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To the question asker-- I was in your shoes once, and while I dithered, the excellent agent fired me. She made it clear in doing so that she thought my career was over, and I believed her.

Two months later I had another agent and the book contract that the first agent couldn't get me.

But yeah, you do need to take the plunge. Don't query other agents without terminating your relationship with this agent.

I'm going through something similar at this very moment. Am I scared to test the waters??? Absolutely, but my current agent tells me things like "This still needs work" but never explains further what exactly is wrong with it. She tells me things like "I'm going to have this back to you by Tuesday." Tuesday comes and goes, no words. Yet, she talks and helps all her other clients. The black sheep feeling has come and gone and I'm going to start querying next month for a project I just finished.

The message suggests an atmosphere of fear about talking to anyone. The comments echo that feeling. But all that comes about because the writer can't stand the wait. What I can't understand is this concern about breach of protocal. Why would it be unethical to talk, unofficially, to other agents? Then terminate the contract if and when another, seemingly more effective, agent relationship is established.

I've not been in this situation (I don't even have an agent yet), but I have read that it's always best to sever the old relationship officially before embarking on a new one. From the writer's perspective, there is the fear that, for as long as it took to get the "bad" agent, by becoming agent-less again, you're starting over at square one. I don't know this is necessarily the case. If you managed to get an agent, even if it didn't work out, this demonstrates your work is marketable, and your chances of getting another agent, at least in theory, should increase.

My question: would you mention the fact that you recently terminated a contract with an agent in your query? On the one hand that sounds negative, but on the other it tells the prospective agent that *someone* in the business thought your work worthy of their time. What's your take, Jessica?

I'm currently looking for a new agent and I state that in my queries. I agree with Jessica that you should terminate your relationship before you shop for a new agent.

An agent/client relationship seems to me like any other relationship. If there's a problem, talk about it and try to resolve it.

If the problems can't be solved to everyone's satisfaction, terminate the relationship. THEN start dating (querying) again.

It's the only ethical way to handle this.

What Ann said re: the atmosphere of 'fear'. I don;t understand this protocol, either. If you're in a job you're not happy with, you start shopping for a new one while you still have a job. I frankly don't see why the author/agent relationship should be all that much different.
This is business, surely?

For those who think you should be able to shop for a new agent while working with one. How are you going to handle the situation when your current agent starts shopping your book? Now you're shopping a book that's been shopped (when two weeks before it wasn't). That's going to completely change the way a new agent is going to look at you.

We've all come a long way since I sent my first query letter to your agency probably around 2002. I guess there is something to be said for perseverence: HACK will be published by HarperDavis this June. It's been a long road, with some unforgettable adventures. Here's one that I know you will get a huge kick out of: http://jsharrison22855.blogspot.com/2011/07/i-was-client-of-melanie-mills-part-i.html

Jeb

Ms. Trite says,
Once you begin the query process remember three things:
Nike.
Diana Nyad.
Drum Bunny and Nemo.

Just do it.
Try and try again.
Don’t stop - just keep swimming.

Jessica, I must leave this comment as "anon" since blogger has a "problem" with wordpress folks. Florence fOIS In The City is the moniker. I have read this blog for the entire two years I have blogged at my own site. I have left perhaps two or three comments. I was even foolish enough to send out a "query" to your Wed. feature. Foolish I say because I don't feel it was ready, polished enough, and didn't represent the book. Okay, so why have I decided to comment today?

Because I admire your honest, helpful information. It is because of industry blogs such as yours that many who are just beginning on this amazing journey learn the hard truth with a soft touch. I keep writing, my CP has sworn that she will get me to write the perfect query, I rewrite, edit and write some more.

If an older, albiet unpubished writer, can add ... love the process and celebrate each time we learn. A wise college professor told me once that I was an anamoly. A student who loved to learn and hated sitting in a classroom. she enrolled me into a program similar to the university without walls ... CUNY BA through the NY Universitty. I went off happily to sit alone in libraries, audit classes in four colleges and it became the basis for everything I have done since. Coming here, even though I do not comment, is like auditing a great writing class, I get the best of your know-how and find new ways to love what I do.

Thanks :)

Write for pleasure. Compose in earnest. Acquire betas/critique partners. Re-write, edit.

Let the manuscript cook in the oven for a few weeks. Do not peek.
Read again. Gasp in horror. Rinse and repeat.

The easy part is over. Now you must travel to Mordor, face Sauron (no, not the agent), and defeat the Query. Repeat all of the above to bring the missive to heel.

I’m a little fuzzy about what happens after that. *sigh*

You have a wonderful blog. And it does help authors go about the agent/query process very well.

But I also think that new authors need to take advantage of all the new opportunities out there and find out more about e-publishing and indie publishing. I find that a lot don't know they have options now they never had before.

I also tend to be wary of P&E these days. The information is basic and not as helpful as it could be, and the biggest focus still seems to be on whether or not agents charge fees. It's tired and needs a jump start. In a few cases, there are several agents noted as having conflicts of interest and that's absolutely not true. It can be misleading and ambiguous, which may or may not help a new author on the road to publishing.

Gathering information should come from blog posts like this if an author decides to take a "traditional" approach, and from all over the web if an author decides to view all his/her options.

Thanks. This post is affirming as I am always fencing comments from friends who want me to speed up the process. I realize they simply want to see me successful, but I believe, as you've stated, that you must send out a manuscript that is the best you can offer. Nothing less.

And I liked your litmus test: you know you've moved on when you're at work on your next project. Excellent.

This post came at a great time for me. I've finished several rounds of edits on my book and have worked for weeks (months?) on my query letter. I think it's right, but there's no way to know for sure until I start sending it out. Q: if an agent/editor DOESN'T have a 'no response' means no policy, is it okay to requery if we get no bites and hope that our second query letter is better? Or just move on?

I'm also working on my second (actually third) book, so I've got that covered, and it's a wonderful break from working on the query and synopsis.

Thanks!

I always feel that it's best to let things sit for a while (although it is very difficult). So, the original draft of my query (it was amazing I tell you!) sat for a week before I looked at it again. It definitely needed a lot of work.

I'm doing the same thing with my manuscript. Although it's hard, you don't want to start sending things off that are in major need of revision. You're so full of adrenaline and excitement after you type that last word, that it just seems great at the time. Give it a week or 6. Then come back and see how it is.

Jessica, your blog is a shining beacon for authors like me - polishing their manuscript and getting ready to take the plunge. Thank you.

Great advice! This is particularly timely for me, because I am in the thick of the submission process.

Thanks, as usual, Jessica--and what a great idea to revisit the popular posts. I read them from time to time and try to temper them against what I know has happened in the meantime, so it's nice to see your take on the changes.

I especially like the advice for "no reply means no" agents, which is something I think causes a lot of submitting writers much angst. After two months of submitting, I've learned to do exactly what you say--mark them off quickly (I give myself two weeks). If someone gets back to me, wow, happy surprise! But otherwise, I'm not obsessing.

For a first-ever query, I'd recommend sending only 5 at a time, for two reasons:

First, it's easier to tailor five for individual agents than ten, time-wise, which makes it more likely the queries will actually go out.

Second: Five in the first round will definitely tell you if your query isn't working without burning a large number of bridges.

Although I ultimately obtained representation through a conference (for an unqueried manuscript) rather than by query, I found that with previous manuscripts a slightly smaller number of queries helped me figure out what was and wasn't working (resulting in a higher percentage of hits on subsequent versions).

Incidentally: one thing my early queries told me is that the first manuscript I queried was not ready (and, in fact, was not even the genre I ended up in). I had already started on the next work at the time, and that really helped me recognize the issues the first one had. It also helped avoid disappointment when I realized I needed to trunk the first one. Starting the next manuscript is really, really good advice and I hope people don't overlook it.

Great post - reminds me of when I was trying to decide where to go to grad school. I went with the one school that actually called me when I requested info. I liked the personal touch.

Thanks for linking, Jessica!

I love Jodi's blog. I've been following her since I discovered her on Jenny Rappaport's blog.

Very timely post, Jessica, as there's a discussion right now on the RWA-PAN list about this very thing. Going to post the link there now.

Great post. I'm currently playing with the idea of seeking an agent. I've been approached by several publications to write for them and I'm so scared that I'm going to get screwed over. I don't know the first thing about any of this! Scary stuff!

That's a good point. It will probably also give you an idea of the agent's general communication style, i.e. if an agent calls and has a personal conversation with you while offering representation, that agent probably won't be the type to never communicate again. Of course, I doubt there's a perfect correspondence, but depending on the situation, it might be a good way to gauge.

well done... thx u for share with us :)

Thank you for sharing this information. When reading this kind of post, I feel as if I've had a college course condensed in a few paragraphs.

Great post.
I think so often writers get caught up in the excitement of being offered an agent that we forget to take the time to find the one that's 'right' for us.
A very good point...how the agent offers representation will be a good indicator of how they will work.
thanks.

I like the personal interaction. My call was very personal and made it just like two women talking about my book. It was awesome and I wish I could have recorded it to play back later because I was so flabbergasted I think I forgot half of what was said...lol

I think it would be better from the agent's pov too, because then they get to share in that moment when they change an author's life. Get to witness that second of shock! LOL.

Loved both blogs! I must say, however, that I feel a tad bit overly-optimistic reading them. "When choosing between agents ..." has all the realism (to my mind) of "When you win the state lottery ..."

:)

A few years ago, a friend of mine got a request for a partial from an agent. Nine months later (!!), the agent requested the full with a six month exclusive (!!). Ten months into the exclusive, she sent revisions. Five months after the revisions were turned in, she sent more revisions. Then, a while after those revisions were sent in, she sent even more revisions, only this time there was a postscript attached that read, "By the way, I sent out the standard agency agreement. Let me know if you have any questions."

