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Hi #AMM hopefuls. For those who are anxiously waiting, whether you received a full request or not, I'd like for you to pull up a chair & listen to some words of encouragement.
First, the hard stats, only ~3% of you will get chosen. Competition this year was harder than ever.(1/)
First, the hard stats, only ~3% of you will get chosen. Competition this year was harder than ever.(1/)
If you haven't gotten a full request yet, it's not time to give up! We've got 2 weeks and many mentors are still working through their massive submission inboxes. I'm helping mod the adult inbox and I'm still sending out full requests every day! (2/) #ammteasers
But even if these two weeks pass and you're name isn't on that final list. Even if you never got one of those coveted full requests, that doesn't mean you're a bad writer. That also doesn't mean you should YOLO and query a book before it's ready. All that means... (3/)
ALL IT MEANS is that you need to search for more opportunities to learn and grow. Many mentors this year have created a CP matching system to pair you up with others in your same position. Help each other. Point out what's not working, AND WHAT IS! (4/)
And when you've gotten more feedback and put in the work to revise your MS again, then get some other eyes on your query package and your agent list. Give yourself the best possible chance you can with this project. Once you've done that, hit the query trenches. (5/)
But you're not done! This is the exciting part about this whole process, because you've done your best for this story, but while you're in that agonizing wait, it's time to work on the next! Not a sequel, not a companion novel. The next book that you could query if needed. (6/)
So here's your words of encouragement. I subbed to #AMM 2 years ago. I did not receive a full request. I revised my book 1 more time anyway, then I queried. I queried. I queried. And in November of that year, I wrote a new book. (7/)
Happily, I got a couple full requests on the AMM hopeful book, but I used that to fuel me as I revised the new one. Got some CPs to read it, incorporated their comments, revised again. And as I was left with 1 full request on the old one, I began to query the new. (8/)
It took me only 20 queries to find my agent with my new book. When I got the offer call, I emailed the agent who had the full of my old book, told her about the offer & gave her the query for the new. She immediately asked to read it and came very close to counter-offering. (9/)
Nothing you write is a waste of time. It's experience with your craft. Experience with revision. Experience in the trenches. I'd spent YEARS revising that AMM hopeful book before subbing to AMM, and another 6 months after. (10/)
I had put in so much work improving my writing craft that I didn't even realize how much better I'd gotten... until I wrote a new book. Until I figured out I could revise it to query-ready in just four months. That is what putting in the effort means... you will get better. (11/)
And that first experience in the query trenches helped me curate a more pointed list of agents, which helped me get multiple full requests, personal rejections, and eventually an offer. And, friends, submitting to AMM is like getting experience in querying! (12/)
So that's my encouragement to you. You're already putting in the work! Seeking out opportunities for growth! Not getting into AMM is hard, but all that means if that you need to run to the next door. This industry is all about perseverance. You can do it, I believe in you. (End)
P.S. The book that got me my agent was the 7th full-length novel I wrote (not including fanfiction, not including novellas, not including many started & stopped books.) That may sound terrifying, but we all go at our own pace and I would try not to compare yourself to others. 
