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2016 is the second year in a row that all the 20 nominees in the acting categories for the Oscars are all white. This prompted the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite created by April Reign to resurface. While television has started to become more diverse, this still isn’t reflected other media.
While the news media may cover this year’s Oscars Diversity Gap as a new issue, the truth is that discrimination toward artists of color is as old as America. Historically, performers of color were often unable to find places in the United States to perform and hone their talent. Ultimately, many of these performers had to leave America in order to be able to perform, and often found great success and acclaim in Europe, Russia, and other parts of the world. Here are just a few:
Ira’s Shakespeare Dream, written by Glenda Armand and illustrated by Floyd Cooper – Ira Aldridge dreams of performing Shakespeare’s plays. He journeys to England to realize his dreams.
Ira Aldridge was born in New York in 1807. As a child, he attended the African Free School. While a teenager, he acted with the African Grove Theater, performing plays for mostly black audiences. At the time, black actors were not allowed to perform for white audiences onstage – or even to share the same theaters. Eventually, Ira traveled to England in order to pursue his dream to act in Shakespeare’s plays. Even in England, he encountered resistance from critics saying he shouldn’t play roles that were meant for white actors. Yet Ira persevered, and became the first black actor to play the coveted role of Othello on the English state. Ira traveled around Europe performing Shakespeare’s plays, and was especially well-received in Russia and Prussia, where he was knighted. Despite never being able to return to the United States, Ira would often preach about the evils of slavery after his plays and raise money for abolitionist causes.
Shining Shar: The Anna May Wong Story, written by Paula Yoo and illustrated by Lin Wang – The true story of Chinese American film star Anna May Wong, whose trail-blazing career in Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s broke new ground for future generations of Asian American actors.
During the time that Anna May Wong rose to acting fame, most movies that portrayed Asian characters used white actors in yellowface. Anna May got her start as an extra in a film near where she lived. Later, Anna May was cast in many supporting roles where she caught the public eye. But even with fame and success, many of the roles offered to Anna May were racial stereotypes Chinese people. Tired of portraying stereotypes, Anna May journeyed to Europe, where she had supporting roles in films like Piccadilly. In 1935, Anna May lost the role of O-lan in The Good Earth to Luise Rainer. The United States had laws that would prevent Anna May from sharing an onscreen kiss with a white actor. Pearl S. Buck, the author of The Good Earth wanted the film to be cast with an all Chinese cast, but was told that American audiences weren’t ready for such a film.
Later, Anna May journeyed to China, and she vowed to never play another racial stereotype. In 1951, she starred in the first TV show to star an Asian American actor, The Gallery of Madam Liu-Tsong.
Unfortunately, stereotypes still permeate television and film. Many actors of color have had the experience of casting directors asking them to play up racial or ethnic stereotypes.
Other books about American performers who found success outside the US:
Give Me Wings, by Kathy Lowinger – After Ella Sheppard enters Fisk Free Colored School (later Fisk University), she becomes a founding member of the Jubilee Singers, in order to raise funds for the school. They traveled around the United States and Europe introducing audiences to spirituals.
Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker, written by Patricia Hruby Powell and illustrated by Christian Robinson: This book follows the life of Josephine Baker, who was raised in the slums of St. Louis. Later, she found great success in Europe as a dancer and actress.
Further Reading
Please check out the following posts in the Ira’s Shakespeare Dream blog tour:
While the advocacy for an Asian Iron Fist has positive intentions and is well reasoned, it is not the hill advocates of media representation should seek to die on.
6 Comments on Editorial: We Don’t Need an Asian Iron Fist (or Daredevil, for That Matter), last added: 12/15/2015
The word is Marvel is looking at Asian and white actors for the Iron fist show, but isn’t it possible that Marvel will use Iron Fist to introduce Shang Chi, just as they used the jessica joines show to introduce Luke Cage?
Lucia said, on 12/14/2015 12:29:00 PM
At this point, I think too many people have put way too much value on the decision Marvel goes. The arguments and reasoning for people’s preference (those who have one as there are fans who have none at all and are just hoping for a great actor to take on the role) are understandable and have me nodding and listening and learning.
Having said that, a lot of people are going to be unhappy with whatever is decided. This is quite a deficit for the individual who will be chosen to be Iron Fist and that’s where I find things to be rather dismal.
Gary Burke said, on 12/14/2015 4:25:00 PM
“When Marvel and DC Comics hear cries for diversification, their first instinct is to turn to legacy characters like Red Wolf and Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu.”
Marvel’s first reaction to calls for diversity was Miles Morales, black Nick Fury, Sam Wilson Cap, Lady Thor, Muslim Ms. Marvel, Korean Hulk, the list goes on. Marvel changed their entire first string team long before they fell back on 4th string nobodies like Red Wolf or Master of Kung-Fu.
DC on the other hand pulled out Flipper Dipper.
Roland said, on 12/14/2015 9:27:00 PM
This article and writer is stupid. Having an asian american as a lead actor for Iron Fist would be a significant step forward. There is nothing wrong with perpetuating the martial arts stereotype – it’s not a negative stereotype per say. Is it wrong to cast a black man as a lead in a basketball film? I don’t think so. Having some sort of representation is better than not being represented at all. I am completely apalled at the fact that the writer would rather prefer not seeing an asian in the media than having him assume the role of a protagonist and hero.
Kevin Ahn said, on 12/14/2015 10:04:00 PM
I appreciate your thoughts in the article Alexander. I think conversations like this are important. I understand the concern of pigeonholing Asian actors into martial arts roles. I also appreciate you saying that more Asian comic book characters need to be created. However, I disagree that casting an Asian-American Iron Fist would be a negative.
There are ways to nuance an Asian-American Iron Fist. I read Ching’s article as well and I think he was reductionistic in making Danny Rand only a simple martial arts hero. An Asian-American Fist can still have depth and be more than Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee.
1. We can still have the outsider story that so many comic fanboys (of which I consider myself to be one) love. If you make Danny Rand either bi-racial or a 2nd/3rd generation Asian-American, you keep the outsider storyline, but also add layers to it. How many Asian-Americans feel the pull between American culture and Asian culture?
2. An Asian martial arts series by itself isn’t a bad thing. In Chinese cinema martial arts movies are a true art form. It’s part of the heritage of Asian cinema, just like Westerns are a big part of American cinema. Furthermore, you can add layers to the martial arts element. Go watch Rickson Gracie talk about BJJ and how it’s such a transformative tool. The constant practice and failure that goes into learning martial arts could be a great storytelling device if taken beyond the “snatch the pebble from my hand,” cliche.
3. Newer comic book characters don’t get as much pull. Ask anyone who their favorite superhero is. Iron Man? Captain America? Batman (my own favorite)? Flash? Green Lantern (another favorite thanks to Geoff Johns). What do these heroes have in common? They are all well established heroes. Simply creating another hero through comics, that does not have nearly as big an audience as movies, and hoping he or she will become popular is very hard to do. Miles Morales isn’t mainstream enough as seen in the casting of Asa Butterfield for the new Spider-Man and it will be a long time until Amadeus Cho is. Why not use a platform like the Marvel Netflix series, which hit it out of the park with Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and have an Asian Iron Fist?
