On September 1, I posted a question from a writer who had interest from an agent, had a few other agents request his manuscript (but still hadn’t heard back), and some outstanding queries with agents who hadn’t answered at all. I recommended he let everyone know that he had interest. This was the moment when he had some leverage, and that there’s nothing like competition to quicken an agent’s pulse. I also asked him to let me know how he made out. Check this out:
Betsy asked me to check back in to say how I made out. I applied The Betsy Lerner School of Leverage technique to my outstanding queries and received seven additional requests for the manuscript. In the end I had five offers of representation and both my number one and number two choices offered. Applying pressure obviously worked out but I had to persevere as the rejections piled in. For a while I thought I’d end up unrepresented but then four offers poured in one on top of the other, the last being from my number one choice who’d had the manuscript for two and a half months.
Nation, if you enroll in The Betsy Lerner School of Leverage TODAY, you will receive a crash course ABSOLUTELY FREE in The Betsy Lerner School of Self Loathing AND The Betsy Lerner School of Hair. ENROLL NOW!!
And, Mr. Bigshot, congrats. Nicely done.
And next he’s going to ask you to blurb his book. I, for one, can’t wait.
Amazing! Congratulations to him. The Betsy Lerner school of Leverage is made of awesome.
I applied Betsy’s techniques to my everyday living 6 months ago and I am now driving a Porsche and have a summer home in Cannon Beach. And my dog stopped pissing into my shoes.
I wish I’d written that. Cannon Beach, Oregon?
Yes, Oregon. Next time Betsy’s in town I’m going to show her a real good time. (People, don’t get jealous, but I have actually dined with the real Betsy Lerner. She made me show her my driver’s license before I whisked her away from the Tin House workshop for an evening of fine dining. Actually, I offered to show it to her to prove my identity since she didn’t know what I actually looked like and I could tell she was a little nervous.) And by the way, I was the anonymous person in yesterday’s comments. I just couldn’t resist.
Yes, sign me up now for all three of the Betsy Lerner Schools! I am ready for this life-altering experience. Especially if you serve pizza buns in the cafeteria and allow me to sneak a smoke in the bathroom.
Can I be a guest speaker in the The Betsy Lerner School of Self Loathing course?
“There are snakes that go months without eating and then they finally catch
something. But they’re so hungry they suffocate while they’re eating. One
opportunity at a time.”
Don Draper , Mad Men, episode 6, season 3
No one’s enrolled for the Betsy Lerner School of Hair, yet except as part of the threesome. I, too, would opt for the school of self loathing, that’s the place where most of us have already a little talent. We just need to refine it, and learn how to turn it off.