Friend was ecstatic, and she and her agent have since gone on to sell quite a few books. But me? I still think that was pretty rotten. I mean, she was in limbo for three years. Three years without a phone call or a discussion or even a response to an email asking for a status update. And the agent can't even take the time to go over the terms of the contract or make a formal offer? Maybe I'm being overly sensitive in my weakened state (I just got over pneumonia) but that was five years ago and I still find it presumptuous.

I agree with you, Elizabeth. I went through a similar situation, but it wasn't as long (about a year) and the agent opted not to offer representation in the end. However, I learned a lot from the experience and don't regret it one bit. Three years is too much, though.

Now I have a wonderful agent who knew after speaking with me for the first time about my attitude and approach to revisions that she would take me on. So the offer came first and the revisions second, and she sold the book in a 2-book deal.

I think writers want and expect different things from their agent. Some want no interaction and others want to be a team (my preference). I consider my agent a partner in growing my career because we both benefit. That's the important thing, that the relationship be productive and enjoyable for you both.

I received an email, and I was perfectly happy with that, it is my preferred communication style these days. But the email was only a request to talk at my convenience - I loved that part, because it gave me time to research the agent I knew nothing about (sweat to God, I did everything backwards, I won a contest, got the final judge interested and then investigated who that final judge was.) Anyway, it was the discussion over the phone that did it, that and her asking me about how I wanted to communicate with her. I had another offer at the time, but she was the more enthusiastic person, and that plus the way she came after me, is what really led me to chose her.

Do Literary Agents reply with form letters or are they personal? Everyone rejection letter was so nice. They all said I had talent and that though they couldn't represent me, somebody would. Is that what they say to everybody?

If it is, I may want to self publish my first novel and focus on my stronger second novel.

Definitely a lesson I learned too late. :/

When I was offered representation, I only informed other agents who had requested my work. I never even thought to inform agents who I hadn't heard from, but were on my "A" list.

This is so important, I'm going to link this post on Twitter and my FB page. Thanks so much for sharing this vital information, and what a great story about your last client of '10!

I was wondering about this just yesterday. Perfect timing for this post, thank you!

I never really thought about doing that before, but it makes sense. And it obviously worked out well for one writer. :)

Great suggestion. Not many writers can think outside the system like this (me included) thanks for outlining it.

I wouldn't have thought to do that. Thanks for the tip.

Sorry, my original post was riddled with errors. I just wanted to say I went through this recently. I did notify all agents to whom I had outstanding queries, not just requested material. It resulted in an influx of more requests, and appreciative emails thanking me for keeping them updated on my offers. Agents are busy. Respect that they might not have had a chance to get to your query. I ended up receiving two more offers from doing this. It's important not to bridges; agent/author relationships are not indestructible. You may end up in the query trenches again one day; you don't want your name to be remembered in negative light.

I meant, it's important not to "burn bridges". Oy!

That is very useful information. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!

This is really great advice! I've noticed a lot of people only follow up with agents who've requested materials, and I might have done the same had it not been for an #askagent session on Twitter several weeks ago that advised otherwise.

I followed up with all five agents who still had my query when I received an offer. All responded right away that they'd take a look; two requested the full and one offered representation. That ended up being the agent I signed with.

Great advice. When I was offered representation I informed another agent who'd requested the full ms. I never thought about offering her a chance to respond, but I knew I clicked with the the one who'd offered so well. In my case there was no point.

OH. >=[

I have asked this and asked this and NEVER received this sort of response. I'd thought of perhaps letting those other agents I'd queried know I'd had an offer, but all the information I found stated otherwise.

Should have followed up on my instincts. I'm with Fawn up there. Definitely a lesson learned too late.

But thanks, Jessica, for this post so that others don't make the same mistake. :)

Do I misunderstand here? This is only if I didn't receive a response to my query, not if I received a polite no?

Thank you for that. I am in the process of compiling my "A" list right now. I will definitely be careful to follow up with them.

Jessica, just out of curiosity, has the etiquette for querying agents changed over the years? My personal preference is to query one agent at a time, in order of preference. Although I realize that querying multiple agents simultaneously saves time, it seems more ... well, "polite" to wait for a response before moving on down the "wish list."

Melissa:

I don't know that any agent ever recommends or has recommended querying one at a time? First of all, with many agents saying "no answer means no" how do you know when to query the next agent. The other issue is this is your career you're talking about. Take charge and work to find the best agent for you, not just the first one who says yes.

--jhf

David:

You are correct. Only contact agents you have not yet heard from. A no is a no even if you have an offer.

Of course, if it was a no on a query and you have an offer and you still really want to be represented by that agent...it can't hurt to ask.

--jhf

What is the best way to research for one's "A" list? Following blogs/websites and meeting at any conferences, obviously. Any other ways to make sure that you have the best information before you pitch?

A very common question in professional job interviews is "what other jobs are you considering". And the follow-up "Do you have any other offers?" For those of us hiring the employees, it's a great way to tell so many things. For those of us looking, the option is always there to give a vague response. It doesn't hurt the situation.

I guess it just makes sense to me.

My agent asked who else had offered when she was looking at my material. I figured it was a veracity check than anything else: hang around a writer's forum long enough and you'll hear a story of someone who made up an offer of representation in order to get agents to look at his or her material. (Yes, everyone agrees that's stupid.)

For that reason, I told her without hesitation because if she wanted to check up on me, she should feel free to do so.

Wow, I am SO glad that I've never even heard of this Agency Gatekeeper. They sound like a spurned/bitter/un-agented writer more than someone with any real advice. They also sound like a bad business person.

I can totally understand a prospective agent wanting to know who is behind other offers on the table of a prospective client. It's a very reasonable question.

In the horse world, if you've been given more than one offer to ride more than one horse for a specific event, there's no hiding what owners/trainers had made the offers. The entire point is to get the most competitive combination of horse/rider/trainer arranged so that you have the best chance at winning. There are a lot of factors involved and trainers/owners want to consider them all.

To me, an agent would be the owner/trainer in this analogy of the book world, and your book is the horse. Nobody is trying to suck you into any arguments (like a stranger's opinion would matter in a 'generations-old battle' anyway) and agents have a right to ask any questions pertinent to offering us representation, just like we have the right to ask agents any questions about an offer for representation.

Gatekeeper said...
"that just isn't fair".

That phrase is the phrase of children fighting over who gets to sit in front, who gets the biggest piece, who gets school shoes first.

Boys and Girls nothing in life is fair, nothing, nothing, nothing. It's either right or wrong.

Ms. Trite says: ask me what you will, the only dumb question is the one not asked.

Will I answer...let me sit in front, give me the biggest brownie and a new pair of Niki's and I'm all yours...I'll even make up an answer if you give me another brownie.

I hadn't heard of the gatekeeper before Janet's post but I don't think it's a blog I'll be following anytime soon. It's one thing to give your own opinion on how to do business. It's another to make such a huge incorrect generalization.

I would think that if someone came to you saying "I've got another agent who's made an offer," that asking, "Oh, who?" is a fairly reasonable question on the part of an agent (or any business representative, for that matter).

Philangelus calls it a "veracity check" which seems reasonable enough to me. The author is, to some extent, saying, "Hey, hurry up if you want to work with me." That can be BS in so many ways, that a simple, "So who's the other guy?" seems to me to be due diligence, if nothing else.

I was in that situation once and I told the agent and she said, "Oh, okay." Why not? If you're not lying, what difference does it make?

I'm actually a fan of Gatekeeper's blog. But I understand your point. I think there's a solid middle ground between each of your points: letting the author know that it's okay to *not* tell the agent who asks who else has offered representation.

I'm all about asking for what you want -- because otherwise you'll never get it. So from the agent's point of view, it can't hurt to ask. But I think a lot of authors are so eager to land an agent that they're nervous to say no to anything, especially at the point where an agent is showing interest in them and their work. It's good for authors to hear that it's okay to say no in this instance, that it shouldn't ruin your chances of representation (and if it does, you didn't want to work with that agent anyhow).

So who is Agent Gatekeeper and which agency are they from? Never heard of them. That alone makes me wary.

www.duosays.com

I read Janet's blog regarding this issue and I'm glad that you posted on it as well. I've never heard of The Gatekeeper. I have, however, heard of you and Janet Reid. This is why I follow both your blogs and love your advice, and I don't follow The Gatekeeper.

Thanks Jessica

Evidently, the Agency Gatekeeper highly underestimates authors.

Thanks for weighing in on this. I see so much bad advice on blogs like Agency Gatekeeper it's nice to see a balance with good advice.

I think everyone is really blowing that blog post out of proportion. The Gatekeeper was giving her opinion based on her own experience and some horror stories she heard. She ultimately said it was up to the author to decide the best course of action in this situation but it was ok to say no.

I read/follow several agency blogs every day, including this one and Janet's, and so should all aspiring writers. Hopefully we are intelligent enough to make our decisions regarding situations like this.

But I don't think it's cool to keep calling out a specific agent or blog because they have a different opinion. I mean, it kind of makes the Gatekeeper's point for her.

I actually agree with Gatekeeper. Sure, it may seem like a harmless question but you never know when it could open up a Pandora's box. We all know agents love to gossip--who doesn't?--even if they're careful not to name names (just follow their Twitter accounts). Besides, giving out this type of info could haunt you later.

What if the writer did reveal the agent and the first agent found out and withdrew the offer? I say that's offering too much information. I've had agents ask me which agents were considering my ms. before they'd even read it--why should I bother? We don't ask agents whose work is under consideration, do we? I'm sure they'd say "It's none of your business." Likewise.

