Diary of Being a Writer; Week 178

Still Querying Literary Agents

So as you know, I am currently pitching my book Bloody Dawn and The Duke to literary agents. Once a week, I log into Query tracker set the filters to Open to Submissions, Urban Fantasy. Then I scan the lists of agents and choose a couple. I look at their Agency’s website and their Twitter feed, and if they are into vampires, humour and cats, I send off my submission as per their requirements. Usually, this is a query letter, a synopsis and a certain amount of your manuscript. Occasionally, they want a bio, a pitch, or a blurb, and many want “comparable novels”. That is always awkward because I would love to think I have the potential to be a Laurell K Hamilton or a Jim Butcher. I know I am not there yet.
You may remember that I have an excel spreadsheet titled “Agent Rejections”. The idea being that the rejections shouldn’t bring you down. Each rejection means you are one step closer to an acceptance. But after more than 12 form-letter rejections, it is hard not to start questioning yourself. I have been doing okay, but I was questioning myself and my material. Did I need to pay money to do a “How to Query” course? Did I need to scrap this book entirely and write something else? Did I need to write the second Dawn book as a standalone, hope that it was better and then go back and rewrite the first one once I am a better writer?