Life in the slush pile
A decade of trying to land a literary agent
Out of curiosity, I searched Gmail for the first book I ever wrote. The title - I’m 72% Sure I Love. The novel was a romantic comedy about a twentysomething that goes on a bachelor party and runs into his ex… Ok, it doesn’t matter. The book was awful. But being twenty-three and completely disillusioned, I thought this novel was going to launch me into superstardom.
Crazy enough, I found my first-ever rejection letter from 2009.
FIRST REJECTION
Dear Kyle,
Thank you for thinking of me with this project; I appreciate the chance to have a look (you win today's Best Title Award for sure). I'm sorry to say I won’t be pursuing representation at this time, but I hope you have every success in finding the perfect agent and publisher for your work.
Truth be told, that book didn’t land an agent OR see the light of day. Thank God! Nor did the next one. Thank God! Or the next one. At least that novel was a little better. In fact, over twelve years, I’ve queried nine different projects and I’ve had ZERO offers of representation. If you’re a writer, I’m sure you feel my pain. The statistics are not in our favor. Most agents receive over 1,500 queries (book pitches) per month, and they only offer representation to a handful of clients per year.1 For most, getting discovered out of this slush pile takes time, persistence, and insane resilience.
I’ve been close, oh so close. In 2018, I knew I had something good. The book was She Died Famous and after winning an Editor’s Award at a Writer’s Conference, agents were getting back to my left and right. There was one agent in particular that I hit it off with. She loved my first pages, and after a promising Zoom session, I sent her the entire manuscript with high hopes. A month later, her email came in while I was at the gym. With my stomach in knots and my heart beating out of my chest, I sat down at a nearby bench to open it.
It was a rejection.
Long-winded and full of positive remarks, but a rejection.
The email is in the footer if you care to read2
I have a pretty standard routine after a major rejection (my wife can attest). I’m usually gloomy and sulky for a day, then I pick myself up and get back to work. But that rejection. It was the final one in a string of close calls. After a decade of trying to land an agent, I was at the end of my line. I remember breaking down in the car, screaming at God. Why did you put this dream on my heart? I had sacrificed so many hours, so much time. Was it time to give up? Was it over?
A few weeks later, after some hard truths, I made a decision. I was going to stop waiting to be picked. I was going to choose myself. Putting out She Died Famous was one of those most rewarding experiences of my life. It taught me so much about the business of publishing. It showed me that writers could truly find their audience and tribe with our without a publisher. It also allowed me to reflect on my author career with much more clarity.
The truth is, I never asked myself the most important question of all - WHY DID I WANT AN AGENT. Because if I was honest with myself, it was less about the utility and more about validation. I needed someone to tell me that I was a writer. That all the sacrifices I made, all the shitty jobs I worked, all the early mornings and late nights were worth it. But I never asked the most important question — Did I believe in myself? And only after I took a real chance on myself did I get an answer to that question.
As I prepare for my next launch, something has shifted in me once again. As a new father, with another one on the way, I have a different motivation. I want my kids to know that if you find your gifts and passions in life, you can earn a living doing what you love. That no matter what obstacle stands in your path, you must find a way to move forward. I know I’m exactly where I need to be.
Thank you, Brenton Gieser, for the prompt this week.
Book Launch Update
In the previous newsletter, I discussed experimenting with serial fiction. To market the new book, I’m going to release a six-chapter prequel, a 100-pages novella. Serializing this novella means I will release one chapter every week in a newsletter format. My goal is to release the cover by Nov 15th and the first chapter on December 1st. I’m also working to do something cool for marketing. It involves TikTok, true crime podcasts, and a viral marketing stunt. I’ll keep you posted as the plan materializes.
NFT Update
No surprise, I’ve made the decision to launch an NFT project with my newest book. As you might have caught on, I’m passionate about the future of NFT’s. I truly believe that artists and authors can utilize this technology to build community and develop their intellectual property. My thought is to launch eleven (it’s a special number in the book) unique collectibles that will come with all sorts of perks.
The Died Famous Universe is very important to me, and an NFT project will allow me to reward the collectors and readers who take a chance on me. I’m also excited to jump in and learn, and there’s no better way to learn than to actually do it. I can’t wait to share this part of the journey with you. For those who are interested in this being your first NFT, I would be honored to walk you through the entire process!
Author News & Resources
Grand Central Publishing Purchases Colleen Hoover’s, Self Published Book, Verity.
Colleen Hoover getting a big publishing deal is no news. But I do think this is a celebration for the entire indie community. For those who don’t know, Hoover self-published her psychological thriller, Verity, in 2018. This book became a viral sensation, selling over 900,000 ebooks and print copies, and is currently developing at Amazon Studios. The book was published directly through Amazon’s self-publishing platform, KDP. When I published She Died Famous, this book was a huge inspiration and was the reason I selected the $5.99 ebook pricing.
TAKEAWAY
Sure, not all of us have a Hoover-sized platform. But those self-published numbers are further proof that Amazon is blurring the lines between traditional and indie titles. Amazon has all the tools and resources an author needs to have a breakout hit. Indie authors can create audiobooks, paperback, and now, KDP has rolled out hardback options and access to publisher-only marketing tools, including A+ content.
What I’m reading
Reading: This is not a T-Shirt by Bobby Hundreds
Bobby Hundreds is an artist and entrepreneur and someone who knows how to build community. He recently launched an NFT project called The Adam Bomb Squad. He is an example of someone who is utilizing this new technology to bolster and reward his community. There are social meetups, free merchandising, access to sales and so much more.
Experiments this week.
Join Adam Bomb Squad NFT community
I’m going to buy my third NFT and join Bobby Hundreds’ Adam Bomb Squad community! Seeing what Bobby has done in this space is a huge inspiration, and I can’t wait to join his community of misfits and creatives. It’ll be fun to learn and engage in the community he’s spent decades building.
For those curious, below is the NFT I purchased. It’s as close to the Died Famous universe colors as I could find. Haha.
Partner with Local Film College
I’m trying to partner with a local film college to shoot a promotion for the serial novel I’ll be releasing next month. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
Thanks for checking out my newsletter! If you know another author or creative who would enjoy this, please share. It means the world to me.
SOURCE: https://literary-agents.com/odds-of-getting-a-literary-agent/
Life in the slush pile
As someone who's been rejected quite a few times as well, and looking into doing more self-publishing, this was very helpful and motivating to read.
Thank you. :)
Oh, do I FEEL that rejection in my bones. I got so many emails like that from editors, and eventually, my agent just stopped forwarding them to me. I resisted self-publishing for so long. I got close to the "real thing," so I figured I'd hold out. And, yes, I wanted the validation and the marketing support. But, that marketing support is a bit of a myth, from what I've heard. And now I'm actually seeing the independent route as one filled with opportunities to experiment. Plus, it's not like this MS is making me any money or gaining me any followers collecting dust on my hard drive. Might as well try something!