Several of you were interested in the process of getting Charlie No Face published - - - - how, when, etc?

Let me back up. I started writing Charlie No Face in 2007, while I was trying to get my 2nd novel, Pumpkin Hill, published. I find that starting a new story while I'm trying to complete the process with an old one helps me stay balanced (sane). So, it took 2 years to write Charlie. I finished late this spring. I did my own editing and rewriting for a couple of months while searching for a good editor. Found one in Spokane WA. She took the book for about 6 weeks and gave me a thorough review with suggestions. I then worked on it for a couple of more months and started putting a list of agents together, some I had sent to before and some new ones.

It is impossible to get a decent publisher to look at you work without an agent. So, getting an agent is a linchpin in the process. Each one has different requirements for how to query them about your work. Some respond quickly, some respond slowly and some don't respond at all. About 6 weeks ago I started sending queries to my list of agents(some including a synopisis, bio, and sample of the novel). So far I've sent out about 12; have received 6 rejections; only one actually asked me to send additional content (this is someone who read my last novel, liked it, but didn't feel she could represent it - - - code for 'I don't think I can sell this; not a money maker.')

So, that's the process to date. With my last 2 novels, I've gone through this process for 6 - 12 months and then have turned to Publish America - - - don't need an agent and they accept 20% of what is sent to them (my guess is it's more like 80%). More about Publish America another time.