Literary agents

Q re: agents

drvicky — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 20:22:43 GMT

I am new to this game, and don't know if I have committed a faux pas or not. I sent queries out to 2 agents simultaneously. Was that wrong? One query went out via email, and that agent has replied and asked to see Ch. 1 of my book. The other agency is 3,000 miles away. I wrote them 2 days ago, but due to snail mail, cannot reasonably expect to hear from them for at least a week. I sent the 1st agent the chapter along with a note stating that I had also submitted the query to another agency. What do I do if the 1st agent responds affirmitively before I've heard from the 2nd agent? I would really like to compare offers if that happens but I don't know what to do now, since it's too soon to have heard from agent #2.

agent

pdibble — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 22:08:38 GMT

I need an agent

Third party critique

asuranyi — Sat, 31 May 2008 09:42:02 GMT

After many years of writing, querying and submitting my writing (without success) I finally decided to look into an agency for representation. I received a favorable response from the agency, but they require all work to go through a third party critique, at a cost of $70-$90. They don't require a specific editor, so it doesn't seem to be a ploy to elicit money from me at all. Still, I wondered if this is standard practice with agencies?

Manuscript Submission Services

Dragonfly — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 00:34:39 GMT

I recently came upon several Manuscript Submission Services that were recommended by some publishers that do not accept unsolicited manuscripts or proposals. For a fee of around $100 they review and critique your work. If they like it after the author edits it, they'll post the proposal on their online service. Apparently, publishers subscribe to it, review proposals and, if interested, they contact the author directly. Has anyone had any experience with this type of service? It sounds a little fishy to me, but if it's legitimate, it might be what I need.
Thanks for the advice.

Finding an Agent is the Equivalent of Finding a Four Leaf Clover

beatlove — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 21:39:22 GMT

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!

No writing cred.s? No prob.! Is this possible?

Hidden muse — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:17:16 GMT

First, let me say hello to all you, will be, would like to be, and lets include those laughing from the balcony who are, published writers. My Name is Dave, no need for proper titles at this time, I'm a nobody like most of you. Cool. Now that we're aquainted let me start with the obvious, I'm a new writer. That's right, save the applause for the end. However!, I have finished, excuse me while I scream that last bit, "FINISHED!" , a full length, 150,000 word, literary work of art. Okay, I am not going to go into what it is, where it's set, genre, or anything else. For all intensive purposes, that stuff doesn't matter right now.

Here's the thing, I have nothing for credentials. I don't have a single published word to my name. I don't even have an education that extends beyond high school! I'm just a forty year old, with alot miles under him. My life's experiences and the internet have paved the way to my current writing sucess which is limited to the attaboys I've recieved from the well respected people who've read my work. No I didn't tap every good ole boy, aunt uncle and third cousin I know to read my book and tell me how great it was. Seriously, I found something called a writers group, in which I tapped valuable resources like editting and critique. I didn't stop there though, I also spoke to a published author, a nationally published author, not someone who used one of those POD companies to become self intitled. Nope, I found me a genuine, did it the old school way, published author of fourteen books. I've also got the word of retired school teachers, businessmen and woman, and a professor at ncsu with a MFA.

My question is this; with little in the way of eye popping, gotta sign this guy, credentials to show perspective agents, how much help will it be to list book type blurbs of those who've actually read the work?

IE;

"Stephen King, author of, Books a Million, said, Dave, has a magnificent voice and really knows how to scare the bejesus out of you! Loved it! Anybody know a good cleaners?"

Can a guy armed only with references get an agent? Help me out.

Thank you, thank you very much!

Dave

(Final thought; the agent of the Author I've become aquainted with doesn't do my kind of story. Sad isn't it?)

Has anyone worked with e-query.com?

Lynn — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 22:15:47 GMT

I periodically get e-mails from e-query.com. I didn't sign up for them, but I get them anyway. They make the "incredible offer" to represent an authors work -only 10 authors at a time, for a week- for the "incredible price" of $150.00. They supposedly send our the manuscript to publishers and agents (legit ones only) and sell, sell, sell, the author and their manuscript. They often get six-figure deals for their clients too. although they do list ones in the five-figure range as well. They send it out like an offer/newsletter with who they have gotten a six-figure deal for recently and with whom. Some of the names (Authors and Books) sound made up (this is ironic since that is what we do- I, myself, use a pseudonym) but I mean really made up. The books they say they have sold I haven't found in searches nor the authors, albeit I have only searched a few out of pure curiosity and I do realize that it can take a couple of years for a book to actually get published, so it wouldn't show up yet.

So...has anyone actually worked with them and obtained one of their great book deals? It sounds fishy to me-like the don't pay an agent until they sell your book warning. Did you actually get the coverage they promised? Is this a scam?

Do you need an agent?

JReich — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 16:23:09 GMT

Do you work with an agent? Why or why not?