Agent 00Nothing

So, in talking to a new writer friend who I had the pleasure of being a reader for...and who landed an agent and an offer within a short amount of time, and who I believe deserves both--I came to the conclusion that I needed to shake up my situation a bit. I find myself enjoying change this year, like letting go of things in my life that aren't working (ex: The Mothercode). So, I have also decided to end my relationship with my agent. Scary, yes...to be agentless once again when it took so long to get through the slush and get her to begin with, not to mention the hundreds of query letters, postage costs, the tic from hitting the refresh button on my email over and over...ah, those were the days.

But, as my friend pointed out--you can't get the right one until you toss out the wrong one. I like this. So, I took a leap of faith and ended it, asking only that she send me a list of editors that have passed on the manuscript because this is one of the things that I have been upset with her about. Yes, I do want to hear about the rejections. Yes, I would like a submission history for future reference. So, guess what? That was two days ago and she hasn't responded yet. She usually answers my emails within the hour. I'm beginning to wonder if she has even EVER put it in front of an editor. I mean, I certainly would tell a client about the rejections, if nothing else, to let them know I was at least trying. When I've asked her in the past who is passing, she has said "be patient, these things take awhile." Refer to friend above--obviously not that long.

Have I hurt her feelings? I doubt it, she's been in the business for thirty years. Surely, she's lost other clients.

Did she secretly hate my book and take it on just to keep it off the market? I'm beginning to think so.

I suppose I'll eventually have to call her if she doesn't respond. That will not make me happy.

If I look at the upside, which is what I'm trying to do, I have to say that I think the book I'm working on now will be easier to sell and will appeal to a broader population. I would rather it be my first published. Or, who knows, maybe the one I write after this one will be "the one." Someday I'll get there.

Anyway, I will be leaving for the mountains tomorrow. Fun and tubing with friends for a few days. Hopefully when I get back this situation will have resolved itself.