I'm giving you two answers to your question about what you've read. The
first answer is the short one, and the second is the long one. I apologize
in advance for any 'attitude' that you read in my reply, but it's a gut/core
issue for us and we feel pretty strongly about certain things.
The short answer ....
We told the self-proclaimed industry watchdogs to shove it.
We've drawn the battle lines and we've said that unpublished
writers have very little chance of success unless they think differently.
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We told the so-called watchdogs that they are hurting authors by maintaining
'old school' ideas. We explained that the agency business is so competitive
now, that we can only focus on one thing, selling the work. The author has
to take responsibility for bringing their work to industry standards. In
short, we told the industry watchdogs that they don't get it, and they are
promulgating old ideas that no longer apply. It didn't go over very well
and they chatter incessantly, but if you think a writer has thick skin, you
should try being an agent.
We've been in business now long enough to know that our model works, and
that buyers respect the fact that EVERY AUTHOR WE REPRESENT HAS BEEN THROUGH
A RIGOROUS CRITIQUE AND EDITING PROCESS. What you read on the boards is
just authors whining about having to do more work, which they want us to do
for free. Think about it for just a minute. If you were buying an
unpublished author's work, wouldn't you want to buy work that had been
through the proverbial wringer? And wouldn't you want to buy work that
could get to market faster, because the grunt work, the editing, had already
been done.
In the end, the truth of the matter is that you really want an agency that
is willing to break a few rules on your behalf. The 'old school' doesn't
want you to get in, and that's the truth. We have 4 sales, most agencies
only have 1 or two. We will double that this year we think and you really
need to consider whether some 'anonymous' board poster really has your best
interest at heart or if you should give us a try, eyes wide open, and see if
we don't keep our promises which are * We respect what you have accomplished
thus far as a writer, * We believe that great authors are made, not born. We
are willing to
develop talent. * We pledge straight talk in a confusing and old-school
industry. * We can't promise a sale. We can promise a professional
relationship.
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Here's one author's reply to this email. We hope you are this discerning.
"Thank you for the trouble you took to explain what's on those boards. I
think I understand your frustration with the critics and nay sayers now. I
have reviewed again the on-line comments and sources and agree that there is
really nothing substantive in either their remarks or criticisms. In fact
most of them whine about nearly everyone".
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Here's the long answer:
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We are keenly aware of the negative material on a lot of writer's message
boards. I thank you for 'seeking first to understand". Once again, sorry
for the length of this email, but there's a lot to try to communicate to
you.
I know it is confusing to authors. Luckily most authors can detect that
there's something very negatively one sided about most boards, and a good
author will ask for more information.
I think you would agree that it's tough to even get a reply from an Agency.
Most authors (98%) can't get the time of day from an Agent. Why? Because
invariably the author's work needs improvement and if an Agent takes the
time to say, "I like the idea, but you need a little help" the Agent is
blackballed by every writers blog on the net. So, it's easier to say no, or
not reply, than to actually try to help a writer with a good idea and a good
start.
Successful writers of books and screenplays use editors and coaches, always
have, always will.. if you've never worked with an editor, you should. I
would say that 95+% of the books on the shelves today have had an editors
touch, either through the publishing company or as directed by an agent.
There are two levels of editing. The first is our internal level. The second
is the publisher level. When you pass our first level, it means that we
will put our reputation on the line for you, however, it doesn't mean that
it has been exhaustively edited, like a publisher would do. Their edit is
MUCH more extensive. Our edit requirements are related to pitching and
selling only.
THIS IS THE REAL ISSUE: If an agent assists the writer by telling them to
get editing and then the agent will represent them, they get blackballed.
So, here's a situation where potentially great work is 'waiting in the
wings' so to speak, and can't get access to the market because Agents are
overwhelmed and gun-shy.
Luckily (for those authors that can see through the bs), we've decided that
the old model is dead and we want new fresh talent. We want authors that
want to improve and have their chance. And, our management team is a group
of business warriors that basically say, "screw the naysayers because buyers
love our model".
Why do buyers (publishers and producers) love our model? Because they know
that we've forced the writer to jump through a series of hoops to prove
their mettle. And the writers whine, whine, whine, and the publishers say,
"whew, thanks for bringing us great work and for filtering out the crackpot
writers that want the world and don't have an understanding of how
competitive the market is." BUYERS WANT WRITERS THAT HAVE INVESTED IN
THEMSELVES AND THEIR WRITING.
But why all the negative press you might ask? In short, the message boards
attract unsuccessful writers. It's quite a statistical anomaly isn't it.
A successful writer isn't sitting around responding to message boards, a
successful writer is improving their craft, making submissions, and writing.
As I'm sure you've seen the pettiness on the boards.. That pettiness is, to
me, worse than a National Enquirer that you read in the grocery line, and
frankly, I think the message boards attract the same caliber of people.
Also, just for the fun of it, you should ask the people that work the boards
to be your agent, and see how many writers run to help you.
