A Novel Approach to Agents

popmuze · Mar 13, 2012

I know that sales figures are often a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you sold 3,000 of your last book, then the publisher is only going to print 2500 of your next, and buyers are only going to buy 2,000.

kaitie · Mar 13, 2012

Popmuze, have you gotten any kind of real feedback on the manuscript itself? It could honestly be that you just need to send a few more queries to hit the right agent. I had quite a lot of requests for my last book before it was picked up, and most of the comments were great. It was both a good feeling and a terrible one--wondering if anyone would actually pick it up or if it just wasn't good enough, etc. In the end, I think it was just a matter of finding an agent who really fell in love with it. That sounds cheesy, but it's true.

Also, have you had beta readers look it over for you? If there is a problem with execution, they might be able to help.

bearilou · Mar 14, 2012

Okey, I'm confused. You state out of 14, 11 are nonfiction. Leaving 3 fiction. You then state later in reference to self-publishing that you have 2 on Kindle that aren't burning up the charts.

popmuze said:
Reactions like this could certainly drive someone to self-publishing, but the two books I've got out on Kindle right now are hardly burning up the chart.

Leaving 1 novel, which I assume is the one you're querying now. Is my assumption correct that this is one that is not also available on Kindle? Is my assumption also correct that the 2 on Kindle are self-published? I'd be curious as to how many agents you've contacted so far. Is the seven you mention just the most recent batch or all that you've sent queries off to thus far?

Also, have you packed your query off to QLH and let those folks have a look at it? It could very well be your query is a hang up and so you're not getting the responses.

JanetReid · Mar 14, 2012

The original question was "If I get a request for a full, should I send it exclusively if the agent promises to read it in three weeks?".

The answer has nothing to do with sales, previous agents or the quality of the manuscript. The answer is reading fulls takes time, and my time is prioritized carefully and submissions aren't first.

You'll hear stories about agents who read stuff instantly or overnight; editors too. That happens, yes it does, but it's RARE. And what you don't hear is that the manuscript that got read that quickly hit my desk on a day when a crisis didn't.

You can bet those days aren't frequent.

I have 40 active clients and on any given day six of them need my attention THAT day. Then there are editors who need to update me on just the regular old stuff; my boss wants to talk about our new epublishing initiative. Waiting for a conference call to start is six minutes to post on AbsoluteWrite--not six hours to read a ms.

Since you science fiction writers have fallen down on the job and NOT found me a place to have a 36-hour work day, I have the 15 hour work day everyone else has.

And that means, often as not, submissions wait. Whether you like it or not. And honestly, whether *I* like it or not. I don't like to keep you waiting either. I don't like to see my file folder of "Requested Fulls" hit double digits either.

But, that's how it is.

You're welcome to check in after 90 days and I'll try to respond. If another agent doesn't respond, keep querying.

I hear your frustration but honestly there's simply nothing I can do about it on my end.

ChaosTitan · Mar 14, 2012

J.Reid said:
The original question was "If I get a request for a full, should I send it exclusively if the agent promises to read it in three weeks?".

The answer has nothing to do with sales, previous agents or the quality of the manuscript. The answer is reading fulls takes time, and my time is prioritized carefully and submissions aren't first.

You'll hear stories about agents who read stuff instantly or overnight; editors too. That happens, yes it does, but it's RARE. And what you don't hear is that the manuscript that got read that quickly hit my desk on a day when a crisis didn't.

You can bet those days aren't frequent.

I have 40 active clients and on any given day six of them need my attention THAT day. Then there are editors who need to update me on just the regular old stuff; my boss wants to talk about our new epublishing initiative. Waiting for a conference call to start is six minutes to post on AbsoluteWrite--not six hours to read a ms.

Since you science fiction writers have fallen down on the job and NOT found me a place to have a 36-hour work day, I have the 15 hour work day everyone else has.

