Hunting Down and Capturing Your Literary Agent: Hard Work or Just Dumb Luck?



So I was reading this inspiring article today from The Cut, and it struck a chord. 

Many people have asked me how a writer goes about getting an agent, and I tell them what I know. You query. And you make connections. You join submission parties on social media (not that kind... although you could say writing is a habit of masochists). Maybe you pray. One day the magic happens with a spark and then a flame. Or maybe it doesn't. 

You've got to find joy in the writing itself. Some successful authors aren't published until they're dead. Every author you've ever heard of has wallpapered a bathroom with rejection letters. Blah blah blah. 

Maybe you just have to be lucky. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Need writing services? Contact me!

Name

Email *

Message *

Popular posts from this blog

A List of Content Mills for Beginning Freelance Writers

Image
In my last post , I discussed content mills and why you might want to use one as a freelance writer. Here I'm going to list some popular content mills that are appropriate for writers beginning their freelance careers. These sites do require you to apply and may ask for samples of your work, but you don't need a publishing background to write for them.  Of course, information on these sites could change at any time. Content mills come and go on the regular. They've been known to disappear completely or suddenly shake up their platforms. So be sure to do your research on any of these sites that interest you.  Mills for Beginners Zerys This is a platform that is good for writers who want more experience. It doesn't pay much. Current reports are that most writers start at less than one cent per word but can work up to about 4 cents per word. Writers grab jobs from a list and are ranked with stars.  OneSpace This is another good option for those new to freelancing, but you ...
Read more

Fiverr Fail

Image
So who out there uses Friverr for freelance writing gigs?  I've seen Fiverr recommended so many times that I decided to give it a go. I'm trying to increase my presence on the great web - hence this blog - and set up a Fiverr account. But nothing.  I read some articles on making the most of your Fiverr account and tried some strategies like pricing some gigs very low.  Nothing.  This is Fiverr. This is me on Fiverr. Any ideas?  So far I'm finding far more clients on job boards and through previously made connections. I wonder if Friverr is just too saturated with writers and editors... or perhaps there's something about the site that clients don't trust? 
Read more

Dealing With Stolen Content

Image
I recently had some content stolen.  So sadly, I'm writing a post about how to avoid this happening and what to do once it does happen. I'm currently in the process of dealing with it and would welcome advice.  One thing I've learned is that it makes sense to use a couple of tools.  1. Google Alerts Pop your content into Google Alerts to get reports when that content is picked up on the web. You should do this with any work you're posting for sale.  It can also let you know when work you've legitimately sold is published, so that's a good side benefit.  2. Plagiarism Checker Grammarly has one, and I love Grammarly but I'm all about free stuff. People like Scribbr, but they charge a fee too.  I found this one  and it seems to be okay.   I'm definitely open to (read begging for) recommendations.  I've also discovered that plagiarism is one of those words I never learned how to spell.  I still haven't heard back from the site that curr...
Read more