First, you probably saw yesterday’s post about my on-line holiday store. If not, here’s the link: BOOK STORE
I’m really excited to be able to offer some of my print collections at a discounted price, especially during this holiday season, so check it out.
Second, TWP has generously put my 2 San Valentino ebooks on sale for 99 cents, to coincide with Mistletoe, Mobsters, & Mozzarella also being on sale. I love that!!
Sometimes I can come up with a blog post title that just needs nothing else – no post at all, just the title. Today, that’s true. hee hee.
Okay, well, maybe a little explanation.
I was notified this past Thursday that two of my books had finaled in the OKRWA International Digital Awards. One book had won, the other placed fifth!
Yowza.
The winner was CHRISTMAS & CANNOLIS in the Contemporary Novel category and the 5th winner place was DEARLY BELOVED In the same category.
This is the second year in a row I’ve won this category. Last year the winner was COOKING WITH KANDY.
To say I’m humbled wouldn’t be sufficient. In all honesty, no writer writes a story alone. My editor at WRP, Eilidh Mackenzie edited both of these novels, so I consider this win hers as much as mine! And of course, I wouldn’t be winning anything if Rhonda Pendersand RJ Morris hadn’t taken a chance on a 55 year old menopausal chickita who had a dream to have a romance book published traditionally.
Yeah, it’s turning out to be a good year…what there is left of it. Heehee
Remember that tootsie pop commercial “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Toostie pop?” If you’re over 40 you do.
I’m waaaaaay over 40.
But I digress.
I’ve been TRADITIONALLY published for 4 years now. My first book hit the shelves from The Wild Rose press in 2015. Since then I’ve had 3 books published with Kensington/Lyrical, 9 more published with WRP and 3 more contracted, one ( so far) published with Limitless and 3 more planned for that series. I’ve won over 20 industry writing awards for my books, the most recent, the 2018 OKRWA International Digital Award and the 2019 Golden Quill Award. I’ve done speaking engagements on romance topics, I have a fierce social media presence and a good following of readers and bloggers and I’m an active member of my local RWA chapter.
I’ve done all the work to get those books contracts, too. On my own. No Literary Agent. And let me repeat – these are traditionally published, not self-pubbed books.
So, why am I still trying to land a Literary Agent when I’ve had such success on my own getting book contracts?
A good question and one I’ve had a lot of people ask me.
I see having a Literary Agent has having someone who is always guarding my six ( or, at my back for those of you who don’t watch NCIS). Someone who will do their best to try to find the publishing contracts for me, instead of me having to invest so much time and energy in doing so when I could be writing. A literary agent knows the ins and outs of the publishing community, what’s new, what’s going out of style. They’ll be able to garner you international rights so your books get to other readers in other countries; they know what conferences to attend, what CONS to do books signings at to increase your exposure and get you more sales. They are your first professional reader and editor, able to tell you where you need to make changes to your manuscript to get it “publishing ready.”
Having a Literary Agent may seem old fashioned to some of the new wave of Indie writers, but I still see having one as an entree to places in publishing I could never go to or get into without one. Literary Agents have relationships with publishing houses that I never will – or can. Editors for those houses trust their judgement. If they talk up an author and her work, those editors will listen instead of unknown me writing a query letter that will probably go into a spam file.
I respect Literary Agents and think they are so worth having. You have a doctor to protect your health; a dentist to protect your teeth. A literary agent protects you and your work. Makes sense, no?
And yet, I still haven’t been able to get any LA’s interested in representing me, so I ask again, how many published books – traditionally published books – does it take before someone will be interested in representing me?
The answer to the tootsie pop question was 3. It takes 3 licks to get to center of a tootsie pop.
I’ve queried upward of 25-30 Literary Agents the past few years. And I’m still not …at the center of the tootsie pop.
Le sigh. Maybe this year at #RWA2019 I’ll finally meet the Agent of my dreams. I can always hope and dream……
Hey, did you know my current book is currently on sale exclusively at AMAZON and KU?
Here are the links:
Peggy Jaeger, Author 