A Client Speaks!
Hello all,
I became a client of Evan Goldfried on July 31 this year, and on Sep 25 he got me a three-book deal for a new urban fantasy series. The contract is still in negotiation so I'd rather not divulge more than that for the moment—though the deal has been announced on Publishers Marketplace—but in the interests of answering several questions on the thread and helping everyone out:
1.) I sent my urban fantasy query plus 50 pages via snail mail to Jill in mid-July, following the directions on AgentQuery; she basically handed my submission to Evan. Evan contacted me via e-mail to request a full inside of a week; I'd never heard of him up to that point.
2.) Evan is actively building his client list. I don't know anything about Jill; I haven't spoken with her or e-mailed or anything, but I'd sure like to thank her for A) hiring Evan in May and B) handing my submission to him!
3.) There's a great interview with Evan that's been recently posted at writingraw.com. The urban fantasy series he mentions at the end of his second paragraph is mine.
Here's the link:
http://writingraw.com/files/7 Question Interview with Evan Goldfried.pdf
He tells you what he's looking for in the interview and how to submit to him.
4.) The agency keeps its website basic ON PURPOSE. Don't let it freak you out or deter you!
I'll be happy to answer any questions I can, and after the ink is dry on the contract with my publisher I'll happily use my name. But here is what you really need to take away from this: Evan was one of 24 agents I submitted to, and only the second one to request a full; four others requested partials, and the rest sent me form rejections! So just keep that in mind, okay? Lots of agents won't recognize a book sale is sitting on their desk—but eventually one of them will! I was EXACTLY where you are in July. Don't give up. I wish you all the best. Keep writing.
