My journey to finding a literary agent

The day has finally arrived when I can say, “I have an agent!” —but not just any agent, mind you—the awesome and talented MacKenzie Fraser-Bub of New York’s Trident Media Group. Now when the phone rings and I jokingly say to my wife, “That might be my agent,” I won’t be joking.

 

  

That doesn’t mean, of course, that it’s time to kick back and take it easy. It’s more like a new beginning, kind of like stepping up my game and saying, “Okay, I’ve made all this noise, tooted my horn and got the attention of a major agency. Now, it’s time to live up to the hype I created for myself.”

Which I fully intend to do.

But how, you may well ask, did you get this far? What’s your secret? To which I answer: perseverance and persistence. I would also like to think I write good books, as well. Put those three things together, and you have a winning combination.

But five years ago, when I started my agent search, it seemed like an insurmountable hill. Actually, it was more like Mount Everest. I had just finished writing my first complete novel, a supernatural thriller, and had no experience whatsoever as a published author. I had virtually no short stories published, just some articles in magazines and the stories I wrote as a full-time newspaper journalist.

I wrote up my query letter, my biography, and my story synopsis, and then started firing off emails to any legitimate agency that represented my genre. I got a few full manuscript requests, but after a year, I had amassed nearly 100 rejections. By that time, I decided I was going to try some small presses, which I did, and got interest from two publishers. DIABLERO was eventually released by Nightbird Publishing in Oct. 2010.

For my next book, a supernatural technothriller, I was still unable to find an agent. I got an offer from DarkFuse to publish, and in Dec. 2012, LILITH hit the streets in hardcover, paperback and eBook. I was happy. 

Soon after, Crossroad Press published my young adult sci-fi thriller, GOD PARTICLE, and I eventually did another book with DarkFuse, a horror novella called THE BLACK CHURCH. 

When I finished writing the follow up to LILITH, a book called PRIMORDIAL, NY Times bestselling author Douglas Preston agreed to read the manuscript and give me an endorsement if he liked it. Two weeks later, here’s what he said: “Primordial by Toby Tate is an exceptionally well-crafted sci-fi supernatural thriller that tells a gripping story of ancient evil and modern horror, with exotic settings, vivid characters, and a plot that moves with the speed of a tsunami. The atmospherics are excellent and the story offers plenty of surprises right up to the shocking end.”

Can’t beat that for an endorsement. With that blurb in hand, and four published books under my belt, I went on yet another agent hunt. Once again, there were no takers. I was flummoxed.

But then, out of the blue, I got an offer from Permuted Press, publishers of zombie and apocalyptic fiction, who were looking to expand into other types of horror and sci-fi. They not only wanted PRIMORDIAL, they also wanted the sequel as well as a novella prequel, and they offered to reissue my first novel. Four books altogether. I was ecstatic.

 

They sent me the contract, and I realized upon printing it out that it was 20 pages long. The longest contract I had ever signed was three pages. I had to get an agent. I really did not feel comfortable signing a contract that long and involved.

I asked them to give me a week, which they did, and an author friend of mine suggested a few agencies I should contact. I contacted exactly two. They both wanted to read the manuscript. When MacKenzie from Trident made an offer, I knew I couldn’t pass it up, because Trident had been one of my dream agencies since the beginning. 

So there it is. In a way, I’m glad I didn’t have a NY Times bestselling book right off the bat, because where do you go from up? I believe that things happened exactly the way they were supposed to, and still are. I’m just slowly climbing the ladder, and I have to admit, so far I’m enjoying the journey.

For more info on my books and my music, go to www.tobytatestories.com, and follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Writing, music, family and the amazing powers of ADD

Like most people, I always seem to have a lot going on in my life−more than some, less than others. But what helps is my lifelong Attention Deficit Disorder, or what I like to think of as the ability to be interested in many things at once. Let me give you a run-down.  

My fourth book, a young-adult sci-fi thriller called GOD PARTICLE, was released in June, 2013 with Crossroad Press. I just released my fifth book, a horror/thriller novella called THE BLACK CHURCH, in Dec. 2013 with DarkFuse. My sixth book, a supernatural thriller novel called PRIMORDIAL, is on my editor’s desk. I am twenty-five-thousand words into my seventh book, another novel. 

I also write for my local newspaper and a local magazine, plus the occasional short story anthology.
 

Last week, I recorded several tracks with my band, SHANNON SALIGA and the MILLION WATT SUNS. I sing, play guitar, bass, drums, mandolin, keyboards and whatever is needed. I wrote all five songs and I’m also the recording engineer. 

 

I am a stay-at-home dad and spend every day homeschooling our daughter, who is eleven. I usually manage to get some writing in, but most of it happens at night, when everyone else is in bed. There is also the marketing that has to be done for all five of my published books, and believe me, that is a time-consuming process−I am a very “hands-on” author. There is also time spent trying to get reviews, contacting book stores, sending out unpublished manuscripts to editors and/or agents, and on and on.

On weekends, when I’m not writing, I try to spend non-school time with my wife and daughter, fixing up and cleaning the house from the various animals living in it (my daughter is an animal lover), maintaining the cars, and so forth. 

I’m an avid reader and fan of classic sci-fi and horror movies (I have nearly 500 DVDs of titles like King Kong, Creature from the Black Lagoon and Forbidden Planet) and I like to travel, though it’s not always affordable.

A few years ago, before I became a stay-at-home dad, I was also a college student and a full-time book store employee with a new baby. On top of that, I was the editor for the school newspaper and for the school’s literary magazine. Somewhere in there, I managed to start writing my first novel and release a CD. Talk about stress. So my life has actually slowed down quite a bit from that particular craziness.

I said all that to say this: I love my life, and wouldn’t change a thing. I’m right where I want to be, doing exactly what I want to be doing, and I’m extremely thankful to be able to say that. I owe it all to God, family, friends, my fellow authors, my publisher, the people who buy my books and music, and a wicked case of ADD!

Check out my writing, music and other insanity at www.tobytatestories.com, and on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.