4. Finally, we see white castings for Asian roles all the time. Scarlett Johannson for “Ghost in a Shell”. Emma Stone in Aloha. Tom Cruise as William Cage in “The Edge of Tomorow,” originally Kiriya Keiji in the novel that the film is based on. In the live-action “Akira” movie, Robert Pattinson was rumored to be Tetsuo and Andrew Garfield was supposed to be Kaneda. Why is the comic book community, a community I love, so abhorred by the idea of an Asian or bi-racial Danny Rand.
I agree with your final statement, that Asians should not be discouraged if Danny Rand is cast as caucasian. But I don’t think having an Asian Iron Fist is as negative as you think.
DJ said, on 12/15/2015 6:43:00 AM
You know, I would love to see a Jimmy Woo and the Agents of ATLAS movie, or series, or whatever.
Hey all, Hannah here! Last week, I spoke in depth about how to summarize your novel for a query. The month before, I gave some tips on little ways to take yours to the next level. Today, I’m going to go into a bit more depth about some of the larger mistakes I often see that might give agents a reason to reject a query.
This is a hard truth: many agents receive hundreds of queries a week, and yours will, someday, be among them. When an agent reads so many queries every day (if they are lucky enough to find the time among all of their other responsibilities), it sometimes becomes easier to find reasons to reject a query, rather than reasons not to.
The number biggest reason a query gets rejected, aside from simply not fitting an agent’s list or tastes? A query that betrays poor to no research. So without further ado, here are some mistakes I regularly see that tell me a querier has jumped the gun.
Mistake: Telling instead of showing.
Yes, this is true in queries as well as fiction. Every so often I’ll see a query that has a very short summary, often even more like a logline, detailing the very broad plot points of the story, followed by many paragraphs explaining character motivation and themes.
For example:
When a girl and a boy are thrust into an emotional situation, they are forced to confront the realities of friendship and go on a search for the meaning of life.
I wanted to write this book because the themes of lost love and identity speak to me, and, as someone who has experienced a terrible breakup, I felt I was the best person to tell this story. Michelle and Tony are best friends but I wanted to drive an emotional wedge between them in the form of a third love interest.
Etc.
This tendency comes from not knowing how to summarize your story. Rather than over-explaining to the point of confusion, the story is under-explained to the point of being too broad. Anyone who still doubts their ability to summarize their novel well should check out last week’s post for guidance. Because an agent should be able to tell quite clearly from the stakes you outline in the summary what your character’s motivations are.
Mistake: Explaining this is the first book you’ve written/that it’s recently completed OR calling this your debut/yourself a debut writer
This is a mistake because it highlights you as possibly inexperienced whether you are or want to be framed that way. It isn’t pertinent information – it changes nothing about your story, how you summarize your story, or anything within your bio. The only thing it does is tell me that there’s a possibility you haven’t done your research.
There is no need to point out if this is your first book or your fiftieth. Let the work speak for itself.
Mistake: Confusing “personalizing your query” for “restating the submission page on the website”
This actually a very easy mistake to make. We often see advice that suggests personalizing a query by telling the agent why you chose him or her. This shows the agent that you didn’t just mass email your query – you took time and put thought into who you contacted.
But what I often see instead of “I noticed quirky, adventurous middle grade on your #MSWL, and felt my manuscript fit the bill”, is: “I went to your website and saw that you are looking for thrillers and upmarket fiction and romance and that you enjoy working with new authors. Therefore I am emailing you.”
Here’s the thing: the agent knows what’s on the website. Don’t waste valuable query space repeating it. That space should be for you and your story. And if you don’t have something more specific to personalize with, that’s okay! If you chose the agent based on what the website says he or she wants, just start with your hook and go from there.
Mistake: Naming more than three characters.
A long, confusing summary often gets that way when too many characters are named in a query. The moment you name a character is the moment you tell a reader that character is important. Perhaps you have more than one main character – maybe you have five, or seven! It doesn’t matter. Pick your most important character, the one whose struggle your book is ultimately about, and focus your query on him or her. After that, only name those who absolutely must be named in relation to the summary. If you can help it, try not to name more than three characters. The person reading your query will (hopefully) be far less confused.
One of the things I struggled with when querying was exactly this problem – knowing who to name and who to leave out. But trust me: it can be done.
Mistake: Using bad comp titles.
This one is actually really hard to get right, in my opinion, and if you aren’t entirely certain, just don’t use them. Do they help? Only if they’re spot on.
Using books that are huge sellers/extremely well-loved is generally a no-no. Why? Because comparing yourself to J.K. Rowling or Suzanne Collins or Stephen King goes back to the haughty or poorly researched issue. It’s much safer to use titles that do/have done well enough and are known, but not so huge that you look arrogant or ignorant of other good books. It’s also generally best to use something more current – more than a couple years old and they begin to lose relevance.
See? Told you it was tough.
Another question I sometimes get: can a querier use TV shows or films as comp titles? The answer is…yes and no. Tread lightly here. I wouldn’t use more than one TV/film comp title, and if you do, it’s often helpful to balance it with a book title. Lots of agents feel differently in this category – some hate when queriers use TV/film titles, and some really like it. If you aren’t sure, do your research. Check out an agent’s twitter, interviews they have done, etc. If there are no answers to be found and you aren’t 110% certain of the titles you’ve chosen? Skip them. This is another area where it’s best to err on the side of caution.
It’s true that there are writers who make mistakes like these and still get agents. All of publishing is subjective – what bothers one agent may not bother another. The format one agent loves, another might hate. But being informed and well-researched shows in a query, no matter who you’re querying. And that is far more valuable than you realize.
Once again, I hope this has been useful. Good luck to everyone in their querying endeavors!
Hey all! JJ here. Here at PubCrawl we’re super excited to introduce some new and awesome developments that have been brewing for a while, the chiefest of which is a PODCAST. That’s right, we are getting to the podcasting game, mostly because Kelly and I are podcast junkies with Lots of Opinions. Anyway, enjoy our inaugural episode and please don’t judge too harshly!
Apologies for some audio issues. Apparently JJ needs to wear tight-fitting clothes so the sound of cloth rubbing against the desk doesn’t get picked up by her fancy-schmancy mic. This is a work in progress.
It’s TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART sung by Vicomte de Chagny and an ingenue named Sarah as a VAMPIRE LOVE DUET. I mean, c’mon.
It’s All Coming Back to Me Now (as performed by Jeremy Jordan)
That’s it for this week! Next week, we’ll be discussing SUBMISSIONS AND ACQUISITIONS. As always, if you have any questions or comments, sound off in the comments, or ask us on Tumblr!
We are working on getting a feed up to iTunes, so bear with us! We promise we’re on it; it’s just that the technical aspects of all this is somewhat new to us. :)
DO NOT LOOK UP THE BROADWAY VERSION. Despite having Michael Crawford and Rene Auberjonois, it was…terrible. ↩
Today, cartoonist Nidhi Chanani announced that her first graphic novel, Pashima, has been picked up by First Second to be released in 2017. Pashima is the story of a Indian-American girl named Priyanka Das who lives in Orange County and seeks to reconnect with her mother’s Indian roots. She finds a pashima shawl that whisks her away from America and takes her on a “fantastical journey to understand her heritage – and herself.” Think 1001 Arabian Nights meets Persepolis.
