After finally completing my first novel (Ryndara) on New Years Eve 2009 I spent countless hours reading books and websites dedicated to helping new authors find an agent. Most of the sources provided very helpful insight on what to do and what not to do. And although many of them had different opinions on a fair amount of details the message they all tried to get across was that the only way to truly fail was not to try at all.
So, after reading and re-reading (and re-re-reading) my manuscript, stressing over how to summarize its 70,000 plus words in two paragraphs I queried several agents. Now I have never been what you would call a bold person -in fact I'm usually quite shy and hesitant to draw attention to myself- but I believed in my work so I put myself out there.
Shortly thereafter I got my first rejection letter, which amazingly enough it wasn't just a form response. Despite the disappointment that they 'didn't feel my work was right for them at this time' I knew I had gone from hobbyist to author and I felt proud of myself.
In the time since then I had received many more rejections, and I would be lying if I said I never got discouraged by them. Truthfully I reached a point where I wondered if I was doing the right thing by pursuing my dream, and I still have days where I think about giving up. However, even when I decided I need to take a step back I couldn't help but to imagine new characters and plot lines.
It can be difficult to remain optimistic when faced with all of the astronomical statistics of the industry, but you never know if your next idea will be the one to put you on the publishing map so keep trying. After all, anything worth having is worth working and sacrificing for especially if you love what you're doing!
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