I'm not good with rejection. I have filmmaker friends and friends in bands who have rejection walls, where they post all their rejection letters from various agencies, labels, etc.I have only a few rejection e-mails, all from Sketch Comedy festivals. Each one was a stab in the gut for me. I need to thicken my skin.
Well, now I have this damn book and I need to find representation. I didn't end up just cold sending my query letters to random agents like most folks would have had to do. I called up my friend Ken, who has actually published with Simon and Schuster and asked for help.
Ken thinks I'm pretty funny. In fact we know each other from his coming to my comedy shows, though it turns out his brother is my high-school friend Matt. So anyway I showed Ken my query letter. He thought the book sounded good and then showed the query letter to the agent who handled the foreign rights for his book. She agreed to look at a fifty page excerpt.
I've now sent her the excerpt. And it's making me crazy. I wait for her to reject it or to ask to see more. I'm rereading my book, totally full of doubt. Worried that it moves too fast over the huge span of time it covers. Worried that my writing is too direct. I'm not much for flowery descriptions of people or places. I prefer to let you get to know the characters and settings slowly as they react to the events of the story, but I'm second guessing myself every which way.
I'm glad I did it though. If she passes on the book I will print out the rejection e-mail. I'll post it to my wall, and then I'll send the query letter to the next agent on my list and I'll hatch a new set of butterflies to flap around in my rumbling belly.
Of course, if she decides to take on the project, then I'll do a happy dance. I'll film my happy dance and post it here. So, if you want to see a happy dance cross your fingers, pray to boognish, light a candle, sacrifice a cricket, lick a toadstool, do whatever you have to do to trick the universe into breaking it's own rules in my favor. Peace.
4 comments:
If I was both Simon and Shuster I would pubish your book.
If you were both Simon and Shuster I would visit your tent at the freak show every night and bring you fresh fish heads.
And thank you. Hopefully someone will agree with you and publish the damn thing because I REALLY badly want to get on the road in support of a book. That'd be the greatest. The next best thing to touring with a rock and roll band, living with a bunch of other stink butts in some busted up old van.
All my jobs is the best thing I've ever read online, and have thoughouly enjoyed your website for along time.
p.s. my middle name is also lowell.
Thanks. That's really cool of you to say, and it's quite nice to read too.
Is Lowell the best middle name or what? I love my middle name, that's why I always use it.
I hope you'll enjoy the new blog as much as you enjoyed All My Jobs when it gets rollin' in January. I put in a few hours on it today, getting it ready.
Thanks, Thanks, and thanks again.
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