Yesterday I sent out query letter #15 for Blood of the Dragon. So far, four pleasant rejection emails. No problem there. They might be form letters, but the agents took the time to reply. I understand they get a boatload of unsolicited submissions. One said she receives 500+ such submissions every week, yet she still sent me a reply. Then there are those who send you nothing. Those drive me nuts. I don’t mind the form letter reply. I just want to receive a firm “no.”
I’m not an agent, and I don’t know what kind of administrative help each one has, but surely one can send a quick form email. I do this in my career as an appraiser, sending thank you letters to brokers who helped me. I keep the return letter as a notepad file and just replace the name. It’s not that hard. At least a few of those who don’t send an email at least post on their website a timeline as to when I can assume my query has been rejected. Still, if you’ve read my query and are not interested one week after I sent it to you, it’d sure be nice to know that right away rather than wait until the six- to eight-week period your website mentions is up!
My other rant is about my editors. Well, maybe not a rant, but a whine! LOL! I have two, not including my poor wife who has to listen to the latest couple of pages almost every day and never gets to hear an entire chapter at once. Why do my editors have to be so thorough? Yesterday, my content editor pointed out how my plot for my sequel needs to be drastically re-arranged, which will require quite a bit of rewriting. As I read her notes, my heart sank, knowing she was absolutely right, but groaning because it means hard work! In the end, however, the sequel (currently titled Heart of the Dragon) will be much better. I guess this is my backhanded thanks to Amelia. LOL!
As for other things, I’m realizing that I need to repeat my Whole 30 diet that I did last June. While my weightlifting program that I started in September has been successful, especially combined with my swimming, I haven’t been eating very well since Thanksgiving. Time to get serious again, as swimming championships are coming up in April. This is a great diet, but it’s very tough, especially the first week.
Finally, I’m curious if any reader of this blog would be interested in reading my book. I’m considering creating a private blog to post it in hopes of gaining feedback. I’m very good at handling constructive criticism (such as “your writing sucks and here’s why”), so if you’re interested, please PM me via facebook or posting in comments below.
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