A Few Updates

Regarding my quest to secure a publisher . . .

I'm still waiting to hear from a senior editor at one of the large publishing houses--she requested the full manuscript on August 18th.

And

I recently received a request for a partial from a promising new boutique publisher based in Canada--their first catalogue of seven books due out in the first quarter of next year looks very promising. A couple of the books in the line-up have already received great Kirkus reviews.

Regarding my quest to secure an agent . . .

I have just resubmitted the entire manuscript to an agent that has been working with me regarding a couple of developmental changes regarding plot and theme.

She's been very generous with her time. And to say she is my first choice for securing an agent is a given, seeing how much of her time, energy and editorial savvy she has shared since I first queried her in July.

And

I just received a request for a partial from an agent I queried all the way back in June! I've been querying six agents every month--good thing, because the response times are lengthier than I had anticipated. To date, only a quarter of the agents I have queried have responded.

Regarding my quest for a new position as a fiction editor at a small lit magazine . . .

I've stepped back from my search and have chosen instead to get back to writing. I've nearly completed the final edit on my short story collection, and I've started a second novel.

Yes. I'd love to hook up with another lit magazine and get back to helping bring new voices into print. And YES. I'd love to secure an agent and publishing contract, but first and foremost I continue to focus on writing.

That said

I have a new short story published in the fall issue of The Boston Literary Review.