L. Perkins Agency (Lori Perkins)

If you want to be published with the big 6 you would need, surely, an agent who submits to them--not one who submits exclusively to epublishers?

One would assume so, veinglory.

Excuse my ignorance, but are there any e-only-pubs who require agent-only submissions?

Decadent did, but have since lifted that restriction.

The major ones such as Samhain, Loose Id, and others, are open.

I'm wondering if Perkins or anybody else on her team is worth querying for the big six, in terms of genre sf&f (non-erotic). Looking back at my spreadsheet, I'd held off querying any of them for my big fat epic fantasy.
If Saritza had more of a background in genre, more obvious contacts, and free rein to submit to print publishers, I might still consider her.

The Dorchester endorsement bugs me, though.

Never mind, I just read that Marisa Corvisiero is no longer considering unsolicited queries. She was the only agent there taking my genre. So Perkins Agency is off my list until further notice.

I would look at any agency's client list first, then do some digging to find out how many 'big' sales they had made recently.

If any.

Sigh.

I don't see, anywhere in that post, a reason why it is a good idea to give her 15% of an easy direct sale other than "I will flatter your ego" and "don't be a mean grrl".

...Unless you count a general reference to "contacts", which for epublishers are generally found on the submissions page.

Anyway, I have to go hate on someone else now, because I am spiteful like that.

Hmm. Whine much?

As an e-published author who's negotiated all my own contracts, I just can't see paying someone to do that for me for the limited amount of money an e-author receives in royalties. (for the most part. There are exceptions. ) That being said, after looking at the recent deals section of the blog, I'm not convinced that an agent is necessary to be signed by any of those epubs.

Putting on my editorial hat, I have received agented submissions and they get the same consideration as everyone else. I have never accepted an agented manuscript. And I'm always a little suspicious whenever I get one.

Some folks may have read Saritza's latest blog post as her empowering manifesto, others as an immature whinefest. I read it with sadness. I haven't been one of the 'haters'. In fact, when I first read Saritza's blog and interviews, I felt a sense of enthusiastic connection. I thought I might have found exactly the right agent for at least one project.

But I'm a thorough skeptic. Whenever something has seemed too good to be true in my life, I take a closer look.

I don't doubt that she's an effective e-pub agent, that she helps her clients with editorial decisions, or talks them down when they need some emotional support. I don't doubt that she'll do her best for authors she believes in. I do wonder at her ability to leap beyond the erotic e-pub markets, because I have a lot of other-genre mms written and in planning stages -- and I want an agent who can help me across my whole career. It's not really about the 15%, it's about services provided for that fee: domestic and internet marketing, working with editors, foreign markets, subsidiary incomes, other platforms, etc. Can Saritza be another Jennifer Jackson or Ashley Grayson, a Lucienne Diver, Evan Goldfried, or a Russell Galen? I don't know yet.

So, I guess I'm one of those evil, evil people who are hanging back to see where La Hernandez is in a year, as far as 'great deal' sales.

I've thought long and hard about what, if anything, to say now and all I can come up with is this:

I see no answers to the question "What makes her stand out against authors just doing it all themselves?" She's selling to one publisher owned by Lori Perkins, also another publishing house where a client of hers works as an editor, editing the works of at least one other epub-agent client. If that's not a conflict of interests right there, I don't know what is.

An above-board agent, in my view, wouldn't object to writers doing a little digging, examining the small print. We're talking about our careers here, in some cases our livelihood.

This doesn't make us haters. It makes us savvy folks who are looking out for our best interests.

Yes, I write my own synopses and queries. Yes, I sub directly to some editors. Yes, I read my own contracts. This isn't rocket science. I'm a writer, for goodness' sake. What sort of writer can't write their own submission packages? What sort of e-published writer wouldn't understand their own contracts? We're not talking scads and scads of pages regarding foreign, lending, hardback, paperback and public lending rights here. For that there would be a need for an agent. I'm not a lawyer or an accountant or a publicist.

The epub world is a small one. I don't see my career beginning and ending there. But, while I'm a part of it, because it is a small world, it's simple and uncomplicated and doesn't make much of a demand on my time, hence my ability to deal with the above-mentioned aspects of my writing, myself.

There've been plenty of times where the subject of a question has come over here, graciously answered those questions, and held up well under fire. Those are the discussions that help make AW a great community and a daily stop online for me.

It's the ones about "h8rz! ur all jus jelose loosers! ph33r mah mad skillz0rz!" that do nothing to convince me I need to read anything further from them.

h8rz!

scarletpeaches said:

I've thought long and hard about what, if anything, to say now and all I can come up with is this:

I see no answers to the question "What makes her stand out against authors just doing it all themselves?" She's selling to one publisher owned by Lori Perkins, also another publishing house where a client of hers works as an editor, editing the works of at least one other epub-agent client. If that's not a conflict of interests right there, I don't know what is.

