tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post1823212900220102888..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Developmental question: conflicting feedbackJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-64297049969718988992015-05-23T11:06:22.296-04:002015-05-23T11:06:22.296-04:00Thank you all so much. I feel strangely let down a...Thank you all so much. I feel strangely let down and devoid of purpose and a bit hung over. Ah, the Day After. :)Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15041316285692964293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-2021557374159336512015-05-23T11:05:18.151-04:002015-05-23T11:05:18.151-04:00Thank you all so much. I feel strangely let down a...Thank you all so much. I feel strangely let down and devoid of purpose and a bit hung over. Ah, the Day After. :)Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15041316285692964293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-70337995225403252132015-05-23T06:20:27.768-04:002015-05-23T06:20:27.768-04:00Julia, I bow to your accomplishment. Julia, I bow to your accomplishment. Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-7365571555966955772015-05-23T06:16:36.501-04:002015-05-23T06:16:36.501-04:00Julie, your ex a Rambo cowboy, now there's an ...Julie, your ex a Rambo cowboy, now there's an image! You're right, though, too much of a good thing is not good. Prayers are definitely needed.<br /><br />Congratulations, Julia, now the real work begins. Lol. Seriously, 101K words in a month is crazy!LynnRodzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796099106913990163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-26269091765607216232015-05-23T01:32:36.730-04:002015-05-23T01:32:36.730-04:00Congrats Julia! Such an achievement. Have a wine o...Congrats Julia! Such an achievement. Have a wine or a beer or a glass of cold milk or whatever your beverage of choice may be. You've more than earned it. Sam Hawkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05549251130820223139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-35122967849646360292015-05-22T23:29:57.868-04:002015-05-22T23:29:57.868-04:00Thank youuuuu!!!Thank youuuuu!!!Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15041316285692964293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-10891265464397639412015-05-22T23:13:02.963-04:002015-05-22T23:13:02.963-04:00Julia, wow, congratulations!Julia, wow, congratulations!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-61757361033180960942015-05-22T23:08:50.633-04:002015-05-22T23:08:50.633-04:00Yay! Congratulations!Yay! Congratulations!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-55717159793576645332015-05-22T22:59:06.478-04:002015-05-22T22:59:06.478-04:00YES, I AM!!!
Eleven hours, 11,000 words, closed ou...YES, I AM!!!<br />Eleven hours, 11,000 words, closed out Barnes and Noble, but the first draft, as rough and bloody as Janet's last chum remnants, is done.<br /><br />101K words in a month while I "thought about" Angylaidd and my queries and let them settle and those indy pubs went to Denmark. They're back. MS first draft is done. Queries on Tuesday for Angylaidd, back to edit Kennedy once those are done and out.<br /><br />YIPPPPPEEEE!!!!!Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15041316285692964293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-9903882843825800852015-05-22T22:55:16.223-04:002015-05-22T22:55:16.223-04:00Julie: I sent a message to AOL describing my probl...Julie: I sent a message to AOL describing my problem, because every time I tried to create an account or find my old one, I kept getting AOL's website.<br /><br />They responded: Call Compuserv.<br /><br />Gah. <br /><br />Maybe later this weekend, when I'm more alive, I'll try to be someone else...<br /><br />Had to choose pasta/noodles. Good - had that for supper tonight. But OpenID failed. Then I got...<br /><br />dun dun dunnnnnnnn<br /><br />Sushi.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-7751061720226236432015-05-22T22:41:08.110-04:002015-05-22T22:41:08.110-04:00BJ,
I've been Julie-Weathers, Julie_Weathers,...BJ,<br /><br />I've been Julie-Weathers, Julie_Weathers, Julie.Weathers, JulieWeathers, and JulieOswennopoofWeathers. Long story on the last one.<br /><br />Trust me, people will figure out you are BJMuntain<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-70927011969007635832015-05-22T22:03:31.799-04:002015-05-22T22:03:31.799-04:00You finished, Julia?You finished, Julia?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-70254141613757902882015-05-22T22:00:35.689-04:002015-05-22T22:00:35.689-04:00YEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!YEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15041316285692964293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-85559394551641130162015-05-22T21:57:49.653-04:002015-05-22T21:57:49.653-04:00Julie: But I want to be BJMuntain. There is only o...Julie: But I want to be BJMuntain. There is only one BJ Muntain, and that is me. I want my name. (insert whine)<br /><br />Kitty - wonderful quote. Chandler is one of my favourites.