It seems to me that Agency Gatekeeper is expressing discomfort with the question. So another response might be to say, "Why are you asking?" Just walking out means sacrificing a chance to understand not only the agenting business but this particular agent. It's an opportunity to establish open communication and trust.

Not to point out the obvious, but if I have more than one agent offer on the table, I'm naturally going to want to see evidence of each agent's sales and negotiating skills. Frankly, if one sits back all quietly and politely, and one asks for whatever information that will help her make the "sale" to me, then I'm going with the proactive one.

It's how I'd want her acting when she's selling my book! I mean, duh! LOL! :-)

I’ve actually been in a situation where agents who have offered rep asked about the other agents who offered. 5 of 6 had good intentions, but there is always one bad apple in every bunch, no matter the business. One agent in particular hung up on me when I told him/her who else had offered. They later emailed me a two sentence message saying that they just didn’t think it was going to be a good fit after all. No kidding. I later found out the agent who hung up on me was a blabber mouth who had blabbed about losing a particular best-seller to their competition, who they claimed was ‘an incompetent buffoon’. After nearly two years, the author is still living off of that advance, but, I digress.

In the end, I think it all depends on the intentions meant and results followed. If asked in a manner of curiosity so that the agent can in turn tell you what they can offer that the other agent(s) can’t, such as superb editorial skills and/or specific names of editors at various houses that would love what you have written--in other words, an agent guaranteeing something so that you are not waiting for months on end with no responses from either end--then that is totally different. That is the kind of agent I would want! But to ask with just the intention beating the competition while offering nothing to me in return, then no thanks. I'll stick w/offers 1-5, thanks.

I mostly agree, but there is one thing that would make me hesitate to give the offering agent's name.

What if it somehow got back to the agent that I was using her offer to try to get a better offer?

If I asked a guy to the prom and then I found out he was using my invitation as leverage to get another girl to agree to go with him, I'd be pretty pissed.

That's my fear...not that I'd enter into some age old controversy by dropping the name, but that I'd hurt the original agent's feelings somehow.

I still think Gatekeeper has a very valid point (and is entitled to her own opinion), but at least you responded to her post without resorting to name calling and obscenities.

Good on you!

Ditto to Marsha's comments.

It's actually good to be having this conversation as it allows all opinions to be heard and considered, leading to a better understanding of the process.

Here's my two cents...I think in any relationship, personal or business, it's always important to take the high road; act in an honest, upfront, and professional manner. Ultimately, you cannot control the behavior or reactions of others, only that of your own.

Thanks, Jessica (and Janet)...great post.

The Anons seem awfully paranoid about this.

Why would an agent, genuinely in love with a book, withdraw their offer of representation after discovering another agent is interested too?

Either they're (1) too insecure to be a good agent, or (2) they think the other agent would be a better match and are doing the honourable thing for the writer's benefit.

If it's (1), then good riddance to that agent. If it's (2), then they're a saint, which is weird, because saints are rare and you don't generally find many of them working in sales.

In other words, this scenario is not one we need to worry about.

@ A. Grey

In fact, Gatekeeper is a fairly well known, though somewhat younger agent; and a lovely person. I've been following that post and its comments, and found nothing particularly objectionable--just a differing opinion.

May I add, she's not the only publishing professional to use a pseudonym, as Editorial Ass, Editorial Anonymous, and Evil Editor can tell you.

I do however, appreciate Jessica's reasoned approach to disagreement.

L.C. Blackwell

As a design professional, it is perfectly reasonable to ask if other groups are also pitching for a project.

It is pushy, rude and breaching etiquette to ask WHO else is pitching.

To me, the moment where you contact other agents with the news that you've received an offer of representation is really powerful. It means that other agents might hurry to read your manuscript, looking at it as a commodity. If just anyone could say "I've received other offers" but don't say from whom, it means that anyone could bend the truth (or outright lie) to achieve that powerful position. It makes perfect sense for me from all angles to be honest about the offers you receive.

After all, if the offer is from a "bad" agent in some way, or you're embarrassed for whatever reason about that agent, you shouldn't be considering their offer anyway.

excellent post, Jessica

I don't understand the big deal in an agent asking who else is interested in my work. If they are the type to decide not to work with me because Agent So-and-So is interested, then I'm sure I don't want to work with them either.

I have an issue with all of these anonymous bloggers writing about publishing, agents and writing. It makes me wary, as another commenter pointed out, and just doesn't make a lot of sense. Perhaps this particular blog isn't so anonymous, but many others are and I don't understand the need to hide behind a pseudonym if all you're offering is 'good advice'.

By the way, should multiple agents like to be interested in my work, I will happily provide a list for each. Generational battle, Pandora's box, or catty bitch-fight, I could care less. Have at it, as long as in the end, someone represents the damn book.

To me, it's just like the whole "exclusive" issue -- the agent is not a bad person for asking it makes good business sense to ask! -- but you, the author, get to decide what your response is going to be. I had multiple offers and felt perfectly fine telling the agents who else had offered; they were all respectful and friendly about it. But a simple "I don't feel comfortable giving out tht information" is just fine too.

There's one very practical reason for agents to ask, which is that some share office space even if they're not at the same agency, which isn't as obvious as it used to be now that we're mostly querying by email and don't always know the physical address.

To me, it's a simple solution: If you're comfortable giving out that type of info, do it--if not, don't. Personally, I wouldn't reveal that info until I'd def made up my mind--and I'd think twice about signing with an agent that demanding.

I'd say I'd rather not "jinx" it or "Why do you want to know?" Agents just want to make THEIR lives easier, not yours.

Thanks for the breakdown Jessica. I do agree with your point of view on this one.

I would like to point out to some of the commenters who haven't yet read Gatekeepers blog, but are denouncing it solely based on Jessica and Janet's responses, GKs blog is actually a very informative and helpful blog. Just because you don't agree with one blog post don't cut it out forever. I've read a lot of interesting advice there, just as I have on Jessica and Janet's blogs.

Seems to me that one of the most valuable pieces of advice I've read time and time again from industry blogs is to get as much advice as possible. Read as many industry blogs as you can find. Make your own decisions on what advice to follow.

I think that you're being too sensitive Jessica! It's a subjective opinion different from your own and lots of others, that's all.

I'm with Marsha on this one: the defensiveness with which agents are circling the wagons proves Gatekeeper's point.

Once a regular peruser of lit blogs of all sorts, I became disgusted with this defensiveness among industry "pros" primarily because it is so often deployed against the interests of writers and the health of the community as a whole. And, every time I venture back, this assessment is quickly reconfirmed.

There is no good reason to ask specifics about other offers. To what purpose, exactly, could an agent put this information that is simultaneously ethical, beneficial to the writer, and beneficial to the agent and his/her agency?

Sure, some writers may lie, but the idea that such a question is a "veracity check" is outrageously disrespectful in the way it lumps all writers together in the dishonest category.

There's a word for this sort of gross generalization: prejudice. Lit agents expressing such an insulting prejudice against writers deserve empty inboxes -- or at least inboxes filled only with garbage writers who have no respect for themselves or their profession.

JJ -

The Anons of the world have always seemed paranoid about something.

=)

Colleen

I *love* the Gatekeeper's blog. I love her enthusiasm for the industry, her passion for agenting, and her helpful advice, opinions and insights.

Not to mention her recipes!

I also don't see how it really helps agents to know who else is offering on a project, most especially due to the power imbalance (at that point of the process) in the relationship between agents and writers.

Perhaps some agents aren't assigning proper weight to the result of years of rejection upon writers -- and how, for some writers, when finally faced with a chance of representation, saying no to ANY request from an interested agent can feel quite daunting.

And on that note, why put a writer in that position in the first place? Why make it about the agent in that hallelujah! moment? How about making it about the writer, *finally*? The whole process is stressful enough.

I just had five offers of representation last week, and not one agent asked me to divulge the others offering. I thought it quite classy of all five.

Now, as for a writer lying about receiving offers? I think the proof will be in the manuscript. I know I had agents saying to me, "I can understand why so many agents are interested in this ms ..."

Do agents get curious about their competition? Sure. But let's call a spade a spade, and admit that curiosity is just that -- curiosity -- period.

The only question I was asked, in the end, was if I'd divulge the agent I'd decided upon. I had no problem, in that instance, sharing that information.

Just my two cents.

In the first place, Ms. Reid's blog about the subject was just rude and unprofessional. The work in two different agencies but there should still be a line of professional courtesy that one shouldn't cross. IMHO, Ms. Reid crossed it. I would never consider her as an agent for that reason.

Why is the Gatekeeper wrong? Because you disagree with the practice that makes her "wrong?" Why can't we just say, "I disagree" and leave it at that.

I, personally, see no harm in the practice of being asked and answering the question. But then, we seem to be assuming that the Gatekeeper and her agency don't have a justified reason for the policy. I think before we start pointing fingers and saying, "you're wrong" or "you're an idiot," it would behoove us to ask why. And still say, "I disagree."

*congrats to emilymurdoch!*

That said, I am in total agreement with Jesse. If an author wants an agent, they will do all of the necessary research in going about doing so. I’m sorry, but I don’t believe that one agent is more right or wrong than another in this business. It was built on varying opinions, correct? If an agent asks what other offers that author may have and who those offers have come from, as said time and time again, it’s up to the author to divulge that information.

In my opinion, I owe you nothing but my best work until I have made a final decision and all the contracts are signed. If anytime I feel bullied or pressured by an agent to give an answer about something I don’t feel comfortable with giving, do you think I’m going to let them touch 15% of a regular commission plus foreign rights if I’m lucky? I think not. On that note, I don’t necessarily have a problem with asking, depending on intentions, but I do agree that continuously stating how wrong the Gatekeeper is just proves her initial point.

