I’m A Writer Not A Promoter

We all know I love to write and I have a very active imagination. I consider myself a rather creative person, but when it comes to negotiations and contracts I’m like a fish out of water, therefore I’m on a quest to find a literary agent. The writing game is much like the music game. An author can choose to self-publish, and self-promote and then keep every dollar for themselves or work to get signed with a major publishing house attaining the fame but not necessarily the fortune. Personally I prefer the fortune over the fame but it seems the two often go hand and hand, but I digress...

I’m a writer not a fighter, and since contracts and negotiations aren’t my strong point and I don’t have major connects in the publishing field I’m in search of an enthusiastic, well connected agent. The idea of sharing a percentage of my earnings with an agent didn’t sit well with me at first. However after further consideration I thought to myself 70% or something is better than 100% of nothing and the networking connections an agent could bring into my world would be priceless.

So I spent the majority of yesterday writing and perfecting query letters as well as scouring the internet researching literary agents. However I was a bit disappointed with what I found. As I searched by genre I found that, agents who rep urban or street lit authors were far and few between. There were agents who specialized in the “African American” genre, but I wanted someone who focused on Urban lit. Now don’t get me wrong; I can write about anything, but my first two books are geared toward an urban audience. So now that I can recite the format and structure of a query letter in my sleep I’m in hot pursuit of an agent. Someone who can handle the business aspect of my journey to literary success, every Divah needs a team right?

I must say that this experience has shed some light on why most street lit authors self-publish, and I give them the upmost respect. It definitely takes a lot of hard work and dedication to self-publish and produce a noteworthy finished product. It takes perseverance and major hustle to self-promote and network getting your name and book out there. Writing a book is like giving birth, the words and story go from your mind onto the page and finally your novel is born, and just like your own child you believe in your work more than anyone else in the whole entire world. So I appreciate the struggle and reward of self-publishing. Promotion not being my strong point, I need the guidance and tutelage of a professional, my aim is to create a good buzz, attract the attention of an agent and get signed. However my short term goal is to get over my shyness and indulge in some shameless self-promotion just until I find the agent that believes in my work as much as I do. In the mean time my knees are knocking as I’m wringing my hands hoping to find a literary agent sooner rather than later.