Monday, November 16, 2009

An Open Letter To Writers Looking For An Agent

Dear Writers,

Please never, never make the mistake of thinking you're having a different experience from anyone who's sold their book.

I queried four different books before I got an agent. I got form rejections and personalized rejections and partial requests and partial rejections and full requests and full rejections. I went through it all. It sucked.

I haven't forgotten it. I'm never going to forget it.

We're only different because we've had luck you haven't had. You could get an agent tomorrow. You don't know. Hell, I didn't wake up the morning I got my agent with some feeling that something big was going to happen.

When you work hard, success falls on you no matter if it's an up day or a down day or a Saturday or a Tuesday. You have to believe it will come. You have to not think I'm some level you're not.

You're the reason I blog. Because, Jesus, can we lift the veil and show you that published authors don't sparkle like vampires? We're just you, but lucky. And you NEVER KNOW when you'll be one of us.

Believe, believe believe. DON'T LET THE BASTARDS GET YOU DOWN. Especially when those bastards are us.

Love you.

8 comments:

Steph Bowe said...

I sparkle like a vampire. fyi.
But still, good post.

hannah moskowitz said...

aren't you still on sub?? faker.

jk i love you. and I totes believe in your sparkles.

Ashe said...

That was possibly what I just needed, I've been stressing about agents lately.

Suzanne Young said...

Great post, Hannah!

Amna said...

Have I recently told you how awesome you are?
No, well you are.

Marie said...

Great post! I love your "tell it like it is" attitude. I will definitely keep believing. :)

Megan said...

Gah, can this also apply to writers with agents who have not sold a book?

Megan said...

*not sold a book yet

You've got me all optimistic, ha ha.