Limbo Land

I got a phone call yesterday afternoon from another writer who was also "in limbo." A successful screen writer, he had decided to try his hand at writing novels (before the strike), and had submitted his manuscript to a bunch of agents on the East Coast. It seems that his "Hollywood" agent and told him to "go East."

He was calling to ask my opinion on Agent Number One.

I told him my story, did not burn any bridges (although I told him he might need more of a "full-service" agency since the little he told me about the novel sounded like it was headed straight for the silver screen), and then we commiserated.

It seems the waiting is torture for everyone--even those who are much more experienced than I. "I just want to get started already," he confessed. Believe me, I know exactly where he is coming from.

Our chat also reminded me that it is sometimes harder to get an agent than it is to sell your book and that everyone, even those who are starting with big-time credits, has to pitch and wait. There seems to be no way to move the process any faster than it wants to go.

I am indeed lucky to have had an agent "find" me which saved me additional waiting time and I am most certainly lucky that I didn't have to write the whole book before I submitted it, but regardless of how we got there, most of us still end up as neighbors in limbo land.