Doors Close, Windows Open

You work and practice, honing your craft. You write THE novel. You know the one. That special novel where everything you’ve learned comes together into one solid piece of work.  There may have been many before it, but this one’s ready.

You research all the literary agents that represent novels like yours. You query. They request. You wait and hope.

And finally that glorious day comes when you get The Call.

An agent wants to represent your work.  An actual literary agent believes strongly enough in your mystery novel that she wants to send it out to editors with her name backing you up.

You’ve finally made it.  The door creaks open.

But the mystery doesn’t sell.  That’s pretty common, though nobody likes to talk about it. So you write another one, and your agent helps you craft it into something even more special than the first one. This is THE novel. This is the one.

And it doesn’t sell, either.

Something isn’t working and you both know it, so two years after The Call, you  and your agent sadly agree to part ways.

Devastating. You thought you had it made, and now you’re on your own again. The door slams shut.

But way back when you got that first Call, you had a phone conversation with another agent.  She didn’t offer to represent you then, because she didn’t think that first mystery would sell. The market was wrong.

She was right.

So you reconnect with her.  You send her your newest work.

And this one is special.

She agrees.  You spend an hour on the phone discussing how you’re going to make it better, shinier, more perfect.  And in the end, this agent who proved she understood the market way back when that first manuscript was on the table offers to represent you.  A window opens and a cool breeze blows in.

This time everything is right.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’m now represented by Alice Speilburg of the Alice Speilburg Literary Agency.

The window is open.  Watch what comes through.