Part 2: How WriteOnCon Changed My Life in Less than a Week

At the end of April WriteOnCon hosted a live query event.  I knew I wanted to participate, but I didn't have a good query yet. I sat down with my husband and read him all the queries I had written.  And he was...nonplussed.  So he took my computer and started fiddling around; an hour later he handed me back a very experimental query.  It wasn't quite there, but there was something about it that actually sounded like the voice of my novel.  I spent another couple hours with it and then posted it to the website, hoping it wasn't too different from traditional query form.

But it wouldn't let me add it to the thread.  I tried several times and I kept getting a message that it would have to be approved by a mod.  I texted my critique partner: Did you have to wait for your query to post?  She replied that she hadn't.  I waited a couple hours the next morning to see if it would show up, but it didn't and more and more queries were grabbing the last few spots.  I finally broke down and messaged a mod.  She found it in the spam filter and, lucky for me, posted it in the spot it would have if I hadn't waited for approval.

I spent the weekend nervous, but excited for feedback.  I was more scared she wouldn't get to my query than of hearing what she had to say.  The Monday night of the event, I wanted to puke.  I knew it was time to start querying, but I was dragging my feet.  

Long story short: she liked it.  She asked for more, and I gleefully sent it off.  The next morning there was a request for the full manuscript in my inbox.  I cried (yes, I do that a lot these days).  And encouraged I sent off more queries.  The next two responses were asking for fulls too.  I was beginning to feel like I was dreaming.  Then a form rejection put me back in my place. And then another form rejection from someone I really liked and then a partial request.

On Sunday, I got my first email requesting a call.  I cried (I really don't cry this much).  My husband said I was scary (note to significant others: not the thing to say).  The next morning I woke up excited, scared, asking if agents ever called to tell you that you suck.  Before the call, I got two more full manuscript requests.  I was beginning to feel overwhelmed but in a wonderful way.

I spoke with the agent, and she loved the book.  She offered rep and I told her I had other fulls out, she advised me to send email nudges to everyone, including the ones I hadn't heard from, since it had been less than a week.  I did and by that night I was up to ten full requests.

Then I got another call from an agent who read the sample pages and wanted to chat to see how serious I was and ask me to send the full.  Three hours later, she asked for a phone call the next morning.  Then another agent asked for one in the afternoon.  I felt anxious and happy and overwhelmed and hopeful and uncertain all at the same time.  Both agents offered.  That night an agent called at 8:45 to talk and offer rep.  I was up to four offers!

The second agent than asked to fly out to meet me.

Um, I'm a stay-at-home mom in the midwest.  These things don't happen to me, but last Wednesday I went on my first business lunch.  I got us lost like 10 freaking times, because I rarely go into the city anymore.  And I'm sure she's super-jealous of my awesome mini-van, but it was very cool and showed me just how serious she was about the book.  Also I got to eat crab cakes.  Yum!

By that evening, three more agents asked to speak on the phone.  On Thursday, I spent over five hours on the phone.  My poor husband dragged my kids all over town.

In the meantime, three more agents asked for the full. Two bowed out with congrats as well as the agent with the partial.  For those keeping track that's:

13 full requests

1 partial request

and a handful of forms along the way.  Admittedly I just delete them and move on, but for those who wonder: yes, they do sting still

3 agents bowing out (2 fulls, 1 partial)

and 7 offers of representation.

And all because I attended a WriteOnCon query event.  That's how those fabulous authors from WOC changed my life in less than a week.  I can't stress the opportunity their events provide.  Having an agent see my query there put me on their radar in a way the slush pile could not.  I will be eternally grateful.  And will I be at every WOC event I can make in the future? Hell yes!  So a super big thank you to the organizers.

Of course, now I have seven offers, but I can only choose one of the awesome people who offered representation and the deadline to get back to me is tonight.  

to be continued...