Reflections on Rejections: How I Learned to Query by Working as a Lit Agency Reader
After ninety-nine rejections from agents, and then even more from publishers, Shannon Parker learned to query by interning for a literary agency. And her inspiration for never giving up? Her six-year-old son.
If You’re Feeling Down and Out About a Rejection Letter …
Consider James Lee Burke. Sure, his novels are everywhere these days. Bookstores. Airports. Bestseller lists. But here’s how they got there. As Lindsey O’Connor detailed in our profile of the author, Burke published his first story when he was 19. It did not earn him instant fame. He worked the oil fields....
LeBron’s Lessons for Authors
By Rob Eagar I’m a 5-foot, 10-inch man who can barely jump. LeBron James is 6-foot, 8-inch basketball superstar who can jump so high that people wonder if he’s human. So, we’re polar opposites on the basketball court. But, after watching LeBron win his first championship last week, I felt a...
Are Agents Just Looking for an Excuse to Reject Your Work?
Q: Doesn’t it seem like agents are just looking for excuses to reject work? —Anonymous A: Actually, the complete opposite is true. Agents don’t want to reject your work, they want to accept it and sell it to any publisher willing to take a chance—after all, that’s how they pay their...