Chanani describes her story as an attempt to undo the decades of misconceptions surrounding India. Instead of a land filled with “poverty, hokey gurus, and the kama sutra,” Chanani wants readers to experience the India that she knows, filled with “strong family ties, deep spirituality, and beautiful landscapes.” Unlike other graphic novels that deal with topics of “otherness” from a racial perspective like Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese, Chanani’s book does not seek to cut or scathe. She does not seek to confront a group of oppressors, but rather empower children that currently share the struggle that she once faced in her youth. From the announcement:
My teenage understanding of India was tainted by poverty stricken, third world imagery. How wonderful would it be if a young person learned about their culture through only positive representations? That’s the root of Pashmina; opening a suitcase and traveling to a fantasy version of India where a character can learn about their heritage in a favorable light.
Chanani is a newcomer to the world of comics, but is well known as an illustrator and social activist. She was honored by the White House as a Champion of Change for Asians and Pacific Islanders and runs a portfolio and studio site called Everyday Love. As a first generation kid myself, I think it’s great to see stories that seek to embrace the duality of the culture minorities live in in America rather than seeking to separate from one or the other.
2 Comments on First Second Announces Pashima, a YA Bildungsroman that Seeks to Change the Way You See India, last added: 6/13/2015
School Library Journal came out with their Diversity Issue a few months ago and it’s been on my “to read” pile since then. Their lead article Children’s Books: Still an All-White World? tells a depressing tale of under-representation of black children in US children’s books (they are the only ethnic group mentioned, I am presuming this goes doubly so for groups with smaller representation in the US) and ends with a call to action for librarians to make sure they are creating a market for these titles to encourage more books by and about all kinds of people.
I grew up in a Free to Be You and Me sort of world where my mother actively selected books for me to read with a wide range of ethnicities represented. I had dolls representing many backgrounds. My mother wrote textbooks where there were strict rules about being inclusive and representative and, living in a small town, I assumed this was the way the rest of the world worked. Not so. Reading this article drove home the point that while I may have been a young person during a rare time of expansion of titles and characters of color, that expansion slowed and the situation is still stagnant even as the US is becoming more diverse than ever. Another article in the Diversity Issue highlights research which indicates that “the inclusion of these cross-group images encourages cross-group play“. Sounds like a good thing. We should be doing more.
2 Comments on if we want to see more diversity in literature, we have to buy the books, last added: 7/20/2014
Like many? others I have been cncerned with the apparent lack of inteest in material related to characters of color – of even real people ho have made considerable contributions to our society. I find it disappointing that many libraries do not purchase the Coretta Scott King Award Books volumes although they are highly rated as to content, quality illustrations reproduced from award winning titles and biographical information often not found elsewhere. Is that too many feel that this information in not really important, not really needed? or can be found elsewhere?
I wonder about the interest level of those who are even members of minority cultures? Maybe the information in the article will spark some renewed interest in the topic.
Freeman said, on 7/20/2014 3:13:00 AM
Thanks for sharing such excellent info with us, i cherish it.
I just wanted to leave a comment in your guestbook and say:
Keep up the great!
Tomorrow, Saturday, July 12th is the Harlem Book Fair. LEE & LOW BOOKS will be there from 11 a.m., selling some of your favorite titles. We’ll be at table C32!
For a full list of tables and exhibitors, please click here.
LEE & LOW BOOKS, along with some other industry professionals, will be participating in a panel discussion on diversity in children’s books:
ABUNDANTLY RICH: HARVESTING THE WEALTH IN MULTICULTURAL BOOK PUBLISHING
“Noisy and aggressive,” “childish,” “over the top,” “pointless.” These are just a few recent descriptions of Prime Minister’s Questions – the most watched event in the Parliamentary week.
Public dismay at PMQs has led the Speaker, John Bercow, to consult with party leaders over reform. The Hansard Society asked focus groups what they thought of PMQs as part of its annual look at public engagement. Nearly half said the event is “too noisy and aggressive”, the same proportion as those who felt that MPs behave unprofessionally. Meanwhile, a majority of 33% to 27% reported that it put them off politics. Only 12% said it made them “proud of our Parliament”.
John Bercow. By Office of John Bercow CC-BY-SA-3.0
Both the Deputy Prime Minister Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband agreed that the baying and screeching gave politics and politicians a bad name, and while Prime Minister David Cameron was a little more guarded, he too thought that Mr Bercow’s ideas were interesting and worth looking at.
So would it help if politicians listened to each other little bit more and shouted at each other a little bit less? The fact that PMQs is simultaneously the most watched and the least respected Parliamentary event is significant. No doubt we watch it precisely because we enjoy the barracking and the bawling, and there is always the possibility of grudging admiration for a smart bit of wordplay by one or other of the combatants. Parliamentary sketch writers nearly always judge the winner of PMQs on the basis of which of the party leaders has bested the other in terms of quips and ripostes – and very rarely on the basis of political substance.
So it’s hardly an informative occasion. Indeed the Hansard’s respondents’ main gripes are that questions are scripted, and that there are too many planted questions and too few honest answers.
Once again, though, maybe this misses the point. Some will say that the civilised and serious political work is done behind the scenes in committee rooms, where party loyalty is less obviously on display, and where considered debate often takes place. On this account, PMQs occupy a very small amount of parliamentary time, and anyway, the sometimes angry jousting that takes place between party leaders on Wednesdays is as much a part of politics as the polite exchange of views we find in Parliamentary committees. Where would politics be without disagreement? Would it be politics at all?
David Cameron. By World Economic Forum/Moritz Hager (Flickr) CC-BY-SA-2.0
And it’s a fact that although good listening is much prized in daily conversation, it’s been almost completely ignored in the form of political conversation we know as democracy. While PMQs show that politicians aren’t always very good at listening to each other, they’re not much better at listening to the public either. Politicians instinctively know that listening in a democracy is vital to legitimacy. That’s why when they’re in trouble they reach for the listening card and initiate a “Big Conversation,” like the one Tony Blair started in late 2003, not so many months after the million people march against the Iraq war.
But won’t a government that listens hard and changes its mind just be accused of that ultimate political crime, the U-turn? In 2012, the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, announced some radical changes in UK secondary school education, including a return to an older style assessment regime. Then in February 2013 he suddenly announced that the changes wouldn’t take place after all. Predictably, the Opposition spokesman called this a ‘humiliating climbdown’. Equally predictably, Gove’s supporters played the listening card for it was worth, with Nick Clegg saying effusively that, “There is no point having a consultation if you’ve already made up your mind what you’re going to do at the end of it.”
So it looks as though, as far as listening goes, governments are damned if they do and damned if they don’t: accused of weakness if they change their mind and of pig-headedness and a failure to listen if they don’t. On balance, I’d rather have them listening more – both to each other and to us. John Dryzek is surely right to say that, “the most effective and insidious way to silence others in politics is a refusal to listen.”
As the ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus says: “Nature hath given men and one tongue but two ears, that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak.”
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Image credit: John Bercow, by Office John Bercow, CC-BY-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. (2) David Cameron, by World Economic Forum/Mortiz Hager (Flickr), CC-BY-SA-2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
It should now be clear to all that the highly polarized environment that is Washington is dysfunctional, and the disillusionment it is causing portends yet more headlocks and cynicism to come.
Here is the all-too-familiar cycle of American electoral politics in the last few decades. Campaign gurus draw sharp distinctions to get out the vote. The impassioned vote wins the day. Impatient voters watch their newly elected president or representative fail to pass in undiluted form the the reforms promised during the campaign. Disillusion ensues. The gurus step in with a new round of fiesty charges, and the cycle begins anew.
