Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Rejection, Dejection, Whatever You Wanna Call It, I've Got It

Well, you've probably already guessed that the agent I queried, the one I really wanted, decided to pass on my work today. Ah, well. Guess it's time to hit the old drawing board again.

Which leaves me with a problem. Normally I always have a plan for querying agents, but this time around, I don't. There is one agent out there that I am really thinking about querying, but I'm not sure yet. Why? I have no clue. I really don't know why I have ever queried him. He's one of the best in the biz and I have never sent him a query in all my five years of querying.

Who is this mystery agent, you ask?

Well, it's Ethan Ellenberg. He represents everything that I write (but that doesn't mean he will want my work) and I know he's good and what he does, so why don't I shoot him an e-mail?

That's a very good question. So, which story should it be?

The Heart and the Horn: a YA high fantasy where a Princess is dethroned and has to destroy an evil shape shifting Unicorn

Khaladin: a MG fantasy where a horse gives birth to a unicorn foal and Judy has to keep him hidden from all eyes

Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space!: a MG science fiction where a girl finds out her adopted parents are aliens and she has to save two worlds before it's too late

Which is your fav? Which do you think I should query off? Khaladin is a very emotional tale, The Heart and the Horn is epic good verses evil, and Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space! is a fun, humorous story that makes you laugh.

So, help me out here, guys. Please?

9 comments:

Ray Veen said...

I'll be honest, I have no idea what his preferences are. All I know is that he's always sure to make the things he doesn't like abundantly clear.

He's all business, he represents an unbelievable variety of work, and I have no clue how he chooses what to take on.

I'm not even close to understanding this fellow.

I would recommend not querying out of vagues sense of "Uh-oh, I could possibly be missing a good opportunity here." Wait until you have a solid project that you're truly excited about, and then query your whole dang list of potentially compatible agents.

Madison said...

That's my problem. I'm passionate about all my stories! Each one is very different from the other and I don't know which one would be considered my best work. My mom thinks it's Khaladin, even though she's never read it. Perhaps that's because I wrote it for her. :)

Carradee said...

Which one are you most comfortable with showing to others? Which one gets the best feedback, with readers on their own initiative mentioning things they liked that you wanted them to like.

If the answers are "all of them" again, consider: your debut novel, the first one published, will define how your initial readers view you and what they expect from you as a writer. Which work's style matches what you want to be known for? What style are you willing to be "stuck" in (at least temporarily), if it's a hit?

Madison said...

The answer to that one is probably Khaladin. A lot of people say it's a cute idea and really seem to like it. I think that's the one I've gotten the best feedback on. Of those who have read the full, it sure is thier favorite. And I like the style of it. Each of these stories has a little bit of a different style, but since MG fantasy is my fav genre and age to write for, I think maybe that should be the one I query.

Anita said...

I think you shouldn't focus on just dream agents...some of these guys are not as dreamy as they seem...I think you should send out a mess of queries to dream agents, newbies, all sorts of people...see what sticks.

Keep your chin up! You can do this!

Madison said...

Well, he's not really a dream agent. Just a really good one. He's one that I doubt I could get, but you never know until you try. :)

Anonymous said...

it looks like you've already made up your mind and i agree. Khaladin sounds the best.
...i'm still working on the book you lent me, so i STILL havn't read Khaladin yet, sorry. Lend me thinner books next time. ;)

Madison said...

But you wanted to read INKHEART! :)

cindystubbs said...

Whatever is most representative of your usual work.
I've heard this:
Phone call: We want to publish your book.
Reply: Will get back to you in a day or two.
Phone call: With an offer on the table, pick & chose best agent ya know!
Return phone call & say, I have an agent.
I got this from a romance writer but sorry, can't remember which one!