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Benrey Literary / Benrey + Benrey, LLC (Janet & Ron Benrey)

JAG4584

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Has anyone heard of this agency? I could not find any posts here and in the normal locations so far. Please advise.
 

rwam

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It seems that Ms. Benrey has been making sales and is legit, however, here's where agents like her turn me off (this is not an indictment against Ms. Benrey, just something you should think about):

1) Not that she's obligated to accept slush, but it appears the only way to get her to look at your ms is if you fall into one of the 3 categories Barbarique calls out. I can deal with the 'referred by another author' and 'previously published', but the 'meeting me at a conference' one really irks me. It's akin to "you gotta pay to play" (assuming she's paid to appear at conferences). I'm seeing more and more agents adopt this policy - mostly in the Christian arena - and it troubles me. I mean, even William Morris accepts slush.
2) I brought this gripe up in another thread, but be weary of fiction agents who require you to put together a marketing plan/proposal package as part of your original query. I would suggest that this requirement could be a symptom of one of several things (ie, agent doesn't do this full time so she doesn't have time, agent doesn't have any connections, agent is lazy, agent doesn't know how to market novels, agent wants only writers who've given serious thought about their work, etc). There may be a perfectly legitimate reason for making a novelist do this, but a good fiction agent doesn't need an author to tell her how well a book is going to sell and to whom it should be marketed.
 
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JAG4584

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All are good points! The good news I don't see any criminal allegations as I have with some others who are still on the prowl so this so far is a good thing.

Thanks!
 

dub

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Janet and her husband Ron are friends of mine. While she is not my agent, she is a highly respected agent in the industry. She was formerly a part of the Hartline Agency (Joyce Hart) and broke away after her husband's retirement and consequent move to a small village. Both she and her husband are also published authors.

Janet is the type of person who will tell you your manuscript sucks, if it does, and make no bones about it. She has a strong Christian ethic, and I can say nothing contrary about her.

Note: this is my opinion, but I am sure it is shared with others.
 

gerrydodge

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It seems that Ms. Benrey has been making sales and is legit, however, here's where agents like her turn me off (this is not an indictment against Ms. Benrey, just something you should think about):

1) Not that she's obligated to accept slush, but it appears the only way to get her to look at your ms is if you fall into one of the 3 categories Barbarique calls out. I can deal with the 'referred by another author' and 'previously published', but the 'meeting me at a conference' one really irks me. It's akin to "you gotta pay to play" (assuming she's paid to appear at conferences). I'm seeing more and more agents adopt this policy - mostly in the Christian arena - and it troubles me. I mean, even William Morris accepts slush.
2) I brought this gripe up in another thread, but be weary of fiction agents who require you to put together a marketing plan/proposal package as part of your original query. I would suggest that this requirement could be a symptom of one of several things (ie, agent doesn't do this full time so she doesn't have time, agent doesn't have any connections, agent is lazy, agent doesn't know how to market novels, agent wants only writers who've given serious thought about their work, etc). There may be a perfectly legitimate reason for making a novelist do this, but a good fiction agent doesn't need an author to tell her how well a book is going to sell and to whom it should be marketed.

Janet read a ms. of mine last spring and passed on it. I queried her by email and within a day or two she responded. She is an absolutely first-rate agent. She was kind and thorough in her reasons for not offering representation. This week I queried her about a detective novel and she said she was loaded with that particular genre, but if I didn't find representation in six months, to query her again. That is pure class in my view. She is a very nice woman and I'm jealous of anyone who has her as an agent.
 

rwam

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Gerry, Nancy & Dub,
Thanks for chiming in. It's always great to hear first hand testimonials.

As I stated before, Ms Benrey (or any agent for that matter) is certainly free to enforce any 'rules of submission' she likes so as to limit the slush in her office, but when an unpublished author's only way (outside of a referral) to get his or her query in front of an agent is to PAY to get into a conference that said agent is being PAID to attend, this CAN give the appearance of being fishy ("Pay to Play"). Hence, threads like these pop up on internet message boards where a perfectly legitimate agent's reputation might wrongly be questioned.

I think the three of you speaking up for Janet, however, removes a lot of doubt (if any existed) about her worthiness as an agent.
 

gerrydodge

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Gerry, Nancy & Dub,
Thanks for chiming in. It's always great to hear first hand testimonials.

As I stated before, Ms Benrey (or any agent for that matter) is certainly free to enforce any 'rules of submission' she likes so as to limit the slush in her office, but when an unpublished author's only way (outside of a referral) to get his or her query in front of an agent is to PAY to get into a conference that said agent is being PAID to attend, this CAN give the appearance of being fishy ("Pay to Play"). Hence, threads like these pop up on internet message boards where a perfectly legitimate agent's reputation might wrongly be questioned.

I think the three of you speaking up for Janet, however, removes a lot of doubt (if any existed) about her worthiness as an agent.

rwam, you make a great point. I think, although I can't be sure, that some of those caveats are intended to keep writers away who aren't completely donfident of their work. I ignore those caveats, mostly. If they read a query and it strikes their fancy and they don't respond because the writer didn't play by their rules, then...too bad for them, I say.