At some point, citizens are going to get tired of being stoked, poked, and roped, and all for nought. The Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements are reactions against a system gone awry. The low approval ratings for the Congress and the president are another indicator. The Republicans’ perpetual search for an anti-establishment alternative is another.
And now we are facing a spectacular new failure. The “super committee” charged with reaching a budget reduction deal has proved itself anything but super. If twelve people can no longer agree to make hard decisions, it is reflective of the larger malaise of which we dare not speak. It is that democracy has run amok in a republic founded on the idea that our elected representatives should be able to make decisions on our behalf, and sometimes in spite of ourselves, because representation is a higher calling than mimicry. Maybe that is why Abraham Lincoln did not deliver a single campaign speech in 1860.
Each of the twelve men and women in the committee are thinking about their constituencies, their parties, and their base and so bluster and bravado must take precedence over compromise and conciliation. When the voice of the people, artificially stoked for shrillness, begins to infect the deliberative process even in between electoral cycles, there is no chance for serious inter-branch deliberation. We have reduced our representatives to sycophants whose mantra is do nothing but heap the blame on the other party.
The solution is not to exploit the disillusioned by way of new campaign slogans and negative ads to artificially jolt their temporary and baser passions, but for the noise and the trouble-makers fixated only on winning at the next ballot to be weeded out of the system. To do that, citizens must realize that the lion’s share of what counts as democracy today is making it nearly impossible for the representatives of our republic to make decisions on behalf of We the People. Remember: ours is a republic, if we can keep it.
Elvin Lim is Associate Professor of Government at Wesleyan University and author of The Anti-intellectual Presidency, which draws on interviews with more than 40 presidential speechwriters to investigate this relentless qualitative decline, over the course of 200 years, in our presidents’ ability to communicate with the public. He also blogs at www.elvinlim.com and his column on politics appears here each week.
This post continues to chronicle my attendance at the Telluride at Dartmouth program at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Days 1 & 2 (A Dangerous Method and Albert Nobbs) can be found here, Day 3 (We Need to Talk About Kevin) can be found here.
I resisted In Darkness because it is a Holocaust film, and that is just about my least favorite movie genre. Nonetheless, it is a genre I'm deeply familiar with, and was the subject of the first serious film book I ever read, the original edition of Annette Insdorf's Indelible Shadows, which I discovered on my father's bookshelves when I was in high school. Soon after, I saw Schindler's List and found it deeply moving in a very adolescent way (on my part, at least, and maybe on Spielberg's). Later, I realized that Schindler's List had created a sort of emotional smugness in me -- it had made me feel good about feeling all the appropriate emotions. Spielberg is one of the greatest manipulators of emotion that the cinema has ever seen, and part of the pleasure of his action films, especially, lies in surrendering to them, allowing our emotions to be played by a virtuoso. I resist this in his films about something more serious than excitement; my loathing of The Color Purple and Munich is boundless and perhaps even a bit irrational -- indeed, I may resent the manipulation so much that I tend to perceive it as worse (cinematically and morally) than it is. At the same time, I desire great art to help us understand the Nazi era and its aftermath -- Paul Celan is my favorite 20th century poet, perhaps because so much of the power I perceive in his words derives from a struggle with (and against) the representation of atrocity. The problem is that for me it has to be great art. Plenty of subjects can withstand mediocre, ordinary, awkward, or bad art. Art that takes the Nazi years as its subject and ends up, in my estimation, to be less than great feels like a trivialization, and it infuriates me.
In any case, this is the background I brought to In Darkness, and explains why I spent the first half hour or so with my arms folded and jaw clenched -- I had pretty well decided that whatever magic spells this film tried to cast, I would resist them.
In Darkness tells the story of the final liquidation of the ghetto in Lvov, Poland, in June 1943 and of a group of Jews who hid in the city's sewers to survive. They were aided by Leopold Socha, a sewer worker, whose original goals were mercenary -- in the film, he is represented as a scavenger and thief, and tension is built early on because we fully expect him to take the Jews' money and then turn them over to the Germans for a reward. This is not what happens, though, and one path of the narrative is the story of Socha's redemption.
Had that been the primary path of the narrative, I would have hated In Darkness, because using the Holocaust as a plot device for tales of redemption seems despicable to me. (Millions of people died, and thus Our Protagonist found the goodne
2 Comments on Telluride at Dartmouth: In Darkness, last added: 10/2/2011
Since Sony picked up US distribution for it recently and it's the Polish entry for the Academy Awards (very likely nominee, good chance of being the winner), I expect it will be at least available on DVD/on-demand by the spring.
Except if Rick Scott's executive order banning all films in languages other than English from being distributed in Florida survives the court challenge...
I've always said that when you get an offer of representation, or from a publisher, for that matter, you need to use that offer as leverage to find the agent who is best for you and your work. What that means is that when you get an offer you should contact every other agent who has your work, let them know of the offer, and give them a time by which they need to respond to you. I'm here today to make some amendments to that original treatise.
I still think one of the most important things an author can do when getting an offer of representation is consider the offer carefully and interview as many other agents as possible. Remember, the agent who is right for your mother, best friend, bestselling author, or sister's husband's uncle's half-brother is not necessarily the agent that's right for you. However, I also think when talking to other agents and leveraging your offer you need to do it in a way that makes sense and that is productive.
Previously I said contact every other agent "who has your work." My amendment to that is that you should contact "every other agent you haven't heard from yet," which includes those who still have queries. Agents read at different paces. Some read faster, or some might go through a spurt this week of query reading while others were planning to do that next week. If an agent hasn't yet requested material it doesn't mean she's not going to, it could mean she hasn't gotten to your query. Therefore, don't be afraid to contact her to let her know of your offer. In the past six months I offered on three different books when the authors notified me, and I hadn't even gotten to their queries yet. In fact, in some cases they sent a query with the offer because they wanted to hear from me.
Previously I said contact "every other agent," which I'm amending to "every other agent who you are interested in having as your agent." There have been times when I've gotten the distinct feeling that authors with offers were letting every agent know of the offer, asking every agent to spend time reading the manuscript, when in actuality they already knew exactly what decision they were going to make. I think the saying goes "don't waste my time and I won't waste yours." I do think it's important that you contact agents to leverage the offer and get to know, by talking to them, if they would be right for your work, and I realize that you might contact people, get an offer, and go with the first one anyway. That's okay, but if you have an offer from Agent A and proposals out with Agent B and Agent C and queries with Agent D and Agent F (you've already been rejected by Agent E), you should definitely contact them all. Unless you already know that although Agent C is a heavy hitter, you've met her and really didn't click. Then why bother Agent C? Let her off the hook now and simply pull your submission from consideration. Don't make things harder on yourself by wasting your own time, either. If Agent C does offer now you'll need to talk to her on the phone and hold an interview, when you've already decided she's not your speed.
