Surely it hasn’t been that many, has it? 

Queries, that is. Well, it can certainly feel that way. But once again, I am embarking on that same old journey to publication, but this time, I’m riding a brand-new wagon!

C. and I finished our edits, and I think the manuscript is worlds better than it was when we started, so I am much more optimistic about finding an agent or a publisher this time around, more so than I have been since I wrote my very first query letter.

Now the real work begins. (I bet you thought the hard part was writing the novel, didn’t you?)

Submission-tracking spreadsheet? Check.

2012 Writer’s Market? Check.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Book Proposals & Query Letters? Um. No. I skipped that one. I already feel enough like an idiot without broadcasting it to the world by buying a book titled to confirm it. Uncheck.

Here we go. For those of you unfamiliar with the process, let’s review the steps:

1.) Research the market.

2.) Research the specific agent/publisher to whom you wish to submit.

3.) Craft the best damned query letter you can (after, of course, having written the best damned book you can write)–if you don’t know what that looks like, see The Complete Idiot‘s reference book mentioned above.

4.) Research the agent/publisher’s guidelines and follow them to the letter.

5.) Wait.

6.) Wait.

7.) Wait.

8.) Wait.

9.) Wait.

10.) Repeat steps 1-9 as needed with new agents/publishers until a.) published; b.) definitively rejected; c.) death.

Nah, I’m just yanking your chain. It’s not that bad–it can just feel that way sometimes. Let’s face it, it’s a competitive endeavor, and some agents receive hundreds of queries–perhaps thousands–every month. This is not an endeavor for the faint of heart.

But wait–this is the new optimistic me, so let me turn over a new leaf: I’ll say step 10 this time around will be “open celebratory bottle of champagne when offer is made by agent of choice.”

After all, tomorrow is another day, right? Stay tuned.