Every time one of my writing buddies gets a nibble from an agent, I wonder if I shouldn’t trust the universe to provide and send out another round of queries myself. I’m happy enough self-publishing. No, my sales aren’t good, but the chances of them being better with a traditional publisher aren’t guaranteed, and at least my writing is out there now. Still, the validation of having someone you don’t know say, “Hey, I like your book well enough to help you” is priceless. Then I do a search and maybe—maybe—find one agent whose interests could possibly be a good match for my book. I’ve been through this dance long enough that I am not always willing to persevere with the queries.
Then the annual agent issue of Writer’s Digest arrived in my mailbox. I almost didn’t read the issue, figuring what’s the point? Still, I had just enough trust that somewhere out there’s an agent for me that I opened the magazine. This time, there were half a dozen agents that I thought might be interested in my work. Those are good enough odds for me.
I hope you, too, will trust yourself and your writing. Querying agents, finishing that rewrite, entering contests—all this takes energy and confidence. Persevere, and let me know when your efforts are rewarded.