The Big Thread of Questions about Agents

whose life would you rather write about?


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Woodsie

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.... If you're comfortable letting them know this about you...

Horribly uncomfortable, honestly, because my life is so not me. ;) But my book is about a real life, it's non-fiction, and it's roughly about not letting your life or mistakes define who you are. You're not the worst thing that's happened to you and you're not the worst thing that you've done. When I set out to write this story, I made the decision to speak with transparency because I want real live people to connect to the real life that is in it. This is why I'm not sure about the bio... (or agent, for that matter. ;) )
 

katiemac

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Horribly uncomfortable, honestly, because my life is so not me. ;) But my book is about a real life, it's non-fiction, and it's roughly about not letting your life or mistakes define who you are. You're not the worst thing that's happened to you and you're not the worst thing that you've done. When I set out to write this story, I made the decision to speak with transparency because I want real live people to connect to the real life that is in it. This is why I'm not sure about the bio... (or agent, for that matter. ;) )

Then I say X that bio! Don't send anything that's out of your comfort zone. But a bit of a compromise might work ... "INSERT NAME had her fair share of troubles even before she turned 17, including living on the streets and in foster care. Having overcome those problems, XX now lives in XX with her four daughters, etc." You could tone it down some, and the "theme alert!" (overcoming issues) is there. Forgive the poorly written and cliched summary, but it's an example.
 

qwerty

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Then I say X that bio! Don't send anything that's out of your comfort zone. But a bit of a compromise might work ... "INSERT NAME had her fair share of troubles even before she turned 17, including living on the streets and in foster care. Having overcome those problems, XX now lives in XX with her four daughters, etc." You could tone it down some, and the "theme alert!" (overcoming issues) is there. Forgive the poorly written and cliched summary, but it's an example.

Yes, given the subject matter of your book, I absolutely agree with the above.

What is not relevant is your education history. No one gives a damn where you went to school, you received the qualification to write this book through life itself. And if we needed publication history, one helluva lot of unpublished writers would never BE published.
 

maestrowork

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There's a difference between author bio for the jacket blurb and author bio for an agent, though. We have to ask, what is the agent looking for? Your query and synopsis should have already sold the agent on the book, so what can your author bio add to that?

Writing credentials, if any, should tell the agent that you can write. And if your life experiences (whether you're published or not) should be relevant to the book so that they know you have the right stuff to write it. If it's a military thriller, you'll have more weight if you've been an officer for 20 years. If it's a paranormal romance, it may help that you're a witch. If it's an urban story about drug addicts and runways, it may help that you've lived that life yourself. So again, is it relevant? Don't tell me if you're a doctor if your book is about dragons and fairies. Don't tell me you're a military officer if your book is a Victorian romance. Be relevant, enticing, and make sure your bio adds to the "selling" of the book.

Certainly an author bio on a jacket blurb can do that too, to lure the readers to buying your book. But I think jacket blurb bios are a bit more relaxed. You don't have to sell yourself that much. Many blurbs I've seen only listed the awards, etc. to establish the writer as "someone you should really read" -- "Michael Chabon is a Pulitzer Prize winner and screenwriter of Spider-Man 2."
 
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qwerty

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There's a difference between author bio for the jacket blurb and author bio for an agent, though. We have to ask, what is the agent looking for? Your query and synopsis should have already sold the agent on the book, so what can your author bio add to that?

Woodsie is asking about bio for an agent. Book jacket bio is not in question here.

"so what can your author bio add to that?"

A hook, a peg for your agent to show you're not just a regular person. That you have had life experiences that make you interesting. That you are equipped to write the book you are writing because of your life experiences.

And, if you get published, interview material that goes beyond where you went to school and where you now live with two cats and a budgie.
 
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LUNABLUE

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The Big Thread of Questions about Agents.

Hi, does anyone know how long agents take to reply to queries?

I know it will be different for every agent, but is it a no news is good news type of scenario? Are we talking days, weeks, months?

Thanks

LunaBlue
 

CACTUSWENDY

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Welcome to AW. Hope you enjoy your stay with us.

How do you like your popcorn?

You might read through the Ask the Agent threads. You are not the first to wonder about time.
 

Woodsie

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I think I'm going to use this:


INSERT NAME was born to a fifteen year old mentally ill runaway and was raised on the streets until she was put in foster care at age six. She was adopted when she turned ten and moved out on her own when she turned seventeen. Since then, she has been making up for lost time by pursuing acting, writing and traveling. She now lives in BLAH, BLAH with her husband, giving her four daughters and Maltese, Zoey, the life she never got to have.