Gerry
 

JAG4584

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Good points Gerry

rwam, you make a great point. I think, although I can't be sure, that some of those caveats are intended to keep writers away who aren't completely donfident of their work. I ignore those caveats, mostly. If they read a query and it strikes their fancy and they don't respond because the writer didn't play by their rules, then...too bad for them, I say.

Gerry

Hi Gerry,

I know you are right as I queried Janet and had no idea she even had this policy. I read more about the contacts she had and believed her contacts would help my project so I e-mailed and sure enough she responded to my querry and said nothing about the fact I had not attended a seminar or anything about me not being ref'd so this makes sense. Now if later she says hey you need to pay because you didn't get ref'd or attend a conference then I will adivse.

I am so happy that I found this resource as there is nothing better than the net when it comes to research as this has been the best way to get info. I don't know what we did without it as word of mouth takes a while without the net anyways!

Thanks everyone for the info and happy writing.
 

NancyMehl

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I am so happy that I found this resource as there is nothing better than the net when it comes to research as this has been the best way to get info. I don't know what we did without it as word of mouth takes a while without the net anyways!

Thanks everyone for the info and happy writing.

No problem.

I haven't been around much lately, but I really enjoy AW and have gotten lots, and lots of help over the years. It's a great place!

Nancy
 

BrookieCookie777

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Agent Janet Benrey

Hi guys. Got a request for partial about one month ago from Janet. Still haven't heard anything. Does anyone know anything about her or how long her turn around time is?

Thanks!
 

mysterygrl

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I hesitate to post information I received second-hand, but decided to go ahead in case it proves helpful.

I've heard great things about Ms. Benrey as a person--ethical, encouraging, communicative. However, I know two writers who signed with her and then dissolved their contracts (amicably in both cases) because Ms. Benrey lacked the necessary contacts in their genre. Obviously she's done well for many of her clients. But is she selling to the publishers you're interested in? Does her list of sales reflect your type of project?

Of course, no matter who the agent is, we should ask these questions.
 

chill200

GOT A OFFER FOR REPRESENTATION!

I posted on the Kathy Green thread, but I also wanted to ask if there is anyone else that is represented by Ms. Green. I have TWO offers for representation from the Janet Benrey agency and the Kathy Green agency, and I am leaning toward signing with Ms. Green. I've researched them both, and my phone interview with Ms. Green was outstanding.

Any other information anyone can provide would be helpful.

I write non-fiction, and if you're curious to see an excerpt of my upcoming book, you can take a peek here:
www.chollowayhill.com

GOOD LUCK to all!!!!

Cathy
 

David I

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As I stated before, Ms Benrey (or any agent for that matter) is certainly free to enforce any 'rules of submission' she likes so as to limit the slush in her office, but when an unpublished author's only way (outside of a referral) to get his or her query in front of an agent is to PAY to get into a conference that said agent is being PAID to attend, this CAN give the appearance of being fishy ("Pay to Play"). Hence, threads like these pop up on internet message boards where a perfectly legitimate agent's reputation might wrongly be questioned.

Most of the agents I've met are not paid to appear at the conferences they attend. They go there partly on the prowl for new clients and partly to have a tax write-off vacation (hence the large number of NY agents showing up at California conferences in the winter months!), somtimes with their expenses paid, and sometimes not--many agents and editors are not only not paid, but aren't even reimbursed for travel. Policies differ.

Yes, YOU have to pay to get in the door to the conference. But that doesn't always translate into money into the agent's pocket.
 

NancyMehl

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I posted on the Kathy Green thread, but I also wanted to ask if there is anyone else that is represented by Ms. Green. I have TWO offers for representation from the Janet Benrey agency and the Kathy Green agency, and I am leaning toward signing with Ms. Green. I've researched them both, and my phone interview with Ms. Green was outstanding.

Any other information anyone can provide would be helpful.

I write non-fiction, and if you're curious to see an excerpt of my upcoming book, you can take a peek here:
www.chollowayhill.com

GOOD LUCK to all!!!!

Cathy

Can't really help you with Kathy Green since I don't know her. Janet is my agent and she's done a super job for me. I write inspirational, cozy mystery. Non-fiction is not my genre. Janet has represented many different kinds of writers and doesn't accept someone she doesn't think she can sell, but you need to go with your gut. If this Kathy Green strikes you as a better fit, sign with her. Just make sure she's actually selling.

Good luck!

Nancy
 

WriteOn85

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Benrey Literary Agency

In my never-ending quest to find a publisher for my mystery novella Died Laughing, I come across The Benrey Literary Agency in New York City. It looked legit, but I've learned a lot about scam publishers and in the writing business, you have to be extremely wary about who's going to handle your work.

So, does anyone know if this is a good place. Here's the website link: http://www.benreyliterary.com/
 

Momento Mori

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There's an existing thread on this agency here which suggests that it's legit.

MM
 
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tbrosz

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When I pull up the website, much of it is in teeny tiny little print. Anyone else have that problem?
 

CaoPaux

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Huh, looks fine on both Firefox and IE for me. The Copyright notice is tiny, as is usual, and the row of links above that is pretty small, but the rest of the text is 14pt or larger.