A couple of years ago I made an offer to an author I was really excited about. Stupid thing to say really because I'm always "really excited" about every author I offer to. Anyway, she too was excited, but had the proposal with a couple of other agents and wanted to give them time to consider. Of course I thought that was a smart plan and told her I would wait. The next day she called me back to tell me she was an idiot (which she's not). I was her dream agent and talking with me only cemented that further. Rather than waste anyone else's time she had simply contacted the other agents to let them know she had accepted another offer. Yay for me! Now, in cases like this, when a submission is pulled, agents always get a little annoyed, but I think truthfully we actually feel left out (like we didn't get invited to the party), but you know what? I'd rather not get invited than be invited only because your mom made you invite me when I could have be
42 Comments on You Have an Offer, last added: 7/13/2011
May I ask what the best thing is to put into the subject line of an email which is to notify an agent of an offer elsewhere? What would get your immediate attention? Just "offer of representation"?
I recently went through this, and because of an earlier post of yours I read on this subject, I did contact all the other agents I was interested in working with. I ended up with four offers, the last coming from someone on my "dream agent" list.
That being said, I want to add one thing I learned. When you contact the other agents you haven't heard from yet, contact them at their direct email, not their query email. The agent I ended up choosing almost didn't get to my proposal in time, because I sent the "I have an offer" email to her query email address. She was behind by a couple of weeks, so she didn't see my "I have an offer" email until the day before I had set as my deadline to make a decision. Luckily, she was able to take a look at my proposal and offer.
Both she and another agent I sent the "I have an offer" email to said it would have been appropriate to send to their direct email address, and the other agent said it would have even been acceptable to call the agency.
Also, to answer Steena's question, I read somewhere to put the mention of the offer in the subject line. Mine looked like this: "Update: Query: Book Title (offers of representation received)".
Been There Done That said, on 7/11/2011 7:08:00 AM
I've read this advice on other agents' blogs. And I have to say I can see the advantage to the agent, but not to the writer, of taking the time to contact all the agents who haven't troubled themselves to read the manuscript yet.
Here's the thing. You don't know whether an agent is the right one for you till you work with her. Interviewing her isn't really going to tell you much.
"May I ask what the best thing is to put into the subject line of an email which is to notify an agent of an offer elsewhere? What would get your immediate attention? Just "offer of representation"?"
I think these are two excellent questions. As an author, I'd probably put "offer of representation" in the subject line and I'd wait a day or two. But I'd be aggressive about it, and wouldn't wait too long.
Jessica, with regard to contacting agents who you're interested in possibly working with if you receive an offer, but you haven't contacted them already, what about if the reason you haven't contacted them yet is because they're on a query hiatus? Would the hiatus be "in effect" still if this scenario were to happen?
Yes, if you would like an agent for an epublisher I think the same applies and yes, you need to show all competing agents the same work.
I would put "offer of representation" in the subject line. In the case of BookEnds, "query" or "submission" sends you straight to my query folder so simply, "offer of representation" should guarantee it gets read.
Anon 11:10 makes a good point. Most agents will want a deadline of sorts. Will you give them a week? Through the weekend?
Katie: I recently received almost this exact email from someone who hadn't queried me because I am closed to queries. I read it, fell in love with it and in fact we just closed a deal with a publisher.
This is awesomely useful information and thank you for sharing it.
I've never had to contact an agent before, so I found this post greatly informative and helpful if I ever do get the chance to search for an agent to work with. I only hope I meet someone as awesome as you.
I'm not in this situation yet, but here is another possible wrinkle:
What if you have 2 mss out, and they are in different subgenres (say, one is a historical mystery, the other an urban fantasy mystery). If you get an offer for the urban fantasy, should you contact the agents who have the historical mystery, too?
"Anon 11:10 makes a good point. Most agents will want a deadline of sorts. Will you give them a week? Through the weekend?"
I would. My concern would be getting the agent's attention. You guys at Book Ends seem on top of things. But I've been through experiences where not all agencies are.
Been There Done That: I can see the advantage to the writer if he/she hasn't made a firm decision yet (ex: #2 most desired agent makes an offer of representation, but writer is still waiting to hear from #1). It could make a desired agent bump the writer's query up to the top of their priority list and make a decision faster. And this is definitely an advantage if you already have an offer from a publisher.
Here's the thing. You don't know whether an agent is the right one for you till you work with her. Interviewing her isn't really going to tell you much. You could make that argument for any job, though. My boss couldn't have known for sure I was going to work out until I began my job, but made a best guess based on my interview. It's worked out fine for me so far, but I could have just had good interview skills and not been quite as adept at what I do once I began working. It's always a gamble, but at least an interview provides a little more information to consider.
If you get an opportunity to go conferences where agents hang out, it's a good idea to attend their talks or say hello. I know Jessica is a great agent because I've talked to her clients too. Best Cathleen ross
Maybe I'm old school, but I was under the impression you didn't submit simultaneously to agent/publishers unless they said they would accept that. And most don't like to. So I'm not sure how you'd have your mss out to so many different agents at the same time.
Is an offer from a publishing house the same as having an offer on the table, even if it’s not from another agent? That’s the pickle I’m in. I have an offer from a publishing house by a referral from an editor who worked at Random House in the past, but I really want an agent that can help a newbie author like me through the process. . .
First of all, I love the mall analogy. Secondly, great post!
My agent and I have amicably parted ways. As in life, sometimes the person you thought was "the one" simply isn't. That said, I wouldn't change a thing. This agent taught me a lot about the publishing biz, and we still keep in touch.
I feel fortunate to have experienced what having an agent "feels" like, and can't wait to (really!) find "the one."
Yes, that offer from a publishing house is the same. use it and find yourself an agent.
LA Freed:
What you're doing is offering unrequested exclusives and if you've read my blog at all you'll know that I strongly warn against this. Query (and submit) widely.
--jhf
Anonymous said, on 7/12/2011 4:04:00 AM
What about agents that have politely rejected your initial query (but you really like them anyway?) Should you let them know you have an offer, or is that too presumptuous?
Well, I read this a little late--I had no idea we needed to tell all parties, including people who don't respond to queries. I recently had this happen to me and I feel very bad that the agent who wanted to give me a call was out of the loop when I had an offer. We'd always been told to only tell those who are reading.
Great advice here and great timing. The agency representing me abruptly closed its doors, two months before my debut novel releases (yeah, bad timing huh).
Then a few days ago I got a three book contract offer, and I have no agent. I was wondering how to word a "query" to a handful of agents I want to approach to represent my novels, along with the 3-book deal.
Might I just send a simple email explaining? Or do I send a query of the book that landed the 3-book offer?
This is the first time I "heard" about this. And what great business etiquette, too! It was my understanding to only contact other agents with fulls or partials when an offer was received, not those with only a query letter I'm still hoping to hear from. Funny, how this makes so much sense.
And I think another follower also asked this, but what is the best subject heading in an email to get the agent's attention when there's a good chance he/she hasn't yet read the original query? Is "Offer of Representation" enough?
THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU!! I never even considered these aspects and I consider myself at least a little professional! This is such a helpful, generous post from you--it really is appreciated!
Anonymous said, on 7/12/2011 8:03:00 PM
As an agent, are you ever concerned that writers will lie about representation offers in order to get their query faster consideration? Do you have any way of checking to see if the writer's claim is legitimate and/or is it important that the writer tell you who the offer came from?
Congratulations to LynneRush on the three book offer. I am sure you will find a new agent. Thanks for the advice, Jessica. I am querying one agent at a time. Perhaps I should speed things up a bit. I do have a deal memo for a picture book. But the novel I am querying is adult. I think you only get to have one agent in the literary world, although this is not true in the acting world. So can you tell me if it's possible to have one agent for picture books and another agent for mid grade and adult novels?
