THE YEAR: 2001
My first book, LITTLE PEARLS was an Erma Bombeck-esque tome with each chapter being a humorous take on some part of my life. I had an absolute blast writing it and knew it was what I wanted to pursue.
My second project, SPARKS FLY SOMETIMES: CONFESSIONS OF A ROCK PRINCESS, was the first book I queried.
It was loosely based on my life as the founder of an all-original rock band where I sang, wrote the songs, and played rhythm guitar (Les Paul Cherry Sunburst like my idol, Jimmy Page), keyboards, and percussion.
The book itself? Not so great, though at the time, I thought it was brilliant.
Performing at the Colorado People’s Fair with my band, 27 Dreams,1987
When I got my first request from an agent to read the manuscript, I thought I’d soon be on the NY Times Best Seller list, doing book tours, and perhaps appearing on morning talk shows.
Easy peasy. Write a book. Get an agent. Sign a huge publishing deal.
Repeat.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!
Did I mention this was in the days before social media when you had to purchase a paperback as thick as a NYC phone book that listed every agent in alphabetical order and read through said book to determine which agents to query? And once you did that you had to snail mail query letters and include a SASE for a return reply?
FAST FORWARD: 2009
I kept writing and became involved in this newfangled thing called, Twitter, where literary agents and authors were forming a fun, close-knit community. It’s where I met my first agent. It’s also where I met my second agent. It’s also where I met my third agent. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
My first agent offer came from an established agent with her own agency for a YA paranormal romance novel I wrote called, THE SECRET KEEPER. It’s still one of my favorite things I’ve written. Things didn’t work out with Agent #1 due to no fault of her own.
My ex had just left after a very LTR, and I was in no mood for games.
When she took too long to get back to me on edits, she was out.
I took my angst about my marriage ending out on her. THAT’S A VERY BAD IDEA, BY THE WAY.
The project never went on submission, and I self-published it years later.
Here’s the link to my current website which will be updated in the near future: www.debralynnshelton.com.
In the meantime, I kept writing. Three books. Four books. Five…
FAST FORWARD: 2014
Agent #2 offered on a fun, sexy, murder mystery called, MURDER ON TWILIGHT CIRCLE about a doctor’s wife being murdered on a street named Twilight Circle in her upscale neighborhood.
Coincidentally, I was a doctor’s wife living on a street named Twilight Circle in an upscale neighborhood.
They say write what you know. I may have taken that advice too seriously.
Fortunately, I wasn’t the doctor’s wife who was murdered nor was it anyone I knew. Ah, the magic of fiction!
This project did go on submission, which at first is fun. Then it becomes not so much fun. Then it becomes even less fun. Then it becomes soul-crushing. Every response from publishers was similar:
“Love it! The voice and setting are a hoot. Great characters! Just not sure I can sell it…”
So, we set it aside and moved forward with my next book until Agent #2 decided she didn’t like project #2 as much as project #1 and was focusing more on her growing list of clients.
Did I mention I was the first author she signed? I was, which made me nervous. Turns out I didn’t need to be. She remains a successful agent, and we communicate from time to time. We just weren’t meant to be together.
I also self-pubbed that book.
IMPORTANT POINT: A relationship with an agent IS LIKE a relationship with a significant other. You need to trust, respect, and ‘get’ each other. You need to make each other laugh and be interested and interesting. Which brings me to Agent #3.
From 2016, when my second agent and I split, through 2021, I wrote several more books, received more full requests, but got no offers of representation. I took a break from writing for about a year before writing two more books.
In February of 2024, I signed up, once again, for Query Tracker https://querytracker.net and Publisher’s Marketplace https://www.publishersmarketplace.com, both essential querying tools IMHO, and began to research agents for my latest project, a domestic suspense novel. In the past, I’d queried widely – as many as 100+ agents per book.
This time, I took it slow. I didn’t want any agent. I wanted THE agent. I wanted my THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM agent. I wanted my WE’RE NEVER GETTING DIVORCED agent.
The following is the mood board I created and stats for my most recent project. I used the mood board on Twitter to help pitch my book alongside querying. (Run don’t walk to https://www.canva.com/ for all your marketing and mood board needs.)
45 Queries Sent
3 Full Requests
1 Partial Request
19 Passes
22 Still No Response
When I received an offer of representation, I contacted the other agents who requested my work and gave them two weeks to respond.
Some writers contact all agents who have queries, which is an option, but is not necessary.
The replies brought tears to my eyes…
AGENT WITH PARTIAL:
Hi Debbie – that’s amazing news and I am delighted for you!
In all honesty, I suggest that – if the offer feels right – you accept representation.
This business is brutally tough at the moment so having someone in your corner who believes in the project is very important.
I’m sorry we won’t be working together but wish you all very best wishes moving forward.
