First, I want to apologize for the brief hiatus over the past fourteen days or so. Let's just say life got in the way last week, and leave it at that.

Anyway, back to the agent search. Requests and rejections.

Hopefully we receive more of the former than the latter, but there can be good in both. And to be honest, both feel good in their own weird sort of way.

Wait, you say. Aubrey, you must be on crack. Rejections can feel good? Are you a masochist or something?

No, not really. But rejections--as crappy as they can be--also show that you're working. You're putting yourself out there. You're doing something with your writing rather than just shoving it in a drawer and forgetting about it. So many writers never get to the point of receiving a rejection simply because they never get the guts to submit to an agent in the first place.

Personal rejections, though, are always better than form rejections. I know, I know, that seems like a statement of the obvious, but it really is the truth. If an agent takes the time out to send you a personal rejection, that's a GOOD thing. Yes, you might have an email or a letter saying, "Thanks but no thanks," but you also have a letter that shows that the agent really truly read your submission (not that they don't read submissions, but you know what I mean), and that there was obviously something there that caught their eye and prompted them to give you even the tiniest compliment or amount of feedback. This means you're doing something right, even if it's not right enough to cause an agent to say, "I want to represent you."

I'll be honest in that I know I've been lucky because I have received personal rejections from agents. And I've been even luckier because those agents said to me that even though my writing holds promise, they don't feel they're the right agent for my project.

I know that seems a bit odd, but I would rather have an agent who loves my book as much as I do, who believes in it and my message as much as I do, than an agent who sees good writing and a strong voice but who isn't passionate about it. Sometimes, we writers get so gung-ho on getting an agent that we don't stop to think that not every agent is the right fit for us and our careers. Personalities can clash. Visions can clash. Sometimes you see one thing and they see another. So you want an agent you get along with, who shares your vision and wants the best for you and your career.

So instead of looking at each rejection letter as one more agent I can't query again with this project, I look at it as narrowing my list and getting me closer to the agent who's just the right fit.

Granted, my rejection numbers are still pretty low, so a few months from now I might not be so positive about it. *g*

Requests, though. Oh, requests.

There's nothing like a request for a partial, and I'm sure a request for a full will feel even better.

The key here is to keep your cool. Okay, you can squee a little bit in joy, but then you've gotta get down to business. Pay careful attention to what the agent requests, check out their website or blog for specific guidelines for partial requests, email them if you have a question or even to let them know you've put it in the mail. Have your synopsis ready, and have synopses in different lengths ready. Have a short blurb (like what you would see on the back of your book) handy. Having your first three chapters in a separate file for easy, quick printing can help a lot. Keep an author bio on file, with any information that you feel is pertinent (education, contest wins and places, publishing credits, professional organizations, etc.).

And don't forget to have stamps, envelopes and even return address labels on file. Oh, and keep up with the USPS since they change the prices of stamps every three days or so.

Next up: To Twiddle or Not to Twiddle? That is the question.