How I Got My Agent, Part III: The Call

So. I've already discussed my querying timeline and writing a one-line pitch for my manuscript. 

Now let's talk about The Call. 

November 2015: Even though Linda emailed me on Thanksgiving Day, I didn't see her email until three days later. THREE DAYS. *face palm* I quickly wrote back saying that, indeed, I'd love to schedule a chat with her. We agreed on a date. I tried not to get too excited, seeing as my manuscript wasn't complete. Well, the old version was, but I'd started a brand new one. No chance I'd get offered representation with a manuscript in such a state.

December 2, 2015: Linda calls me to discuss revisions. We talked about my manuscript's new direction, our favorite books, diversity in YA fiction, my job as a college instructor, and life in Puerto Rico. I also pitched three other manuscript ideas I had. Linda sounded super enthusiastic about them (!!!). After an hour of awesome conversation, Linda told me she enjoyed speaking with me and hearing about my revision plan for the manuscript.

Then she said, "I would love to offer you representation."

COMMENCE THIRD AND FINAL FREAKOUT.

I can't remember how long my silence lasted, but Linda was gracious enough to carry on as I fainted on the inside. I proceeded to ask her some standard questions for when agents offer rep, as well as some questions of my own. To be honest, I don't even know why I interviewed her. My mind had already been made. So after Linda answered my questions, I accepted her offer of rep (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

And now we've reached the end of this tale, my friends. I'm super pumped about what's next, which is a loooooot of revisions. A lot. Did I mention a lot? Because a lot.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must go finish a celebratory donut. It would be unwise to tell you how many I've eaten in the last month.


Happy holidays!

How I Got My Agent, Part II: The Pitch

So. I've already shared a timeline and my query stats in Part I. Today I'm talking about The Pitch that saved my life. 

I ended my last post like this:

October 2015: Linda emails me out of the blue to ask how revisions are coming along.

I don't think there's an emoji that could accurately represent the sound that came from my lips. It was a happy noise of happiness. And panic. Panicked happiness. I was thrilled that she remembered my lil' old manuscript and that she wanted to see if I was still alive. I was also panicked because I hadn't done a thing to revise it. So I did some heavy brainstorming and light plotting.

The problem? The draft Linda read didn't speak to me anymore. I wanted to write a different story with the same characters and world. The new version hit me hard. It wouldn't let me go. So I sat down and worked on a one-line pitch.

Confession: I love writing one-line pitches. This one poured out of me, even though I was still unsure of sending it to Linda. She did contact me because of the previous version. I had no guarantee that pitching a different story was going to be a sound decision. I did it anyway. After polishing the one-line pitch, I wrote back to Linda.

She gave me the thumbs-up.

She told me to revise to my heart's content and keep her updated on how revisions were coming along. The plan was to send her the new manuscript once it was ready.

So I started revising. That one-line pitch served as my inspiration to go full force on this story. I wrote five chapters and had started a sixth.

November 2015: (Thanksgiving Day, to be precise) Linda emails me to schedule a chat.

COMMENCE SECOND FREAKOUT.

On my next and final post, I'll talk about The Call and signing with my agent. *flails*

Happy weekend!

How I Got My Agent, Part I: A Timeline & Query Stats

So. Earlier this week, I threw an agent announcement party with y'all. Today I'm sharing the story of how I got my agent. Mind you, I didn't spend a ton of time querying, and I'll explain why below. But first, let's begin with some stats:

From first draft to query-ready draft: 3 years

First query sent: April 2015

Total queries sent: 12

Full requests: 4

Full rejections: 4

Full rejections w/feedback: 2

Stopped querying to revise: July 2015

Out of the two agents who sent me super helpful feedback, Linda was one of them. I (shyly) asked if she'd be interested in reading the revised manuscript once it was ready. To my surprise and excitement, she said yes.

The only problem? I didn't revise at all. I got sucked into a vortex of self-doubt and panic. I felt like my manuscript's premise wasn't innovative or original enough. Yes, the writing was good, but not great. There was too much backstory. I had characters with motivations left to clarify. There was just nothing that screamed SNATCH ME UP too loudly.

