I just saw Comic Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. It's a documentary (by Morgan Spurlock) about, duh, Comic Con in San Diego*. The film follows a bunch of fans but I was most interested in the two artists who were trying to break into penciling for comic book companies.
They'd go to portfolio reviews and the reviewers would say the art wasn't right for them. Then the artists would be all sad. And I was sad for them.
... Except that's probably EXACTLY how people who query me feel when I say that their writing isn't for me. It made me feel guilty. I didn't get into this business to crush dreams. I'm not waking up with a goal to make people cry.
But I can't represent everyone, and it's true that some stuff "isn't right for me." Because there were two artists in the documentary, and one got hired and the other didn't. Except I couldn't really see what made one better. Obviously I'm not the world's foremost authority on everything.
*I've never been to SDCC but the New York Comic Con is my sacred weekend.
Oh, that sounds so fascinating! I have a goal in life to make it to San Diego for Comic Con.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand about not being able to represent everyone. I think sometimes, as writers, we forget the bigger picture. We don't LOVE every book we read, we may like it or think it's okay and then we read those gems...the ones that leave us breathless and unable to sleep. The ones that make us beg for more or even the ones that make us want to throw the book through the wall yet we still love it.
I imagine that's how an agent knows...
When I read a book, no matter how much I like it or don't, I ask myself, would I represent this? It's kind of eye opening.
Sorry for the long comment!
Great post!!!