About a week ago I had one of those moments. I know I’ve only really been on the hunt for agent for about 8 weeks, but when you really, really want something, 8 weeks can seem like forever. But one day, after receiving … nothing … I started to get really frustrated.
I mean [i]really[/i] frustrated.
One of the built in difficulties with being a writer is that the conventional way of getting published, especially as a novelist, is landing an agent, and then having your agent landingAbout a week ago I had one of those moments. I know I’ve only really been on the hunt for agent for about 8 weeks, but when you really, really want something, 8 weeks can seem like forever. But one day, after receiving … nothing … I started to get really frustrated.
I mean [i]really[/i] frustrated.
One of the built in difficulties with being a writer is that the conventional way of getting published, especially as a novelist, is landing an agent, and then having your agent landing you a publishing contract. But under this scenario, as the writer, you are at the mercy of other people, of strangers, who will decide your fate.
It’s easy to deal with if I don’t let myself get too worked up about it, but sometimes it just kills me that the potential of my success might very well rest with someone else.
[i]The potential of my success might very well rest with someone else.[/i]
Eesh. Tough one.
But who’s to say that these agents are even any good at what they do, or that they’re right? And if they are, who’s to say that they’ll get it right with me? Or if it’ll happen sooner rather than later? Or at all?
And the thing is, I’m not so thin-skinned that I can’t handle the rejection letters. I mean, I can’t say I love getting them–they don’t send me into any emotional tailspins–but they’re not the end of the world either. It’s not that someone has decided, for whatever reason, that they don’t want to represent me, but that it’s another day without me moving ahead at the pace that I want. It’s the being held back, the obstacles, even if it’s just for now.
But this is just how it is. Or is it?
This situation certainly isn’t unique to me. It’s just one of the inherent elements of this business, and as I was recently reminded, you find a way to deal with it, or you have to think about trying something else.
Which leads me to self publishing. Now, I’m not saying that I [i]should [/i]self publish FINDERS KEEPERS. I have no way of knowing whether that’s the best path to take or not. There are never any guarantees. But the possibility seems more reasonable to me now than it ever has. I don’t necessarily think it would be easier if I self published FINDERS KEEPERS and made a go of it that way, bu then again, I don’t know that it would be any harder. There are challenges no matter what I do.
At this point I’m just kicking around the idea of self publishing, as I don’t know enough about it yet. I’ve done some research, and have a lot more to do. I’m not going to just jump into a venture like that blindly. But my frustrations to this point have at least opened my eyes to possibility, and I’m grateful for that.
I don’t know yet what I’m going to do about this, but self publishing is now officially on my radar. I’ll just see what the next few months bring, and then go from there.