And that means, often as not, submissions wait. Whether you like it or not. And honestly, whether *I* like it or not. I don't like to keep you waiting either. I don't like to see my file folder of "Requested Fulls" hit double digits either.

But, that's how it is.

You're welcome to check in after 90 days and I'll try to respond. If another agent doesn't respond, keep querying.

I hear your frustration but honestly there's simply nothing I can do about it on my end.

I kind of want to save this and quote it every time a writer starts a new thread complaining about response times....

popmuze · Mar 15, 2012

J.Reid said:
The original question was "If I get a request for a full, should I send it exclusively if the agent promises to read it in three weeks?".

The answer has nothing to do with sales, previous agents or the quality of the manuscript. The answer is reading fulls takes time, and my time is prioritized carefully and submissions aren't first.

You'll hear stories about agents who read stuff instantly or overnight; editors too. That happens, yes it does, but it's RARE. And what you don't hear is that the manuscript that got read that quickly hit my desk on a day when a crisis didn't.

You can bet those days aren't frequent.

I have 40 active clients and on any given day six of them need my attention THAT day. Then there are editors who need to update me on just the regular old stuff; my boss wants to talk about our new epublishing initiative. Waiting for a conference call to start is six minutes to post on AbsoluteWrite--not six hours to read a ms.

Since you science fiction writers have fallen down on the job and NOT found me a place to have a 36-hour work day, I have the 15 hour work day everyone else has.

And that means, often as not, submissions wait. Whether you like it or not. And honestly, whether *I* like it or not. I don't like to keep you waiting either. I don't like to see my file folder of "Requested Fulls" hit double digits either.

But, that's how it is.

You're welcome to check in after 90 days and I'll try to respond. If another agent doesn't respond, keep querying.

I hear your frustration but honestly there's simply nothing I can do about it on my end.

Sorry to have dragged you into the fray, Janet; perhaps I was just trying to cause a controversy. So maybe I won't ask an agent for an exclusive. But I do think if an agent ever asks me for an exclusive I'll take it. I'd rather have a guaranteed read in two or three weeks (if that's the deal) than have to sit forever wondering if I'll even get a form rejection.

Sophia · Mar 15, 2012

popmuze said:
Sorry to have dragged you into the fray, Janet; perhaps I was just trying to cause a controversy.

Creating a controversy is not what this forum is for. Don't ask questions if it's just to waste members' time for the sake of your own amusement.

popmuze · Mar 15, 2012

I thought it was a pretty good controversy at the time. I have since been proven wrong. Besides, anyone here who knows me knows how I love to challenge the prevailing wisdom. In fact, that's the story of my career.

Williebee · Mar 15, 2012

Popmuze -

I get your frustration. I'd bet the majority of us do, and have our own trouble working our way through it. Have you ever seen Elizabeth Gilbert's (Eat, Love, Pray) TED talk? Early on she talks about the concern that the best thing she's ever written is already behind her, and folks expect her to do it again.

If it helps, mass communication may have sped things up, but the writing/pitching process we knew still exists. IOW, expectations and access to information make it seem like everything is moving faster than we are, but in reality, the writing part we love is just like "back in the day."

The tools may be different, but we're still filing this story, writing the next one, and digging/researching for the one after that.

Do the next thing, mate. Good Luck.

Miss Janet --

Thank you for your time and input. A peek at the other side of any process is most always invaluable.

What? Am not kissing up. I don't even have anything on submission to her.

James D. Macdonald · Mar 15, 2012

The common term for "trying to create a controversy" is "trolling."

Stacia Kane · Mar 15, 2012

J.Reid said:
I have 40 active clients and on any given day six of them need my attention THAT day. Then there are editors who need to update me on just the regular old stuff; my boss wants to talk about our new epublishing initiative. Waiting for a conference call to start is six minutes to post on AbsoluteWrite--not six hours to read a ms.

Since you science fiction writers have fallen down on the job and NOT found me a place to have a 36-hour work day, I have the 15 hour work day everyone else has.

