Ugh. This week has been one of those weeks. I've been extremely tired and very grumpy. I think it mostly has to do with the weather. It snowed yesterday, which I don't mind, but then we only had a high of like 10. It was also 10 when I came to work this morning. I don't mind winter, it's actually my favorite season, but I hate subarctic temperatures. If I wanted negative degrees, I'd move to Alaska or Antarctica.
I've been in a quandary lately. I read a blog or article (I can't remember what it was and I can't find it again. Weird) about academic writers needing an agent just like fiction writers. It's basically just nonfiction geared toward a specific audience, but it can be broadened to appeal to everyone (well, maybe some of them can, but I'm convinced not everyone wants to read about experiments in cattle feed and economic ways to maintain them in the winter). Nevertheless, it got me thinking: maybe I can get an agent.
Finding an agent for nonfiction, even when you have a publisher interested in your work, is just as elusive as Bigfoot. But I'm not letting it get me down. Again, I have a publisher who is interested in my work, I don't need an agent to find someone and I have a lawyer to help me review contracts, so why do I need an agent? I've sent out a few queries, and the majority of them have been met with rejection. Really, I'm not surprised. I don't think my nonfiction is commercial enough, but I had to try.
Right now, I'm pretty content being small potatoes. I might not have millions of people clamoring to buy my books, but the few that are are very important to me. The only way to make an impression is to get your work out there. It would probably make a bigger impression if I had an agent and my work was in brick and mortar stores around the country, but that's just not an option right now. I've made my peace with that. So why do I keep torturing myself by sending out queries?
