Being that I hope to query soon, I wanted to talk about what happens after you sign with an agent. Now, I don't have an agent...yet. :) I'm working hard towards that. So when I read this post, my heart sank. Most of us may think that once we get our awesome agent, our problems are over, birds will sing, the flowers will seem a little more vibrant, and we may feel like we are walking on air. I have thought this and for the most part this does happen. You see the celebrations on blogs, giveaways, etc. It happens and I get all excited (and a little jealous) of those folks. It's great to see dreams come true. But what happens after the party settles?
Now, I know a few folks who have been through this. Once you get your agent that is super awesome and you can go to him/her for anything, you may even hang out together (this is kind of my dream, people). The typical progression may be-- your agent sends you revisions (sometimes lots of them) to ready your baby for submission. Once your agent is satisfied, then submission to publishers it is. This process can be long or short depending on your journey. Once you land that book deal, more revisions may occur, then it's onto getting a real book. I'm sure I'm missing some steps, and this is probably the smoothest publishing story ever (it's a dream), so leave anything you would like to add in the comments on that. Like I said, I'm no where near this stage, I'm just giving a brief overview of the process.
But what happens when the agent deal isn't what you expected? What if you don't click with that agent after you sign the contract? What if that agent never really seems interested? What if they never submit your work?
I read this post from Candace Ganger and it got me thinking. This isn't the first time I've read something like this and I wonder how you can avoid it. How can someone really know if the agent is right for them? Sure research, but what if that's not enough? Trust your gut, yes, but is there any other way this heart break can be avoided?
I'm looking to see what your thoughts are. I know there are some sites that may help Query tracker, Guide to Literary Agents, Agent query, etc. I know I'm missing some. But what if these don't give you enough info?
Where do you go?
Let me know what you think.
I also extended the date for my Lipstick Laws Contest. Ends June 23rd. So you have a few more days to enter.
Thanks and have a great weekend!
