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Robins Agency / Writer for Hire (Cris Robins)

Lee32940

Robins Agency, St. Louis, MO

Run, don't walk, away from this agency and Cris Robins.:gone
 

maestrowork

Re: Robins Agency, St. Louis, MO

Can you substantiate your claim, for the benefit of our members here?

Thanks.
 

DaveKuzminski

Re: Robins Agency, St. Louis, MO

I'll vouch for what Lee just stated.
 

vstrauss

Re: Robins Agency, St. Louis, MO

Me too. Robins used to run an editing referral gig; now her main thing seems to be asking for enormous retainers--the latest report I've gotten is $3,200--for a year of representation.

Need I say that as far as I know, the Robins Agency (which has been in business at least since the late 1990's) has never sold a book?

- Victoria
 

HapiSofi

Re: Robins Agency, St. Louis, MO

Victoria's word is worth more than mine, but I'll add mine anyway: the Cris Robins agency is crookeder than a dog's hind leg. Dumb, too.
 

Lee32940

Details as requested

As novice author, I fell for Cris Robins' line. Once she gets your money she is hard to find. If you do find her, all you get is another line of . . . Even though I modified her contract, she made no attempt to fulfill her commitments to me. A professional editing was included, but it never happened. She failed to provide the services she contracted to provide. She refused to tell me who she had submitted my manuscript to. She told me she would represent my book at the Chicago book fair, but her secretary called the day before the show started asking for a copy of the manuscript - which was suspossed to have been edited. I had supplied her with artwork, text, photos, etc.
 

Julie Worth

Re: Robins Agency, St. Louis, MO

This agency emailed me several weeks after I'd queried, saying they were following up, since I hadn't responded to their request for the first three and final three chapters of my novel. (In fact, this was the first email I’d received from them.) That kind of follow up was so unusual that I did a little research, and what I found concerned me. So I wrote Cris, asking several question about the agency, and this is what she said, in part:

"Third, as to our sales; well, the truth is I used to tell the world what our sales were in detail. And every single time I did, someone would call the publisher and yell at them because they bought someone else’s' book and not theirs. So, I quit doing it. Why would I cause a publisher grief when I didn't have to?"

A marvelous piece of nonsense!

When I told her I didn't buy that, she got snitty, saying she didn’t care what I thought. Well, she might not care, but what I think is they have no sales at all, in spite of what her 2004 entry in Herman’s guide implies: “Whether we sold 30 or 130 [last year] doesn’t mean we can sell yours or can’t.”
 

JC Lynch

Robins agency

Hi. I see that there was a thread concerning the Robins agency, but it seems to have been deleted. Can anyone clue me in to this agency?

Upon further checking on different sites, it appears I got my hopes up much too soon. I don't believe I will be following up with Ms. Robins.
 

HapiSofi

Re: Robins agency

Cris Robins. Hardcore scammer. Big fees. No legit sales. Long track record as one of the bad guys.
 

DarkManX24

the agent who cried wolf

i decided to do some online surfing about my good buddy and agent cris robins, and imagine my surprise when i see several links discussing how she's a scam artist! now, i can't say whether she's a scam artist, or whether potential clients are upset and are just full of it. what i want to know is what information you all have on her and exactly how many of you have been scammed by the wolf in sheep's clothing. currently i'm under an editorial contract with her, so if she does turn out to be full of @#$%, then i will cut ties with her after the editorial process is done and take my services elsewhere.
 

underthecity

Re: the agent who cried wolf

Darkman,
Preditors and Editors has this to say about Cris Robins, the Robins Agency:

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Robins Agency, The: "We are currently looking for new writers in the sci-fi/fantasy, horror and mainstream genres. We are a full service literary agency specializing in the marketing, development and sales from new writers." 7/20/04: a writer reports they have poor reading skills. Charges fee. Promotes its own editing services. Not recommended.<hr></blockquote>

You can see that <a href="http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealr.htm" target="_new">here</a>.

Just scroll down 3/4 of the page to Robins.

Hope that helps!

underthecity
 

vstrauss

Re: the agent who cried wolf

Darkman, there are threads on Cris Robins buried further back which go into more detail, but here's the short version: all her income comes from fees (editing fees, enormous "management" fees). As far as anyone knows, she has never sold a book to a publisher.

- Victoria
 

DaveKuzminski

Re: the agent who cried wolf

Darkman, doing the editing or having something of yours edited?
 

DarkManX24

Re: the agent who cried wolf

she is actually doing the editing herself--or at least she is paid to do so! i thought about using her for her editorial abilities until she asks to represent me, then backing away from her, seeking another agent in the process.
 

Dhewco

Re: the agent who cried wolf

I have one question. Other than being a scammer, what are her qualifications for being an editor? I read the Robins thread sometime last year, but I don't remember it.



David
 

DaveKuzminski

Re: the agent who cried wolf

Darkman, have you seen any of the editing results yet? In other words, is she sending back edited chapters as those are completed? If not, demand that she do so and hold off on any further payment until she complies.
 

DarkManX24

Re: the agent who cried wolf

yes, she has sent me some of the chapters back. she said she was going to send back a few chapters at a time to make the revision process easier. i was actually going to send back the revised chapters next week, 'til i saw all the comments about her being a scam artist. i have already made the full payment for editorial services, but she does state in her contract how the work will be returned to the writer after full payment is made.
 

DarkManX24

Re: the agent who cried wolf

I honestly do not remember off the top of my head, but there was a list of them in the agents and publishers guide at my house. They may be up on her website www.robins-agency.com, or on numerous other websites that carry her name. If you would like, I can look them up for you and get back to you.
 

katdad

Re: the agent who cried wolf

While I have no knowledge about this particular agent, it's my opinion that you should never pay anyone for editing, ever. And an agent who claims to edit? Forget it. A scam, I think.

An agent should do one thing: represent your work to publishers.

A legit agent may make suggestions to the writer, things the agent feels may improve the book, but will let the writer make the changes. This is what happened to me, with my agent.

A REAL edit process occurs when the publisher has accepted your book and paid you the advance. Then the editor will send back your edited book and you'll work together to fix the final version of the text.

This is the way I've always had it, with my magazine articles and reviews and such. And when I sell my book (or when my agent sells the book, really), I will expect that process.
 

vstrauss

Re: the agent who cried wolf

She claims qualifications, but none can be verified. I've heard from clients who paid for editing and weren't one bit happy with the quality of it.

- Victoria
 

aka eraser

Re: the agent who cried wolf

I think we need to be a bit careful here. We don't want it to appear that we're rubbing salt in Darkman's wounds. He's paid for the editing so that's a done-deal. Hopefully, he'll be able to take some positives from it.

And it serves as a reminder to newcomers that agents sell work and may make editorial suggestions. Editors edit. And book editors are paid by the publisher, not the author.

Edited to add: Of course there's independent and freelance editors; some hired by publishers, some by writers. Ethical ones however, don't wear the twin hats of agent/editor, nor do they accept from, or give kickbacks to, agents for referrals.
 

HapiSofi

Re: the agent who cried wolf

Sorry to say, it's not a hard and fast rule. There've been some legit two-hatted editor/agents. I believe Andy Zack used to do that. Jim Frenkel still does. I think Richard Curtis tried it but gave it up.

Here's the difference: none of them charged for editing.