Anonymous said, on 7/13/2011 2:28:00 PM
Argh! I just withdrew my query from agents who had not replied, even though one only had the query three days. Honestly, I thought I was being courteous. I love the agent who offered, but I did ask for a week for another agent who has a partial to have time to respond.
Anonymous said, on 7/13/2011 6:12:00 PM
To Susan J. Berger: I've read on different agents' blogs that you can have more than one agent if you are writing in different genres and the agents you are querying don't represent both. You'll need to be clear throughout the process with all agents involved. I can't remember where I read the posts, but a Google search on the subject might help. Best of luck!
A post by Timmi Duchamp first brought to my attention a now-infamous article in the New York Times, "Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town", which reports on a gang-rape of an 11-year-old girl by 18 men of varying ages -- from early teens to 27.
Timmi described the article as being chiefly concerned with the rapists rather than their victim, and I must admit that at first, being in a particularly optimistic and naive mood or something, I thought, "No, there's got to be some mistake -- the Times wouldn't let something like that through, would they?"
The Times's Public Editor, Arthur S. Brisbane, wrote a blog post saying he thought the story "lacked balance", which is true -- all of the force of the story is on the side of people in the community who want to blame an 11-year-old for being a victim of a gang rape and who feel sorry for how tough the lives of the alleged perpetrators will now be. But there's a whole lot more going on here, a whole lot more than just a moment of bad journalism.
Part of the problem is a perceived insatiable desire to know among the public, and the need to fill pages and broadcast time -- newspapers and TV news shows live to give us the details. Especially at a time when news is constantly updated on websites and 24-hour channels, there is an imperative to offer new information and to quench the (perceived? real?) unquenchable thirst of the audience for more, more, more.
But when a victim is 11 years old, there is, or should be, a limited amount of information available, and McKinley seems to have been sensitive to this, unlike other reporters who, apparently, dug up her Facebook page. (These people can live with themselves? They can sleep at night?) But he needed to write a story, and he couldn't just write a few sentences, because there are columns to fill and hungry readers to satisfy, so he filled out his story with what he could most easily get. Whether he cherry-picked the most noxious views of the people he quoted, we don't know, but what he did was create a portrait of an entire town that apparently thinks 11-year-old girls deserve to be raped. Even if that were true (it's not, according to other reporting), McKinley gave those people most of his attention, making the story all about them, when the basic fact of the story is: 18 boys and men allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl.
But the problem here is not only about balance and about the choice of narrative point of view, or the choice to add "human interest" to the bare facts with interviews -- it's also about language, as various people have pointed out. Consider the fourth paragraph of the
0 Comments on Narrative, Politics, and Sexual Violence as of 1/1/1900
As you know by now, I’ve been inundated with queries and recently spent a long morning going through and reading as many as I could get to. That being said, my goal lately is to keep the query inbox below 300 as much as possible. This is a lot harder than you would think.
In one of the responses I received the author thought it was ridiculous that I wasn’t “sufficiently enthusiastic” (apparently those words are causing a lot of angst lately) since six other agencies and three publishers were already reviewing the material. The author wanted to know how, if these others expressed interest, I could possibly reject the book if I hadn’t even read a page; what was it exactly that I would be enthusiastic about?
What I couldn’t figure out is why the author would care. Six agencies reviewing a full is huge. Huge! At that point, wouldn’t it be nice to narrow the list, to assume you already have six enthusiastic agents reviewing the material, so why would you care about this one? Unless you’re lying, of course, but I don’t think I need to go there.
In a moment of weakness I replied to the author suggesting that a review of my website might give a better indication of what I was enthusiastic about. The author replied, of course, to suggest that maybe I should consider expanding my horizons. The author said he had never read paranormal romance, which is what I said I liked, but would not refuse to read it.
And there’s the rub. You are not asking me to “read” your book, you are asking me to consider “representing” your book. Those are two very, very different things. You might consider reading a paranormal romance if I suggested you read it, but if you are a mystery writer, would you want to write a paranormal romance just because I thought you should expand your horizons?
Jessica
26 Comments on Reading vs. Representing, last added: 10/13/2010
I have had agent representation. When agents say they don't love your writing as much as they would need to, then you do NOT want that agent. If that agent doesn't really love, really believe, really persevere after a few rejections, then your manuscript will flounder. It will not get sold. It will end up like mine, partially shopped and deader than if it had never been represented. If you are offered representation do not accept unless you are convinced that agent will go to all lengths to sell your baby.
I don't think most authors have any idea how hard it sucks to polish and promote a manuscript that you just don't like. And it has nothing to do with the quality of the writing, either. You could write the most brilliant, witty and insightful novel about professional football ever, and I'd still rather stick an icepick through my ear than read it even once. Do you really want me to rep your pro football novel?
I'm still amazed the author wrote back to you to argue. I received one of those rejections earlier this week and it never occurred to me to write back and say, "but wait a minute..." Hell, I was just happy to get a response (that whole "no response means no" bugs me, though I do understand why they do it. But I'd rather know my query got there--but I digress).
Every agent blog I read, and many of the websites say the literary world is subjective. Expand your horizons in reading? Sure. But that doesn't mean you're going to like it after you read, either.
Erm...now I'm rambling. Sorry about that. Have a good day!
MadDabbler said, on 10/13/2010 5:24:00 AM
I had a recent rejection on a full that was basically a form reject, and it stung. Then I really thought about it: did I want that agent promoting my work if she wasn't excited about it? No way. She loved the voice and plot, but something just didn't grab her. Is that what she'd convey to publishers? I shudder to think so.
So she enjoyed the book (great!), but not enough to rep it (ok). There's the difference between reading and repping for me. And when I do get the RIGHT agent, I know she'll champion my work effectively. That's more important to me than anything else.
You either like peas or you don’t. Even if someone tells you how healthy they are, how tasty and cute little green balls can be, if they are not your favorite veggie then why would you mix them with your sweet little carrot disks. Expand what? Mix peas with Alfredo sauce, now that will expand more than your horizons.
This sort of thing (including talking back to someone who said "no", but that's a different story) really shouldn't be that complicated. All a writer really needs to do is think about the last 50 books they've read and ask themselves, "Did you love it or like it?" If you just liked it, did you like it enough to want to live with it and the author for a year or more? And in the case of the author, for years and years?
I recently read an espionage novel by a very well known writer, the book was made into a film starring major stars, and I could barely finish the damned book. Yeah, it was probably a best seller, etc., but if I had been an agent and it had come across my desk, I just can't imagine wanting to rep him or that book, unless it was all about the money, which I suppose sometimes it is. Still...
I call BS on the author claiming six other agencies were reviewing his work. I can't see any reason why he would care to dicker with you unless you were his dream agent. Given that he doesn't understand what you represent, I find that hard to believe as well.
I was actually thankful when you rejected my partial several months back. (Okay, maybe thankful is the wrong word.) It made me realize that the idea was there, but I still needed to strengthen my voice quite a bit. Too bad some writers can't accept that not everyone loves everything.
I am not amazed that the person wrote back to argue with you.
I am amazed that you had the exchange at all. That is to say, with over 300 queries, the blog, the clients e-mails, personal reading if you ever get time for it, reading you clients, selling your clients and ...
you took the time to have an exchange of e-mails with this person.
