Ask Lucienne Diver! Guest agent arriving week of January 15th

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Lucienne Diver

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Wow, I'm horrified that an agent "sold" your work to a bad PoD publisher! I don't know of any cases where something similar has happened and the book has been rewritten and resold, but I don't see why it couldn't happen as long as the rights are clearly yours now. As you suggest in the next paragraph, though, submitting something new without tainting the query with the PoD publisher's name might not be a bad idea.

tlblack said:
Hi Ms Diver,

When a writer gets a bad agent that submits their ms to a bad (very bad) PoD publisher, what are the chances of that book being rewritten or revised and sold by a good agent to a good publisher? I am curious as I had the above mentioned happen. I left the agent to find the publisher, and trusted she would sell it to a good publisher. Am I better off to toss the ms into a box and forget about it? I knew nothing about the publisher at the time and there was little to no information about them online that I could find that said anything negative about them.

Also, I have another ms (thriller) I am seeking representation for now. (anotherealm is bookmarked) I know better than to list the PoD in the query as any sort of real publication, but am wondering whether or not to mention the book at all or just say I am not yet published. Would no writing credits stand out better than saying "I have this PoD novel, and know that was a bad idea" or something similar? It confuses me because I have the book, it's in print, and meager as they were, it had sales. Or, should I just leave the last paragraph off the query letter and see how it stands without it?

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer questions on AW. I know I am not the only one who is reading all of your replies with great appreciation.

Teresa
 

Lucienne Diver

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I know that market comparisons are common in non-fiction, but they're not something we see too much of in fiction queries. One of the reasons not to sweat this is, as mentioned, that when you look for an agent in your field, you're looking for a pro, someone who knows the market even better than you (or should anyway). Market comparisons seem a little bit like teaching your grandmother to suck eggs -- as the horrifying expression goes. That's my two cents anyway. Others' mileage may vary.

If you do want to look up comparisons, I don't know where I'd direct you except to Google searches. I generally start there or on Amazon.com when I need to do a bit of comparative research.

Mela said:
Hello Lucienne - thank you for stopping by as the guest this week. I am totally new to Absolute Write and have enjoyed reading the threads.

The book I am writing is a Christmas-themed, young adult book, for the 12-16 age group. Among the books on my sublist, the closest in theme is Tony Abbott's Kringle. [SIZE=+0]In the near future, I want to position my book to an agent (I'm in the revision stages). [/SIZE]

[SIZE=+0]I think the following are necessary components of a good pitch, as far as my book - what do you think?[/SIZE]

1. What percentage of young adult book sales takes place during the holiday season? Can this be broken down further into the percentage that represents Christmas-themed books?
2. What is the market for Christmas-themed books, i.e., demand?
3. Which age group sells best for Christmas-themed books or does any Christmas book sell reasonably well this time of year?
4. Because my book explores themes similar to Kringle, I am wondering how well Kringle did in the market in terms of sales.

I'd like to include the above info in my pitch but have had little luck in nailing down a source for this info, if, in fact, there is any single source. Do you know where I might get this information?

I appreciate your kind help and would look forward to your response.
Santa's helper
 

ink wench

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Just wanted to say thank again, Ms. Diver. Your answer was helpful on a couple levels, and all the Q&As have been great to read.
 

Lucienne Diver

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Absolutely! I don't think I've ever read a book without any humor whatsoever. (As you might have guessed, that's not really in my nature, though I've represented some very dark work.) Books without contrasts (light and dark, peril and peace) lose their impact. It's only in adversity that we know joy and all that sort of thing. To me a totally dark book without humor or hope -- yes, I know they're out there, but I avoid them like the plague -- is a downer and life is just too short.

LeslieB said:
Thank you for answering our questions, Ms. Diver. I have to confess that as a writer working on a fantasy manuscript, your agency is on my dream list so I’ll be engaged in a lot of worshipful gazing while you are here.

My question is this - do agents normally like to see humor in fantasy stories? I don’t mean on the level of satire or comedy, just a book where the characters can see the humor of the situations they are in, or do things that are funny while just being themselves. It seems that a lot of fantasy is divided into two camps, where either the characters are all engaged in Serious Business (TM), or are comedic like in the Xanth books. Is there a market for something in between?
 

Lucienne Diver

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I've heard that it's happened, but I find my authors through referrals and the good, old-fashioned query process. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to surf the net hoping for a gem. Sometimes it feels like all I can do to keep up with the work I already have! I suspect that's true for most of us.

Rllgthunder said:
Hello, Lucienne, and welcome.

