How to Stalk an Agent- Part 2

Now that you've found your prey, get ready...

4) SHOOT that email or send that query letter! You're in agent love; they seem perfect for you and your work. They describe what you've written, and you KNOW they'll cry and smile when they read it. Be careful because they spook easily. DO NOT WRITE AN OVERLY ENTHUSIASTIC EMAIL LIKE THIS!!! Be sure you've spelled their name right, be sure you follow ALL query rules, and that your words will engage them fully with action and no fluff. More on queries to come!

5)Missed Target: There is no crying in stalking. Your celebrity has screeched off to Malibu. You may have received a rejection or two hundred, but it's not over. There are other agents out there. Revaluate your genre. Revaluate your query letter and hop into some critique circles; maybe it isn't as spicy as you thought. Revaluate your first five or ten pages; maybe it doesn't have the right hook. If you have sent ten or twenty queries with no bites, rethink what you've sent. If you have twenty rejections and nothing, edit what you've written before you resend.

 That star isn't catching what you're throwing, so make it more appealing to get a "more, please." If it's broken, fix it!

6) Don't give up : ) Ever. Knowing when to give up and move on from a project is hard. You're a better writer for every project you do, even if it doesn't sell. The worst thing you can do is send out work that isn't ready to be seen. And the second worst thing you can do is never try.

How do you know when to keep querying or put the project away?