100 down, 100 to go

Querying agencies is not for the weak-minded. Of course, neurotic, self-cross-esteemed types like me don't love it either. JK Rowling was rejected over a dozen times before her air-sickness-bag-note inspiration went into print. It took two years. I know an author who won a statewide award - took them 8 years to get a deal. Reading Rowling's wiki page, the parade of harsh judgment, from agents and publishers who told her it was a non-starter, to contemporary critics who consider it little better than pulp, 600 million copies be damned, is telling and laughable. When it comes to books, ask a professional: publishing has way more in common with roulette than sharpshooting.