This tells me something about you beyond who you are as an agent :) There is the person who had to take those precious minutes to answer. How amazing is that?
Sounds like your rejection rattled a fragile ego. "It's not great unless everyone loved it!" If that's the case, I can understand the sentiment, but it's unfair and rather silly to project those issues on to you.
Wow, this is one author who has too much time on his hands. I'm lucky if I even make time to WRITE let alone badger agents about why they didn't think my work was fantastic.
If someone is being considered by that many agencies how do they find the time cast such judgment on how you run your operation. It would seem to me that they might have better things to do, but what do I know I am not working with anyone yet.
It's like any relationship, really. Do you want to be friends with someone who really cares for your company? Do you want to date/marry/be seriously involved with someone who doesn't really love you? OK, you might want those people, but in your heart of hearts you should know the relationship would be unbalanced and unhealthy, because the affection is one-way. It would accomplish nothing and likely end with stress and tears. Though an agent-writer relationship is a professional one, the same principle transfers. You should want to work with someone who loves what you offer.
I think the author is not telling the truth. If someone had six agents interested in their work, they wouldn't take the time or have the interest in having this unpleasant (somewhat spiteful) exchange...not to mention burning their bridges with you.
And if by some slight chance there really was six other agents considering his/her work, I bet those agents would love a "heads-up" on what a difficult client this author would be to work with...
The missing point, not being appreciated is the placment of genre before an agent. Apart from a very nice writing with brilliant structue and flow, without any syntax error, what matter is how comfortable an agent is with a particular genre. If he or she loves thriller, we cannot place romance and force her to read and then represent. Secondly, why should anyone challenge the professional prerogative of an agent. An agent, after all, has to live in this big, bald and bad world. No one does charity and why should anyone. Is any author willing to do charity? If not, why expect an agent, who makes a decent living through a sheer hardwork and dedication to the literary world? The author should ask this question before challenging an agent's wisdom, before anything else..
Smells like entitlement. You didn't say yes, therefore the author thinks you owe him an explanation. Once he gets one, he further thinks you owe him a policy change coupled with a change of mind. What arrogance; all you owed him was the initial reply.
Also, if I had six fulls out with agents, I'd be twelve shades of incoherent speaking to any of them, never mind having a peeved conversation with the agent who said no.
Unfortunately, writing is a community of people, but not necessarily professionals. I personally think "not sufficiently enthusiastic" beats the hell out of "Garbage" or "Wow, this is really terrible." :)
Anonymous said, on 10/13/2010 7:39:00 PM
It works both ways. I've been turned off by authors who claim they rep mystery/suspense but all I see are romance titles. Do I really want a "romance" agent trying to push my thriller? Heck, no.
Agents have brands and specialize, just like authors--and are known by editors in those certain circles--so I'd think more than twice about approaching just any agent about promoting your baby. In romance terms: Do you really want to be seen with a goth geek if you're the homecoming queen at the prom?
The analogy I like to make is this: would you really want to marry (heck, even date) someone who looked at you and said "well, yeah, you don't totally suck to be around."
Of course not.
You're not marrying your agent, but the same idea applies. That agent has to convince an editor/publisher that your book is worth buying over all the other choices - that requires more than "yeah, well, this didn't suck."
I want an agent to love my book as much as I do. More importantly, I need that if I'm going to succeed.
If my book takes an agent outside his or her "happy place" - it's not a good match and I'd rather (s)he pass.
So I'm going to do a little Q&A now about offers of representation. Obviously there are going to be a lot of permutations and probabilities of these scenarios so I won't be able to cover everything, but after asking for the main questions on Twitter, here we go:
MY END
1. How do I know when I want to offer?
I know I love a manuscript when want to tell people about it the minute I finish reading it. But I don't always know if I want to offer until I talk to you. Sometimes the manuscript is great, but I have notes. Sometimes I want to make sure you're not crazy. Usually I get to the end of the phone call before saying, "So, I'd love work with you and offer representation."
2. Do I pass the manuscript around to the agency first?
Often enough. We're a small agency, so that's really only one other opinion. But it's nice to have a second thumbs-up, especially if I'm a little on the fence. If I'm 100% in love with it, I might just want Caren to read it so she can be equally excited about it. But we also work on different kinds of projects, so if I want to sign a picture book, or Caren is signing a new romance author, it doesn't make sense for us to share, since we're not really qualified to judge. Ultimately, my list is my own, and those are my choices.
3. Do I always revise before offering or revise after offering?
There is no "always." Sometimes I see potential but not enough to use up more hours. Sometimes I know the work isn't that much, so I should grab it. I go with my gut on this one. No hard-fast rules.
YOUR END
1. Can you query more agents if you have an offer on the table?
Well, this is a funny one. Suppose you're only part-way through querying and you start to get responses faster than you thought. But you still wanted to query a few more agents that you like. Can you rush a query out to them? The short answer is: sure. It's a free country. I've advocated before for letting even the agents who only have a query know that you have an offer--more options are always good.
But you have to do it understanding that those agents might not get to it in time. If I take 2 weeks to read, then I might not see that email until you've already made a decision.
Now, agents sometimes do this with editors. We start to get interest, so we submit more widely to create MORE interest. But I have relationships with those editors. I can call and say, "Hey, can you read this quickly? It's going fast." Because you don't have a relationship with those agents, you can't exactly say that.
And you also have a problem of not wanting the offering agent to wait too long. But...if you think you stand a chance at getting more interest, do whatever you want as long as you understand the risks.
2. How do you go about talking to an agent's clients?
This is easy. You ask the agent who is offering if you can speak to his/her clients. They will likely say yes, and if they don't, then that's sketchy. In this situation, I will consider which client of mine would be the most helpful to speak to, based on what they write and their overall situation. (Every case is different after all.) Then I'd put you guys in touch.
What you shouldn't ever do is go behind the agent's back and get in touch with clients without asking first. Those clients have their loyalty to me first, so they'd say "Uh, is this person legit?" And you also look like a creepy if you're looking for contact info through back channels.
It's a different story if you already have a relationship with an agent's clients already. In that case, it's a little more fluid, and hopefully the agent knows about t
This blog post has been brought to you by the power of Twitter. It can alternately be titled "If You Liked It, Then You Should Have Put a Ring on It."
Something that's been known to happen both between authors and agents, and then agents and editors is the revision request without a commitment of a representation offer or a contract. Mostly, the request for a revision is a good thing. It means the agent or editor sees potential and wants to develop it.
I myself have asked an author for an exclusive revision on a few occasions. What usually happens is that I'll see something promising, read it, know something's there, but not feel confident enough to take it on without fixing those nagging areas. Part of this has to do with wanting to make sure you're also taking on an author who is CAPABLE of revision. Part of it is just making sure you can make it fit the market.
Whenever I ask for a revision, I do it with the best of intentions. I WANT that project to work. More often than not, this has had good results for me. I have several clients who I did an exclusive revision with first, and then offered representation after seeing the finished product. Those have also gone on to sell to publishers.
My process is usually to offer the writer this trade: I will give you my notes, and in exchange you will give me first look at the revision. And if I don't choose to take on the project at that point, you are then free to take that revision anywhere you like.
I like to think that's fair. Because I don't want to spend a lot of time giving you notes for you to take my effort and give it to someone else first. And I want you to be free to take a hopefully stronger project elsewhere too. I don't usually set a time limit on it, since I can't dictate how long your revision process should take.