And that means, often as not, submissions wait. Whether you like it or not. And honestly, whether *I* like it or not. I don't like to keep you waiting either. I don't like to see my file folder of "Requested Fulls" hit double digits either.

But, that's how it is.

You're welcome to check in after 90 days and I'll try to respond. If another agent doesn't respond, keep querying.

I hear your frustration but honestly there's simply nothing I can do about it on my end.

God, Janet, you're so LAZY. Sheesh.

Phaeal · Mar 15, 2012

Meh. If an agent doesn't have an exclusive on my MS, I'm not going to worry about how long he has it. I'm going to be sending out new queries on my own schedule and writing the next book.

The only exclusive I ever gave, the agent got back to me one week late, so not too bad. The wonderful agent who reps me asked for a one-day exclusive, which I couldn't give, due to prior subs. He read the MS overnight anyway.

kaitie's right. Just keep subbing until you hit the right desk. That's what you can control. How long a response takes, if it ever comes, is out of your hands.

quicklime · Mar 15, 2012

ok, I'm gonna jump to pop's defense and say I don't think he's trolling, but pop, I DO think you're being deliberately obtuse. nothing wrong with challenging the conventional wisdom, but it is often there for a good reason. The good reason has been given; not to leave you in the wind, but because agents have a shit-ton to do. Personally, I'm no agent, but telling me right off I could have an exclusive, but a short one, would sort of scream "Diva!" on both counts.

it is what it is, even if what it is drives you buggy....

popmuze · Mar 15, 2012

A modest proposal: maybe there needs to be more agents.

Toothpaste · Mar 15, 2012

A modest proposal: maybe you need to focus on the things you CAN have control over.

Cranky · Mar 15, 2012

More agents aren't the answer. Sure, it'd thin out the slushpile for individual agents, at least initially, but I don't think it would change anything.

At *best* you'd get a quicker response time, but so what? Really? Agents do a lot more than just go through queries and fulls looking for new writers. They've got current clients that are going to take priority over cold-calls from wannabes. And that dynamic wouldn't change a whit with an additional number of agents.

As Toothpaste suggests, this isn't something I would waste time and energy on. Submit your very best work to the agents who already exist, and if it's good enough and what they're looking for and what they can sell, you'll be golden. But do you see in that chain where there's stuff for you to do? Yep, at the beginning, with your query and your manuscript. That is what you can control. That is it.

Toothpaste · Mar 15, 2012

(also it doesn't change the finite number of publishing spots publishers have)

popmuze · Mar 15, 2012

Cranky said:
But do you see in that chain where there's stuff for you to do? Yep, at the beginning, with your query and your manuscript. That is what you can control. That is it.

I think it's quite obvious that I've lost control of my manuscript.

popmuze · Mar 15, 2012

Toothpaste said:
(also it doesn't change the finite number of publishing spots publishers have)

This is right on the money. From my experience having had agents, I know that they have the same problems with editors not responding, sitting on manuscripts forever, or leading them on only to crush them with last minute rejections. And this is the income they have to live on.

Deb Kinnard · Mar 15, 2012

Cranky said:
They've got current clients that are going to take priority over cold-calls from wannabes.

And bear in mind that even once you're agented, there's a hierarchy in place before you ever sign that precious contract. The pecking order is this: (1) clients who are making the agent a swackload of money; (2) clients who might make the agent a swackload of money; (3) clients who are on the cusp of #1 or #2; (4) everyone else. If you happen to fall into bracket #4, communication can be brief and seldom.

popmuze · Mar 15, 2012

Ouch. Bracket 4 describes my entire career.

Colossus · Mar 16, 2012

All I will say is that I've been tempted to do many things much worse than what you've suggested. Then I realize that if I do, either the agent will not care......or they'll send me a reply that pretty much says "go fly a kite".
Live through your fantasy and imagine all you want about what you'd say or do.......get a laugh out of it and then go back to waiting for them to finish on their own time.

A Novel Approach to Agents

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