Meg Cabot on how to get an agent
Because I’m too busy/harried/unimaginative (for blogging, that is–saving it all for the book I’m working on now!), about the best I can manage these days is to point you to other people’s blogs when I think they have something to say you might be interested in.
I really liked what Meg Cabot had to say about her own search for an agent, about not giving up (it took her three years!), and generally about that side of the publishing business. So check it out.
Thanks for sharing this, Robin. I guess it’s all about tenacity whatever business you’re in. I really related to the bit about going back to the beginning of the book and starting over because four years ago, when the library where I currently work had just opened, I applied here for a part-time position (I had just graduated from library school). The interview was a disaster involving chocolate milk, and I didn’t get the position. Two years later, having been laid off from my then-job without hope of recall, I found out that this library was hiring again, and this time it was a full-time position. But, I remembered the chocolate milk and disaster of the previous interview (and so, I assumed, would they), so I had no intention of applying for this position. Long story short, I decided to apply anyway and got the position. I’ve been here for two years now.
Did they remember the chocolate milk? Not exactly, but a few weeks ago when the topic of my first interview here came up in a conversation with my best friend (who was on that interview panel before I knew her), she said she remembered that I didn’t take my suit jacket off at any point during the interview–and we had a good laugh when I explained it was because my shirt was soaked with chocolate milk. She then declared me absoulutely indestructible.
Must stop babbling now. My anti-spam word for the day is “toast,” and I think it really refers to the makeup of my brain at this point.
Elizabeth, that’s a great story! And another great illustration of why it’s the people who don’t quit too early who eventually “make it.” I once heard from a short story magazine editor that that’s what used to frustrate him: the same author would send him new stories every month or two, and even though the editor had to reject them for various reasons, he could see that the work was getting better. And so just when he was thinking, “The next one will be it!” the author gave up and stopped sending him stories. Boooo.
And this didn’t happen just once, but with many authors over several years. Lesson? Be one of the authors (or librarians) who keeps trying, keeps working at your skills, keeps pressing onward. Because there will be a lot of dropouts along the way, and you don’t have to be one of them.
Reminds me of one of my favorite mottos: 100% of the novels that were published were finished first. And the addendum to that motto is that 100% of those novels kept getting sent out to agents and editors until they were accepted.
So be like Elizabeth. And don’t worry about the chocolate milk.
Oh, and the chocolate milk story also reminds me that people are always way more into their own nervousness and issues than they’re into yours. What was mortifying for Elizabeth was a forgettable detail for everyone else.
I know we can all think of hundreds (thousands) of embarrassing moments in our lives, but do you really think anyone else remembers those moments as vividly as you do? Or even remembers them at all? Doubtful.
Whenever I think of Elizabeth, I’ll always think of the chocolate milk incident.
I was really looking forward to that glass of chocolate milk — before the incident.
Seriously, never mix pirates, llamas, chocolate milk and a recent library school grad. It’s just an incident waiting to happen. I knew that, but figured there shouldn’t be a problem, since how often are there recent library school grads around?
Patrick, you should wear a sign that says, “The exception to every rule.” And thank goodness for you.
I like it!
If Patrick’s the exception to every rule, what am I? I can’t be forever remembered for chocolate milk…not enough pizzazz.
Elizabeth, you are the thought-provoking conversation-starter. Where would we be without you?
I’m good with that. I just didn’t want to be the rules to which Patrick is the exception…I never want to be boring like that.