And my new agent is...

Still a mystery.

Okay, I promise that when the dust settles I’ll do a full disclosure of this whole crazy process. I’ll post my query letter, pics of my partial packet (I did it a little differently), lists of agents that I talked to, some of the more interesting rejection letters, etc.

But for now, my head is swimming. In less than two weeks I’ve had 13 requests for the full manuscript of THE PANAMA HOTEL. (That name will probably change).

Along the way, I’ve had several offers of representation, a handful of rejections and am still waiting to hear back from a few agents before I decide. I’ve talked to some wonderful people too––agents, authors (clients for references) and editors.

In the end, choosing an agent is going to be a very hard decision, with or without my Magic 8-Ball. But it’s an amazing problem to have––stay tuned!

I got the call!

I was offered representation this morning on THE PANAMA HOTEL. I'm a writer and a fearless public speaker--still, I was speechless. Dazed, I walked back to my desk and found three more requests for the partial (And one rejection, hah). 

I still have several full manuscripts under consideration, so I need to make some calls in the morning. Weighing my options. I've waited and waited and now by my own volition, yes, I'm waiting some more. Look up irony in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of me waving at you. But man, do I have a big smile.

(Special thanks to MG, Adam and Pat for reminding me that this is a career decision and that I should take my time).

"Holy free stuff, Batman!"

As a kid, I had the coolest parents on the planet.

While other parents let their kids drink in the house, or cuss like drunken bikers on their way to Sturgis, mine did them one better. They bought me comic books. Granted, we were dirt poor, but if I ever wanted to read anything, they’d find the money—for used books and comics galore.

Now before you look down your literary nose at pictures with speech-balloons, keep in mind that a lot of major motion pictures these days have had their roots in comics. Road to Perdition, From Hell, Sin City, Ghost World, American Splendor, V for Vendetta, Constantine, 300, A History of Violence—all started out in print form (and I’m not even counting the movies of the X-men, Hulk, Spider-Man variety, of which are legion).

And if you’ve never read Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel, Maus—you’re missing something.

With that in mind, why not put off the Coronas for a few hours this Cinco de Mayo and take yourself (or better yet, your kids) to your local book or comic store this Saturday. It’s Free Comic Book Day, and you can load up.

Because in the words of John Belushi in Animal House, “don’t cost ‘nuthin.”

Riding the query-go-round

Hmm...I’ve been debating about how much to blog about my querying of literary agents for The Panama Hotel. Why? Because I don’t wanna jinx myself—I know, that’s about as mature as a 3rd grader not wanting to tell anyone what he wished for after blowing out his birthday candles. But now that I think about it, Farrah Fawcett never did show up as a substitute teacher back then, so what the heck.

As of today, I’ve had 3 requests for the full manuscript. As courtesy requires, I’ve let each agent know a couple of others have asked for the full.

As far as requests for partials, I’ve had 14. From 10 pages all the way up to 100. Most wanted them emailed; a few wanted them sent via snail mail. Each request came from email queries--most came back the same day.  

And along the way, I’ve had 4 query rejections, and one rejection on a partial. But, two of them referred me to other agents who ended up requesting the partial. (Thanks! You know who you are.)

One agent asked for an exclusive. She offered a three-week turnaround on reading the manuscript, but another agent had already requested the full.

So, now I wait. Stay tuned.