We’re coming ’round the snow mountain and the February of Doom. I love March and its hope for renewal and warmth. Some of my favorite people on the planet were born in March. It’s the only month that works as an action verb.

March forth with plans to research agents, submit queries, publish books, and endure rejections and reviews.

• If you’re not sure where to begin with researching agents, start here to learn what some agents are hoping to discover in their slush piles: #MSWL: Agents And Editors Calling Out Requests — To Authors.

• Once you’ve found the agent of your dreams, check out these query tips from agent Carly Watters.

• And well, unless you are super lucky/super talented/some other magical being, you’re probably going to experience some rejection along the way. Bret Anthony Johnston offers examples of his personal rejections in the post On Rejection; or, Dear Author, After Careful Consideration. By far, my favorite is, “Got a real kick out of seeing my grandmother’s first name in this story. She was a real twit, that one. Liked to soak peanuts in her Pepsi.”

• If the traditional publishing route isn’t your thing, you could try this new way to find a publisher without an agent. And be sure to check out this Advice for New Indie Authors from Self-Publishing Veterans.
• Once that albatross is off your neck and out there with the book-buying world, you may get reviewed by book bloggers who apply a critical lens to their reviews and examine the elements that make them useful. Or you may one day get a one-sentence blurb on Buzzfeed. End result: Publicity! Yeah!

Special note to Greater Boston area novelists:

Dead Darlings exists because of GrubStreet’s Novel Incubator program. Our contributors consist of alumni and current students.

Applications for the Novel Incubator’s Fifth Year are due March 2nd. Check out the debuts of some of our classmates’ (and DD contributors’) successes: Jennie Wood’s A Boy Like Me (July ’14); EB Moore’s An Unseemly Wife (Oct ’14) & Stones in the Road (Oct ’15); Patty Park’s Re Jane (May ’15); Stephanie Gayle’s Idyll Threats (2nd novel, Sept ’15); and Emily Ross’s Half in Love with Death (Upcoming).

Scholarships are available for those who require financial assistance.

Visit GrubStreet’s Novel Incubator page for more information about the program and how to apply.