How I Got My Agent

I don’t know how long I’ve wanted to write this blog post. I used to dream about this moment and I could never quite picture it—nothing would come to mind beyond the image of my trusted laptop and me right in front of it, hunched over the keyboard staring at a blank page. Funnily enough, when I finally had the opportunity to write about my journey, the words were effortless.

Here are a few things you should know about me before we get started: I’m Ananya, an eighteen-year-old studying Biological Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. I started writing on Wattpad when I was 15 years old and the first completed novel I ever wrote was a Young Adult Mystery entitled FORGETTING BILLIONS. The story was featured on the platform, which was the only real writing achievement I’ve ever had to my name. Although I’ve wanted to be a published author from the time I knew what those words meant (age 4, for anyone who’s curious), I finally believed that maybe, just maybe, I had the potential to make it in the industry and that FORGETTING BILLIONS was the place to start.

That meant months of research.

I’m sure I’ve read every article under the sun about perfecting a query, synopsis, and first 25 pages by now. I took extensive notes and compiled it into a binder that would sit in my backpack everyday as I went to high school. Between class periods, I would sneak a peek at QueryTracker or QueryShark or Manuscript Wish List and dream of when my time would come. I knew I wanted to enter the trenches with strategy, so even though I wanted to query my favorite literary agents right away, I held myself back. Instead, I sent my manuscript to critique partners and wow… did their responses sting. They were right about everything, but I had never asked for honest feedback before—at least, not regarding a piece as personal as FORGETTING BILLIONS.

Reader, do not do what I did next.

I ignored their feedback and in a fit of chaotic impatience, I sent out 10 queries. All rejections. Back to back, at that. That stung even worse.

For someone who wanted to create a strategic plan to querying, I was horribly failing, so I accepted that if I wanted to achieve my dream, I would need to ask for help and accept the advice that comes my way. I knew I needed to open up to the voices of those more experienced than I. I couldn’t afford to act like a disgruntled 16 year old. This industry would chew me up and spit me right back out if I did.

So I entered TeenPit 2019 and somehow, I got in. I had the honor of working with the wonderful Jennifer Camiccia for two months, where we wrote my first three chapters again from scratch. It was grueling work and I definitely ignored my Physics homework more than I should’ve to pull it off, but it taught me so much about endurance. My experience in this mentorship program offered me a crystal clear query package well as some incredible industry knowledge: it takes qualities like passion, grit, and sometimes misguided optimism to succeed in publishing. Giving up wasn’t an option if I wanted to be the writer I’ve always dreamed of.

And within days of my change of heart, I won first place in TeenPit with FORGETTING BILLIONS. I remember sitting in my Physics class when I got the notification, a gif of fireworks and a link to my winning entry posted on Twitter. I remember the sharp spike of euphoria in my veins, the way my heartbeat raced well beyond a healthy rate. I felt validated, like the ten rejections before this didn’t matter. I finally felt like I was on the path to something great.

So, I sent out more queries, riding on the high of my win. I entered PitchWars twice, Author Mentor Match once, and the Avengers of Color Mentorship once. Every single attempt resulted in another rejection. My resolve deteriorated whenever I even looked at my inbox, simply because the “I regret to inform you that I cannot offer representation at this time” felt inevitable.

While we’re on this subject, let me show you the stats for my first novel.

FORGETTING BILLIONS: 8.1% Request Rate

37 Total Queries

23 Rejections

11 Closed No Response

3 Full Requests

I’m sure you can predict what happened next. I shelved the first novel I’d ever written and decided to leave its memory on Wattpad for whatever active audience I had left on that platform. If it wasn’t for TeenPit, I never would’ve had the courage to move on, the hope to write another book that may just be the one. If it wasn’t for my pathetic querying attempt, I never would’ve had the knowledge to ace my second time in the trenches, this time with the book of my heart—the very book that resulted in me landing representation with my wonderful agent.

Here’s a little bit of context between the shelving of FORGETTING BILLIONS and the drafting of KISMAT CONNECTION, my second novel: I was seventeen and moving into college very soon. I’d spent the summer goofing off with my best friends, ignoring the hint of an idea running through my brain. I probably would’ve avoided my laptop for years if I had the option, but on the first night I moved into college, I found myself longing for a semblance of familiarity. My family had gone home after move-in day and my friends were beginning their new lives at their respective universities and it had finally sunk in that I was on my own.