1st AGENT WITH FULL:
Hi Debbie,
Congratulations on your offer! I’m genuinely excited for you. I have really enjoyed reading your work and I’m not at all surprised you have enthusiastic interest. I am going to regretfully step aside but wish you all the best and can’t wait to see your career take off!
2nd AGENT WITH FULL:
Hi Debbie,
Thanks so much for giving me some time to review! The concept is great, and I can see why the manuscript has garnered attention, but I’m going to step aside. It sounds like you have someone who is passionate about your project and ready to be a champion for it–that’s wonderful! Congratulations on the offer and I wish you all the best!
Lovely, right??? I literally got teary-eyed. I still do. I am beyond lucky to have had the support of so many along this crazy journey.
So, who did I sign with? (Drum roll, please!)
The lovely, talented, hilarious, and brilliant LESLIE VARNEY OF PRENTIS LIT. It’s an agency she co-owns with her business partner-co-agent, Trodayne Northern. Leslie lives in Washington State and Trodayne in NY, so it’s a bi-coastal agency.
FEEL FREE TO SEND HER A QUERY! https://prentisliterary.com
WHY DID I SIGN WITH HER? From our first conversation, she got me, as in I can be myself artistically, personally, politically, etc. We laughed a lot. Leslie not only gets my work and has fabulous revision ideas, but we hit it off in a more profound way than I had with my prior two agents. It feels like we’re literary soul mates, and I don’t say that lightly. It’s that strong of a connection.
Again, this is not necessary for everyone, and it may not even be what you want. Only you know your personal style and what type of agent/author relationship will works best for you.
For some, the relationship is strictly business, and that’s perfectly fine. But for me, being deeply connected to the person who’s holding my word babies in her arms and nurturing them into word grown-ups is key.
INTERESTING SIDE NOTE: Leslie’s mom was a successful literary agent representing sci-fi and fantasy writers for many years before she passed. Following in her mom’s footsteps, Leslie created an agency that reps all fiction genres, which is important or me since I write women’s fiction, thrillers/suspense, and YA paranormal.
CURRENTLY: I’m editing the book Leslie signed me for (suspense) and another she’s interested in (WF in the realm of Big Little Lies), and I’m writing three additional books. One is WF with witches (normal women by day, witches by night, and they don’t know it), the second is a murder mystery (dead parents declared deceased by natural causes, but are one of the two daughters guilty of murder?), and a YA paranormal (popular teens vs nerdy girl).
For the record, I’ve never worked on more than one project at a time before, but I feel I’m in a place I’ve always dreamed possible where there is no end to my creativity.
As you can see, THIS DID NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
It has taken a long time to manifest. I’m also not delusional. The world of publishing moves at a snail’s pace, and there are no guarantees. However, I believe we each have the power to create our own realities, and I intend to be traditionally published. To that end, I’m doing all I can.
DREAMS to GOALS to PLANS to ACTIONS to REALITY.
Or as I wrote in a song many moons ago:
Dreams, dream on – until they are no longer fantasy.
Top 10 Best Advice for Writers:
- To those of you in the query trenches, BREATHE. That’s it. Just breathe. (Seriously, this is extremely important. Do it. Often.)
- TRUST YOURSELF. Beta readers and even agents may make suggestions. Keep what rings true, disregard the rest. You are the creator of your fictional world.
- BE YOUR OWN BEST ADVOCATE. Have super-charged, mega-energized confidence in yourself and your work. No one else can do what you do or write the stories you write. NO. ONE. ELSE.
- TAKE BREAKS. Exercise, take walks, be in nature, dance, paint, sew/knit, WATCH TV!, cuddle with your fur and/or human babies and, if you have one, hang with your significant other. If you don’t, then do what Miley Cyrus does: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7KNmW9a75Y I’d suggest reading, but for me, when I’m writing I don’t read because I don’t want to lose my voice or take on the voice of another writer. If you can read and keep the voices in your head separated, go for it. As a musician, I also can’t listen to music when I’m writing. The music steals my mind every time. However, for some writers, music inspires their writing and some even create set lists for their books.
- DO WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU. (See above.)
- NETWORK. Meet agents and fellow writers online, at conferences, at local writer groups, etc. These things have helped me immensely over the years.
- WRITE OTHER THINGS. I had many articles published on songwriting and songwriters, as well as on kveller.com (various topics) through the years. I also write songs and poetry. Keep a journal. Join in flash writing prompts online or create your own (i.e., here’s a picture: what is happening? Write the story.) Change things up. Keep your writing fresh and interesting.
- DON’T GIVE UP.
- TRUST YOURSELF, BE YOUR OWN BEST ADVOCATE.
- DON’T GIVE UP.
ADDITIONAL STATS:
Completed: 14 Novels
Started but didn’t complete: 8 Novels
100s of queries sent
32 Full Requests
3 Offers of Representation
Countless rejections.
Many “no responses.”
CONTACT ME:
Thanks for reading. I wish you nothing but the best along your writing journey.
Hit me up on the socials! I’d love to be in touch.
