Never Give Up...
Today's post is to those of you who, like me, have actually done something that so many people flippantly say they will do, but don't. You've actually written a novel. Congratulations. You have achieved something few people ever achieve. You have a lot of which to be proud. Take a moment and bask in the warm and fuzzy glow of accomplishment.
Now for some bad news. The writing of your novel was actually the easy part. Now it gets difficult. You have to construct a query letter the likes of which the agenting world has never seen. It has to be simultaneously engaging and concise. This marvel of literary accomplishment completed you then must locate an agent(s) to submit the query to, possibly accompanied by a short synopsis of your novel, which could actually be more difficult to write than the novel itself.
Brace yourself for what comes next. You will get rejected. A lot. But don't worry about it. Take it in stride. After all, the world of writing is incredibly subjective. Many best selling novels were originally rejected. Multiple times. Just to give you a little balm for the sting that is coming, consider the following.
Stephen King's Carrie was rejected 30 times before publication, Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind was rejected 38 times, Frank Herbert's Dune was rejected 23 times, and Harry Potter and Twilight were also rejected numerous times. No matter how many No's you get, you only need one Yes. So, don't give up. Stay the course. Seek solace from your fellow writers who are also struggling up the publication hill. And above all, Never Stop Writing.