<br /><br />Sushi. Why is it always sushi?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-1303118658549160342015-05-22T21:56:58.758-04:002015-05-22T21:56:58.758-04:00To the OP (Katie), you don't really "know...To the OP (Katie), you don't really "know" your top-choice agents. All you know is your perception of them. Maybe the "right" agent is waiting to see it. Query widely, query widely. Also know that very successful authors go through this phase of questioning themselves; questioning their work. Don't let others sway YOUR OPINION of what you love, what you've created.<br /><br />@ Lisa B - homemade kale chips - yumm!<br /><br />@ Craig - Why the aversion to '0's?'<br /><br />@ Matt A - I like your advice on preparing to query 200+ agents. That way it'll lessen all the rejections...<br /><br />@ Kate L - Love this: "But you've written a book and you can write another."Gingermollymarilynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15684318210445109786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-82005761877111235792015-05-22T19:57:49.765-04:002015-05-22T19:57:49.765-04:00"Don't ever write anything you don't ...<i>"Don't ever write anything you don't like yourself and if you do like it, don't take anyone's advice about changing it. They just don't know."</i><br />— Raymond ChandlerKittyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11772310179223546476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-64310112355985884222015-05-22T19:21:52.732-04:002015-05-22T19:21:52.732-04:00Sam,
I'm pretty sure you know which place it ...Sam,<br /><br />I'm pretty sure you know which place it is and it's fine. You have to glean the wheat from the chaff.<br /><br />A cp just sent back another round of search and destroy and rebelled. She agreed with some cuts, but others are rewriting the story. Well, we made to to chapter 30 before the mutiny. <br /><br />laughsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-8250238215318386222015-05-22T19:13:35.185-04:002015-05-22T19:13:35.185-04:00Sam and Julie, I read this article the other day--...Sam and Julie, I read this article the other day-- talks about the VLN (very long novel). Thought you might find it interesting.<br /><br />http://www.vulture.com/2015/05/year-of-the-very-long-novel.html<br /><br />(deliberately didn't do a link, so you can see what site you're going to, since I sometimes won't click if I don't know)<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-85103301299674306832015-05-22T18:41:09.050-04:002015-05-22T18:41:09.050-04:00Julie, I wonder if I know the other site you were ...Julie, I wonder if I know the other site you were talking about. If so, I think it used to offer a lot of good feedback but has in recent years fallen into a very snarky pit, with commentators basically just competing with each other to be critical. You can still get helpful comments sometimes but you have to sift through people making sarcastic or patronising assumptions about your plot or your characters.<br /><br />With your high word count too I imagine you might waste approx 50% of the comments having people tell you anything over 100K won't sell, won't get requested, etc etc. I'm like you, writing fantasy, and my word count is in the same bracket as yours. Watching so many comment sections turn into the same 5 people condescendingly lecture the querier about how no-one will buy a book longer than 100K made me hesitant to sign up to it.<br /><br />While I am sure there are probably clueless people out there who aren't aware of the Great Wordcount Drama but they'd be in the minority, given how much it's discussed to death on the internet. If you're at the querying stage and you have a decent level of competence and research skills (which clearly, you greatly surpass), I think it's fair to assume you've trimmed or condensed what you can and you've weighed the risks of some agents outright rejecting based on wordcount. <br /><br />And you've got full requests already, so I think it's safe to say your query works!Sam Hawkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05549251130820223139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51689874383304253882015-05-22T18:34:33.739-04:002015-05-22T18:34:33.739-04:00BJ
