erastes

Which is: Statistics.

I've been updating my page at www.litmatch.net (which is very useful site - go join - shoo!) and putting in all the agent queries that I can find in my inbox. As you can see, it's pretty depressing reading. Out of the 21 queries I've made, you can literally say I've had 20 rejections (because one was made this morning).

	Initial	Follow -up	Overall
Offers	0	0	0
Requests	1	0	1
Rejected	7	0	7
Withdrawn	0	0	0
Pending	13	1	14

I'm sure I'm queried more than 20 over the last 2 years, but I don't seem to have kept the emails--or maybe I haven't. Oh well, keep on plugging as they say.

I do rather get the feeling that many of these agents put "gay/lesbian" as one of their targetted markets but they only do it for PC reasons--when you check their client lists, many don't have any gay/lesbian books at all. You'd think, therefore, that it would be something they'd be particularly looking for then, wouldn't you? No? Me either.

Somehow (oh how naive...) I had the impression that once I'd actually SIGNED a damned mainstream contract that it would be mildly easier to land an agent, because all they have to do now is cop a percentage of what money I might own, but now I look at it with more sober eyes, I realise this is nonsense. There's no guarantee Transgressions will earn-out its advance (most books don't, apparently so I'd better cancel the order for that new house, eh?) and unless it does the new agent won't be earning a penny, whereas if they'd come on board before I got that advance, at least they'd have had some of that. I learn. Slowly, but it is possible to teach this old bitch.

I'm pitching a weird query too, I'm not just pitching "here's my new novel PLEASE READ" I'm sort of pitching Junction X in conjunction with the ongoing marketing of Transgressions (and the others I suppose, as I'm still living in hope of:- Standish the movie, Standish the mini-series, Standish the GRAPHIC NOVEL (come on - wouldn't you buy it?) Standish the fully illustrated glossy paper full colour coffee-table edition....Standish the posable dolls....Standish the dollshouses....)

Yeah yeah. Champagne marketing ideas. Beer in hand.

On we go...

Oh - and PS - before querying ANY AGENT - even from this site - check 'em out on Preditors and Editors and the Water Cooler FIRST. OK?