Encouraging Words to a Drowning Man

I have lots of friends, both social media friends and meat world friends, who know I'm a writer who is trying to become published.  I've put out there that I'm looking for a break and hope someone I know knows someone who would be willing to give me a read and consider taking me on as a client.  Or that they know someone who knows someone.

But that's not what I'm getting.  Every single person who's offered help has told me that they have a friend who is published and they asked their friend what I should do, in response to which every published friend has said, "Get an agent."  I don't want people to think I don't appreciate their interest because interest is better than no interest.  But telling me to get an agent is somewhat akin to telling a drowning person to keep his head above water.  I know I need an agent.  Believe me, I know.  I have accounts on a number of agent-finding sites and subscribe to writers' journals that have regular features on finding an agent.  I'm even getting ready to buy the new 2014 guide to literary agents from one of those magazines.  I've queried dozens of agents.  I can't tell you how many dozen, but over the last month of the summer, I sent out 5-10 queries a day for several days straight.  To be fair, I haven't heard back yet from several, but all that I have heard from have passed.

So, like the drowning person, I don't just need encouragement.  I have plenty of that, for which I am eternally grateful.  But what I need at the moment is actual assistance.  I need a connection, an in, a little good old fashioned nepotism.  I'm not above getting discovered by an agent through the recommendation of a friend or a brother or a sister or an aunt or a fill in the relationship of your choice.  If you have the ear of an agent, directly or indirectly, I'm asking you to fill that ear with my name.  If you want to read the book first so you can honestly tell them it's good (I hope you'll think it's good), please just let me know.

So if you don't have access to an agent, please know I'm grateful for your thoughts. Feel free to keep encouraging me.  And keep giving me ideas. Even if they're the same ideas I've already received before.  I love hearing from you.  I honestly do. It means more than you can know that you care enough to take the time and interest.  But if anybody out there knows a published author who's willing to read my book and recommend it to their agent and/or publisher, please get in touch.  That would also mean a lot.