Beverly Hills Colt

Stacey Cochran presents this very lengthy chat over at January Magazine with Jennifer Colt, the author of THE BUTCHER OF BEVERLY HILLS and soon, several more books featuring California chick PIs Terry and Kerry McAfee. She talks about her road to publication (leaving out the self-publication part, though) and offers tongue-in-cheek advice about snagging an agent:

Another thing [my agent] did to endear herself to me — she never once mentioned a SASE. Every time agents talked about SASEs, I wanted to blow my brains out. Insisting on "self-addressed stamped envelopes" in the digital age seemed almost perverse to me. I associated SASEs with getting a prize from the back of a cereal box, and half-expected to find a decoder ring or a colony of Sea Monkeys enclosed with my rejection notices.

Now that I’m done griping, here’s some honest advice: The best agent to represent you is the one who wants to represent you (yes, even one who uses SASEs). Someone who will treat you like a professional whose time is valuable, and who likes your writing enough to go to bat for you.

So according to my circular logic, if an agent turns you down, you should wipe your brow and say: Whew! Glad you turned me down, you obviously weren’t the right one. Now kindly move out of the way so the right person can present him or herself.

I love that — same thing with rejections in general, too.