Bait Knowing when to cut your losses and watching how others approach the question… “Is it time?”
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In the Trenches: Little Strokes
In the Trenches: Little Strokes In 6th grade I learned the phrase “Little strokes fell great oaks.” I’ve never found it more applicable than in querying.