Hey there. Manda here.
So, as you may know, I wrote a novel a little while back, and this year I began the hunt for a champion to showcase my work. It’s been completely new territory for me, and there’s been a couple of ups and a plethora of downs. Cold querying is not my strong suit.
I got a bite or two during a Twitter pitch event, sent my stuff along, and got a partial and a full manuscript request. Craziness!! I felt on top of the world. Nothing could touch me. For me, it was a win, it was a push in the right direction, and even if it didn’t end the way I dreamed it would, it was a damn good experience.
It’s so fucking easy to tell yourself to keep going when the endgame is out of your hands and in someone else’s.
And fast forward to just a few days ago. After months of waiting, and lots of little rejections here and there, I got an email from the place who requested a full. Another rejection (which I’m used to) but with some sting (which I’m not used to). I think I was holding my breath without ever meaning to.
I’m not sharing this for pity. I’m not upset with them. No clout here. I just think that sharing the bad as well as the good is a nice balance.
It took me all of a little over 24 hours to convince myself that I shouldn’t burn my entire office to the ground. And it gave me some perspective. Horror is such a niche market. To really make it, it needs to be damn phenomenal. And while I think my book is great, it doesn’t hold a candle to some of my favorite horror authors. Agents are in the market to make money. It wouldn’t make sense for them to accept anything less than perfect.
So, here’s my game plan. I’m going to continue to send out queries, and at the end of December, I will stop. I will then take my manuscript and give it one last hard look-over, and do another major rewrite if need be. I will then find an editor accepting manuscripts so I can have everything as perfect as it can be, then I will take the steps to self-publish it and let the Zemblanity saga draw to a close (both the book and the querying adventure). Allyson deserves to see the light of day, whether traditionally or on my own.
Either way we end up going, wish me luck. Thank you to everyone who has read it and encouraged me to go forward. I’m forever appreciative.
Manda Kay Writes 