The Challenge of Literary Agents

I have been sending out query letters to literary agents and publishers for 25 years and still have a box-full of rejection letters that I keep for old times' sake. I have also received thousands of rejection emails, but the truth is that most agents and publishers don't bother to send them. Some do acknowledge receipt of your query, but then go on to say that they don't have the time or energy to send out rejections. Basically, if you don't hear from them, you're SOL.

I have now started the process of sending queries regarding my new novel, Eternal Moments. It's the tenth novel in my series of what I formerly called "anti-war novels". The main character is a well-intentioned water expert who travels through sub-Saharan Africa, having adventures and trying not to get killed. In Eternal Moments these adventures are enhanced by his personal challenges, including getting fired, a second cancer diagnosis, and the realization of how his life has been altered by a loveless childhood. His struggle against these events leads not only to insights about his life, but also to the spiritual side of contemporary science.

I've had a slow start to my queries. taking only a few at a time and trying to customize them as much as possible. I use the Literary Agents Database, which provides detailed information on how a nobody like me - with one

traditionally published book and 15 self-published books - can submit a query. Sometimes, the information is that the company and its agents do not accept unsolicited queries. In this first batch of agents, four sites indicated that they were uninterested in writers like me. On the other hand, five indicated that they accepted unsolicited queries, and I submitted according to their instructions. One of them, Bankoff Collaborative, sent a rejection email response within 24 hours. Either they read their queries very quickly, or they really don't want people like me to send them stuff. The agencies who have not yet rejected me are as follows: DeFiore and Company, Malaga Baldi Literary Agency, Verve Talent and Literary Agency, and the Book Club.

I intend to chronicle my adventures in this universe on a weekly basis for anyone who might be interested. There are over 100 agents in the database to pester with my queries. Despite my sordid past, I hope someone will bite.