Guest Author: Donna Hole

May 2010
Vol. 1, No. 5

ASPIRING WRITER

AjFrye, a blog friend and follower, had a post entitled IS IT TIME where she explored her decision to stop revising her WIP and send it out into the scary world of potential publication.  Her assertion that “Writers are instilled with
enough self-doubt to prevent them from ever believing their story is good enough” reminded me of two of Agent Nathan Bransford’s You Tell Me posts:  HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR NOVEL IS REALLY FINISHED and HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE “AM I CRAZIES”.
Kilt Romance Reading Map - Central 2008Aj posed some very deep questions:  So, are you querying? How did you know it was time? Are you still deciding if it is time? What is holding you back?
When I realized my response was longer than the roughly 1400 characters allowed on a blog comment, I began to really scrutinize my answer.  Here’s what I came up with.
I sent out about three queries for NOT HER MOTHER’S FATE.  This was back when it was still titled CHASING THE DREAM, and I’d hoped to market it as a romance novel.
The first time I queried CHASING THE DREAM  I submitted to Harlequin Everlasting directly (yes, they accept unagented material) because my novel sounded like something I could fit into the basic scenario they were looking for. (hmm, not finding the specific link so here’s e-Harliquin and  you can navigate the site  http://www.eharlequin.com/)
I was rejected. 
Reject_2127Rightly so, for two reasons.  First because it was submitted way too soon in the writing process (looking back, it was barely out of draft condition) and second because I really hadn’t done the research necessary for proper querying.
Although Harlequin had the standard "its not right for us" reasoning, the letter also included some specifics on what made it inappropriate for the series.  Few writers get such enlightening feedback from either agents or publishers.  And after reading it all through (it was so apt and clear I didn’t even cry over my first ever rejection) I asked myself some very basic questions about where I really wanted my story to go.  And I realized CHASING THE DREAM was never going to be right for their publication.  Because the story I wanted to tell wasn’t what this particular House published.
Next was an on-line query that netted me an Agency.  Yay!  I filled out a questionnaire and before 24 hours had passed I’d found a reputable (sounding) agent.  A subsidiary publisher that assured me they were not a self publishing agency.  (I’d learned enough about the publishing process to know I didn’t want to self publish.) 
The solicitation included (paraphrased) assurances that they did not get paid unless my novel sold to a publishing house, and they took great pains in scrutinizing the authors they accepted into their program.  I was just the sort of talented author their company specialized in working with.
I submitted a short synopsis and samples (first 3 or 5 pages) of my novel and they were delighted with my writing skills.  (Several years ago I entered a course on children’s writing with the same basic scenario.  I was the best they’d ever seen.  This flaw entered my mind, but I didn’t want to think I could be sucked in again.)  Skeptical but desperate to believe in my talent, I read all the propaganda and signed a one year contract.
Within three months I was questioning the Agency’s commitment, as they kept recommending persons for me to pay a discount fee to read and offer feedback on my writing.  Yes, they were shopping the novel, but I later learned that none of the agents at the agency had ever read the novel. 
Over the course of our relationship, my questions got more specific; and they eventually admitted that they did not ever read an author’s manuscript, but trusted the writer to know at what stage of development their novel was at, and if the author thought their work still needed some polishing, the agency would put them in contact with writing mentors.  For a fee.
MoneyI invested over $500 into my publishing prospects before I allowed my exclusive contract to lapse.
Now, I’m an optimist; and I quickly realized that this was not a typical agent experience.  I’d done some online research, bought a few self help books worth the money, and attended the Mendocino Coast Writer’s Conference where I had a one-on-one consultation with Red Hen Press Agent Kate Gale.
Although I feel strongly I will never be a client of Red Hen Press, the extra $50 I spent for the 30 minute one-on-one consultation was some of the best money I ever spent for my writing career.  Because I knew, without any modicum of doubt, this was not the genre for me.  Ms Gale didn’t say I had no prospect as a writer; she made recommendations on how to improve my writing craft; books that were similar to my novel; and an invitation that if I followed all her recommendations, to send her a query and reference the consultation and she would again evaluate my suitability for her agency.
At roughly year three of my authorship, I had a concrete direction for my novel.  I started the revision process in earnest for the first time.  And ended up with a trilogy.
I knew it was time to query the first novel again because I found myself changing words and not making the story better; just worded differently.  Change for the sake of change.
Over the last two years of serious querying I’ve received four rejections.   Sad list, I know.  Most aspiring author’s I am acquainted with have at least 50 rejections in their portfolio’s at this length of writing time (come July it will be 5 years since I first set word to document).
My answer to the question what’s holding you back?
Intimidation, of course.  The fear of actually succeeding.  Facing scrutiny of the wider public.  The very thing that makes me an “aspiring writer”.
Guest Author Donna Hole is a frequent blogger, aspiring author, and a member of the Chico Writers Group. Read her full bio [here].

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