Guys. Guysguysguys. Yes. Yes. Indeed. I have an agent, a literary-ish one who represents me and things I write and stuff. I can haz representation?
No meme could adequately describe my elation. No YouTube video could effectively demonstrate the soaring heights of my heart. No GIF could--WAIT I FOUND ONE.
Actually, put every GIF on this site together and you'll understand a fraction of the cray cray excitement I'm feeling.
Alright, that's enough gushing, I know. So here's the rub: I've signed with Sam Morgan at JABberwocky Literary Agency. They represent such phenomenal authors as Brandon Sanderson, Elizabeth Moon, and Peter V. Brett (among many others!). To say that I'm humbled to be in such company is a pretty massive understatement. JABberwocky was one of the agencies at the top of my list as far as dream scenarios go, so I'm still reeling about the whole thing. Because I still have to look to reassure myself, here's something along the lines of authentication:
I met Sam at Lonestarcon 3 last year, and I completely botched my first pitch to him. After some kind words on my behalf from a couple friends and connections, Sam gave me another shot, and eventually ended up asking for the full manuscript of Duskfall. A while later he got back to me, and since then I've been working with him on making DF a better novel. I've gone through two major revisions of DF since October, and I feel fantastic about the changes (which is partly why I've been so scarce on the good old blog). It is a MUCH stronger novel than it was half a year ago. Sam's comments have been invaluable, and his vision of DF seems very in line with my own.* Also, something I didn't know: apparently it is a common practice for agents to work with new authors with a novel for a while before officially signing them. Who knew? But, long story short, last week I got a call from JABberwocky's office, and the deal was struck, contracts were signed (in blood?? I'll let you decide...), and now I'm off to the races.
Now, some of you may be wondering why I chose to seek out an agent at all instead of self-publishing. Long story short**, Sam's revision notes that helped make DF a better story were almost worth it in and of themselves (in addition to a number of other services an agent offers, and why an agent is appropriate for my particular situation). But more on this later.
What happens next, you ask? Well, Sam will start sending Duskfall out to editors/publishing houses. So, in reality, an agent is still just another step in the process, but it's a pretty significant one, and honestly it's happened faster than I could have hoped. An actual publishing deal may be in the nearish future, or it may yet be a long way off, but being even one step closer feels pretty freaking amazing.
* The topic of DF revisions deserves a post unto itself; hopefully I'll get around to one in the near future.
** Why I've chosen not to pursue self-publishing (a least for the time being) also deserves an entire post, so yeah, look for that one, too.
Super cool!
ReplyDelete