LET ME STATE THIS AGAIN.. ASK THE PEOPLE ON THE MESSAGE BOARDS, BECAUSE THEY
ARE SO SMART, WHAT THEY'VE SOLD, AND WHO THEIR AGENT WAS... And whether
they'd be your agent. <I'm sorry to be a bit cynical here, but I'm sure you
can see why? Nobody on those boards is going to work for you.. they aren't
going to coach you, prep you, and try to sell your work.>
That said, we've come to thank these boards. The boards weed out three main
categories of writers that we are actually glad to be rid of: 1) Authors
that don't have a clue, 2) Authors that can't make up their mind for
themselves and don't have any "grit", and 3) the SFN's (writers that want
Something for Nothing). I hope that you aren't in any of those three
categories. The Something For Nothing authors really get my goat, but
that's another rant. Those are the authors that think we'll bear all their
expenses because they've 'written the next bestseller'... egads...
Reread the 4 bullets under my signature. That's our promise. It's simple
and it's understandable, and we deliver on it all day, every day. (Like
this email really).
So, in conclusion, this is what I would do, if I were in your shoes, I'd
proceed with us, eyes wide open, and see if we meet or exceed our four
business tenets below, A) Respect, B) Building Talent, 3) Straight Talk, and
a 4) Professional Relationship.
Just for grins, and so that you know we provide a service of value to
aspiring authors, I would like you to see some of the unprompted quotes that
we receive on a daily basis. Our clients say it best. The quotes below are
unedited and as you can see, quite from the heart. (We have lots more of
these.) If you are really cynical, you will probably believe we made them
up, but I promise you, we can prove every one of them.
=======================
"Just a note to say, whatever the outcome of my submission, it's refreshing
to engage an agent who will a) take an email submission, b) turn it round as
quick you've committed to do and c) actively work with a writer. Submissions
are daunting enough anyway without having to wait ten weeks for an
impersonalized slip of paper. Here's to you."
"It is refreshing to get an honest professional opinion of my work, it make
me realize just how much I don't know about the written word and its
presentation."
Dear Georgina, I'd like you to know how highly and gratefully I regard the
clarity with which you explain the process as well as your reliability. I
have complete trust in both your abilities and ethical standards. Best
wishes, Judith
It's been a long time since I left school with considerable number of years
passing before I became interested in writing again. I would like you to
thank you for working with me and let it be known that I look at this as a
new beginning and rebirth of my education.
You don't know how nice it is to have such timely responses. I am sure I am
not the only writer that puts a lot of heart into their work and I have to
say, I have "kept mine tucked away in the closet" for many, many years. I
just enjoy writing, but didn't know if I would ever try and submit it to
anyone. Making the decision to do that has been somewhat of a
nerve-wracking process. Your timely responses and professional, yet
"down-to-earth" responses are making the process a lot easier. At this time,
I am not submitting my work to anyone else, because you have impressed me
the most up to this point. Even if we do not end up working together, I
felt it was important to pass this along to you.
Dear Georgina: Your professional zeal and resourcefulness cannot be
overemphasized seeing the volatile-oceanic-wave called the American
Hollywood with its impregnable sales frontiers. I hold you dearly to my
heart in my every prayers towards our mutual success now and...very soon in
subsequent works. I doff my heart after your every professional spirit
imagining the energy, sweat and traveling involved. Thanks for everything
you stand for professionally.
Thank you for your constructive feedback. I found your critique of my work
very informative, and it concluded many things that I already knew. I really
do need to improve on my punctuation skills, and that has been something I
have struggled with for some time. I appreciate your suggestions on
materials to improve this, and I plan on taking an advanced grammar and
punctuation class at the college I am attending. Several other points you
made were also very informative. I know I have a long way to go before I am
a "professional" writer, but I am glad that you agreed that the potential is
definitely there. I'd also like to thank you and your company for staying in
contact with me through this process. I would, and will, come back to your
company if I need further material critiqued. Thank you again for your time.
I just want to say I have been rejected for years by Agents and Publishers.
After awhile it all seems pointless. But I am in this for the long run and
will never give up and never give in. Whether you accept me or not you have
restored my faith and hope that someone out there is concerned and listening
to what writings go through. I look forward to learning all that I can from
you and your associates.
"After having reread all the information sent to me, I must say that I am
impressed by the way your agency has handled the science, or art of
appreciating new sources of writing. If only all agencies displayed your
model the world may be a better place. Your FAQ has answered all of my
questions and I am eager to get to work."
===========================
WE ARE CREATING THE MOST POWERFUL AGENCY GROUP IN THE UNITED STATES. Every
author that we represent has been fully edited and we know, beyond a shadow
of a doubt, that their work is good enough for publication. Unfortunately,
the ones that 'wash out', tend to grouse and *****. If you can make it
through our process, then you will be in an elite group that buyers respect.
We never promise a sale, but we can promise that if we present your work, it
will get respect from our buyers.