An above-board agent, in my view, wouldn't object to writers doing a little digging, examining the small print. We're talking about our careers here, in some cases our livelihood.

This doesn't make us haters. It makes us savvy folks who are looking out for our best interests.

Yes, I write my own synopses and queries. Yes, I sub directly to some editors. Yes, I read my own contracts. This isn't rocket science. I'm a writer, for goodness' sake. What sort of writer can't write their own submission packages? What sort of e-published writer wouldn't understand their own contracts? We're not talking scads and scads of pages regarding foreign, lending, hardback, paperback and public lending rights here. For that there would be a need for an agent. I'm not a lawyer or an accountant or a publicist.

The epub world is a small one. I don't see my career beginning and ending there. But, while I'm a part of it, because it is a small world, it's simple and uncomplicated and doesn't make much of a demand on my time, hence my ability to deal with the above-mentioned aspects of my writing, myself.

Click to expand...

Pretty much this entirely. There is *nothing* she does that I, and numerous other epubbed authors, don't do for ourselves quite well every single day. She can boast about her 'skills' all she wants, but frankly, when a total noob to the business (such as myself 5 years ago) can get myself through the door at Ellora's Cave (who at that time was THE epub to be with) on my very first try, well...forgive me for believing there is absolutely no need to pay someone else to try and do what I can already do.

It's not hating. It's common sense. Maybe we have different dictionaries or something.

I know she's a member here. Perhaps she's lurking (some of that blog post is remarkably similar to a few posts in this thread after all) and may choose to contribute at some point. It would be more professional than accusing us, from the distance and safety of her blog, of hating.

Especially interesting is a fellow AWer saying, in the blog comments, that those who 'attack' her don't have much of a writing career themselves. Heh. That's funny, given who said it. Shame when things get ugly, but this thread looks to me not like an attack, just people seeking answers.

If that constitutes hate or an attack, I think it's becoming obvious why I'm getting more than a little sick of the erotic romance epub market. One can't express an opinion, nor even ask questions, without being met with over-reactions and drama queen behaviour.

Honestly, I've had communications with other agents and if I've asked them, for example, "What could you actually do for my writing?" they've been happy to answer. This situation...well, it's making me very uncomfortable.

There have been far too many ructions in the epub world lately for me to decide to put down roots there. It's a very small universe and turning into a crucible for petty behaviour. (Not referring to this discussion, merely other things I've seen - author meltdowns and the like).

There are plenty of lovely people in this business - both editors and authors alike - but every so often a blog post goes viral, an author melts down, two 'professionals' take a private disagreement and make it public, and again, I wonder why the hell grown ups can't just do their fucking jobs without turning it into something bigger than it needs to be.

I started out in this game to fucking write, nothing else.

One of the erotic epub market's biggest problems is, I believe, the fact it is so small. Writers are also editors in such-and-such a publishing house. So-and-so is related to whoever. It's all very incestuous and familiarity breeds contempt. There's not enough breathing room. And even if for that reason alone, I see no need for an epub agent which would, I think, tie one down to a market from which I very much want to escape.

scarletpeaches said:

I know she's a member here. Perhaps she's lurking (some of that blog post is remarkably similar to a few posts in this thread after all) and may choose to contribute at some point. It would be more professional than accusing us, from the distance and safety of her blog, of hating.

Click to expand...

Don't hold your breath. No one looks good in that particular shade of blue.

Just to chime in here, since I'm being referenced above rather snarkily----for the record, I earn a full-time living as a freelance writer. Serious money, more than I ever made in the corporate world. So I think I'm more than qualified to make remarks about writing as a career. Just saying.

Yes. You have the right to comment on your own career. Not that of others.

ETA: If you want snark, how about 'not having much of a writing career themselves'?

Okay, take a deep breath everyone.

There are multiple people on this board--myself included--who make substantial money freelancing as writers or editors or artists or a combination thereof in trade publishing or electronic publishing. What difference does that make? There are part-time authors who have NYT bestsellers who still work full time jobs outside of publishing. Does that mean their opinions aren't worth as much as yours?

This discussion should never degenerate to the point of who makes more money. Seriously. This conversation should be about the Lori Perkins agency, the ramifications of an agent who submits solely to e-publishers, and the relative worth of having an agent for those sales. That's it. No one's opinion needs to be dismissed just because they don't have the same amount of zeroes on their royalty checks, and taking the conversation to that level is neither helpful for authors seeking information nor particularly endearing.

