“You’re so talented any agent would be lucky to have you.”
I overheard that the other day, and no, it wasn’t about me! But it struck me because this sentence uses the words “talent” and “luck” in a way that misleads. You don't get representation or a book contract or success just because you're talented, or even by earning it through hard work, deliberate craft, and persistence. You need luck too.
A few years ago, I got an offer of agent representation from the first and only query I ever sent.
I might be forgiven for my momentary conviction that my talent was unmistakable – that first agent had seen it, so surely everyone would. That agent was lucky to have me. After one query, my success seemed assured and inevitable.
But it wasn’t.
Getting agented quickly wasn’t a sign of genius. It was a stroke of luck. I queried the right agent at the right time – or maybe the wrong one, because that book never sold and that agent – a respectable one with a respectable agency – left the business.
I sent 100 queries for my next book, then another 200, and then I lost count. I did not get another agent.
Was I less talented than before? I don’t think so. I think my craft was stronger.
Maybe I was less lucky -- my timing was wrong, whether querying after the market had cooled off, or having my email hit a possible right agent's desk right as they spilled a cup of coffee on their sweater.
But I wrote other books, and eventually I got another agent. I sold two books two years apart, and I counted myself lucky.
Along the way, I’ve received more rejections than acceptances by a factor of a hundred or more. I actually found the first contract offer I received in my junk mail. My email program was so used to rejections that it filed good news away as spam.
And I’m unagented again.
Less talented than I was when I still had an agent? I don’t think so.
I have more rejections now because I’ve been at this longer. Because I’ve been at it longer, I think I’m better – a better writer, a more resilient person. We writers have to be.
So am I less lucky than I was when I sent that very first query? I don’t think that either.
I still have a book coming out June 14, and I'm lucky to be where am I. Sure, I know other people who are more talented, and others who are luckier -- often, the same people.
I'm hoping to be one of them the next time I query. The odds are always long, but I'm playing a long game. Sometimes luck catches up.
Thnak you for sharing your journey with us, Kell!
ReplyDeleteVery true. Perseverance is key and this journey is definitely for those in for the long haul.
ReplyDeleteWe so desperately don't want it to be about luck or random chance, because that's the one thing we can't control. We can be at the height of our craft and still be unlucky.
ReplyDeleteFantastic Blog, Kell. My favorite saying:"No one ever won by quitting."
ReplyDeleteMy second favorite: "Be careful what you wish for!"
Both of those are soooo true in publishing.
Thanks, Kell. It's important for writers to know the reality of the business, so we don't think we are untalented because of those rejections. I estimate I've had at least a thousand rejections in my career - and I now have over 30 traditionally published books, plus over a hundred articles, dozens of test passages, and two short stories sold to Highlights. That came from hard work much more than from talent, though the skill certainly grew because of the hard work. But mostly it's a matter of not quitting and not letting the rejections destroy you.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Kell!!! I think that the harder you work, the more chance you have of getting lucky. That said, there are no guarantees that luck will come. However, not giving up goes a long way. I guess if you stop playing the long game then you have no chance of getting lucky.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post, Kell. It is a reminder that not having an agent- or not being published- does not make you any less talented than someone agented and published. Some of the most impressive writers I know are not (yet) published. being in the right place at the right moment is often the only difference.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post, Kell. It is a reminder that not having an agent- or not being published- does not make you any less talented than someone agented and published. Some of the most impressive writers I know are not (yet) published. being in the right place at the right moment is often the only difference.
ReplyDeleteI love this frank post about the realities of writing. Some people get so offended if you mention the word luck with respect to anyone, but sorry, there IS a lot of luck in this business. Someone whose book sells for $250,000 has gotten lucky--their book isn't actually one thousand times better than the book that sells to a small press for $250. Not that the 250K author didn't work hard, but chances are so did the $250 author. The bigger deal author most likely happened to write the right book at the right time and had the right agent who got it into the hands of the right editors, many of whom wanted it enough to bid on it. Yes, your book has to be very good to land a big six-figure deal, but just being very good doesn't guarantee you anything.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I've come to realize as I've attempted to be a full-time writer over the past year--that perhaps success requires surviving long enough to string together a few lucky breaks--landing the right editor, being featured on the right website, being read by the right person who has the power to open some doors for you. I've been lucky enough to land a couple smaller breaks lately and it has made so much of a difference.
Here's hoping the stars will align for you and your work again soon :)
I have to agree with what's already been said. When I get a number of rejections in a row, I do sometimes wonder what I did wrong. Maybe it was nothing I did. Luck comes or it doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kell, luck and timing have much to do with it! I queried for nearly 2 years before I got an agent. The great thing is new agents come on board all the time so the pot never dries up. It's all about making that right connection. Meeting agents in person at conferences is a boost and provides a more personal connection which may bump you up the pile to be noticed - and have the right person read your manuscript. And YES, not having gotten "lucky" in no way diminishes talent. I think continuing to have confidence in yourself can take you farther than luck.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kell, luck and timing have much to do with it! I queried for nearly 2 years before I got an agent. The great thing is new agents come on board all the time so the pot never dries up. It's all about making that right connection. Meeting agents in person at conferences is a boost and provides a more personal connection which may bump you up the pile to be noticed - and have the right person read your manuscript. And YES, not having gotten "lucky" in no way diminishes talent. I think continuing to have confidence in yourself can take you farther than luck.
ReplyDelete"My email program was so used to rejections that it filed good news away as spam." Ouch, and also LOL.
ReplyDeleteA friend who had her debut picture book land on many year-end lists confided that her editor told her that she was lucky because the editor had read the query and not her assistant, because the assistant would have passed on it.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Right time. Right place. Hard work so that you're prepared when the lightning strikes.
Thanks for your story.