So I put off revisions and went on with my life. I did brainstorm from time to time, but never sat down to actually work on those new ideas.

October 2015: Linda emails me out of the blue to ask how revisions are coming along.

COMMENCE FREAKOUT. 

So. On my next post, I'll write about what happened after that super awesome email. It will contain lots of exclamation points and Caps Lock. Because obviously.

Have a lovely day!!

Breaking News: I Have An Agent!!

So. I'm here today to make an announcement. 

What announcement, you ask? 

I HAVE AN AGENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*flails*

I'm now represented by the super awesome Linda Camacho of Prospect Agency! 

*flails even harder*

I'll totally share my querying (and signing with Linda!!) story at a later time, but for now, REJOICE. You get to eat cyber pizza, ice cream, and cake with me! Not as good as the real thing, but no worries. I'll eat all of it on your behalf. :)   

Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to flailing. I don't think I've done enough of that. 

*flails forever*

Operation Awesome's New Year's Revisions Conference Is Here!!!

What are you doing here??? 

No, seriously. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

The party is over at Operation Awesome, where the New Year's Revisions Conference is in full swing! Now go and soak up all the awesome from our wonderful guests!

Happy Friday! :)

CONGRATS To My Operation Awesome Buddy, Angela Townsend!!

Yesterday was a pretty good day, folks.

Why?

Because THIS happened:

Angela Townsend's AMAROK, set in a remote Alaskan town, when a runaway is kidnapped by an evil man and his black wolf, whom she later discovers is a boy enslaved by an ancient shaman; she must find the strength to save herself and the wolf, and in turn discover what love truly means, to Kate Kaynak at Spencer Hill Press, by Jill Corcoran at The Herman Agency (NA). 

*break-dances*

*screams*

*dies*

HUGE congrats to Angie!!! I can't wait for y'all to read Amarok!! And I can't wait to actually hold it in my hands!!! 

You can go congratulate Angie on Twitter, and stay tuned to Operation Awesome for our celebration!!

Mystery Agent Contest: Get Those Twitter Pitches Ready!

Happy NaNo, everybody!!

*tosses confetti*

For those of you not entering NaNo this year, and have a completed manuscript, I've got great news. We're celebrating another Mystery Agent Contest over at Operation Awesome!

To enter, you need a Twitter-length pitch and the first 500 words of your manuscript.

Click here for more details.

And best of luck!!

Two Agents + One-Line Pitch Critique Contest = Reel YA!

Happy Monday, everyone!

Today's post is going to be a short one.

Why?

Because I'm over at Reel YA celebrating its first contest! 

*shimmies*

And guess what? TWO literary agents will be critiquing one-line pitches. And guess what else? Their commentaries will be posted on the blog! So everyone can soak in their awesome advice! 

*shimmies again*

Okay. Enough shimmying.

Head over to Reel YA for official contest rules and details. 

Best of luck to all who enter!

Read For Relief Auction!

When I was asked by the lovely Caroline Tung Richmond to join a relief effort for victims of Hurricane Irene, I jumped at the chance. Caroline and a few other awesome writers put together Read For Relief, an auction that kicks off today. You can win all sorts of great stuff, including signed ARCs, query critiques by agents, partial critiques by editors, and group critiques by YA Highway!

Me and the ladies of Operation Awesome are also offering a group critique--we'll be giving feedback to the first 30 pages of the winning manuscript! 

So yeah. You SO want to go to Read For Relief right now, and start bidding! 

See you there! :)

It's Mystery Agent Contest Day!!!

Once again, Operation Awesome has found a Mystery Agent!! If you have a completed manuscript and a one-line pitch, hop on over to the blog and enter. 

Your prize? A full manuscript request!

And who knows? Maybe our Mystery Agent will pick more than one winner. 

*bats eyelashes*

Best of luck to all who enter!!

April Mystery Agent Contest Starts NOW!

HURRY OVER to the Operation Awesome blog and enter your one-line pitch in the Mystery Agent contest!! The M.A. will pick one winner, who'll get a FULL MANUSCRIPT REQUEST. 

And no, it's not an April Fool's joke. Pinky swear.

See you there! Best of luck to everyone!