As I said, this business was built on varying opinions. If you all thought the same and loved/read/only wanted to publish the same books, none or all of us *struggling writers* would be published by now. I believe in agreeing to disagree, but in this case, it just seems a bit much. And in Ms. Reid’s case, I’m sorry, but her reponse was just extreme. The swearing didn't bother me, it was the tone. What the Gatekeeper said was a ‘crock of ****’ huh? Spare me. And that’s my two cents.

I do know who Agency Gatekeeper is, but I guess to divulge that information would be rude right? Or would it? *Chesire Cat Smile* Her blog persona is different than her in-person persona. I never would have imagined she would stir up this kind of controversy. My, my. Didn't know she had that in her.

Thank you for the congratulations, Valerie B! Very kind of you. : )It took many years of hard work to get here, and I'm savoring my cloud nine.

I have to agree with you -- stating differing opinions in a respectful, professional manner is a wonderful thing, but condemning those with differing opinions in the way done on the other blog was unprofessional and crossed the line, imo.

I have a friend who was lucky enough to have multiple offers of representation. In her various phone calls, she could tell immediately who had a good handle on her book and who did not. Ultimately, she went with the person who really knew her work, and whose editing suggestions made the most sense to her.

So sometimes, a long response time simply means that an agent is giving your project the time it deserves.

Get out of my head! This is exaclty what I've been thinking lately - that the agents who are "slower" (and I don't mean that as a mental slight!) might not have it together as much as the "quicker" ones. Thanks for shedding light into your daily life, and why response times may vary. Speaking to clients is key. I don't know what I'd do without your blog...

In my case, long response times DID equal poor service from my agent. I chose the agent because I'd met her at a conference, and she seemed to really GET my voice. I'd queried her some months before I had a chance to pitch to her at the conference. At the conference, she LOVED the idea and the writing -- you could literally see light bulbs going off in her eyes. She was apologetic when I told her that she already had a partial from the book I'd pitched to her. "Oh, sometimes I get backed up," she said.

So, shortly after the conference, when I got an offer from a publisher on another book, I sent her an e-mail. She immediately offered representation. I was in heaven.

The honeymoon ended when months had gone by and I still hadn't heard from the option proposal I'd sent in to my editor, nor had I heard anything more about the book the agent had loved.

I couldn't get my agent on the phone (red alert, red alert), but I'd had a fairly chatty relationship with my editor, so I sent her a progress report on the option book. My editor said, "Are you waiting until you finish it to send it to me? You know you can send just the proposal."

My agent, come to find out, had not sent in the option proposal. The book was later turned down -- but not before I had wasted MONTHS of writing time on it.

I didn't end the relationship with the agent at that moment, but I should have. We're not talking about some fly-by-night agent here, either, but a rather bright shining supernova in the agenting world -- it was my absolute DREAM agent. Later, talking with other clients who had left at about the same time I did, I discovered that her treatment of me was not unique.

Oh, and the book that she'd LOVED? She never gave any sort of definitive feedback on it.

Would her current clients have told me that when I queried her? Hmmm ... don't know. Some of her current clients still adore her. The ones that left, well, they feel the same way as I.

Should I have asked her other clients? You bet. I'm currently in the agent hunt again, terrified I won't find another one, but if I do, I'll be looking for Agent Right ... not Agent Right Now.

Thanks Jessica. This is timely information because I'm in the querying process now.

If I'm lucky enough to get multiple offers of representation, at least I'll know what questions to ask.

I could go on and on about my former agent, but my waiting time before being signed matched almost exactly my waiting time after I was signed, which was about 4 months for each revision or transaction, which is much too long. So I tend to judge an agent's response times as to what they might be like to work with. One agent read my ms over one weekend and called me into his office right away. Now that was fast! Just the kind of person I want to work with, although my revision didn't work out with him for other reasons.

You make a great point here! I would rather work with someone who knows how to prioritize their time and while at the agent searching stage that might be hard, I'll appreciate it once I am represented.

Oh, I should only have this problem! Multiple offers of representation. I'll be daydreaming for days on that one...

But I think your point is a very good one. The bottom line is that you shouldn't judge an agent based on guesses or assumptions. You could assume an agent who was slow to respond wasn't organized, but, as you pointed out, there could be many other reasons.

Anon 9:10, thanks for sharing that story. Sorry you had to deal with that. It's so hard to get an agent, it would be difficult to know when to leave. But the wrong person could hurt more than help.

I agree, respect goes a long way. I'm so loyal to people I work with that I have to know going in that the person is worthy because I stick like glue. Ha ha.

I think it's easy to understand what an agent would be like to work with by visiting their blog. When you see clients names popping up showing support, offering advice from the writer's perspective, allowing samples of their work to used as an example of the topic being discussed, that to me shows a good working relationship, and respect from both sides.

This is such good information to have. As a corollary, I've wondered whether it's better to begin the querying process with the big-name agents (maybe they have extra pull) or less well-known agents (maybe they would have more time to help me). I know it's subjective. I spoke with an author once who had a big-name agent, and I told this author how I thought it must be awesome he/she was represented by Big Agent, but author pointed out that he/she didn't receive much attention from Big Agent and may have been better going with an agent at a smaller agency who spends more one-on-one time with each of her authors. It's so hard to know!

Robena, I love your advice for visiting the agent blogs for clues to their relationships with authors.

The best way to find out about an agent is to talk to her other authors.

Another thing I suggest is to google the agent's name especially on blogs...unhappy people talk.

Query response time is the last thing you should base a decision on. Although no one should be waiting four months on a query.

I've actually just had an experience like this, that is, having to decide among more than one offer of representation. It's truly nerve-wracking. This situation came about in sort of a backdoor way, where I received an offer on my book and I was put in the position of trying to find an agent.

I made my list (about a dozen), most of which had seen a query or partial on this story and already turned it down. I gave them a very short turn around time (in hindsight it was too short) because I told the editor when I would contact them, and waited anxiously to hear back.

Some asked for partial right away, some a full, while others started with a partial and then requested the full. Nearly all were very quick in getting back to me. On the day before I was to contact the editor, I'd had five rejections and three phone conversations. I would have had a couple more at least if the time hadn't been so brief. One agent I'd contacted on recommendation, one was a referral from another agent who had passed my story along because my story fit better with a co-worker, and one was an agent who I'd had contact with before but had also rejected my query.

All three of these conversations were what I'd consider very good discussions with an agent, even with my utter lack of nerves and brainfreeze. They were all enthusiastic about my story (all had slightly different takes on it which is an interesting blog post on its own)and I got a good 'vibe' from all three. I could have seen any of them being a good agent for me.

I was fortunate that one of the three was the top name on my initial list, the one that if the phone call went well, the answer was almost a no-brainer for me. If this hadn't been the case, it would have been a very hard decision. Then you begin to weigh other things like experience in the genre, the agency they work with, experience with the editor, and so on.

So, I had to turn down two, and email others that I was no longer interested. Not pleasant. I felt bad. I really don't envy agent's jobs when it comes to the rejection process. Here were great, enthusiastic people who loved the story, wanted to work with me, and I had to say "no." They understand, and it's how this business goes. Win some and lose some. With more time available, I would have contacted clients and got a little more information, but I was lucky in the end and the decision was made easy for me.

Some time soon, when I can, I will blog in more depth about this whole process I went through. It's been fascinating, overwhelming, and exciting. But mostly exciting. I am so utterly jazzed.

Great post, and interesting discussion :).

I've always felt the same way--if the agent is prioritizing their clients before queriers, that's great!

The next thing I look for is if they treat everyone professionally, because that's who I want to work with.

Lastly, how often do they sell books in my genre? I think you can avoid a lot of agents who are going to sit on your project by looking at their track record before The Call.

Great point about speaking w/ their clients! Thanks for the insight & advice!

Ah, multiple offers of representation -- I get goose bumps just thinking about it...

It is rotten having to turn down agents - and then it's just even tougher to have to turn down publishers. I know, a good problem to have. But still hard - and on a first novel, likely nothing in your previous life has prepared you for it. You're prepared for rejection - not for having to dish it out.

In the end, yes, I had to go with my gut.

BTW, incredibly fast response time to queries does not always equal stellar agent. Oddly enough, some agents seem to collect authors like marbles, but then do nothing with them.

I'm w/ Mira -- what a nice position to be in. And congrats Jim on being in that position, despite the reverse rejection guilt.

I'm with Bane - Jim, I'm really happy for you! That's wonderful. You must have a great book there to be so in demand! Kudos.

It's really fun to be around the blogs enough that you start to hear about people's success! :)

Do I hear a defensive tone in this post? As someone who's waited months for a response on a short partial, I admit I was turned off by agents with very slow response times. Everyone is busy. We can't help but judge agents on how they treat us at first. e.g. If a guy invites you on a date, but never returns the call, I sure wouldn't sit by the phone!

Perhaps agents should stop accepting submissions until they can get caught up with their current clients and take a needed break. We all need to play catch up and inviting more submissions and work may not be the best policy. So what if you miss one or two great queries? That leaves agents time to concentrate on their clients, which as you said, is an agent's top priority.

Jim, Congrats on your acceptances, all round! I am intrigued by something in your post, though. You mentioned that the agents on your dozen had mostly all seen a query or partial and had turned it down. First, is this common, to return to those agents when you have a book deal in play? Did you feel that they would work well for you after having rejected the query or partial? And -- I'm just curious now -- was the one you signed with in that category? I wonder what the best course of action would be in that situation (if it were me). Start with a fresh list, or revisit the other? Appreciate any feedback.

