In her query policy posted on January 3rd, Rachelle Gardner stated she was closed to queries except those from authors who have previously published with a royalty-paying publisher, personal referrals, or longtime blog commenters and others she knows.

After reading her post, I realized again how important building relationships are for writers. Attending conferences, retreats, & organizations allows you to meet potential mentors, critique partners, editors, and agents face to face.

I signed with Rachelle last March after establishing a relationship with her by meeting with her two years in a row at ACFW, reading & commenting on her blog, and following her on Twitter & Facebook. She was not a nameless agent to me.

For the rest of this post, head over to MBT Ponderers blog where I continue my discussion on the importance of building relationships. Leave a comment and your email for an opportunity to win a first chapter critique from me.