An Agent Represents my Second Book! Whaaaaaat!?

John Guillen147 Comments

ImagePhoto Credit: Jess Haines

Guys, you all haven’t been given an update on my own writing in a really long time. A few months now. And I’ve led some of you to believe that I’m not writing nearly as often as I’d like and that my current WIP is going nowhere. Well, I apologize for the misleading information.

I actually finished the first draft of my manuscript all the way back in January. I know the rule of stepping away from your work and all that, but I immediately read through and jotted down notes about what I felt needed fixing. Guess how many pages of notes I had after my read through? 103! These were written in a college ruled notebook and my hand hurt just seeing how much it actually was. Again, I didn’t step away from my manuscript. I went in and worked tirelessly to fix EVERYTHING. It was like writing the stupid thing all over again. Only this time I knew the story like the back of my hand. This was right around the time of spring break.

That’s when I finally got to utilize my sizeable WordPress following for the first time. I reached out to some bloggers I thought would make for perfect beta readers and asked if they’d give my book a read. Every blogger I contacted agreed and less than a week later I had feedback from 15 bloggers. First off, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, which made my heart happy because a few have already read my first book. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t changes to be made. One blogger, who I won’t name, gave me 38 pages of feedback! Seriously, she needs to get a life. Hahaha. But there were a few things that every reader mentioned and I fixed all of those issues immediately. Then I came to some things that one person liked and one person didn’t and one person didn’t even mention and decided to go with my gut on those.

By this time we’ve reached the last week of April and I’m extraordinarily pleased with the final draft of my second book. Time for queries. How fun. I created a list of agents who I felt were a good fit for my work and sent my initial round of queries to the first ten agents on the list. Eight rejections and one full manuscript request later….I HAVE AN AGENT! Did I cry? Yes. Did I run around my house screaming in pure excitement? Yes. Did I feel like I absolutely had to tell you all about it? Yes. Are you happy for me? Yes.

I got the email from the agent on freaking Memorial Day. I think I found a dedicated one. I’ll have a more detailed post about this whole thing either later this week or next week.

*** I’m sorry if you believed this post to be true. I’m not writing hardly at all. I’m far from completing the first draft of my manuscript. Which means no beta readers or edits or revisions or queries or agents. But at least I can laugh about it, right? If you comment your congratulations I’ll know you didn’t read the full post and I won’t like you.***

147 thoughts on “An Agent Represents my Second Book! Whaaaaaat!?”

  2. We all need time to recharge our batteries and regroup. Don’t give up hope and give yourself permission to not write. You will get your inspiration back and finish your manuscript. Says she, who had been messing around with a book idea for soo long now!

    Like

    Reply

  3. Oh for the love of God! I always read your posts right to the end but this time I was so happy for you that I almost went straight for the comments to congratulate…..now I am confused which part is not true? :p In any case I think what you describe is ideal and…if you need a dedicated beta reader with questionable grammar skills (English is not my first language) but good honest opinions I am available

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Okay, so before I got to the end, I was working up a real good anger about you lying to us for the last few months. (Even though I was excited for your whole “agent” deal). Now I feel bad about feeling angry! What a roller coaster!

    And you’ll get an agent when it’s time. I know you can do it. Don’t give up on yourself. Because we sure haven’t.

    Like

    Reply

  6. Amusing and something I can sympathize with! I have only begun the slog of query letters and already it bears down on me hard. Keep plugging away though and good luck!

    Like

    Reply

  7. If I remember correctly, it took Kathryn Stockett , author of The Help, querying at least 80 agents, and they all rejected her, so you are not alone. I’ve queried two agents so far, both rejections, but since I’ve only queried two, that’s not too bad. 😛

    Like

    Reply

      • Impossible, but not improbable. There is such an influx of people writing nowadays that it is much harder to get in, I do agree, but unique does help. I’m in a different field than you (picture books) but at some point I’d like to finish one of my novels and have it printed. Granted, it might only be worthy of Harlequin or Avon books, but… hey, a book published is a book published even if it’s romance.

        Like

  10. I FREAKING HATE YOU! Just kidding! but you did have me going for a minute! I almost cried for you too then BAM, you hit me with the hahahahahahahhahaaaaa! For real though, get back to work! (I’m a mom and sometimes I mother everyone)! You can finish that book and get it out there!

    Like

    Reply

  11. You have to laugh about it! Don’t sweat the not writing part. You’re not on a deadline. Since publishing my first book my writing pace has slowed also. I think part of it is the enormous amount of energy expended in writing, editing, and promoting that first book. Just keep going the flames of creativity will be fanned soon enough.

    Like

    Reply

  13. Hi John, I stopped by your blog to thank you for the “like” of my blog, and my eyes almost bugged out when I read this post. Holy cow, I said to myself when I read your thoroughly believable story; this guy is on his way UP! I started to feel sad bc all I have is one Nanowrimo manuscript which I am laboriously working through editing. Then I reached the last paragraph. You had me at “I’m sorry if you believed this post to be true.” We can all dream, can’t we?

