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Literary agents

Started by beatlove at 09-14-2005 4:39 PM. Topic has 5 replies.
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   09-14-2005, 4:39 PM
beatlove

Joined on 09-15-2005
Posts 3
Finding an Agent is the Equivalent of Finding a Four Leaf Clover

I have been doing everything I was taught with query letters and mailings, etc.  And all it seems to be doing is costing me postage and a huge therapy bill.  All I get is rejection.  I had an agent who pretty much had no experience, only handed me a bill in the BEGINNING, which I stupidly paid, and then proceeded to send my ms to places that dont even accept the type of ms I write.  She knew nothing of the business and came from a disreputable agency herself.

 

Live and learn and then get more therapy, paper, envelopes, ink cartridges and oh yeah, tissues!

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   10-12-2005, 4:19 PM
jmar2

Joined on 08-30-2005
southwest Virginia
Posts 173
Re: Finding an Agent is the Equivalent of Finding a Four Leaf Clover
Well, sure and the Saints be praised.  'Tis findin' the wee folks umbrellas you'd be lookin' for then?

Sorry, it's a damp rainy March-like day here in Southwestern Virginia and I felt like it must be Saint Paddy's day somewhere.

I've seen a lot of negative reports on agents and publishing houses, makes one wonder how even established writers get published.  I can pass on to you the couple of caveats I use when I need to check somebody out. 

1) Google them.  Just enter their name in one of the search engines on the web.  I call it googling, because that sounds better than yahooing or lycosing or exciting, oh wait, that's a real word.  Anyway, just by entering a name in any of the search engines, you will get a surprising amout of data.  I entered my own out of curiosity and discovered an article written by my father in 1928 and a letter I'd written to the FCC a few years ago supporting the Hughes/Echostar merger.  (Make sure you spell google correctly if you use them.  There's a spoofer out there with very similar spellings.)

2) Checkout the BBB in your city of business.  If the agency has any complaints, they should be there. 

3) Stick up a general question here.  "Say has anyone done business with Mom's Apple Pie Publishing?"  We may not wish to post a reply, but we can at least email our opinions. 

Note to Mom:  forgive me if you really are a publishing house.  I have nothing but good things to say about you.

Other than that, keep trying.  And check out other writer web pages, there are lots and they cover the entire spectrum of writing.  Just don't ever part with a lot of personal data to 'register'.  They don't need much more than your email address, a user name and a password.

Good writing to you,

John

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   10-12-2005, 6:51 PM
Linda Adams


Joined on 05-13-2001
USA
Posts 474
Re: Finding an Agent is the Equivalent of Finding a Four Leaf Clover

Network, network, network!  Go to a writer's conference, but don't just go to the pitch sessions.  Volunteer for the conference.  Give yourself an opportunity to meet agents at people and chat with them. 

And be willing to rewrite the book if necessary.  I think the biggest hurdle for most writers is that the books start out with the problems, and the problems will stand out in the query letter even if doesn't seem obvious to you.  Co-writer and I are rewriting after 63 rejections--and it's now a much better story because of what we've learned.  And the signs were in the query letter and synopsis.  We had a really hard time summarizing the story, and we could not do it without including five characters--in the query.  About four too many.  Likewise, the synopsis was extremely difficult to do, and that was because there was a problem with the story structure.

And research the agents carefully.  I've found that there's a lot of them that say they take just about every genre on the market, but I'd be willing to bet that they actually specialize in a couple core genres.  Instead of shotgunning out query after query, take the time to customize each one for the agent, based on the information you find.


Linda Adams

Member of International Thriller Writers and Washington Independent Writers
http://www.hackman-adams.com
http://garridon.blogspot.com/

Contributing Author:
http://www.hackman-adams.com/linda/credits.htm
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   01-11-2006, 11:06 AM
Phoenixsan

Joined on 11-17-2005
Posts 15
Re: Finding an Agent is the Equivalent of Finding a Four Leaf Clover

I hear ya, beatlove!  I'm in the process right now of finding an agent.  I've discovered that visiting their websites provides lots of interesting information besides the basic about submissions.  The best offer bios of the agents that include specialties, are easy to navigate and have a friendly tone.  The worst require registration, are condescending, and offer no info about what they want.  I love looking at client lists -- they give a strong indication of the kinds of books the agency represents.  Here are a couple websites I've found very helpful: www.aar-online.org (the Association of Author Representatives has their database on line with agent profiles) and www.publishersmarketplace.com (another database).  I've been astonished that any agents want e-mail queries, but some do.  This would save all of us postage, of course, and copying!Smile [:)]  In the past, I've found it very helpful when an agent makes comments about my synopsis, actually.  The thoughtful ones are gems. And yeah, I've done an agent search before, the last time in 1994-95.  It takes so much time!Disapprove [V]  I'm gearing up to start the process again for a novel I've finished recently.  Too bad agents don't have the time to visit sites like this, eh?  Good luck and keep us posted!Smile [:)]

Cinda

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   03-29-2006, 12:24 PM
Hawk

Joined on 03-30-2006
Posts 2
Re: Finding an Agent is the Equivalent of Finding a Four Leaf Clover
There are probably more stories about rejections by agents than there are agents. How about the agent who e-mailed she didn't want to represent my book but would I please send the full ms so she could find out how the story ended. That is either a subtle form of insanity or an ego that has no bounds.   HAWK
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   02-25-2008, 11:42 AM
Bradybones


Joined on 01-02-2008
Posts 28
Re: Finding an Agent is the Equivalent of Finding a Four Leaf Clover
That's awesome, Hawk! You should have told her that with any luck she could pick it up off the bookshelf in a few years. :)

My writing blog: www.huntingthemuse.com
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