I hated that feeling, so I begrudgingly picked up my laptop and decided to put my tiny little idea for a Young Adult Contemporary Romance novel into words. I wasn’t expecting more than a few sentences, but within two hours, I’d outlined the entire book over the span of three pages. I shared it with my critique partner before I fell asleep for the night, expecting her to tell me that this story wasn’t anything better than the last and that I’m going to have to give up my dream of being a writer.

Instead, I woke up to a series of Google Doc comments, one of which I’ll never forget:

Ananya, this story is going to be the one.

And boy, was she right.

As I settled into college, I wrote KISMAT CONNECTION like a madman. I’d write in between classes and during lunch. I’d write when all of my friends went to Insomnia Cookies for a midnight snack. I’d write on napkins and paper towels and even my hand. I was inspired by my critique partner’s faith in me and I funneled that energy into each chapter, but I really didn’t need to. The words flowed my fingertips with such ease. The character I was writing resembled my identity so closely and the problems they faced were almost exactly like what I went through in high school. Their story was filled with a sense of hope that I continued to wish for myself. After all, if they could have their happily ever afters, why couldn’t I?

I finished the first draft of KISMAT CONNECTION in six months and revised it to near perfection in the two months following, thanks to the feedback of my incredibly talented critique partners and beta readers. My query and synopsis were easy, as I’d written them as part of my outline before I’d ever started drafting. After updating their contents to better reflect my novel in its current state, I took a deep breath and sent the first queries of my newest agent list.

This time, I did it right.

I sent my first query on July 1, 2020 and I received my first offer of representation on September 21, 2020. During this time, I participated in PitMad, a Twitter Pitch Event organized by Pitch Wars. It’s important to note that I almost didn’t pitch KISMAT CONNECTION out of the fear that it would crash and burn like my first novel, but my critique partners virtually slapped some sense into me. Thank God that they did, because my pitch, against all of my expectations, blew up.

PitMad actually was the initiating factor in the majority of the queries I sent. Of 35 total queries, 20 were PitMad requests. After the flurry of excitement on September 3, 2020 had passed, I waited. I waited as my PitMad queries became fulls, while a few others stepped aside. This time, the rejections didn’t hurt. I had the strongest feeling that KISMAT CONNECTION was going to find its home soon and nothing, not even a rejection, would break my stride.

What came next was… life-changing.

On September 10, 2020, I sent a query and the first 50 pages of KISMAT CONNECTION to Ann Leslie Tuttle at Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret LLC, who’d requested it in PitMad. On September 18, she requested the full manuscript. On September 21, she offered representation.

You should’ve seen my face. Everything about this moment was what I’d dreamed of since I was 16 and here I was, only two years later, living it. It still feels unreal even as I write this post. I snapped out of my excitement quickly though, so I could nudge the other agents with my fulls and queries. I had until October 5, 2020 to make a decision and I thought I’d spend the next two weeks in agony as I waited to decide.

Instead, I signed with Ann Leslie one week early, on September 28, 2020. Of course, that meant withdrawing my 7 full requests and 4 queries that were still outstanding, as well as rejecting the second offer of representation I’d received after Ann Leslie’s initial call. This part of my journey was much less exhilarating. Although I know I made the right decision when it came to signing early, it wasn’t easy to be the one doing the rejecting.

Once I’d notified the other agents, I accepted Ann Leslie’s offer. I knew from our very first conversation that she was the right agent to represent my work. She understands KISMAT CONNECTION on such an intricate level and her vision for my career continues to astound me. I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather want to work with more.

And finally, here are my stats:

KISMAT CONNECTION: 51% Request Rate

35 Total Queries

13 Rejections

4 Closed No Response

18 Full Requests

2 Offers of Representation

As you might’ve seen in this blog post, my journey wasn’t exactly linear. My experiences on Wattpad and TeenPit were essential to my growth as a writer, even if they did result in a lot of heartbreak with my first novel. But if it wasn’t for those moments, I never would’ve been the person I am today—an agented author of Young Adult Contemporary Romance. My dream came true.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for listening to my story. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your support.

I’m looking forward to talking to y’all again soon!