    Like

    Reply

      • Few writers do once they realise how much work it actually is lol. That’s why so many quit before the end. But nothing, I mean nothing, beats seeing ‘the end’. Except knowing that after that, if you polish it good enough, somebody can some day read those words too. And maybe even like it.

        Like

      • Well I already wrote one. Maybe that’s why I’m so lax now. I’m just like, “Hey, I already know I can do it. I just need to do it.” Or something. I don’t know.

        Like

  15. Keep truckin’ along, John. One day you will wake up in the morning with your head full of words and your heart full of hope. It’s not easy to understand how a writer writes. It will happen. It’s who you are. When the time comes, the opportunities will line up. Blessings to you…

    Like

    Reply

  17. Wow, I’m so mad! I was so excited for you…..and then you just ruined it. You are mean. But as far as where you ACTUALLY are, don’t worry about it lol. My first book took me about 3 or 4 years to write, and it was still complete garbage haha. That sounded a lot more encouraging in my head, I think. But regardless, don’t force it. It’s good to keep up with it, but if you just force yourself to do it, it becomes something you dread, and that will show itself in your writing. You can do it!! Go go go! Better? 🙂

    Like

    Reply

    • I’m definitely going to the post office and breaking in so they don’t send you my book now. Sheesh. My first one was written in like three months. You just said yours was 3-4 years! Nope. You’re not reading mine now. Nuh uh. You’re not very encouraging. Haha just kidding. I’ve never forced myself to write before. But what the heck am I doing now? Nothing, that’s what. Ugh.

      Like

      Reply

      • Haha! It’s okay, I’ve been wrestling the not-feeling-like-writing-and-then-feeling-guilty-about-it cycle lately too….So instead I get on my computer and waste five hours on blogs, twitter, and Netflix and tell myself I’m being productive until I fall asleep 🙂

        Like

      • Haha welllll at least I don’t do that. I just nap. A lot. And don’t lie to me. You’re ALWAYS writing or revising or editing or something. According to your tweets. I’m not.

        Like

      • Oh well in that case, you’re a terrible writer. You should just give up. 🙂 Just kidding! Before you threaten me again…But even if you’re not always writing writing, you’re really great about keeping up with blogging and twitter, which I’m not so good at. Glass half full 🙂

        Like

      • Wow. Stop with your horrible words! Geez! Blogging and Twitter are just distractions. I liked it better when my blog had 40 followers and I didn’t use Twitter. Okay, maybe not liked it better, but at least I could write.

        Like

      • Haha! I understand. Have you considered cutting back on it a bit? Not posting daily, etc? I also think word counts helped me a lot, even though I didn’t always meet them. It just gave me a goal to push for, and a sense of accomplishment, rather than just guilting myself into it. Totally unsolicited advice I know, feel free to disregard 🙂

        Like

      • But then I wouldn’t get to talk to such nice people. 😦

        I’ve tried word counts like twice. Didn’t motivate me at all. Just come slap me in the face. Or if you’re more violent you can punch. Then give me some more unsolicited advice. Haha

        Like

      • Hahaha! That sounds like a pretty fun job 🙂 Or you could try things like Write or Die? Or there’s others that block social media or internet until the timer is up.

        Like

      • All you have to do is get over here and it’s yours. I don’t know what that is. But social media doesn’t keep me from writing. I just don’t.

        Like

      • Woot! It’s a program that tracks your progress and there’s consequences for not doing things. I think the worst is it starts deleting stuff! Hm :/ I really wish I knew what to tell you.

        Like

  18. Can I just say that, that was really mean 😦 I was so ready to go running around the house screaming like a mad person with you. Then I would have had to explain my insane antics to the poor unsuspecting individuals around me, but then again, probably not. They’re used to me by now…

    Like

    Reply

  19. How rude! LOL! I was all ready to give you a high five and then you pulled that whammy at the end. 😀 Well, how about this… Congratulations on a very well written post. 😀

    Like

    Reply

    • Dumb question.

      First, I’m not obligated to respond to any comment. I do because if someone takes the time to write out a response to my post, they’d generally like me to write one back. With that being said, your comment was not thought out or detailed or anything but what…four words. Let me see if I have the proper response now.
      “Oh, thanks.”
      Or “Okay.”
      Or “Yeah, I thought so too.”
      Because that’s about the absolute max your comment would have ever gotten back.

      Second, I don’t care at all if you buy my book. Let me be clear, I don’t care. I have over a thousand followers on here and a number of them have read my book and hundreds haven’t. Makes no difference to me. You’re no different from anyone else.

      Like

      Reply

  28. I like you 🙂 You’re funny ^^ If you write books the way you blog, I think I would like to read your books 🙂

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to John Guillen Cancel reply