Thursday, May 27, 2010

Patience is a virtue...But I want it NOW, Babushka!

Another week has gone by and I'm still playing the agent waiting game. Good thing I was gifted with an abundance of patience. What's that I hear? It sounds like tittering. Okay. So maybe patience isn't really one of my strong suits. Which brings to mind a book I used to read to my children and hadn't thought about in a very long time. Until now, that is.


Written and illustrated by Patricia Pollaco, BABUSKA'S DOLL http://www.amazon.com/Babushkas-Doll-Patricia-Polacco/dp/0671683438is the story of a selfish, young girl who wants everything 'RIGHT NOW!' Fed up with her granddaughter's whining, Babuska goes to run errands leaving Natasha behind with a very special playmate: a doll who mysteriously subjects the unsuspecting Natasha to the same whiney, 'I want it now' treatment she perpetrated on her grandmother. By the time Babuska returns home, Natasha has learned a very important lesson about the perils of 'me first' thinking. It's a wonderful story and the illlustrations are fabulous so if you have a wee one who might be getting a wee bit full of him or herself, pick up a copy and read it to them.


Often.


So. Here's a question for those of you who have or are doing the 'agent search'. Do you go the one-agent-at-a-time query route or do you send out multiple queries to different agents and agencies? Is there a proper etiquette here? Are you wiser to query multiple agents so you have a base of comparison as you interview prospective agents or is it more suitable to focus on one at a time? I'm getting antsy-pantsy to find a new agent and get back on the publishing treadmill and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue.


Tomorrow's my Friday for the work week! Anybody have any special plans for Memorial Day weekend? I may get to weed and feed my yard this week. Looks like the weather may finally cooperate.


Have a super--and safe--long weekend!


~Bullet Hole~

4 comments:

Terri Osburn said...

I'm going to embark on this mession in the fall, but I've traveled it with several friends. I think my plan of action is going to be submit to my top four at the same time. Wait for those to feed through, move on to the next three or four. Sort of the attack in phases strategy. :)

Terri Osburn said...

I'm afraid that "mession" might be a Froidian slip. LOL! MISSION. Sheesh.

Kathy Bacus said...

Hmm. Your plan sounds reasonable, Terri. I think it's beneficial to have several agents you're 'interviewing' so you can evaluate which one may be the best fit for you. What I absolutely agree with is that any potential agent MUST LOVE your writing so they can enthusiasically and aggressively pitch it.

LOL on the 'Froidian slip'. I can totally relate...

Have a terrific holiday weekend!

~Kat

Helena Carlo said...

I think if there's one agent you'd prefer over any other, you could submit there 1st and see. If he/or she passes, I'd send several at a time.
But you're the success story here. You're in print, so you teach us newbies! :)