Writing Update: Querying #5
It’s been two weeks since I last updated… What’s happened since then?
I’ve been meditating. A lot.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks, and I’ve done less writing than I’d like, but I’ve gotten caught up on all the things that I felt like I was behind on after my most recent run-in with COVID. So, I’m counting it as a win. I’ve also become intentional about my meditation practice again, and it’s been exactly what I’ve needed to manage all the busyness. I rearranged and organized my bedroom and workspace to allow for better flow, which made a huge difference visually, but I’m even more excited about how positively it will affect my work moving forward. I’m so sore and tired, but it’s worth it. Meditation is keeping me grounded and focused, thankfully.
And in the meantime, I’ve also received some more query responses.
I’VE GOTTEN MORE REJECTIONS
This now makes a total of 13 rejections so far.
I feel alright with all of them at this point… I’m still not experiencing that grief or anxiety I’d expected going into this whole process, but I’m not letting myself overthink that. It just is what it is, and I’ll consider myself fortunate to not have that added layer of stress.
There are 2 agents on my rejections list that I really respect and would love to work with, but I’ve still got several left on my pending list that I’d be thrilled to have as a partner.
I RECEIVED ANOTHER FULL REQUEST
And it wasn’t just any old request… It was my #1 agent at my #1 agency!
While I obviously hoped this agent would request to read my manuscript, getting that email was even better than I thought it’d be.
I cried, again. I’m sensing a pattern.
I had a moment of panic once the excitement settled. What if they do offer representation? My slight meltdown at the idea highlighted something I thought was interesting—apparently I’m more afraid of actually succeeding than I am of the rejection. It’s given me some things to think about, for sure.
This agent was in one of my first rounds of query letters, which means they requested based on my first (weaker) query letter. I don’t know why, but that was super encouraging!
OVERALL THOUGHTS
3 requests and 13 rejections… I’m happy with those numbers! I’d like to see more requests, obviously, but I’m also not going to complain. An 18% positive response rate is lower than I’d like, but better than I would have reasonably expected, based on what I know about querying stats.
This week is another very busy one. Two of my kids have birthdays, as does my sister-in-law. That means I’ll be sufficiently occupied as I wait for more responses to come in. I’m also taking a step back from my current WIP to focus on brainstorming another one. I draft really quickly, and I think the time away will give me the fresh perspective I need to really take this WIP where I want it to go.
While I’m typically eager to hear back from people, and don’t always exercise the most patience, I’m finding myself grateful for the current pace of querying. It’s giving me time to really process as I go, and time to do everything I need to get done this month. That said, how cool would it be to have some big news to share by the end of this month? It could happen!
Today’s date: March 11th, 2024
