Breath, Breath...No Need to Panic

So I just got home from my first trip to the gym of the new year (2.13 miles in 30 minutes on the treadmill and four sets of curls just to feel manly, for those keeping notes.)  I popped open the MacBook to write a quick note for the site, and I noticed I had a few new emails sitting in my inbox.

...one unintelligible spam message <DELETE>

...one message from Writer's Digest promising me the secrets to getting published for $159.95 <SHAKE MY HEAD SADLY, THEN DELETE>

...one Facebook request...<FEEL HAPPILY INCLUDED, SAVE>

...a Staples.com flyer <SILENTLY GRUMBLE ABOUT THE BROKEN OFFICE CHAIR I AM SITTING IN, SAVE>

...a response from one of the agents I queried on saturday <COMPLETELY PANIC>

I spent about two minutes staring at the subject line of the email.

First I tried to be all cool about it:  "Oh my first rejection of the batch, that was quick...whatever." 

Then I some hope started creeping in:  "Well, you know it could be good...I've put a lot of work into this and those first few pages are really strong.  Maybe..." 

Then a little excitement: "Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, what if she wants to see more?  What if she wants a partial?  What if this is the first correspondence with my new agent which will grow into a long and rewarding professional relationship where the two of us reinvent the entire fantasy genre???  What if--"

And then the impatient cynic--who really just wants to get back to work--piped up: "Seriously guy, just OPEN THE EMAIL!"

So I did.  And...

<drum roll>

She wants the first fifty pages!!!  Oh my god!  Losing my mind, trying to calm down, really wishing someone was here to jump up and down in circles with me.

For the non-writers out there, this is what we call a "request for a partial."  It is not an offer for representation (so don't get too excited) but it is a relatively big deal.  Basically, based on my introductory letter and short writing sample, this awesome (and clearly quite talented) agent thinks my book is worth considering.  This is only the third partial request I've ever received.

The next step is I'll send in the first 50 pages.  She'll read those and if she still thinks there is something there, she'll ask for the whole thing.  Then after reading the entire novel, she'll make a final decision.  So there is still a long way to go, but this is a very exciting first step.

All right, I need to calm myself down and get back to work.  I'll keep everyone posted on this.

Man, talk about positive reinforcement for spending my lunch hour at the gym.

Comments

[you sey wife]

Good job little novel....
keep making us proud!

[you sey wife]

keep making us proud little novel!