Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Confidence is a Key Component of Success

When starting a business of any kind, whether its a literary agency, a law firm, a retail store, a coffee shop, a bakery, mechanic garage or a publishing career confidence is one of the keys to success. I strongly believe that you'll never make it if you don't believe in your work and in yourself.

That's why emails like this turn me off and almost always result in a rejection:


Thank you so much for letting me submit to you I know that you are very busy and probably don't really have the time to look at my manuscript. I understand if you decide to pass.
And yep, I actually receive emails like this all the time.

I get how stressful submitting is. I get that you worry that it's not good enough and that the agent might be too big for you or have a client list that's too big for you. But you also need to remind yourself that you are a contender too. If you want other people to treat your book like it has real potential and is worthy of publication than you need to treat it that way as well.

Stand by what you've written and if you can't, maybe you need to rewrite it.

--jhf

7 comments:

Alexia Chantel said...

This is the same when I am interviewing candidates, those who are confident in their abilities and communicate that are at the top of my list. I believe one should send out queries the same as a job resume. Be confident, articulate, and sell yourself the best you can.

Beth Gallagher said...

Thanks for this wonderful post! There are always situations and even full days that make us question what we're doing, but in the end - if we don't believe in ourselves and our work who will? That said, I'm off to submit! :D

Carolynnwith2Ns said...

Hallelujah, send up the fireworks, if you don't believe in your own work you can't expect someone else to.

Unknown said...

haha. Sometimes I feel like querying is like dating

DLM said...

2Ns, you have me hearing RuPaul in my head, saying "If you can't love yourself, how in the HELL are you gonna love somebody else? Can I get a aMEN?" :)

Those of us who are brave enough not only to create, but to SHARE and work to support our work, have nothing - NOTHING - to apologize for. It's heartbreaking, really, how backward so many of us get that.

kris said...

All Canadians ever born are now weeping into our poutine. Apologetically, of course.

AJ Blythe said...

I get the whole lack-of-confidence thing, but surely it would be understood that reading queries (ie potentially acquiring a new client) is how the business of being an agent works? When an agent needs to they 'close to submission'?