Be Realistic. It’s a Tough Market Right Now.

Talked to agent Andrea Hurst yesterday and the conversation turned to the current state of the market. According to Andrea, things are tough out there. The publishing business is in no way immune to the recession going on and it's difficult to sell books. To paraphrase her: How good are a new author's chances when agents are having trouble selling the work of their established authors? Eek.

Agent Rachelle Gardner, who specializes in Christian work, echoed the concern, saying times are tight.

The point is: Don't get discouraged if you're having trouble finding an agent right now. It's a tough time. When you've got agents spending more time than usual trying to sell the work of their client list, that doesn't leave a whole lot of time for them to be reading queries. Just tell yourself: It's a bad time right now; this will pass.

Keep your chin up!