The “How I got my Agent” post has become somewhat of a thing in writing circles. After all, getting an offer of representation is a milestone worthy of celebration, and many authors take the opportunity to share their experience in the query trenches, give helpful advice, and encourage others to keep on slogging.
I planned to do the same, but when the long-awaited day finally came and the wonderful Becky LeJeune of Bond Literary Agency offered representation, anxiety kicked in about two nanoseconds after the initial elation faded. Kind of a “Woohoo! Aaaaaannnd…nope” situation.
Maybe it was because I’m a bit older and more realistic (read, jaded), or because childhood bullies taught me to knock myself down before anyone else could (still hurts, but at least you see it coming). Or maybe it was because I grew up in family where pride (read, feeling good about your accomplishments, or anything, really) was subconsciously seen as bad luck; just asking for the world to kick you down a peg or two. Whatever the reason, the moment the virtual ink on the contract was dry, I started worrying that doing a “How I got my Agent” post would be bad luck, that my success wasn’t “real” until I actually sold a book. (Yeah, I know. Anxious thought make no sense.)
In my defence, there was a grain of truth behind the cognitive distortions. Having an agent is no guarantee of selling a book, just as selling one book is no guarantee of selling another. Great stories go unsold, editors and agents leave the business, and even seasoned, published authors end up back in the query trenches through no fault of their own. There are no straight paths in publishing. It’s a never-ending labour of love marked by long slogs, frequent setbacks, nonsensical back-tracks, and – if the stars align and the right manuscript lands in the right hands and the right time – the occasional success. But let’s be honest; it wasn’t practicality that kept me from celebrating my success, it was anxiety, pure and simple – a deep-seated and completely illogical fear that sharing my wins would jinx my future. (Anxious thoughts are weird little bastards, aren’t they?)
Well, now my dark fantasy novel RISE FROM THESE DARK WATERS is coming out from Bad Hand Books in 2026, and, while I’m still anxious (because of course I am), I have no excuse. So, without further ado, here’s a bare bones look at my query journey; even more proof that publishing is never a straight road.
- Queries sent: 146, over two different books
- Partial requests: 7
- Full requests: 19
- Rewrites: 2 major (including a switch from 3rd to 1st person), and innumerable minor
- Rewrites of query package: 3-4, per novel. If I didn’t get at least one request after 10-20 queries, I revised my query letter.
- Offers of representation: 1
- Sales so far:
- 17 original short stories
- 3 short story reprints
- 1 novel (Note: Becky’s offer of representation came on Book # 2, but it’s Book # 1 we sold first)
- Written in the interim (i.e., between rewrites & while querying and on sub); a pile of short stories, 6 additional novels (5 of which my agent has yet to see), and 1 novella.
Do I have any advice to offer? Only that everyone’s road is different, and the only way to succeed in trad pub is to keep trying. Also:
- Do celebrate each others’ successes; other authors are our allies, not our competition, and no one outside the writing community will understand the highs and lows of publishing.
- Do get outside eyes on your manuscript and query package. That doesn’t mean you have to hire an editor, but it does mean finding someone willing to review. Join a writers’ group, trade beta-reads with other authors, or ask a trusted friend…whatever it takes to ensure someone finds those three times you misspelled “canyons” as “crayons”, before you send your MS out…
- Do make use of online resources like the archives of the late, great Janet Reid’s Query Shark site. https://queryshark.blogspot.com/ (Best query advice there is, hands down)
- Do join a writing community, whether IRL or online.
- Do celebrate the milestones (i.e., don’t be me!) Sent a query? That’s a win. Got a form rejection instead of a ghost-pass? A win. Personalized rejection? Pure gold! Request? A win! Break out the ice cream! Offer of representation? WIN! Out on Sub? Distract yourself with cookies (and writing the next thing, but mostly cookies). Book Deal? Party! And cake!
Ghosts, Zombies, and other Fun Things 