As many authors who write under numerous pseudonyms in e-publishing, particularly in romance and erotica, no one has a clue who's got a career and who doesn't. *shrug* Probably a little more discretion would be in order here instead of making generalizations about whose career is what.

Back on topic here--I would opine that in my opinion, it would be more beneficial for the Perkins agency to either (a) respond to the questions brought up in this thread in a professional manner or (b) ignore the thread entirely instead of permitting blog posts like the one quoted above to hit the internet. Regardless of what the situation is with the agented sales, it's not *hating* to ask the questions we do. It's responsible. And by responding the way the agent did in her blog makes me, at least, less inclined to consider her reaction professional. And that, unfortunately, leads me to question her ability to represent a writer to the best of her ability. If she is incapable of handling the stress of a B&BC thread at AW, how will she be able to negotiate for her clients in a high pressure situation?

That's just my two cents worth and I could be entirely wrong. I only have my own agent's behavior to judge her against, after all. But I know my agent with her forty-plus years in the business would never permit herself to react that way in public on the internet. JMHO--for what it's worth.

If writing is your career, and you wish to submit to an epub, you have every right to ask questions of someone who claims to be able to help you in that endeavor. If you are going to pay an agent, what 15%, then hell yes. It is idiotic to have to have a relationship with them first before they will answer any questions.

And for that agent to then go on their blog and whine about these people, how completely childish. If they really have something different and helpful to offer, they should be up front about it. It would only help their business.

I would be very wary of paying someone who was being sneaky like that. Not saying they haven't helped authors. I really can't comment on that. But why not be forthright with your services. There are too many shady people out there that would screw over a newbie because they can, and because the newb is ignorant of the business. So if they are truly legit, why risk their reputation and be so secretive?

I know and speak to several epub authors. None have ever had an agent. All are pubbed several times over.

I feel somewhat responsible for unleashing this, since I'd asked questions about Saritza. So please bear with my meandering thoughts.

Saka, it's wonderful that you're making decent money at writing. I'm always glad to hear success stories, and the last thing I want to do is drag anyone down.

I agree with BenPanced that AW has provided an invaluable forum for those of us wanting an open, honest exchange of information - but it only works if we all behave like adults.

And I agree with Scarlet that the e-pub world is small enough to be dangerously incestuous. I suspect that many of us are so thrilled to 1) write what we want, and 2) find someone to publish it, that we may not be as rational as we should when picking agents and publishers.

That, more than Ms. Hernandez' skills, was what worried me: the conflict of interest with Perkin's own publishing ventures, and the maybe too-tight relationship with editors/writers at other publishers. I'm new to this world, but not new to this kind of cut-throat opportunism. E-publishing has nothing on commercial art and advertising, folks. 'Mad Men' is not far off the mark! In both cases, the temptation to remain a big fish in a little pond is what keeps many people from pushing the envelope and trying for bigger and more lucrative markets.

Many times I've been told that having an unskilled or unmotivated agent is worse than no agent at all. Putting aside the heady romantic fantasies of being a writer, I have to accept that I'm a product designer. My eventual agent will be my broker, my publisher will be the manufacturer and conveyor of my product.

I'm not 'hating' when I look carefully at an agent's record, I'm conducting a background check and a job interview, to make certain this broker is the right one for my product. Can she get my product to the widest possible number of buyers? What are her production values and quality control methods? How satisfied are her other customers?

These aren't questions that can be answered by a few gushing replies to an understandably-upset blog post. They'll take time, and a lot more market reports.

Saritza mentions in the comments:

As an ePub agent, how would you handle a client that published through ePubs and then wanted to try for the traditional publishers?
I'm very lucky to have agents in the office I can reach out to when my clients want to transition from dig to trad pub and vice versa and we've been working on a few projects like this for a while.

Click to expand...

Can anyone confirm if they have had Saritza & the Perkins Agency successfully transition them from e-pub to NYC? I am asking this not to attack (I don't have a dog in this fight) but I think if this is the case, it'd be very valuable information for people who are considering the agency to have.

The fact that I can change the oil in my car myself doesn't mean that I want to change the oil in my car myself.

Nor is "submitting manuscripts" all that an agent does.

If you are submitting you manuscript to epublishers, it pays to control costs. I do think it is fundamentally different from submitting to large conventional publishers who rarely pull work from the slush.

So, yes, I could pay someone to submit to a tiny epublisher, or an epublisher co-owned by someone else in the agency. I could pay someone to edit my book, or indeed to write the book, but that doesn't make it a good idea.