I'm with you, Anon. I can see a backlog of 2-3 weeks, even a month. Things intervene -- conferences, vacations, auctions, weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc. But a backlog of more than a month signals disorganization to me or -- and I sort of hate to discourage this -- not being selective enough about what partials, fulls one requests.

I'm going to disagree. I'd gone thru the guery mill long enough to firmly believe that there actually is a correlation between responsiveness and professionalism. So when I rec'd multiple offers of rep, it was definitely something on my priority list.

The agent I signed with blew the others out of the water, he was so responsive. And I explained that when I accepted-after going thru agents who take months and months and sometimes can't be bothered-responsiveness was HUGE on my list of expectations. He's kept his promise to remain so.

What shocked me was when I did rec my offers and I alerted other agents who had my full, several never had the courtesy to even get back to me. Another startling large handful got back to me weeks later. ("Let's set up a time to call." "Sorry, no. I SIGNED WITH SOMEONE ELSE WEEKS AGO.") So, no. If my agent can do it, and he does-wonderfully-and other agents are notorious for doing it *cough*JanetReid*-I don't get the excuses. Sorry. Not buying it.

Writers need to stand up for themselves and say "We won't take it anymore!" Until then, agents, editors and publishers alike will continue to take advantage of us.

As a magazine writer/editor I always negotiated my contracts for a better deal and because I was one of the few who did, I almost always got what I wanted, resulting in better terms and better pay. It's even more important to get the best deal possible for a book. After all, it represents your vision and often years of your time and energy.

OMG, Anon at 9:10, that sounds like an experience I had, though, admittedly, yours was worse.

Saw an agent at a conference. She was amazing. Polished. Professional. Had many clients, books out. I queried her. She GOT my work. LOVED it. Said to me, when I signed with her that she would "sell this ms if it was the last thing she ever did."

Take a guess where that went.

She sent it to nine editors. Never followed up on submissions. Didn't want to send it out anymore, and then ignored all my emails until we parted ways.

Ask all the questions you want. It won't do any good. Do people honestly think an agent, when asked, is going to say, "Yes. I am a complete moron. I will send your book out willy nilly. Never follow up on subs. Never email you back. Never tell you what is going on. And instead of giving it my best effort, I will dump your ass the minute you complain or try to get me to do my job."

No, they aren't going to say that. They are going to present themselves as someone you can trust, because they feel they can make money off of you. it's only after you sign, that you find out the truth. Then it's too late, because your book has been shopped.

That sounds hostile, and it certainly does not apply to every agent. There are good agents out there. But there are those of us that understand how much damage a less than straight up agent can do. Asking them questions isn't going to help.

A new perspective I hadn't considered, and I agree with you in part. However, I do agree with some of the comments that if the agent keeps blowing you off--not just being slow to respond, but ignoring you when you ask for a status report (say, if they've had your full for months or something similar)--that *should* be a red flag. It's all about asking the right questions and judging the agent's responses (or lack thereof) without presumptions.

Thank you Jessica. I am on the verge of sending out queries. It means a lot to hear it said that if you don't hear from someone right away, it doesn't mean they hate your stuff!

Agents...are they really even necessary anymore?! I guess you've got a back catalog of 10 books and you want them all sold into various languages, an agent would be good to keep trackof that, but if you're an unknown writer with 1 unsold book...what the heck do you need an agent for?!

If YOU can't sell your book, what makes you think anyone else will be able to?!

Loveskidlit-
I recontacted agents I had on my list because a good chunk of them had rejected off of the query. I've come to the conclusion that my query was not very good. However, an offer on the table will at least get folks to look at some pages. So, I knew it couldn't hurt at all to see if they would reconsider. Fortunately, it resolved in my favor.

I've created a new puncuation mark--a cross between the ? and !...I call it the questimation mark ?!

I'm going to take response times into consideration along with everything else. If an agent, or editor, is slow to respond, but all her clients are happy she's still going to score.

I never query an agent, or editor, who's been rude to me or any other sincere aspiring author. Life's too short and I'm already happy.

Anonymous 6:25, it already exists - it's called the interrobang.

Jessica (and Kim, if you're reading the comments too), what do you think your biggest "selling points" are to authors, when compared to other agents? I'd also be interested in hearing comments about this from any of your current authors.

It seems like there are so many questions to ask, but then you get to a point of "what do I do now?"

No, Wendy, it's called the questimation mark!

?!

I'm a public defense attorney and this post hit home to me. I have clients that equate my not wanting to talk to them 24/7 and get an update on every time they see their probation officer or reassure them about every little doubt and worry they have with my ability to represent them at trial.

The two things are not connected. I go out and cut the best deal I can with the prosecutor and then, you, the client, can accept or reject it. I'll advise you, but it is your decision. If you say yes, then I smooth the way for you and make it as painless as possible. If you say no, then I do my work for trial.

Jessica, if it is any consolation to you and the other agents, the number one complaint against lawyers is that you can't get us on the phone and then when you do, that we don't listen to you.

So, behind with your queries, Jessica?

My experience certainly aligns with your post, Jessica. I first queried my agent 2 years ago, and got a couple of follow-up e-mails over the next months from her assistant saying she was way behind. When she finally did reply, it was a personalised rejection (she said some really lovely things about my work, but that she currently had too many authors writing for that age group). One year on, I'd written several more books and had the opportunity to submit to her again through a competition. She chose my work and I got to meet her and she signed me a month later.

I've now been working with her for several months, and I get a reply within a day every time I e-mail her. She's got something on submission for me as we speak, and every time she hears from an editor, I get a phone call. She's brilliant. Very responsive and open and encourages me to ask questions.

I'm luckily in that I got to meet her before we signed, and she also represents several friends of mine who spoke very highly of her.

I hope other people have had as positive experiences as I have on this whole agent search. I hate reading all these horror stories, and really feel for the people they happened to. Anyone else got some positive ones?! (there we go Anon - another questimation mark :)

Katherine

My experience also goes with your post, Jessica.

To the posters who said to check the agent's blog, realize that a very small percentage of agents blog.

I had three offers in one week. Then one of the agents quit agenting, one offered me a 'let's do an edit and see where this goes.' I went with door number three.

I thought everything would be better when I found my agent.

What I didn't know was that the agony was just starting.

I've been with him for almost a year. Still no sell on MS 1. Over 30 publishers have the thing. 3 have rejected it. The rest? Well, he says it's slow now. How'm I supposed to know if that's true or not?

I've given him a totally different MS. Been waitin' three months for him to read the thing.

I've asked him more than once if he's read it. I always get a 'within the week' response. Then I wait another month.

The problem is, I don't know what is normal and what isn't. Sometimes I want to divorce him. Other times I think I should fell lucky I have an agent. After all, I wanted one for three years before I found this one.

Maybe I should just be grateful, I don't know.

My heart goes out to all writers who've thought, like me, "Got agent, now I can relax," only to find out, "Not quite."

I understand that agents have a tough job. Heck, I worked for an office that did casework, and I had 200 cases assigned to me -- tough cases, cases where it often was life-or-death, or at least fix-this-or-client-will-lose-house.

Everytime I'd close one of those cases, two more would pop up. We had a database that told us if our cases were inactive for more than 30 days, and my bosses checked that database to see who was behind. The rule was, you sent a letter or made a phone call or sent up smoke signals of SOME kind to let that person hear from you EVERY 30 days.

So I know the stress agents face. They have far more than 200 folks coming in over the transom, and these are dreams they are dealing with. Plus, let's face it, they're in commission sales.

Still, the balance of power is not the traditional client relationship. Now that publishers use agents as first readers and don't take unagented work, writers depend on those agents to figure out some sort of system to get organized, wade through all those queries (I don't mind form Rs, if they come fast), and then, once we sign, are responsive to clients.

I am not, and I know most of my writing friends are not, in need of substantial hand-holding, at least not from agents. We get that from our critique partners, from our families.

But good gracious, I've had critique partners worry for days (just like I did) about how to contact the agents who represented them. They rehearsed telephone scripts so they wouldn't appear needy, only to call and leave a message with an absent agent, never to get a call back. They'd craft agent e-mails with the care they first crafted their query letters. They took polls from their critique partners about whether it was "too soon" to bug.

All because we are terrified that once we get an agent to sign us, said agent will decide we are needy and have too high an expectation and just too much trouble.

We just want you to a) sell the book if you can; b) tell us what the editors who turned you down said about it; and c) give us some direction about what editors are buying.

We don't even ask you to explain the vagaries of the publishing world -- say, how agents and editors are blogging, "Send me no more vamps!" and then, bam, someone pays high six figures for a vampire paranormal from a debut author.

It'd be nice if you COULD explain that, but we understand that agents are only human. Sometimes we wish that agents would show (not tell) us they understand that those queries and partials and fulls -- and lo, those many clients on their rosters -- are human, too.

Thanks for posting this! It's just what I needed to hear!

I've been chatting with an agent most of the summer about a children's book and she requested that I send in a revised copy (she requested it be ordered into an alphabet book which I was more than happy to do). Now I'm waiting for a response of some type and it's been just about a month and am not sure where to go from here. I trust her as she has a great reputation and seemed to be genuinely enthused about my work.

This post (and the other comments) helped me calm down about the slow response. Thanks!

I got mixed messages from my gut and mixed messages from clients and former clients. So I said yes, based on the track record and the charming personality on the phone.

Big mistake. Terminating the relationship was one of the hardest things I ever did. I'm looking for an agent again, but I must confess, I'm finding it rather depressing.

Excellent post Jessica. I also work in a time sensitive job, where everyone wants their answers NOW. I put a lot of effort into running things smoothly, and some days that takes forever, and some days it just flows.