Does anyone want to critique my query before I send it to my (current, until he rejects me) dream agent?
 

Gary Clarke

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Can I suggest a small rewrite, Woodsie? It's up to you but what do you think of this?

Born to a fifteen year old mentally ill runaway, INSERT NAME was raised on the streets until she was six years of age, at which time she was put into foster care. Adopted at the age of ten, she was living alone by the time she was seventeen. She has been an actress and a writer, and she loves to travel. INSERT NAME now lives in BLAH, BLAH with her husband, her four daughters and a Maltese named Zoey.
 
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Gary Clarke

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BTW, if you want to put your query up for crit I'm sure loads of opinions will fly your way :0) I think there's actually even a thread for Query crits some where in the share your work forum? Someone with better knowledge of the forums can tell you exactly where I'm sure.
 

maestrowork

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A hook, a peg for your agent to show you're not just a regular person. That you have had life experiences that make you interesting. That you are equipped to write the book you are writing because of your life experiences.

Everyone has an interesting life if they really want to sell it. But how is it relevant to the book? I'm not an agent, but I don't think they want to know your life's history unless it's relevant to what you're trying to sell.

Besides, whether you're an interesting person or you're not "regular" has no bearing on the work itself. Sure, if they want you on the cover of People's Magazine that may be a fun thing to read about. But otherwise, it's still about the work. What does your bio add to the proposal?

The fact that Woodsie's childhood and foster care experiences are relevant to the book makes it good information to include. The fact is, there's so much about a person we can know... and you need to pick the right information. My history as an immigrant is irrelevant if I'm trying to sell an epic dragon fantasy -- unless, for some reason, I can find a connection there. My history as a computer scientist may be worthwhile to mention because I write techno-thrillers.


And, if you get published, interview material that goes beyond where you went to school and where you now live with two cats and a budgie.

I think listing schools and cats is silly anyway. Who cares where you go to school unless, again, it's relevant? An MFA degree might be good to have, or if you have a law degree because you write legal thrillers. Other than that, again, agents don't have the time to "get to know you" or "how many cats you have" or if you graduate high school or not. They want to see if you have what it takes to write the book you're selling.

Family status is a nice touch, but not necessary. A lot of authors don't include that information because they consider that personal and not relevant (my own bio has almost no mention of personal matters).
 
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Deccydiva

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:welcome: the agent I have queried states that they should come back within eight weeks but it may be longer.
 

katiemac

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Woodsie, post your query in SYW (password: vista) and I'll drop by!

ETA: From Gary's rewrite, might I suggest: "Adopted at the age of ten, she was living alone" to "she lived on her own"?
 

Woodsie

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You have a lot of smart information and I understand what you're saying. I'm going to post my query when I find out where it goes and you can see why my bio wording should include that sort of detail. I have respect for your feedback so if you want to help with the query, too, that would be awesome!


Everyone has an interesting life if they really want to sell it. But how is it relevant to the book? I'm not an agent, but I don't think they want to know your life's history unless it's relevant to what you're trying to sell.

Besides, whether you're an interesting person or you're not "regular" has no bearing on the work itself. Sure, if they want you on the cover of People's Magazine that may be a fun thing to read about. But otherwise, it's still about the work. What does your bio add to the proposal?

The fact that Woodsie's childhood and foster care experiences are relevant to the book makes it a good information to include. No agent is going to say, "she seems like a wonderful, intriguing person" unless it makes her want to read the book -- so relevancy is important here. The fact is, there's so much about a person we can know... and you need to pick the right information. My history as an immigrant is irrelevant if I'm trying to sell an epic dragon fantasy -- unless, for some reason, I can find a connection there.




I think listing schools and cats is silly anyway. Who cares where you go to school unless, again, it's relevant? An MFA degree might be good to have, or if you have a law degree because you write legal thrillers. Other than that, again, agents don't have the time to "get to know you" or "how many cats you have" or if you graduate high school or not. They want to see if you have what it takes to write the book you're selling.
 

maestrowork

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You have a lot of smart information and I understand what you're saying. I'm going to post my query when I find out where it goes and you can see why my bio wording should include that sort of detail. I have respect for your feedback so if you want to help with the query, too, that would be awesome!

BTW, I think your bio is shaping up nicely. Like I said, knowing what your book is about, I think the background you've listed is relevant and interesting -- makes me want to read your book. Now, if you'd been trying to sell me a space opera, I'd say, "no, it doesn't concern me."
 
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