I'm very excited and want to share something. Hopefully this doesn't come off as being overly-braggish (<--- My blog, I can make up words if I want to.) but I couldn't think of a topic for today, and I want to share.
So, we're all familiar with the nervous jolt that comes from putting ourselves out there, right? We write our hearts out, whittle our opuses down to those less than 300 word blurbs and send them off. Maybe they strike a chord with agents, maybe they don't. It's subjective, and all that...
I'm in a slightly different boat at the moment.
Some of you may remember the post I put up about my YA Contemporary WIP "Premeditated" and how it was one of the queries featured on Query Shark. I'd subbed the query to LaShark to see if the unconventional structure was off-putting or intriguing. She voted for intriguing.
I thought "Great! When the MS is ready to go, then I'll have something that can grab agents' attention! Woo Hoo!" There was much confetti tossing in my head (as real confetti tossing tends to get my laptop gummy).
Then something (wonderfully) strange happened: I got a read request. Without querying.
I thought "This is cool!" (Yes, my thoughts are usually marked by overuse of parentheses and exclamation points; you get used to it.)
The requests keep coming, including interest from an editor. At least one of the agents in question is someone I hadn't thought about querying before. (I do the obligatory Googlefu on the ones I don't recognize by name.)
Now, I'm in the place where I know people are intrigued (so there's no excusing a "no" as lack of interest... *meep*...) and I feel like I'm on a deadline to get the changes finished before their interest wanes. (*double meep*)
I still haven't queried it (It's getting a face lift because one of the background characters slapped me upside the head and told me I was an idiot for the way I resolved her storyline.) And................ (*deep breath*) Premeditated was my "back up" WIP that I intended to finish after Arclight.
It's nerve-wracking and terrifying and (surprisingly) still awesome. I may even be freaking out just a little.
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Good luck! Well done and please don't let this burst your bubble but do keep in mind the actual submission process can be lengthy. But other than that...
WOOOHOOO YOUR STORY OFFICIALLY ROCKS!!!
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Oh, I know the actual process can take months, but everything feels like it's on its head at the moment. It's surreal.
:-P
AWESOME!! Congrats on nailing the intrigue :D Hope everything works out for the best!
YOU ARE AWESOME. I saw your query on Query Shark and it totally rocked. Word of advice: If you have interest now, YOU WILL STILL HAVE INTEREST. Don't rush the revisions in fear of losing interest from the agents and editors. They will still be interested in, say, 6 months from now (or however long it takes you to revise). I read that from an agent's blog once and I think it's true. They won't forget about you!!
I loved this query when I read it on Query Shark. I just clicked on your Premeditated excerpt above and it's just as awesome. I remember seeing it on an AW SYW post before. It's so wonderfully polished now! I'd love to read more if you ever run out of critique partners. Otherwise, I may just have to buy it off the shelf one day! Good luck!
The not rushing is definitely the thing I have to remind myself of most often. It's tempting, when things move quickly, to get caught up in the momentum of it all.
*chants*
Novels are not flash fiction... novels are not flash fiction... novels are not flash fiction...
:-P
Congratulations. This is what being a writer is about--bragging. I mean, what other people on earth think that what they write everybody else should want to read. :-)
Josin - It's so hard not to rush! Especially when you've got as much interest as you have! But remember you want them to see the best you've got. (What you've got posted on your website is excellent, by the way!)
This sounds awesome. I hope you get a book deal.
Woohoo!!!! That is amazing! Congratulations! Take your time with the revisions (they will still be interested) and enjoy walking around with a big goofy smile!
I've said all along that you would not only get published, but would become quite successful. I know it's early and no one wants to get *too* excited, but ... Congratulations and I hope there's a huge bidding war for the book. :)
I loved your query as well. Send out a notice that you're still editing/revising at the moment and ask if you can re-open the connection in a few months. I'm sure they'll say yes. It's good enough to wait for! If not, that's not someone you want to be represented by to begin with. :)
Josin, your post isn't overly braggish (you mean it's not a word?) at all. I was blown away by your homerun over at Query Shark and hoped that your novel would be as strong as that query.
Having read some of your exerpts on Nathan's blog, your spot on critiques of others' works (I'm mostly a lurker over there), and finally today, your first page of Premeditated, I can't help but believe that not only have you written a great YA novel, but you have an exciting future ahead of you.
I wish you all the best and can't wait to read more about your journey!
Congratulations, and I really hope to read Premeditated in the not too distant future.
So very cool. I don't understand why you're surprised and shocked though. The rest of us aren't!!
Well done! I saw the query on query shark and thought it was great. It's surprising how and where we get noticed online. I've always liked your comments.
I don't understand why you're so shocked! The query letter was amazing, and I *really* want to read it~ I've been lurking around you blog for a while (hehe, I'm a bit antisocial) and I just decided to post today! Enjoy your attention and I'm sure the agents won't forget you!
Josin,
I read your query on the Shark's blog, and it was fabulous! It made me want to race out and buy your book at once - so hurry up and publish it, hey? ;)
I'm not surprised that word got around, and agents were querying you instead! It's great news, and you should be completely braggish!
WooHoooo! Congratulations! I'm sure it's nerve wracking, but still, Awesome!
Congratulations, Josin! Take it as a blessing and run with it. Best wishes for the future and happy writing :-)
Thanks guys.
This is one reason I love having a blog. When something happens that you really really really want to run and share, there's a place to do it where you don't have to wait for a break in the conversation.
:-P
Hopefully I'll have some more good news to share soon!
(And I think this is the first time I've gotten 20 comments on a post ever!)
This is so exciting! Best of luck.
Totally awesome Josin. Keep up those revisions; they will sell the novel for you. I'm glad to see souch interest in your work.
BTW, I love the look of your blog. Quite snazzy :)
........dhole
Whoo, you go girl! :) I wish I had as much persistence as you regarding editing/revising/late-nights-typing-into-literary-abandon.
I totally googled you from Query Shark! And I'm not surprised you're getting requests! Hell yeah! And congrats!
I thought I was following you already, so I've missed this whole conversation. I saw the query before you sent it to LaShark and saw it on her blog. I totally celebrated with you.
So, how is it going with the revisions and possible nibbles?
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