Thanks for your explanations regarding an agents time. Very informative.
............dhole

I got mixed messages from my gut and mixed messages from clients and former clients. So I said yes, based on the track record and the charming personality on the phone.

Big mistake. Terminating the relationship was one of the hardest things I ever did. I'm looking for an agent again, but I must confess, I'm finding it rather depressing.

My sympathies. Sounds like we had the same agent.

My former agent requested my full within a couple of weeks, and less than two months later, offered representation. She sold plenty in my genre, and worked for one of the tippy top agencies. One of her clients had left because of the agent's lack of communication. But another client I talked to had been with her for nearly a decade and loved her. Sure, the agent didn't seem interested in where I saw my career going or what else I was working on--she was enthusiastic about the novel at hand. How could I say no?

She got my ms out right away. She forwarded editor rejections within 10 days. But she also took nearly two weeks to respond to my very infrequent emails. It took her nearly four months to review 50 pages of my next novel. Then she disappeared altogether.

I was forced to terminate the relationship. It was incredibly disappointing but I did learn a lot. Such as the importance of listening to my instincts.

You see, it's info like this that we as the unagented need: some sort of clearing house from former clients (and current happy clients, too, to be fair) where we can get a report card on good agents and bad agents.

(Yeah, I know, we have P&E and Absolute Write, but that just shows the scam artists, not the legit-but-sorryass agents.)

Querytracker shows response times BEFORE you land an agent. What about an anonymous blog where the previously agented could share horror stories AFTER they were signed? Think how this could really impact agenting -- it would, GASP, put some accountability onto the agents who were not so effective in terms of responsiveness.

I know from personal experience with a critique partner that at least one agent (not with Bookends, btw) spoke bupkus when she recently blogged about how important responsiveness was and author communication was in a client relationship.

The book was a good one, my friend had several agents vying for her, and she went with the well-known quantity based on sales and "plans" for the book.

Powerhouse Agent sent out the book to a few editors, didn't get an offer. My friend begged and pleaded for her to read and assess different ideas she had for another project or at the very least, just tell her what editors were looking for so she could try her hand at that.

No reply. No responsiveness. No nothin'.

Finally, my friend terminated the agreement, and she was lucky enough to sign with one of the agents who had wanted her to begin with.

Oh, happy day -- much better agent, much more responsive, much more aggressive at getting the book out there, and much better at communicating what editors wanted.

I think you make really good points about the author-agent relationship, but I hope like hell that people aren't getting married after 1 query letter and a couple emails/phone calls back and forth! :P

I've been paying close attention and I think this is spot on.
I watched two of my author friends with agents and, like standing on the outside of marriages, I wondered if they were okay.
They complained, they were scared, things were rocky.
But then, they worked it out and everything was great.
I also realized it's tough to tell what an agent will be like when you watch them with others because every relationship is unique.

The marriage analogy is very common in business, and they way you describe it for the agent / writer relationship makes as much sense as any other industry.

In my day job I sell software solutions to businesses, and we strive for a long-term relationship, not a once-and-done sale. The sales cycle is often described in terms like "we're dancing, but not in bed together." Or if we are trying to leverage out an incumbent, it's like trying to break up a marriage.

I think your points about communication are spot-on. You will agree on plans, and at times they will change. The important thing is to make your partner aware of those changes in a timely manner, and make sure you include a valid reason.

I listen when agented authors talk about their relationships with their agents. So much depends on the personalities and style of both people. It might not be a marriage, but it's definitely a partnership which should be based on faith, shared goals, honesty, and open lines of communication.

"Leap of faith" is an excellent way to describe it, especially when signing a NEW client/agent. Thank you for giving us your insights. A lot of us are making notes and will hopefully make the right choice when we take the plunge.

Actually, I'm not afraid of that at all.

I'm afraid of getting an agent. Period.

Thankfully, there are many options. The only time an agent is required is if the Big New York publishers are the only choice. They're not. There's also small press and ePublishing.

So, I'll explore all my options. If I find an agent I want to work with, great. If I find an ePublisher editor I'd rather work woth, well, that works too.

As with any important relationship, communication is key. As a writer, I have to trust my instincts and hold up my end of the bargain.

This post reminds me of when I did interior design for a living. So many of our clients couldn't make up their minds on which couch to buy. I'd be thinking, "pick the one you like, enjoy it, and move on!!!" Some people have a hard time making choices and feel they must see every possible option before they take the plunge. Um, no you don't. Have confidence, trust yourself, and buy the damn couch!

Does that mean I can buy an smaller and more obediant agent from Thialand?

Word verification - Aerin: Latin for Cupboard

Andrew: Hahaha!

Is that the pocket agent by Apple? I've heard great things. =D

I love this idea of "choosing" an agent. Unless I'm weirder than I thought, most writers seeking publication are hoping like hell a decent agent will choose them. There's an agent I really want to work with, but if she doesn't pick me, it's just going to be an unrequited love. I may find the perfect match later, or I may jump at the first gal that asks, and pay for it.

Clovis

If the agent/author relationship is like a marriage, then a query is akin to a proposal.

That would explain why it's necessary to get the agent's name right in the query.

I've been watching agent blogs for a while now and think it's a great way to get to know them. This way we get to know their "voice" too.
I can only hope for the day when I get to choose an agent!

That's a really helpful post, thank you.

Anon: it is the writer who makes the decision to work with the agent, an agent makes an offer of representation then it is up to the writer to accept it or not.

And a writer should never accept it until he/she has done their homework on the agent, and has at least had one good phone conversation with them with a list of questions he/she wants answered

There is one thing for writers to keep in mind when using the marriage analogy. While this may be the only agent for you, your agent will be (gasp) seeing other writers at the same time. There will be times when your agent has to focus on their other clients. As much as it can be hard to believe, we are not always the center of the universe. I have no idea how they manage all our egos and hang ups.

I adore my agent. She's been an amazing business partner and the longer we've worked together the more we've gotten to know each other. Choose wisely.

"Is that the pocket agent by Apple?"

It's called the iRep, should be in stores in time for the holidays.

Vivi Anna;

Of course I understand that. But everything hinges on that offer of representation, doesn't it? My point is the idea of "choosing" is wonderful, but if my proposal doesn't strike the agent's fancy when the "choice" part is flipped back over in her court, then we're never going to get to the Accepting of the Proposal.

I'm not disagreeing with today's post--I think it's relevant and helpful--I was just making a pragmatic-by-experience observation on the subject of choosing your agent.

Clovis

I think, for a lot of us, reaching the stage Jessica describes in this post is a distant dream. It's hard to worry about the nitty-gritty of an author/agent relationship when you are trying to find that magic ingredient that will get your query to sing. When you're going over the umpteenth revision of your story, trying to get it right. (Or maybe it's just me with the umpteenth revisions.) When you're trying to keep up with the day job, while making time to write, to learn your craft, to build a marketing platform, to do all those things newbie writers do.

I imagine part of the problem is that, when a writer finally gets a message from an agent that isn't a rejection, they are so shocked and overwhelmed at this sign they have finally done something RIGHT, that minor details like contracts get lost in the shuffle.

It's like getting married, as Rick mentioned: it's easy to focus on the wedding day, forgetting that the hard work of marriage begins after the confetti has been swept up.

Yes, I like this post, it's a good reminder to slow down.

I can imagine if I ever get an an offer, I'll be like, really?? You're kidding. Okay, I've my lunch hour is wide open. Let's head to Vegas and have Elvis hitch us up, pronto, before you change your mind.

But it guess it could be a good idea to go on a date or two before tying the knot.

Good post, thank you!

I hope to have the problem some day.

Sigh.

I want an agent. Any agent. Not picky.

These are good points. Biggest problem I see is: I have a list of maybe a couple dozen agents that I've read enough about, met in person, heard via word-of-mouth, etc., that I can be remotely sure that I would be able to work with. If I kept my querying to these 'sureties' I would severely reduce my chances of finding an agent. The current market makes this even more apparent. The fact is, you query pretty much everyone who has an interest in your genre (that part at least is researchable), and then if it gets to that point of representation, you discuss things with the possible agent and see if any red flags go up. Aspiring authors can only afford to be so choosy.

clovis
that is called the courtship. :-)

And it's tough, but you do choose, when you make a decision to query a certain agent. If she accepts your query, wants more, then the game begins. But it is about choice and choosing an agent is one of the most difficult decisions you'll make. good luck in any future courtships you seek out!

And like vivi say, do your homework, talk to the other clients, ask a lot of questions...

Oooh, courtship. That sounds so...courtly--Crap, I just crossed another name off my dance card.

Oh well, I have unlimited opportunities to re-impress her, right? Guys?

Clovis

Although I would not want to date, marry or even sit next to my agent at a dinner party, she is excellent and I feel quite fortunate to have her representing me. We correspond exclusively via e-mail because we simply cannot converse on the phone to either of our satisfaction (she is quite bubbly and talks so much I don't feel I can ever ask my questions, let alone get them answered).

Ours might be described as a relationship that works for one purpose and one purpose only--selling my books. Thankfully, for that one isolated purposes, it is a success.

If only Jessica could be cloned...

Wonderful story. From what I've read, the reason why so many authors are paranoid about their agents is because they traveled such a rough road to find one in the first place. An aspiring author's choices are severely limited.

I'd be ok with a Jessica clone. Nice, thoughtful post Sally. People should be able to put in a lot of thought and consideration to accepting what is in a lot of ways going into business with someone. To me, the hard part, at least for aspiring writers, and I've heard numerous stories about pubbed authors having difficulty finding another agent, is that it's SO difficult to land an agent, any agent (who knows what they're doing) that it's hard not to say 'yes' without even considering anything. I can imagine it being something like, "Oh, thank god! Where do I sign?"

