What do you do when your first novel doesn't land you an agent?

Dan Brown published several books before finding true recognition with 'The Da Vinci Code'. JK Rowling had 27 rejections prior to finding an agent. John Fowles famously went to his publisher with the 'French Lieutenant's Woman' and when they asked if he had anything else produced a couple of other manuscripts that went on to be true classics.

So what do you do when your first novel doesn't land you an agent? Despite your utter faith that not only is it a great read, well written and taps into everything true to today - empowering women, supporting victims of violence, love, family and friendship?

Keep writing of course. Find something new, different, stand out. The story that someone else will believe in, enough to stand by you, support you and help you to achieve your end goal. To be published. Write.

Haiku

No, it's not a sneeze. It's a Japanese art form. Apparently. Three lines,17 syllables. So when is a novel not a novel? When it's 45,000 words. It's a short novel for sure. What to do? A story is as long as it is.

I wrote the first paragraph a year ago, before I was anywhere close to finishing my first adult novel. Now, a year on, I have submitted my manuscript to numerous agents and am about 40,000 words through my next story. It's heartening to find this unpublished post which serves as a very welcome reminder that the process might be a long one but it's well worth the effort. I love writing. Nothing can make me stop.