I am unagented. I am unpublished.
I am, however, certain that I will find an agent and I will get published.
Right now though I spend some of my time querying.
To query is to express one's doubts or to check validity or accuracy. Essentially you are asking someone else to validate your writing. Interesting concept, right? It can be frought with fear and marked by disappointment. But, it doesn't have to be.
I am not sure if anyone has used this analogy before but here's the analogy I am using for querying:
Imagine going to a neighborhood potluck the day after moving into a new house and knowing no one. You bring favorite dish. At the end of the evening, the dish is still nearly full except someone scooped one serving.
When you pick up your dish, your first reaction is that no one liked your dish because no one ate it.
Here's some of the real story:
Neighbor #1 didn't eat anything at the potluck. [This is the agent who is open to queries but is really not looking.]
Neighbor #2 ate something similar to your dish for lunch and they don't want more - now . But they might later. [This is the agent who represents someone who has written something similar.]
Neighbor #3 only ate dessert. [This is the agent who just simply doesn't like your tone or voice or genre.]
Neighbor #4 was in a rush and didn't see your dish. [This is the agent with a large slush pile who only has time to glance at queries.]
Neighbor #5 was allergic to your dish. [This is the agent who has triggers or strong dislikes and your manuscript hits one of those.]
Neighbor #6 was nervous about trying your dish because they'd never had it before. [This is the agent who thinks your writing is different and they fear different.]
Neighbor #7 didn't want to have something no one else was having. [This is the agent who is swayed heavily by what others are doing].
And, the list of reasons for people not taking a spoon full of your dish is endless.
The day after the potluck you are out walking and someone asks you what you brought to the potluck and you tell them. They say, "That one was my favorite!"
What is vital to remember is that one person chose to take a bite AND that person loved it.
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