I had to start a new account a couple of times...BJ<br /><br />I had to start a new account a couple of times. I was a member back in AOL days and forgot my info. Then my isp server got gobbled up. It's pretty easy to start a new account and the conversations are interesting if nothing else.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-8247543283235861982015-05-22T17:52:17.209-04:002015-05-22T17:52:17.209-04:00Actually reading all the comments today. And they ...Actually reading all the comments today. And they are wonderful and ending up making me sad.<br /><br />Confidence is indeed important, and we all support each other here, but ...<br /><br />Not every one of our novels is going to get published. It's possible not every one of US is going to get published.<br /><br />If I could have FOUND 473 agents who rep what I write, or were open to receiving genres beyond whatever generally short list most agents have posted somewhere or other - I'd have queried every damned one of them with AX.<br /><br />As it stands, I probably came much closer to querying 200 agents over time. Some, certainly yes, before the novel was ready. Some whose interests explicitly moved on. Some who were a LONG stretch to take a shot and query at all.<br /><br />And, though the interest I *did* get on AX was from agents of the highest caliber (seriously, two of them I never imagined I'd hear back from, and those were my R&Rs), here is the truth. MOST of the response I had was form rejection. Very, VERY few agents over the years have provided feedback.<br /><br />I still have confidence in AX as a *novel*. It's a good one. Confidence is good; but we've all seen examples to teach us: delusion is not.<br /><br />I haven't stopped looking completely, but I haven't sent an actual query in a long time now. If I could find a wider net to cast, I would have.<br /><br />But AX is lying fallow. I've been working on another novel, and the query stage for that is ... I honestly have no idea how far away. It's been heartbreaking in the extreme to let AX lie, but I've had to do it. It's reached the point I'd be stupid to keep chasing it around.<br /><br />http://dianelmajor.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-dull-ache-and-something-else.html<br /><br />(Julia - love this: "Go with your gut; go with your passion; do the best you can; and in the end, make it yours and realize it's yours and not theirs." And sometimes it may never be anyone's but mine ...)DLMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08768285199864217885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-54930190731101135592015-05-22T16:49:22.233-04:002015-05-22T16:49:22.233-04:00I suspect the 2.77% of the time when Janet is wron...I suspect the 2.77% of the time when Janet is wrong involves paint.<br /><br />Katie, I'll just echo what everyone else has said. Let that story rest for a while and write something new. Once you DO get an agent, s/he will want to know what else you're working on anyway. And good grief, if 35 agents seems like a lot to you, then IT IS. There is no magic number of how many agents you need to query before you decide enough is enough. That's an entirely individual decision and another one where you need to trust your gut. If that's the upper limit of rejection you're willing to endure right now, so be it. Focus on the positive encouraging feedback and keep on writing.<br /><br />Angie, I'll miss your comments. Hope you'll stop by on occasion and let us know how the painting is coming along.<br /><br />I plan to be mostly offline for the next few days. This week was a difficult one for me, with too many distractions and obligations. So I'm going to pretend I'm at the beach and there's no phone reception or internet connection. And focus on writing.<br /><br />Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! And yes, as Julie W. so eloquently said, take a moment to reflect on the meaning of the holiday and the lingering consequences of war.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-11547224158929592932015-05-22T16:20:43.438-04:002015-05-22T16:20:43.438-04:00Julie, thank your family and friends for their ser...Julie, thank your family and friends for their service. I wish there was more I could do but the ideas I have fall on otherwise combative ears.Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157301156577795781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-87108775582319114842015-05-22T15:16:35.155-04:002015-05-22T15:16:35.155-04:00I've seen the schedule, thanks.
I've trie...I've seen the schedule, thanks.<br /><br />I've tried to get into Books and Writers, but it looks like I already have an account, but I can't access it for some reason (probably something to do with having been created many years ago). One of these days, I'll look further into it.<br /><br />Thanks again!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-9759099348089893242015-05-22T14:53:05.751-04:002015-05-22T14:53:05.751-04:00BJ,
The conference organizers are regulars on the...BJ,<br /><br />The conference organizers are regulars on the Books and Writers forum, so there is a discussion going on there about it. Being woodland creatures, everyone is talking about everything.<br /><br />The schedule, presenters, etc, is available if you haven't seen it.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com