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Okay, let’s get started.

On a personal note, I jammed a couple of fingers (pretending I’m 20-years-old again, much to my wife’s chagrin) playing football.  On the downside, my spelling might suck more than usual; on the upside this MAY cover the blood part when I claim to have put my blood, sweat and tears into this blog.

Eh hem…

Buckled in:

I have armed myself with the latest and greatest version of the ‘Guide to Literary Agents,’ which should be the best starting place for any aspiring novelist.  For those of you haven’t discovered this user’s guide through the literary mire, it reads a little like stereo instructions, but it’s instructions nonetheless.  You’ll find a quick ‘How To’ on everything from writing a query letter to making a Faustian deal… kidding about the Faustian deal, because if it were real, the road wouldn’t be as bumpy.

Now that I’ve read the initial chapters, beginning with the “abandon all hope ye who enter here” introduction.  This is a 1 ½ inch thick book with zero illustrations, so I’ll have to know what I’m looking for:

Agents interested in new authors, editors looking for the same, both mostly based in New York, fantasy, fiction, dark fantasy, novels, magazines, university publications, dog people, cat people, there was something about your first born… the list goes on.  The book does a good job of narrowing the field down for you, as long as you understand what you’re looking for.

And with enough highlighter slathered on these pages to make an early 1980s movie blush, I have narrowed down to a few dozen that will hopefully give me the time of day.  From here I’ll create a spreadsheet and steady my self-esteem to go 10 rounds with Mike Tyson.

Brad