I'm curious if you, or any agents you know, have ever discovered a new writer while scoping out blogs or writing forums. Is it uncommon or happens more than most people think?
 

Lucienne Diver

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It depends how closely your references pinpoint a specific time and how quickly things change. Yes, you do have to be careful of dating a book too much.
Liking isn't enough in this competitive market, but if an agent loved your book, yes, he or she would likely suggest ways in which you can make it more marketable or timely.

Vietnam and WW II have been pretty well covered in fiction, but if you've got something new to say or a really wonderful story to tell, doors will open.

birdfeeder said:
Hello, Ms. Diver!

I write MG and I have a few of questions regarding the time period in which a story is set:

* If a contemporary novel made a few references to the ongoing War on Terror, would the timeliness make it hard for the agent to place it? (What if the war ended before the book was sold?)
*If the story wasn't dependent upon the war, and the agent liked the story, would the agent ask for those references to be revised?
* Are stories set during the Vietnam War (but not about the war) hard to place?

Thank you!
 

tlblack

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Lucienne Diver said:
Wow, I'm horrified that an agent "sold" your work to a bad PoD publisher! I don't know of any cases where something similar has happened and the book has been rewritten and resold, but I don't see why it couldn't happen as long as the rights are clearly yours now. As you suggest in the next paragraph, though, submitting something new without tainting the query with the PoD publisher's name might not be a bad idea.

I too was horrified. If that book never gets in with a good publisher I do plan to rewrite it for my own satisfaction. In the meantime, I'm working on another novel that includes my avatar. After looking at it looking back at me for a long time, it is inspiring some interesting ideas.

Thank you very much for taking your time to answer my questions. I really appreciate it.

Teresa
 

Lucienne Diver

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I =think= I've answered everything, but please let me know if I haven't. I'll be leaving in a little bit for houseguests coming in this weekend, but I'll try to check in again before deserting y'all. Let me just say it's been a pleasure. I appreciate you all having me "in" to chat. I've had a good time composing responses and I hope you've had a good time reading them!

All the best for successful and long-running writing careers.

--Lucienne Diver
 

Cathy C

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NOTICE: If anyone has NOT yet had their question answered, please raise your hand and repost. And never fear, if you didn't make it back in time, we'll hold the question over for the next guest agent.

A round of applause, please for the wonderful and educational Lucienne Diver of Spectrum Literary! :Clap:
 

waylander

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Thank you for your answers Ms Diver.

If I may ask another question.
I paid a well-known former editorial director to edit my manuscript. Should I mention this in my query letter along with a couple of quotes from him about the work?
 

Lucienne Diver

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Again, mileage may vary, but for me, knowing that something is professionally edited makes me wonder how much of what I'm seeing is the author's talent and how much is a result of the editing. If the editor is really well known and says fantastic things, it may sway me to have a look. If not, it may sway me the other way.

waylander said:
Thank you for your answers Ms Diver.

If I may ask another question.
I paid a well-known former editorial director to edit my manuscript. Should I mention this in my query letter along with a couple of quotes from him about the work?
 

Honalo

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many thanks

Many thanks, Lucienne, for your helpful insight.
 

giftedrhonda

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*raises hand* - sorry I keep bugging, but I can't tell on your website if you take YA or not. LOL - could be as simple as an eyeglass prescription change... :D
 

Little Red Barn

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Thank you Ms Diver.
Enjoy your much deserved weekend. Please stop by to see us anytime and a very special thanks to Cathy and Mac.


hugs kimmi
 

ChunkyC

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Thanks so much for dropping by, Lucienne. It was our pleasure having you here. We hope you feel comfortable enough with us loonies to drop by and say hello every now and then.

Here's hoping your mailbox contains some gems in the coming days. ;)
 

Lucienne Diver

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I did answer this earlier in the week. Yes. We do more adult than YA, but for the right novel....

giftedrhonda said:
*raises hand* - sorry I keep bugging, but I can't tell on your website if you take YA or not. LOL - could be as simple as an eyeglass prescription change... :D
 

MDavis

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Lucienne Diver said:
Fantasy romance.

Excellent--I'm not sure if you'll see this, but thank you and have a great weekend!
 

giftedrhonda

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Lucienne Diver said:
I did answer this earlier in the week. Yes. We do more adult than YA, but for the right novel....

My apologies...I've been trying to read this thread all week, so I apologize for missing it.

Have a great weekend, and thank you for your time.

Rhonda
 

JennaGlatzer

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Thank you so much, Lucienne! You've been wonderful, and we really appreciate your time and helpful responses.
 
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