This isn't wise of course, no matter how respected the agent is, but even knowing this, I for one can say I'd have a hard time saying no to any agent who was interested. Because you know, or at least have to have the thought, that it might be your one and only chance.

Good post. Wonder how many writers actually get to shop around for an agent, however; most of us desperately grab the first offer.

Loved the image of agents as "anchors" weighing their writers down. That was exactly my experience. It is a very unequal relationship and few adult human beings like being on the low side of the teeter-totter.

Jessica, Please send my thanks to Sally for sharing her story - it sounds like the two of you make a great team!

I have to agree with Jim when he says we writers are so exhausted from the querying process, that we'll usually go with the first agent who says, "Yes!" Sally is lucky in that she was already published, had a deal on the table, and was in a position to call the shots. For most writers, I don't think that's the "usual" scenario.

Writing certainly is a very odd business in many respects. I totally get the feelings of almost desperation that can come in the agent hunt. Frankly, I'm not sure I would have had the courage to submit my book to anyone--I was just so lucky it got picked up out of the first contest I entered. In many ways, you all are way farther along on the learning curve than I was when I sold--but you might also be beaten down a little from all the "common wisdom."

I say I was lucky I got picked up out of that first contest partly because the book didn't do very well in the other contests I entered. I think I could easily have gotten mired in the contest scene, endlessly tweaking the book to please some faceless judges.

I think writers have to strike some odd balance between being confident that our work has merit yet being open to constructive criticism. And for me, and at least some of my friends, it's a constant dance with paranoia that doesn't get better once you're published and have reviews to bring you down several notches (my advice--don't read them) and sales numbers. It certainly isn't a business for the faint of heart.

I should probably say that I queried three agents when I had my offer and one turned me down. She didn't love my writing enough--so she would have been a bad choice for me had I had the choice.

Bit like getting married, innit?

Sally, you're making me think about the confidence thing - you know, you can feel that what you're writing is "good", you can think that you have something important to say, and still take constructive criticism by realizing that you're not getting it across, that you're not making it accessible to the reader and I think that's how you have to take concrit. It's not personal, but if you're going to tell a story, you owe it to the reader to tell it in a language that they understand. At least that's the way I try to look at it.

Fawn Neun, good point about confidence. That plays into the agent search, too. We need to have confidence that our story is good and we can get a good agent. (Unfortunately, there do seem to be very "not good" agents out there, as well as agents that are just not good for a particular author.)

A funny thing about writing, though. I do feel a certain level of confidence in my craft, but I also feel that some of my best writing is done when I take risks. Another reason I really like having Jessica on my team. I trust her to be my "net" so I can confidently take risks.

I enjoyed reading your post, Sally. Like you, I'm submitting to an editor I met through a contest I was a finalist in and hoping for the best. I liked your point about meeting the agent in person because you really need to like the person you're working with. At this point, I'm continuing to "observe" agents before I do any more querying.

Great points! But how many of us can claim to have the upper hand (contract in hand) when deciding on an agent? For most of us who don't write romance, we neede an agent to SELL our work, not just negotiate contracts.

Sally, I had been taking my time sending queries out to agents. My manuscript is finished but I have been focused on school. But in the last month things seem to have taken a course of it's own, so now I'm scrambling to send out queries. The advice you've provided has really set my anxiousness at ease. I knew I couldn't deal with an agent that scares me and was able to scratch them from my list. And I was a bit hesitant about querying agents I've never heard of.

Your blogging today is a godsend to me.

Thank you.

Thank you for this post. I'm a young writer (but definitely not new) and although I haven't gotten to the stage where my confidence level is high enough to seek an agent, I still like to hear more about the business. It seems like a game of risk and strategy more than anything, but I guess that's why they say writers need a tough skin to succeed.

Sally, Thanks for letting us know one of the agents you approached turned you down. I've heard agents say that very thing - that they've turned down writers with a contract in hand because they didn't feel they were a good fit. It's interesting to hear it from a writer's perspective.

Also, I love what you said about Jessica being your "net." Again, you two are clearly a great team. I wish you both continued success!

Congrats and good luck, Solvang Sherrie! And Anonymous 2:38 #1, I'm glad if anything I said helped.

Anonymous 2:38 #2, yes, it really helped me and my attitude toward the process to have already sold. But lots of romance writers haven't sold when they find an agent. I think--as Fawn Neun mentioned--we all need to try to hold on to our confidence in what we write while looking for an agent or trying to get published. But it's not easy, of course. Romance writers are fortunate that they have conferences where they can meet agents--or at least observe them--assuming the writer can afford the time and money to go to the conferences! I can't imagine how writers in other genres go about it.

Julie, the writing is the most important thing. As long as you're writing, you're making progress.

Debra, yes, you actually wouldn't want an agent who only took you on because you had a contract in hand. I've had friends who have done that and been somewhat bitter when things ultimately didn't work out and they parted company with the agent down the line. Yes, the agent "negotiated" the contract, but often there is little an agent can do at that point, when you've pretty much accepted the deal. And first contracts are often not very lucrative or able to be negotiated much. Some not-very-good agents won't even try to get you better terms, yet they still get 15 percent of the sale you made yourself.

Jessica more than earned her 15 percent on my contract, by the way, by getting me the best terms she could and by helping me navigate the business and managing those books as well as my two unagented books. But if she hadn't loved my writing, our relationship would not be what it is. She read my published book as well as my next manuscript before we decided to work together, partly because I wanted to be sure she did love my writing.

Sally,
Thanks for this post!
I knew the dear Baron was coming out, but had forgotten his exact release date. Thankfully I read your post this morning, and knew I would find your book waiting for me at the Borders. You gave me something delightful to read while my daughter spent two hours in line to get a book signed by the author of the Warriors cats.
PS--love the dedication.

Thanks, Karen. I'm so glad the Baron helped you pass the time!

I'm turning off the laptop now and packing up--I'm off to Denver in the morning. If any of you are coming to the Romancing the Rockies conference, please say hi!

Good luck to everyone on the crazy agent hunt--and thanks to Jessica for lending me a spot in her blog today.

I met an agent at my local RWA who was fantastically brilliant. She knew her business and was someone I would be lucky to have in my corner during contract negotiation. Incredible businesswoman, really.

After her talk I asked her for a card. She looked me up and down and said she doesn't do that. I could find her on the web.

*blink* "What's your address?"
Another look. "Just look up my name."

Okay then. Won't be working with her. Smarts are important, but so is courtesy.

This is one of the sanest, most level-headed posts I've read on seeking an agent. Like other posters have said, all too often writers get burned out by the process and are ready for it to be over with, so they may settle for an agent who isn't quite right for them.

Thank you, Sally and Jessica. :-)

Sally, you did this in such an adult fashion! After years of submissions without any takers, I knew I'd never sell anything without an agent, and when I heard of a new agent who was looking at submissions, I sent in a manuscript I'd just completed that, for the time, was totally "unsellable." (writing a hero with sexual identity issues wasn't working in NY in 2001) I knew absolutely nothing about Jessica, her agency was still too new to show up on the radar, and it was blind luck on my part to find her. Luckily, Jessica liked my voice well enough to take a chance, though it was quite awhile before I actually sent her a marketable manuscript. I've never regretted signing with BookEnds, though in my case it was luck, not smarts, that found me the right agent.

This is something I needed to read (a Backspacer provided this link after my question of "Do I really need an agent?)...

I'm in a similar situation: Book published with a small press, working on second manuscript for which the publisher is interested in....and, being told obtaining an agent would be a really good idea for me.

Like you, I do not want to just go about things willy nilly. I'm not unhappy with my publishers, but I do know that I'll have to make some kind of decision about my career/future.

I'm glad I read this to help me gather my thoughts.

Thank you; wonderful post.

Watership Down - so much love. And also, really seriously: Absalom, Absalom by Faulkner.

Oh, and despise? Jane Eyre. I didn't even finish it, and I think it was the only book I used Cliff Notes for in my entire school career because I just could not stand that book.

And! I totally forgot - I first read Pride and Prejudice in high school. Oh, Jane Austen! That was a love one.

Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, although it wasn't required. Also, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - which I read for an individual class assignment. I also really liked Shakespeare's Macbeth, even though I needed the teacher there to walk me through it.

Hate? Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Heck, pretty much everything I was required to read by Dickens, but I admit to liking the first half of Oliver Twist. Romeo and Juliet. I was expecting this great love story and I got two stupid teenagers who couldn't talk to each other. Even as a teen myself I was annoyed by it. And Shakespeare's The Temptest. My teacher chose this bad boy instead of Hamlet (can you imagine!). I can't remember particulars, but I remember really hating it at the time.

I really liked Animal Farm by George Orwell. It was short enough for me to not hate having to read it on principle, and once I actually started reading it, I really did like it. (I would have liked to have read 1984 instead, though, given the Orwellian nature of an episode of my favorite television show that came on the Friday I first took the book home to read. Fangirlism works in mysterious ways...) I also liked Romeo and Juliet (should I brace for being hit over the head with The Complete Works of Shakespeare now?) BECAUSE I have a thing for tragedy and it was so much less plotless than some, ahem, other things I had to read. Are Romeo, Juliet, and the rest of the cast complete idiots? Well, yeah. But they got what they deserved, yes?

The Giver by Lois Lowry isn't one of my absolute favorites, but I liked it okay. I think I liked A Wrinkle in Time a little more, but it had the same weirdness to it.

Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl drove me up the wall. I understand that as a diary it can't be expected to have a plot. Fine. That doesn't make it a good book. Neither does the fact that it's one of the "most poignant personal documents to come out of WWII." I. DON'T. CARE.

