Approaching the half-way mark in the month of October, it’s time to chart recent progress that has been made on THE QUIET LEADER’s path to publication.
Book Proposal Completed
Firstly, THE QUIET LEADER’s book proposal, totaling nearly 40 single-spaced pages, is completed and patiently waiting on my computer’s hard drive to be sent to eager literary agents.
It is a strong and comprehensive summary of the book’s themes, its intent and chapter-by-chapter progression, as well as a thorough assessment of the alternative leadership market.
Beginning to Query Literary Agents
Secondly, I have begun to send one-page query letters to a variety of literary agents. I’ve tried to approach the process methodically and with patience. Rather than bombarding a slew of agents who represent genres unrelated to THE QUIET LEADER with a cookie-cutter query, I’ve sent three versions of my query letter to 12 agents at a time, totaling about 36 over the course of the last three weeks. These agents all specialize and prefer the genres of self-help and/or current affairs.
Local Press Coverage
In the last two months, I’ve had two interviews with two local publications: one, a semi-weekly newspaper, The Warwick Beacon, which represents the third largest city in Rhode Island, and second, a monthly newspaper for another Rhode Island town, East Greenwich. The coolest part about these interviews is that they mention THE QUIET LEADER by name and discuss the ideas behind the book in depth.
I’ve also had a morning talk-radio program in Rhode Island request an on-air interview.
Short Term Wins
Having received press coverage this early in the process — before I’ve signed a literary agent or been contracted to publish the book — is something I take to be a positive sign. The path to publication is a trying and strenuous one, so one must take note of short term wins and accomplishments in order to persevere.
THE QUIET LEADER’s recent press coverage is not only exposing the ideas behind THE QUIET LEADER to an audience of tens of thousands of potential readers, it should also prove invaluable to help attract literary agents and publishers in the near future.
Building Momentum
The month of October has become one of mounting and positive momentum down the path to publication. I eagerly await what will come in the months ahead!
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