There’s a tricky thing about numbered lists that are doled out one number at a time — the last one is usually considered the most important. I wasn’t sure what was going to be number ten on my list until I wrote it. There were several contenders, but the myth that once you have an agent, your book will sell was the clear winner. After all, that’s the reason we strive for finding the best agent we can — to cut to the front of the editor’s line of manuscripts with a note saying we’re special and need her attention first. And with that kind of introduction, how can she reject us? Answer = very easily, because she doesn’t like the book; very heartbreakingly, because marketing doesn’t like the book she happens to love.

Don’t we all wish that getting an agent meant a soon-to-be sale and continued future success? Of course. We probably all wish to be financially set and healthy forever, too. But most of us know life doesn’t work that way, and we reluctantly accept that we will have our ups and downs.

Getting an agent is a definite up. But then the road can get very bumpy. Buckle up. Because you can expect:

1. Rejection.
2. Being sought after.
3. Being ignored.
4. Being seduced and abandoned.
5. Being left at the altar.

At least, if you have an agent, you aren’t in it alone, though. That’s some consolation.

The small t truth to the quest for an agent is this: it means something to have an agent make an offer to represent your book, so know what you want while you’re searching; and, it means nothing to have an agent make an offer to represent your book, so be prepared to fall back on your belief in your book and turn in a new direction if the wind shifts.

Top “Truth” Number One
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Top “Truth” Number Nine