And have a great weekend! :)

Mystery Agent Contest Starts NOW!

Hop on over to Operation Awesome and share your Tweet-style pitch!! Our Mystery Agent wants to see the first 75 entries, so hurry up before the slots are filled! 

Best of luck to everyone!! :)

As Promised...

My review of Elana Johnson's dystopian debut, POSSESSION, is up over @ Operation Awesome!

And pretty please check out our Mystery Agent Contest tomorrow! 75 entrants will have a shot at winning a full manuscript request! See you there!

Now tell me: what did you read over the weekend??

One Huge Regret

I haven't read these books.

I haven't gotten the chance to experience L.K. Madigan's genius yet.

But I should, and I will. 

Not only was she loved by her fans, but her family and friends (including her uber-agent, Jennifer Laughran). With her (unfair) passing due to pancreatic cancer this week, I feel like crap.  So many people responded to her stories. FLASH BURNOUT won the William C. Morris Award last year, for Christ's sake.

And I haven't read her books yet.

That's going to change soon, though. 

Those babies are high on my to-read pile. Not just because Lisa was a genius with so many people who loved her.

Because I feel like I'll love her, too. 

And I never get tired of falling in love with YA authors.

Tell me: have you read FLASH BURNOUT or THE MERMAID'S MIRROR?

Mystery Agent CONTEST!

What are you waiting for?? Go nab one of the last spots on Operation Awesome's Mystery Agent Contest!!

Remember: winner gets a FULL manuscript request, and there's a little something for those who don't make the cut. Bottom line? It's worth it.


Good luck!! :)

Query, Pitch, And Agent Referral CONTESTS!!

So. Behold this list of epic awesomeness, folks. It is all about contests:

1) Operation Awesome (my other hangout) is having a Mystery Agent Contest next week!! Head over there to see what Mystery Agent is looking for in his/her slush pile, and polish that 25-word pitch until it shines. See you there on February 1st!

2) The uber-awesome Shelli Johannes of Market My Words is offering an AGENT REFERRAL to one lucky winner. Trust me--you want that referral. Oh yes, you do. Go here to check the details. 

3) My 200 Followers Contest is still on!! Deadline's tomorrow, so sign up here for a chance to win a query critique by yours truly :D

Hope you're all having a great week!

Now tell me: any other contests I haven't heard about??? Let me know!

A Query That Worked

Confession: I love queries. Writing them. Reading them. Talking about them.

That's why I gave a really loud "squee!" when I found YA author Karsten Knight's UH-MAY-ZING query for his upcoming debut novel, Wildefire. Folks, not only did this query land him his (super awesome) agent, Ms. Mary Kole, but it captures the essence and voice of his novel so. Freakin'. Well.

Don't feel like taking my word for it? Check it out for yourself here. 

Read it. Study it. Then go make sure yours is just as wonderful.

I know I'll be working on mine ;)

Now tell me: do queries make you panic? Smile? Both???

Mystery Agent Contest TODAY!!

Hop on over to the Operation Awesome site and submit your one-line pitch!

Remember: no NaNo novels, no picture books, erotica, or Christian fiction. Other than that, you're good to go. Contest will close once we have 50 entries, so hurry up!!


Best of luck to everyone!

Mystery Agent Pitch Contest Starts NOW!!

You know what time it is, folks. Operation Awesome is throwing another one-line pitch contest!!! With a mystery agent!!! Who reps YA and ADULT FICTION, too!!! And the winner gets to submit their FULL MANUSCRIPT!!!

*brain explodes*

What the heck are you still doing here? Head over to the OA blog and share your one-line pitch with us! The contest closes after we receive 50 pitches, so make sure you don't get left out!

Best of luck to all who enter!!

WriteOnCon, Baby!!

What are you doing here?? Get your cyber butt over to the super awesome WriteOnCon website! Now!

What's WriteOnCon, you ask? Oh, no big deal. Just a FREE online conference for writers. They have stuff like essays from established authors, workshops with literary agents, query critiques, and live chats with industry professionals.

It kicks off today, and the schedule is uh-may-zing. So head on over there and absorb as much as possible. Here's the link: http://writeoncon.com/

Happy writing, everybody!