I would like to make a career from writing. I believe that I can produce entertaining and fun books for a broad audience. The only thing that stands in my way is the publishing industry. When I completed THE ROAD AHEAD, my plan was to go the traditional publishing route. I had no interest in self-publishing. But I quickly became frustrated and ran into a dead end after several months.

For a publisher to consider your manuscript, you must first acquire a literary agent. The process involves emailing an agent with some information about the book, your bio and a synopsis or small sample of the manuscript. And then you wait. Weeks and months later, you might get a response. Usually, a form rejection  email. After four months, I had already approached every Canadian literary agency and had gotten nowhere. Since THE ROAD AHEAD is a novel set in Canada, there was no point in approaching American agents. Though I did reach out to some American agencies. Below are some of the rejections received.

Unfortunately, it is not a fit for my list at the current time.  I do hope another agent feels differently.

Thank you for allowing John to consider your query. He has reviewed it and, unfortunately, is unable to offer you representation. While there is much to admire in your work, it just didn’t resonate in the right way, and we aren’t confident that we are the right agency to help your book stand out in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to consider your work! Unfortunately, this project just doesn’t feel quite right for me. This business is so subjective, and undoubtedly another agent will feel differently! I wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors and in finding representation.

None of the responses were the least bit helpful, if my intentions were to rework my manuscript based on feedback from the agents. In the end, I had no other option but to self-publish. I have to rely on my own resources and resourcefulness to market my novel. But it’s next to impossible to reach a national audience this way. As I progress through my second novel, I wonder if it will play out the same way.