With all the complaining that goes on about the publishing industry, editors, and literary agents, I wanted to share with you some good news: there are still kind, effective literary agents out there who care about writers and want to nurture writer’s careers. My current literary agent is attentive, believes in my work and keeps me posted on where my manuscripts are.
She is also encouraging (she thinks I have a “monumental amount of talent” —anyone who says that is a friend for life) and has given me her cell phone number, which I think is virtually unheard of in agent-land. I do not abuse this privilege, although I have programmed it in my phone so when “the call” comes in that something has sold, I will see her name come up on the screen and have the adrenaline rush that comes with really great, “you’ve beat the odds” news.
She is marketing two of my latest manuscripts. One is a young adult novel called The Secret Sense of Wildflower. The other is a humorous middle grade novel, for readers 10 and up, called How Early Riser Overthrew the Confederacy and Saved Paris France. Both would be classified as Southern fiction. (I am a Southerner, after all.)
God love her, she even removes the “rejection” parts of the rejection letters, so I actually feel good about the comments from the editors who decided to pass! Here is her latest email to me:
Just to keep you up to date, Early Riser is currently with three publishers and Wildflower is with two. You may be encouraged to know that even the ones who have passed on it have had wonderful things to say:
*I really thought this was a lovely manuscript. The writing style is amazing. What an authentic voice. She manages to be poetic without being overwritten, which is no easy feat. (Wildflower)
*What terrific writing! As you say, it’s quite ready-to-go. Strong, well-defined characters. Beautiful, clear descriptions. (Wildflower)
* I can see why it appealed to you. The telling has a lot of Southern charm, and though the subject matter is important, the story never became heavy. (Early Riser)
As you know, it’s all a matter of matching the right manuscript to the right editor, and we will do that soon!
So if you’re looking for a literary agent and haven’t had much luck, don’t give up. There are still some really good literary agencies and agents out there.
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Wow, sounds nice.
I hope my rejections are so gentle.