During June and July, I worked half-heartedly trying to find an agent and a publisher. I sent about 20 query letters to agents and small presses.  I heard back from about eight of them with the words, “not for us.”  Many posted something like this on their web page: “If you don’t hear from us in six weeks, consider this a negative signal.”  I wasn’t surprised. Not that I am in the same league but,  I knew that JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was greeted with many rejections.  Steven King had the same hurdles.

I had worked for four years on my memoir and now it was ready, how could I keep sending these letters and waiting for a year or more with a slim chance of success?