Friday, August 20, 2010

Friday Realizations

Probably nothing too profound, but what I've discovered, or at least rediscovered, is that Agents are cool.  Which is a comforting thought considering I'll be entering training soon to become one of the elite (I'd like a red cape that sparkles please).

What brought me to this realization you might ask?  Looking at Twitter and Blogs, it's amazing how many authors and other agents follow and respond to agents.  They are revered.  But they are also just people.  We (preemptive use of the collective plural?  I hope not) have fears and make mistakes like anyone else.  But we also have hopes and dreams too. 

The coolest thing, is that agents are in this publishing game just the same as authors.  We want your book to succeed.  Every time we open a query, we think "This could be it."  It's not so much for financial gain (I mean come on, if I were in it for that I would have followed my father's advice to become a nurse and marry a wealthy doctor), so much for the love and passion for books.  I want to help an author realize his/her dream.  I want to walk into a bookstore, point to a book with the most striking cover, and say "I worked behind the scenes to make that book a reality."

All these really cool and not so profound realizations made me stop this morning and think, "I'm going to have a career!"  In publishing!  I graduated college exactly five months ago, and here I am, on my path, a path I hadn't even considered five months ago.  So, that's me, navigating this world that at one point makes all the sense in the world to me, and another is completely alien and foreign. 

Have a great weekend everybody, and happy writing!

1 comment:

♥ Bri said...

My dearest Secret Keeper...you and I both know that life just never seems to go down the road you expected it to. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, a quote that I had printed, laminated, and slapped onto my mirror for quite literally the whole duration of my high school life. It always confuses me why life has so many possibilities, but then I have to stop and realize it's because we have choices, and the choices help us reach our dreams.

“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.”

Always remember time doesn't wait for anyone. You can't sit around waiting for life to happen. You have to happen to life. Operation Dumbo Drop style. Drop in there and make a difference. I'm not one to talk much, but I'm proud of you for getting through college and going for your dreams. :)