A Bite

Yesterday, I received an e-mail from my agent. (Still can't get used to saying that I even have an agent). He forwarded a correspondance he received from an editor. Basically the editor liked the proposal for my book and wants to know if I have anything more than the 3 sample chapters to send him. Uhhh...yeah.

Here's the kicker. The agent isn't interested in the ms that I just completed polishing and is finished page one to 340. He likes the one that's not written yet.

Am I complaining? No way.

I e-mailed the agent back and told him I've got 130 pages written. He states I should send 'em on. I, on the other hand, realized I've got one chance to get the editor excited enough about my writing to offer me a contract without the full ms written. So, I printed out my 130 pages and reread them over last night looking for areas that I could improve.

Happy day, it's pretty polished. Funny thing about a second ms, it doesn't need half as much work as a first try.

It had been so long since I read this ms since I've been working on the first, I actually saw it like a first time reader might. It's pretty good, I think. And definitely something I would buy.

Hopefully the editor feels the same way.

Interestingly enough. The interested editor is the same editor that came close to taking my first MS. So, if he ends up buying The Demon Chaser, I didn't actually need the agent to make the sale. I have a friendly relationship with this editor anyway and even before I had the agent, he told me to send the MS to him.

But, I'm still grateful to have this very connected and kind agent because he can negotiate the contract for me. And, God willing, there will be other books.

I'd like to concentrate on the writing and leave the headaches of contract negotiations, foreign rights and that type of thing to someone else.

So, there you have the update. Now at 6:30 am on a Saturday morning, while the rest of my neighborhood and household sleeps in, I giddily edit my partial MS.

As always, I'll keep you posted.