Sometimes You Just Give Up

I have.
On more than one occasion.
Ask my CPs Kim and Lori. They have the tortured emails from me to prove it.

October 3

I'm at that point where I've put so much time and energy into it that lead nowhere that I just don't want anything to do with it. I swear I don't ever want to query again.

October 25

I still think it's a great story for younger middle grade, but we'll see. I'm not getting my hopes up again.

November 14

I give up.
Seriously.

But a funny thing happened in the depths of depression.

I found hope.
By encouraging someone else who was down.

November 21

I have to believe that persistence and luck are the only ingredients missing for us right now so we just have to keep trying and not be one of the people who gives up because it WILL happen. Hopefully before we're dead.

She wrote back:

You are right, of course you are. I think I just need a break from the submissions, for a bit. Anyway, sorry to bum you out.

I responded:

Oh, you didn't bum me out. I've been depressed for a while. But the funny thing is, after I emailed you, I sent out another query. It had been sitting in my query folder for a few days. I just wasn't sure if I should send any more out. Writing that note to you reminded me that I can't give up no matter how depressing it gets. Beth Revis wrote ten books before she found an agent. Cindy Pon queried 121 people with the same story before landing her agent. So yes, it's hard, and yes, we'll go through periods of hating the process, hating going through this torture. But in the end it will pay off...

Let me tell you people, that ONE more query I sent out...it paid off.

The agent wrote back the next day to say she liked the chapter I'd included with my query and wanted to read more.

One week later, she emailed to ask if we could talk on the phone.

She could probably hear my squeals in New York!

Yesterday we had a wonderful conversation.

And I am now the newest client of Michelle Humphrey at International Creative Management.
Did you see that? Let me make it easier to read...
I am the newest client of Michelle Humphrey at International Creative Management!!!

I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying that!  
And trust me -- between 4:05 p.m. yesterday and right now, I've said it a LOT of times :D

Lesson learned? Even when you're at the bottom and it's hard and you think you've given up, you can't. Try again. Send out one more query. Take one more chance.

It could make all the difference.