But the one that takes the cake is Treasure Island. You know what that 66% on the test meant? That I had a two-thirds guess factor. I just could not read it.

Hooray for spreading Bartimaeus love!

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers. I had to read it sophomore year in High School, and man I though that book would never end. We read some good ones that year, but I got absolutely nothing out of that one.

Oh, I liked Heart of Darkness, too. The horror...

Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Outsiders

Katherine Paterson's Jacob I Have Loved introduced me her writings which I still read (and collect).

For a dislike anything Steinbeck- not a criticism of his writing...I had read The Red Pony when I was way to young for it (about 9 years old I think) and was completely traumatized. I don't know what it's like now but it was impossible to get through the California school system in the 70's refusing to read Steinbeck and maintain anything like a decent GPA.

We had to read Watership Down in sixth grade and I HATED it. I guess I just wasn't that evolved, because the whole deeper message about society was utterly lost on me, and I was left wondering what on earth I was supposed to say about all those rabbits when essay time came.

I think I had some growing up to do before I could appreciate stories that didn't take place on a Prairie or involve a teen sleuth solving a mystery :)

I loved reading The Outsiders, A Tale of Two Cities, Fahrenheit 451 and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Loathed Steinbeck's The Pearl (one of those "something that seems good turns out to be awful and ends up ruining everyone's life" laugh fests) and Death Be Not Proud.

We actually didn't have much assigned reading in high school, just one novel a year, and most of those were depressing. No wonder people don't become avid readers unless they're already exposed to it at home. The things they're generally exposed to at school leave them with the impression that books are boring and depressing.

I was never assigned any of the five titles you listed. I read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle as a child and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee as an adult.

The Great Gatsby, one of my favorite books of all time, was required reading.

Most of the books I was assigned were in my house, either in my personal library, having been read years earlier, or in the garage, on my mom's bookshelves.

I liked April Morning by Howard Fast. I didn't like Le Mort de Arthur by Mallory, the Scarlett Letter by Hawthorne, or anything by D.H. Lawrence.

My school favorite will always be Little Women. I also liked Across Five Aprils.

Strongly dislike, maybe despise:
The Jungle...
I actually liked the parts of the book that weren't about meat packing, but everyone in my class (including the boys) were so grossed out by the meatpacking and so vocal about it, I couldn't enjoy the rest.
BSC-have you told the story about the woman trying to buy 1984 for her daughter?
~The Druggie

Some of my all time favorite books were required reads in high school English: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, FARENHEIT 451, IN COLD BLOOD, JANE EYRE, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, and more. My English teacher had great taste. :)

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Also, I had to read Brighton Rock, by Graham Greene in college and that turned me on to his whole body of work.
I was never assigned The Outsiders but my stepbrother was and I read his copy!

Most of the books I read in school I forgot soon after I read them - bad on my part, I know. But there are two that stuck with me and remain favorites to this day:
To Kill a Mockingbird & The Chosen by Chaim Potok.

Thanks for the reason to remember.
Carey

I was just discussing this with my my boss - it makes me sad to think that none of the books I read "for school" became one of my best-loved novels. A case of not caring for what I was assigned to read (much of it good in a "well, that's done. What's next?" sort of way) and not being assigned books I cared about.

College lit DID introduce me to Angela Carter, though, and for that I will always be grateful.

We read the The Magician's Nephew from the Narnia series in school. Liked it, so I've read the rest!

Quite liked Shakespeare's Hamlet and Antony & Cleopatra. I found Romeo & Juliet annoying, for reasons stated by wendy. Regardless, I do love the way Shakespeare has absolute fun with language. Language is Shakespeare's pet. If he tells it to sit, it sits. If he tells it to transfer the metaphor punning the double vision, it does!

Of Mice and Men was interesting, but not attractive to me. Steinbeck's a depressing man, which I suppose is quite fitting considering the period he wrote in.

A lot of our reading in school consisted of short stories; I liked them but I can't remember them anymore. In one year, the school actually made us read short historical novels commissioned by themselves (it was a slightly mad private school).

P.S. Do you know where Stealth Geek's gone?

Old Favorites, just to name a few:
*A Wrinkle in Time/Wind in the Door/Swiftly Tilting Planet
*Where the Red Fern Grows
*The Outsiders
*Chronicles of Narnia

New Favorites that everyone should check out:
*Gregor the Overlander series (So good!)
*Bartimaeus trilogy
*The Supernaturalist (I didn't really like Artemis Fowl, but others love that series)
*Eragon and Eldest (can't wait for book 3)
*Holes
*My Life in Dog Years (Gary Paulsen)


I am a teacher, and here's what we read in class this school year:

*Because of Winn Dixie
*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
*The Mouse and the Motorcycle
*The Whipping Boy
*Bridge to Terabithia

Right now we are reading Walk Two Moons, but we only have 3 1/2 days of school remaining...

Oops, forgot the books I despised. Believe it or not, I can only think of one book I didn't like in school and that was Animal Farm. Most people love that book, so I'm just an anomaly, I'm sure! I read a number of classic titles that I thought were very boring, like Jane Eyre, but I didn't "hate" it... I just love books too much to hate very many of them!

Hated hated HATED Great Expectations. I truly believed that the book would never end, although my classmates were much amused by Mrs. Havisham on fire. Hated Romeo and Juliet what twerps.

On the love list for highschool there sadly isn't much that I was assigned. Macbeth was wonderful, and is still my favorite Shakespeare. Other than that it was pretty dismal reading.

I liked Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Animal Farm, Walden(sort of), and The Pearl. I hated Ernest Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. The only book to really compare to that since, for me, was Anna Karenina; 1300 pages of much ado about little, 300 of which consist of vacillations about whether God exists or not with no theology, just "feelings." Atrocious B.S., though Tolstoy's prose style is good.

I was fortunate to have a 5th grade teacher who read to her class on a daily basis. Do teachers even have time to do that sort of thing these days? Anyway, listening to a regularly scheduled afternoon reading of A WRINKLE IN TIME and WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS are two of my fondest childhood memories . . .

Looking over some of these lists,plenty of people here have had some sophisticated reading lists in school. Most of my assigned reading was pretty standard-Steinbeck,Fitzgerald and Shakespeare(R& J and Hamlet). No Dickens,Alcott,Harper Lee, Hemingway or even Across Five Aprils(which I still haven't read!).

I had one HS teacher who was pretty cool in her choices;she not only had us read Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth(which I really enjoyed)but showed us the film version in class. She also assigned us Nectar In A Sieve,another good one.

The only book that I can recall not liking was Lord Jim-it was assigned by a different teacher and I barely read the first chapter.

For the sake of being complicated, Lord of the Flies for love and hate. I hated it when I was required to read it sophomore year of HS. However, I came back to it five years later and really appreciated it.

I have a fond memory of reading a "chapter book" called Number the Stars in elementary school. If I had to guess, I'd estimate that I've read it at least 14 times.

Despite the praise my english literature education deserves, I will say that I will live and die by the fact that I despise For Whom the Bell Tolls, Walden and As I Lay Dying. Those "works" make a day at the dentist look like a cake walk.

HATED- Hatchet by Gary Paulson (very scary to me), The Pearl (although it did teach me that men are STUPID and should be AVOIDED, which is a good lesson to teach adolescent girls), and Great Expectations.

Hated at first - Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck. My best friend and I called each other and gushed when the damn preacher finally died. Then, under the advice of my high school english teacher, I re-read Steinbeck and now he is one of my fave authors.

LOVED- Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane (I think I met his son last week), Jane Eyre, Tao Te Ching.

Interesting discussion... I have to admit that I loathed The Heart of Darkness. I read it during a time period when I was feeling bleak anyway, and it was too much for me. But I'm with you on To Kill a Mockingbird. I also liked David Copperfield, which I borrowed from my 8th grade English teacher.

I really enjoyed Animal Farm, All Quiet on the Western Front, Their Eyes Were Watching God, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," "The Cask of Amontillado," Brave New World, Jane Eyre and Hamlet. With Brave New World I was so excited to be assigned a sci fi novel. I hated Catcher in the Rye and As I Lay Dying. And Things Fall Apart.

Here's my rundown, from high school in the early 80s:

Loved and have re-read lots-- Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Tried to tell myself I loved, so I could believe I was smart, but I've never re-read it-- Virginia Wolf, To the Lighthouse

Didn't exactly love, and don't feel much urge to re-read, but was stunned by -- Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart, and Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye

Loathed -- Joeseph Conrad, Victory. But since I didn't actually read it, being unable to, perhaps this is unfair.

Good question!

Loved: Number the Stars

Loved, and was surprised about it: The Scarlet Letter

Hated: The Red Badge of Courage. Ugh.

I took a class in High School all centered around short stories. I loved most of them and the great exposure to many authors - except one. Franz Kafka. I will forever shudder when I think of the cockroach in The Metamorphosis. I found his writing abhorrent at the time.

I loved Shakespeare; Hamlet and Julius Cesaer, and the traditional Romeo and Juliet, enjoyed George Orwell, loved Ray Bradbury, and enjoyed the small bits of Steinbeck that we were given. Best of all I loved the discussions!! I must have been blessed!

I teach school and yes, I MAKE time to read aloud to my students!! It's the only way to enrich vocabulary, expose them to phonemics, and build readers!! Plus it just downright makes me (and them) happy!

Loved: _Fifth Business_,by Davies, _Heart of Darkness_, by Conrad, _One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch, by Solzhenitsyn

Hated: _Grapes of Wrath_, by Steinbeck, _The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, by Richler

Can't wai tto check these out. They look wonderful!

I found Louise Borden reviews on this book site. You might find it interesting.