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In thirty-five years of writing, I have never had an agent or an editor ask me how old I am. And any agent with a brain would know that a fifty-five year old might well outlive her.
In thirty-five years of writing, I have never had an agent or an editor ask me how old I am. And any agent with a brain would know that a fifty-five year old might well outlive her.
?
I'm lost. When did we start talking about this with regard to a gap in a writing career? I thought this was about older writers starting a career.
Nope. If the book is written well enough, I doubt it makes any difference.
"The agent told me, 'My dear, I couldn't possibly take on anybody over the age of 55; I need to develop a long-term relationship with my writers,'" Bill remembers. "The irony was she was even older than I."'
Sorry you're lost. Let me put it another way.
An Agent is initially interested in the book they think can sell and publish.
Beyond that is a lottery - regardless of age.
This.
And also, when you query a debut novel, how are they going to know your age? That information isn't going to come out until after they've already agreed to represent you, unless you volunteer it up front. I've never seen an agent website that asks people to put personal information like age or graduation date in a query letter.
Probably --some-- truth to this. Agenting is business after all and like many businesses agism can be a factor in who gets hired and who gets the bum's rush.
It may be naive of me but I happen to believe that the publishing industry as a whole is one of the most ethical businesses around. So while there probably are some agist agents their numbers are probably few.
Am not in the aforementioned category, myself, but I will make a point from now on of stating in any future query letters that I am in my late nineties. Good way of weeding out any bigoted idiots I may happen to query.
Because hey. If they are discriminatory when it comes to age who's to say they are not discriminatory when it comes to religion, or race, or countless other things ?
So thnx for the tip !
I saw that sales pitch on Amazon today too, and it made me furious.
It's misleading.
Agents care about the books you've written, and whether they can sell them or not. They don't care about how old you are, and even if they did, they don't know unless you tell them.
A friend of mine who is 67 has just sold her first novel to great acclaim. No one has withdrawn their interest in her work because of her age. This is not how it happens.
If the person whose work Amazon was advertising said he got rejected because of his age he was either being untruthful, or he was submitting to poor agents. Grrr.
I think I found it. Is that the one?
Not encouraging, on the face of it, but she does go on to say you just don't mention your age in the query and that she never asks about age before she signs someone.
My agent's biggest deal this year was for an author in her 60s.
I think that this scenario could well be true - on a strictly individual basis.
All of us have our levels when it comes to who we're most comfortable associating with, and even though the agent/client relationship is basically a business arrangement, it's personal as well. If the agent loves the manuscript, but really feels uneasy with or disconnected from the author, that's not a formula for a successful partnership. It may have to do with age, or it could be something else entirely.
Maybe "Bill" presents himself as a curmudgeonly old fart, and it could well have made a difference in his case (sorry, don't know the gentleman in question to know if that's true.)
I honestly can't see this being an "across the board" trend that first time authors need to worry about. (Says the old woman who refuses to believe that she'll be turned away because of age!)
It's probably something similar some agents have in mind: when an author close to the retirement bracket makes enough money to retire early on the coattail of a successful book. Someone whose sole revenue stream is writing is perceived as more likely to be malleable to an agent and stick for the long run, compared to someone who is seen as having accumulated enough wealth to enjoy a comfortable living regardless if the books are successful or not. It's about demonstrable motivation. I see the same sort of logic in the VC / entrepreneur world.When a single novel can potentially make an agent enough money to retire for life, I doubt anything else matters.
I know you're kidding, but just in case----please don't do that! Impediments to success are great in fiction, but in real life they're often, well, impediments. Aspiring writers have enough to contend with, without adding obstacles. Plus, every person, which means every agent, has his/her own preferences and prejudices. I wouldn't represent a Tea Party pol if I were still an agent, no matter how good the work. One of the perks of working for oneself.
It's probably something similar some agents have in mind: when an author close to the retirement bracket makes enough money to retire early on the coattail of a successful book. Someone whose sole revenue stream is writing is perceived as more likely to be malleable to an agent and stick for the long run, compared to someone who is seen as having accumulated enough wealth to enjoy a comfortable living regardless if the books are successful or not. It's about demonstrable motivation. I see the same sort of logic in the VC / entrepreneur world.
-cb
… one should keep TMI out of queries.
As James points out, no capable agent is going to worry about J. K. Rowling’s age!I’m a retired aerospace engineer who worked on mostly cutting-edge projects which once were science fiction. I spent the last dozen years before retiring insuring I could make writing a full-time profession.
I’m a retired aerospace engineer who worked on mostly cutting-edge projects which once were science fiction. I spent the last dozen years before retiring insuring I could make writing a full-time profession. - Laer