Big Changes and Amazing News…

So… Last month I quietly removed the “Represented by…” bit from my blog and Twitter bios and posted all cryptically about being down in the dumps. The reason? My previous agent and I parted ways. While the split was amicable, I was left feeling really, um… grouchy. I know I’m not the only person who has severed ties with her agent, and I know there are far bigger problems in the world, but in my world, the split felt huge and devastating and hopeless. I was smack in the middle of trying to win National Novel Writing Month, suddenly agentless, facing the oh-so-daunting query trenches.

Boo.

But, it wasn’t all bad. I had a complete and polished manuscript (Cross My Heart, for those of you who’ve been around this blog awhile), a decent start on a blurb that would soon become the meat of my query letter, and a few priceless referrals from writing buddies and industry insiders. Plus, I had my trusted friends, people I was able to turn to when I needed to vent, when I needed help with said query letter, and, eventually, when it was time to celebrate. (THANK YOU, Taryn and Alison and Temre and Elodie!)

I queried while I NaNo-ed which, while overwhelming, kept my mind busy. I racked up a few requests, and a week after I sent my first query, I received a phone call from a lovely and enthusiastic agent who wanted to represent me and my work. Oh my God. I was ecstatic. And relieved. And astonished. It took me two-and-a-half years and three manuscripts to snag an agent’s attention my first go around; it was difficult to process the swiftness with which this second effort went down. To make a long story short, I emailed the other agents who had already requested my work, as well as those I’d queried and hadn’t yet heard back from. A few passed on the initial query and a few never responded, but I somehow ended up with numerous fulls out to be considered.

Over the course of the next week, I received several kind and complimentary passes. I also received a couple more offers and had a couple more phone calls. To be honest, each agent I spoke to was delightful in her own way; I’d be lucky to work with any of them. But still… one stood out. She was just SO passionate and knowledgeable. She understood my characters and their journey, and seemed to love my story in all the same ways I love it. Her revision suggestions were stellar, and even in the weird between-offer-and-acceptance phase, she was super quick to respond to my emails and inquiries. As if all that isn’t enough, her reputation in the writing community is outstanding. She’s pretty much a perfect storm of awesome.

On Monday night, two whirlwind weeks after I sent out my first query letter, I formerly accepted an offer of representation from Victoria Marini of Gelfman Schneider Literary Agency.

Guys. I could not be more thrilled!

Celebratory flowers from my husband, who is amazing and has put up with all kinds of crazy over the last few weeks . ♥

Advertisement

83 thoughts on “Big Changes and Amazing News…”

  2. Elodie says:

    This post got me all choked up!

    I’m so happy for you, Katy 😀 😀 😀 and you can vent or send emails my way anytime ❤ Thank you for being there for me too!

    Those flowers are beautiful (your hubby did well :P) Did you have a fancy drink to celebrate already too? 😀

    Sending you lots of awkward virtual hugs!

    *Happy dance*

    • katyupperman says:

      Awkward virtual hugs received! Thank you so very much for all of your support over the last few weeks, and thank you also for being so excited with me! You’re the best, Elodie!

  5. Meredith says:

    Oh Katy, congratulations!!! What a rotten thing to have to go through, but I’m so happy it has a happy ending! One of my CPs (and dear dear IRL friends) is represented by Victoria, and I hear nothing but raves for her. What a great end to this story! Yay! 🙂

  6. Mrs. Silverstein says:

    I’m so happy for you that you feel good about where you wound up. Congratulations on a very happy ending to a crummy weird situation. And wow–having multiple agents interested so quickly–definitely remember to let yourself feel good about that 🙂 Save it up for the next time you’re frustrated with yourself or your writing. I’m so excited to hear where you go from here!

  8. Kari Bradley says:

    You are an amazing writer and I’m so glad you have an awesome agent who knows that. Not that your last one didn’t, but, this feels right, and I just want to be able to buy a Katy Upperman book in stores! We all deserve that! 😉 Congratulations to you both, again, and best wishes for a lucky 2013. 🙂

  13. Rachel says:

    I did notice your bio was missing that info so I wondered. Congrats on signing with V!!! I hear AMAZING things from her (friendinternsforher) and I can’t wait to hear about your successes to come. I also want to add I know more people who LEAVE their agents than stay on. It is way way way way more common than we think. Again Congrats Katy!!!

    • katyupperman says:

      Bio has changed again since yesterday. 🙂 And yes, now that I’ve been through the whole agent-switch scenario, I’m hearing more and more stories similar to mine. It’s not an ideal situation, but in my case (and many others!) I think it’s worked out for the best. Thanks so much, Rachel!

  14. Temre Beltz says:

    I am SO happy for you, Katy!!! This post brought tears to my eyes because it is such a testament to your strength, determination, and your beautiful writing that shines! I also love seeing the incredible love and support of your friends and family who are cheering for you! Thank you for taking us on this journey, Katy and for being such an inspiration!! HUGE, ginormous hugs!!

  16. cvaldezmiller says:

    Congratulations, Katy! It’s a tough business with difficult choices sometimes, but it sounds like things are really looking up for you. I’ve heard nothing but good things about your new agent. She sounds like a marvel. Wishing you all the best for a quick, amazing deal!

    • katyupperman says:

      Thanks so much, Carol! I’ve missed your updates lately… You’ll have to shoot me an email when you have a few minutes. I’d love to hear what’s new with you! ❤

  17. Sara Biren says:

    Huge congrats once again, Katy. Love this story – such good news so quickly after parting ways with your agent. Two weeks is just amazing. You have completely made my day and I wish you all the best. Can’t wait to see your book on the shelves!

  18. zanne says:

    Congratulations again! So excited and happy for you. I hope this means we will be seeing your books out there soon, because I am dying to read your work! I’m glad you filled us all in on what was going on, because I was so curious and confused. I can’t believe you were querying while also doing Nano, but that is so awesome how it all worked out!

  20. Rebecca B says:

    Congratulations! It made my day to hear your happy ending. You really are a superwoman for balancing the stress of that situation, querying, and NaNo all at the same time. Best of luck to you and Victoria! Can’t wait to see your book on shelves 🙂

  25. Krispy says:

    Aww, so that’s what the flowers were for! 🙂

    Congrats again, Katy! This is super amazing, and I’m probably even more impressed that you did all this while participating and then winning NaNoWriMo!

  28. Taryn says:

    I’m either super late or super early on congratulating you 😉 But I wanted to make sure my happiness was spread across ALL THE PLACES! And I can’t wait to continue to get all your news early, hehe.

  29. Erin L. Schneider says:

    Congratulations, Katy! I know you’ve had a tough go of it lately – so it’s great to hear you’ve had some happy news! Finding one agent is tough enough, but finding a second agent – and so quickly at that! – is amazing!
    Congrats, again!

    • katyupperman says:

      Thank you, Erin! It’s so exciting and such a relief to have found a new agent, especially one who is so awesome! How are you doing? Are you still working on your revision?

  34. Sophia Richardson says:

    I said it on Twitter, but I’ll say it again: huge congrats! And getting an offer of representation after a week, and during NaNo at that? Pretty impressive.

  35. Pingback: Bookanista Rec: LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP | Katy Upperman
  37. Pingback: Happy Friday #33 – I love other people’s good news :D « commutinggirl
  42. Pingback: 2012 in Review… | Katy Upperman

Comments are closed.