Author Spotlight: Lisa Regan

Debut novel now available!

As I mentioned in my Insecure Writers post on Wednesday, there are moments when the aspiring writer seeking traditional publication questions whether or not they will ever achieve that goal of finding an agent or editor. We all know perseverance is a huge part of the equation, but I don't think you know what real perseverance looks like unless you know Lisa Regan's story. Here, in her own words, is her journey:


The Elusive Agent

On 4/12/06 I sent out my first batch of queries. 7 of them.  By 4/25/06 I had three full requests out to agents and a telephone call from one of them telling me how much she loved my book and that she loved how “gritty and dark” it was.  I thought:  this is it!  It’s only been 2 weeks and I’ve already gotten a phone call!  I’m going to get an agent soon!  I might just go down in history as the fastest agent-getter ever!  Right?

Not so much. 

4 and a half years, 2 books and 238 agent rejections later I finally landed an agent.

What went wrong?  Why did it take so long?  How could I generate that much interest in 2 weeks and not land an agent right away?

In short:  my book wasn’t ready. 

It had the makings of a good story but it wasn’t ready. This was before the proliferation of agent and writer blogs, before forums and online writing groups. My biggest mistake was not using critique partners or beta readers. My first real critique came from an actual agent. It was a glowing rejection that was 7 paragraphs long. I made every change he suggested and asked him to give it another look.  He did and said it was better but it wasn’t quite there yet.  I actually got this from many agents:  “It’s great but it’s not quite there.  Let me look it over and get you some notes.”  Well that never happened.  Agents are ridiculously busy, and I can tell you that their clients always take priority.  I never got those notes from any of the agents that promised them. Eventually they got to feeling badly for never getting back to me and simply passed.  Really, you have to do the work yourself.

What else have I learned about landing that elusive agent?  Behold:

Writing Another Book is a Good Idea:  Keep writing while you’re querying.  It keeps you from going crazy in agent-rejection hell.  Many times, agents who liked your first book but rejected it anyway will read your second book based on having liked the first.  I got a lot of requests for Finding Claire Fletcher.  Once I had written my second book, I went back to the agents who gave me nice rejections and I said hey, remember me?  You liked my first book but passed on it?  Well I’ve got another one, want to read it?  (More eloquently than that, of course).  Every single one of them said send it right over. 

Send Out A Lot of Queries:  I always read about people who are ready to jump off the nearest bridge after sending out 4 queries and getting 4 rejections.  From the other side of 238 rejections, I can tell you that you should not let 4 rejections get you down.  Certainly, it’s discouraging.  I mean who doesn’t want to go 4 for 4?  But it’s not the end of the world.  Getting an agent is hard.  Some agents get between 50-100 queries a day.  It’s extremely difficult to stand out from the crowd.  I think a more realistic number to get upset about is 25 rejections.  If you’ve sent out 25 queries and gotten 25 rejections without any requests then you probably need to rework your query. 

Query Widely.  Really.  I know everything and everyone says to choose your top five dream agents and only query them.  You’re supposed to choose agents who represent the same type of books as yours, similar authors blah blah blah.  Okay, so you should do that, but you also shouldn’t ignore agents who cast a wider net.  Don’t count out the agents who simply list “commercial fiction” under their submission guidelines.  Or agents who typically represent genres A, B and C but have sold one or two books that are similar to yours.  Often they are more likely to give your book a chance. 

That Said, Do Your Research:  Don’t query agents who expressly state that they do not represent books like yours.  Also, follow submission guidelines on agent websites.  Read the fine print.  Follow directions.  You’re asking these people to take your book baby and find a good home for it.  That’s a tall order.  The least you can do is follow their directions. 

Publishers Marketplace is a Great Resource.  You have to pay if you want the daily updates but it’s only $20 a month and I used this more than any other resource.  You’ll get weekly emails letting you know who has moved, who has opened their new agency and who has left the business.  You’ll also get an email daily listing what deals have been made that day.  It’s not comprehensive because not everyone reports to PM but it’s still pretty useful. You get to see who is selling what. That is actually how I found my agent. She popped up a few times as having sold books in my genre.  I Googled her, followed her submission guidelines when sending my query and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Don’t Give Up.  It takes time.  It’s frustrating as hell.  But if you keep working at it—keep writing, keep honing your craft and keep putting yourself out there—great things can happen!

PERSONAL BIO 

Lisa Regan is a suspense novelist.  She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master of Education Degree from Bloomsburg University.  She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter.  

Synopsis for Finding Claire Fletcher:

Down on his luck, Detective Connor Parks takes solace in the arms of a woman he meets at a local bar, but in the morning, Claire Fletcher is gone, leaving behind clues to a decade-old mystery. Abducted at age fifteen, no one has heard from Claire Fletcher in ten years.  Until now.  Driven by an unsettling need to see Claire again, Connor sets out to solve the mystery of her disappearance once and for all.

Lisa's novel, Finding Claire Fletcher, is now available from these locations:

Amazon (Paperback)

Barnes & Noble (Paperback)

Amazon (e-book)

Barnes & Noble (e-book)

Never Give Up, Never Surrender!! 

.