So you've written a book and you can't believe you actually did it. Hell yes!!! You finished a book!! Go you!!
Now what??
Editing. Cool. You send off your manuscript and pray to ALL the gods that they don't eff up all your awesomeness. You sit on your hands, hoping they don't return your work with nothing but red streaks through the entire thing. Is your editor going to be as harsh as that asshole English teacher you had back in high school? What happens if your editor just sends you an email saying, "I can't help you, this sucks way too much." I know that these thoughts were some of the many thoughts that crossed my mind after I sent off my own manuscript. It won't happen, I promise. Your editor is on your side!
After WEEKS of waiting (not so patiently) you've finally got an edited, ready to be sent out to different strangers, book. Are you ready for judgement?? Me either. I have almost zero self esteem. I always worry about what everyone else thinks of me. Why in the hell would I purposely send out something that I created, to strangers, so that they could judge me?? That sounds like a TERRIBLE idea. Here's how that monologue went through my head:
"Um, here, stranger. I have this massive typed story that I made up all by myself and um it's probably terrible. It is terrible. I don't even know what I'm doing. Sell you the idea? Okay, there's this guy and he's um a great guy but also an idiot. And there's this girl and she's cool, oh but she's like me. I'm not cool, so maybe she's not? Never mind. You're right, this is a terrible idea and no one will EVER like this story. Can you read it, judge it, without hurting me? No? Okay then, maybe I'll just keep it to myself. I wouldn't want to read it either. Why am I doing this? I can't do this. But I want it so much! I'll do it. I'm just gonna do it.......Crap. I shouldn't have hit send."
Welcome to the fun of querying!! Isn't it exciting!?! No! It's not. It sucks!!! The entire point that I am trying to make here is this:
YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HATES QUERYING AND IT MAJOR SUCKS FOR US ALL!!!
No matter what stage you are at, or how many times you've gone through this stage, it still sucks! You have a goal in mind, whether that be just getting your story out, just publishing, just wanting to help people, whatever the reason, querying still sucks! And it takes FOREVER!!! Not only are there guidelines that you have to follow, (they change per agent/publishing house) you have to sell your stuff to them. You have to be able to be confident in your manuscript. Confident enough to make it sound like something they need/want to work with. If you can't, you gotta fake it. If I figure out how to do that confidently, I'll let you know!
It will be three years this July since I first put that opening sentence for my debut novel onto a piece of paper; in the middle of the night no less. Two years of that was writing, and four months was editing, but I'm still waiting on something other than a rejection. Why is this taking so long?? Doesn't anyone understand that this is important to me???
So far what I've learned is that if I keep up a total amount of queries out there in the universe, it keeps me from hating it too much when I do get a rejection. To explain better, my number is 20. I have 20 queries out there to 20 different people at a time. If I get a rejection (or five) on Monday, Monday night, I'm sending out more queries to different people to get back up to that amount of 20. It keeps me out there, trying; ahead of the game. Some of those queries take WEEKS to come back with an answer. It's NERVE WRACKING! Waiting and wondering who is going to respond, when, and what they are going to say? Let me say it again. Doesn't ANYONE understand that this is important to me???
One of the best parts of all of this hard stuff is that 99% of the rejections are nice. That other 1% wasn't not nice, just kind of short. I keep hearing over and over again, "It's subjective, keep trying". So I am, and you should too! It sucks, and it's hard, and it takes WAY too long. I think we'll make it!
Try to remember that you are not alone! Get on Twitter and join the #writingcommunity. They are amazing! The group is full of authors in so very many different genres, and different stages of their writing careers. The entire group is super supportive! Reach out! That includes to me! I'm here for you and we can definitely work through this together!
Cheers to making it, one day! Hopefully sooner rather than later! Don't forget you are a badass and you'll make it! Don't stop fighting for your goals!!