I queried for three and a half years before I signed with an agent. And I queried three different books. And during those years, I felt as though signing with an agent was an impossible dream, something that would take a miracle to make happen.
And then, almost exactly three and a half years after I started querying, the miracle happened.
I was at the vet with my first baby, Pinot (who passed away in Feb 2020) when I got the email asking for The Call. What is The Call? That’s when an agent asks to have a phone call with you, because they either want to offer rep and want to feel you out, or just are so interested in your book that they want to talk to you. Pinot was in my arms when I randomly checked my emails. When I saw the email from Rachel Brooks of BookEnds Literary, I almost dropped Pinot. Because Rachel was asking for a call. And I started hyperventilating.
But you’ll be happy to know I didn’t drop Pinot. Pinot gave me kisses instead. She had been with me for every step of my writing journey, always by my side for almost every word I’ve written. She was with me for every rejection, offering solace when they just kept rolling in. And now, it only seemed fitting that she was with me when the first part of my dreams was coming true.
I am a part of many writing groups, including the #Berkletes, debut authors from Berkley/Penguin Random House. And some of them signed with their agent on their first book. One even signed within one week of querying! This is almost unheard of. Most of the querying stories I’ve heard are that it took years and multiple books to find an agent.
So if you are in the query trenches right now and despairing, hold on to the thought that one day your miracle could happen too. I did. I think it was my sheer stubbornness not to give up and to keep writing and submitting that made my miracle happen. And I now have the perfect agent for me and my debut, The Tiger Mom’s Tale coming out July 6, 2021 with my dream imprint. Miracles do happen!
