An agent who I querried just asked for the whole manuscript. I practically peed in my pants. Only question now... how do I protect myself in sending my entire book to him? I plan on reading up on some writing books before sending it out, but I was hoping some of you might have insight gained from experience on this subject. Thanks.
Agent asks for manuscript...
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What is it you're worried about protecting yourself from? Hopefully you've checked to make sure this isn't one of the scammers. (Even if it is, you're safe as long as you run away before you give them any money.)
If you're worried about having your book or idea stolen, don't be. It's not going to happen. Legitimate agents aren't going to go there, and scammers have far more effective ways to make a quick buck.
If you're worried about having your book or idea stolen, don't be. It's not going to happen. Legitimate agents aren't going to go there, and scammers have far more effective ways to make a quick buck.
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Your copyright is automatic, you are safe. Before you sign any contracts, though, make sure you are completely happy with the agent. I had an agent for a year that turned out to be a bad one. I'm not trying to scare you, I am just indicating that there are bad agents out there, and you need to be aware. AW has a forum to check them out, as does http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/ and http://www.sfwa.org/beware/
protection
There's no need to protect yourself. . .unless you're planning on having sex with the agent. Seriously, no one is going to steal your manuscript. There's nothing they could do with it, even if they did steal it. Until such time as the book is published, it isn't worth stealing. And three out of four books that are published lose money for everyone concerned. Even a Stephen King manuscript is worthless without his name on it.
Just send the agent the manuscript and don't waste a second worrying about protecting yourself. No agent or editor is ever going to steal your manuscript. That would be like stealing a snowflake in Alaska.
mesh138 said:
There's no need to protect yourself. . .unless you're planning on having sex with the agent. Seriously, no one is going to steal your manuscript. There's nothing they could do with it, even if they did steal it. Until such time as the book is published, it isn't worth stealing. And three out of four books that are published lose money for everyone concerned. Even a Stephen King manuscript is worthless without his name on it.
Just send the agent the manuscript and don't waste a second worrying about protecting yourself. No agent or editor is ever going to steal your manuscript. That would be like stealing a snowflake in Alaska.
The only thing you need do to protect yourself is to make sure you don't send off the only copy of the book.
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Popeyesays said:
In addition to saving a copy on my computer (if you have an electronic copy), I usually e-mail finished novels to my gmail account. If my house burns down, I can access the gmail account anywhere.
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Also, it's probably good to say that it's a disposable ms. It's a hassle for them to return your complete ms. And it's very expensive (return postage) for you. It's probably cheaper to print out a new copy and have it sent back to you. Don't worry that the agent is going to take your ms. and steal it. If you're really paranoid about how the agent would dispose of the ms., you can certainly provide with an SAS Box, but it's gonna cost ya.
I've found that more and more agents or editors ask for electronic formats (and sometimes the hardcopies as well). It's quicker and easier, and they have a choice to read the thing on screen or on paper, and it's easy to discard. (My first request, from the Vines Agency, was an electronic one)
I've found that more and more agents or editors ask for electronic formats (and sometimes the hardcopies as well). It's quicker and easier, and they have a choice to read the thing on screen or on paper, and it's easy to discard. (My first request, from the Vines Agency, was an electronic one)
"And three out of four books that are published lose money for everyone concerned. "
Jeez. A bit of overkill, maybe?
Jeez. A bit of overkill, maybe?
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I heard that a lot, that three in four books published every year lose money. Where does that statistic come from?
You own copyright, literary agents safe
Don't worry about your intellectual rights. You own them (the moment you create something) and you should easily be able to prove you own them (your files, your critique group postings, etc). Publishers and agents receive hundreds to thousands of submissions, and there's no need for intellectual theft. The sole (possible) exception to this is Hollywood. Before submitting to any producers (and rights agents who focus on movie and TV rights) you can register copyright. It's not that expensive. Remember, too, you can't copyright an idea, only your particular expression of the idea. So, send away. Where you'll want to be careful is when you receive a contract (goes without saying I suppose.). Best of luck!
Best, Derek
Don't worry about your intellectual rights. You own them (the moment you create something) and you should easily be able to prove you own them (your files, your critique group postings, etc). Publishers and agents receive hundreds to thousands of submissions, and there's no need for intellectual theft. The sole (possible) exception to this is Hollywood. Before submitting to any producers (and rights agents who focus on movie and TV rights) you can register copyright. It's not that expensive. Remember, too, you can't copyright an idea, only your particular expression of the idea. So, send away. Where you'll want to be careful is when you receive a contract (goes without saying I suppose.). Best of luck!
Best, Derek
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DeniseK said:
Not really. Pretty much every editor I've talked to in the last two years has said the same thing. Ten percent of the books earn ninety percent of the profit. The rest do their best to break even, and many, MANY books fail to earn through the advance and expenses. I posted this link elsewhere, but it's worth repeating here. If you go down about halfway on the page, you'll see that the average books LOSES MONEY for the company in the tens of thousands of dollars (the particular sample lost over $25K, using a bad-case scenario where the editor's vision wasn't the same as the public's vision. Which happens. A lot.)
I'd want to send a fresh manuscript copy each time, anyway. I wouldn't want to send one to an agent or publisher that looked used.
Cathy C said:
In light of the fact that this thread is about the happiness of someone who just had a request for a full and was only asking about copyright issues, maybe overkill was the wrong word.
How about unnecessary?
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The music industry.Vomaxx said:
The film industry.
In fact, I think the stats for the music industry are far, far worse.
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Cathy C said:
I was at Scholastic for a while, and it seemed to me that everything they had (except for the real brand names such as Clifford) lost money. Their company probably survives on the Harry Potter books primarily. It's because of JK Rowling that these other authors had a chance to get published...
DeniseK said:
Well, I'm talking about first novels, which is what this one would be, and yes, three out of four lose money. The fourth one generally doesn't earn very much, either. Publishers make most of their profits from the very few books that sell in huge numbers.
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Jamesaritchie said:
That's why first-time novelists usually don't get a big advance. It's easier to "earn out" and if you do, then it's easier for you to get a second book deal.
advances
Yes, and while you should never turn down a large advance, it's also why a large advance for a first novel carries an extra danger.
maestrowork said:
Yes, and while you should never turn down a large advance, it's also why a large advance for a first novel carries an extra danger.
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