[PubQ] The beginning: discovering that just writing isn't enough. What to do next?
I spent years writing a book, and I thought that was the hard part.
I did all the preparation. I have the writing skills (I used to be an English teacher), I have the knowledge for the book genre (a Degree on Coaching, emotional intelligence, PNL), I have the experience (teaching, military leader, conference speaker).
So I finished my book and decided to publish it in English. Found out that you need a literary agent for that. From the few that actually replied, they all said the same thing: I need some kind of platform that shows I can sell. Nobody talked about the quality of my book, they didn't even get to the point of reading any part of it.
I've been in the military for 17 years, reserved. Social media is not something I have properly used (working on that now). I speak at the Air Force Academy, but that only gives me visibility inside the Air Force.
I know that literary agents must have a lot of people approaching them, so they don't have the time to actually read and judge the writers.
My question is: is it possible to find a literary agent that will represent a complete unknown without a robust platform? Do I just forget about finding a literary agent until I build a proper platform?
Thank you.