Sometimes it just doesn't work though. And these cases are always really tough. Sometimes the project can't evolve past "potential." Sometimes the author just isn't skilled enough to fix it. Invariably I feel a little guilty if I pass on a revision. The idea isn't to make the author jump through unnecessary hoops. It's to make sure we're getting the right projects signed. Our hope is always that even if the revision doesn't work, the project is still stronger and someone else might have luck with it.
This happens on the other side of the table too. And I've admittedly been just as frustrated when an editor has asked for an exclusive revision on a client's book, loved it, and then declined to offer. That happens too. So I understand why writers might hesitate without us offering to make anything official.
But I think at the end of the day, someone taking interest enough to want to see where it can go is a good thing. And this industry requires such collaboration, that any input is inevitable and will help you. So just keep your expectations in check, and you should be in good shape.
Lately I have been getting a number of emails asking me if I have an agent or how to get an agent or if an illustrator needs an agent. This article is directed mainly at illustrators and those who write and illustrate their own children's books.
These thoughts are based on my own experience and opinions, so you must also consider the views of others who are much better known in the field of Children's Book Illustration.
Agency representation is a very personal choice on the part of the illustrator or author/illustrator. Just as you go about carefully choosing the agent you most want to represent you, the agent will have criteria for acceptance of illustrators and authors.
If you are just beginning to write and/or illustrate for children a great agent could give you a head start. But devoting too much time to finding an agent shouldn't be a priority. The best pathway to success is to keep your writing and your illustrating fresh, explore new ideas, work hard on any assignment that you receive and take the suggestions and criticisms of editors, designers, and art directors with grace and act upon them. Focus on your work and make it the best you can. Attend conferences, workshops, and classes that will help you grow as an artist.
Many beginning artist/illustrators are out there searching for agency representation. However, having an agent does not guarantee immediate success. If you do feel you want to share your fees with an agent it is a good idea to make sure it is a top notch agent who works full time in the field. Any choice other than the type of agency that is well respected and works full time at the business is not worth your time or your money.
So, for the sake of an example, let us say you found a great agent, the agent agrees to represent you and find suitable assignments for your type or art. You now have someone or a group that will handle the contracts, negotiations, and submissions to houses that only accept them from agents.
You will need to be prepared to accept the assignments given to you. You can't be too choosy about the work that your agent offers you. You will be asked to share in the promotional costs. In addition you will need to let go of the business issues that are the responsibility of the agency. You will need to meet deadlines, take criticism, make changes and behave in a totally professional manner. An upbeat and positive attitude are great qualities in an author or illustrator and are appreciated by the publishing community .
Your talent, if your nurture it, will create a pathway for you with or without an agent. Be the best you can, be excellent.
Hi Andrew, No it is only fair as the agency has to handle up to 40 or more artists. They take a percent of the illustrator or author fees, but it could never cover the total costs of advertising in the prestige annuals that go out to publishers. However, if you are good at the business side and getting good assignments, an illustrator, at least, can work as their own agent. It is most likely more important for a writer to have a literary agent to open doors in the publishing community.
I just added some new work to the site, and I will blog about one piece this week and the other commission next week. Give me a break; I have to spread it out or I'll be writing all day.
In a recent commission from Miami Herald, I was asked to do a section cover illo concerning the economy's effect on Florida charities and non-profits. In a nutshell, donations are down as folks are hesitant to give money. As such, charities are having to try alternative methods of securing enough funds such as directly soliciting and cutting budgets/programs. I won't be showing sketches as I may want to use them for a future assignment. Final artwork:
I like the image; its simple and to the point. It changed slightly from the sketch in that I added the spotlight.
Also, in a great turn of events (and thanks to Scott Brundage showing my portfolio), I am now being represented by Richard Solomon Artists Reps. I won't say much about this as I think Richard and company has some future announcements planned concerning their roster and direction. I look forward to working with them and hopefully bringing in some advertising campaign work as well as any new commissions and collaborations!
As an illustrator there is always the question of whether or not you want to be represented by an agency. If you choose representation there are some important things to consider.
I believe that a good art agency representative can be beneficial to an illustrator, but I also believe that the illustrator has obligations to the agency and must be ready to make a commitment to honor his/her agency contract with a professional and accountable performace.
As in any group situation it helps to be a team player. In this case the team is the agent, the artist and the publisher/editor/designer.
Because I have chosen to be represented by an agency, there are certain obligations I have as an artist.
In addition to having a style of painting that I can call my own, I am willing to experiment and try new ways of interpreting the stories I am given to illustrate. I am experienced with website creation and maintainence and keep my personal website up to date and refresh it frequently with new illustrations.
My work is professional and competitive with those of other children’s illustrators in the marketplace.
The work I do is appealing to adults and children and has received good reviews from editors, reviewers and the general public.
I have a number of published books to show for my continued dedication to this field.
My portfolio items, tearsheets, promo cards, business cards and flyers are easily duplicated and can be sent out just as easily.
In addition to that, I keep my portfolio current with my best work.
I actively seek critical review of my work.
I have placed a 1/2 page in the Picture Book annual for 2009. Belonging to an agency has the benefit of getting a discount on such advertising. I create at least one promotional item for a mailing each quarter. These are postcards or flyers depending upon the type of market on which I am focusing.
In addition to my own website and blog I belong to four other online portfolio sites: Children’s Illustrators, Picture Book, the Digital Artist and ARTSPACE 2000. Each of these charges a fee, which I consider a part of my professional obligation as an illustrator.
I am good with specs, follow directions, take suggestions and apply them to my work, accept criticism, and am always willing to accomodate the editor and art director with revisions.
I understand that although my agency can promote my work along with the others, it is up to me to provide the best art I can all the time.
And I am ready to do that.
If you are seeking an agent or ready to make the decision to have one are you ready to do this as well?
4 Comments on Do you need or want an Artist/Illustrator Representative, last added: 5/11/2009
Yeah, I've been rejected (although very nicely, and very encouragingly) by four agents so far. Kind of disappointing, as I was hoping having an agent would be helpful in finding work in the educational market, amongst other places. Oh well, I'll continue working up new pieces, sending out my postcards, and keep those fingers crossed. :)
“That’s straight up Amy Lee from Evanescence, playing the guitar and singing about cartoons! What? Who? Where? What portal did we walk through this time?”
“It’s a LadyStar Video Alert! I got Talitha-chan to find us a fun video to put up so we could have a video alert like Acey-san!”
“Yeah it’s a LadyStar video alert. You savvy?”
“Ha! We’ve gone officially out of our own tree!”
“Heheheeee… see? We can do videos just like Gamepowa ’cause we got Talitha-chan and she’s super-smart about computers just like Acey-san!”
“That is just too cool for words. Rock on, Amy! Rock on, Professor! Rock on, LadyStar Video Alerts! We are OUT!”
member of the Jubilee Singers, in order to raise funds for the school. They traveled around the United States and Europe introducing audiences to spirituals.
While the advocacy for an Asian Iron Fist has positive intentions and is well reasoned, it is not the hill advocates of media representation should seek to die on.
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The word is Marvel is looking at Asian and white actors for the Iron fist show, but isn’t it possible that Marvel will use Iron Fist to introduce Shang Chi, just as they used the jessica joines show to introduce Luke Cage?
At this point, I think too many people have put way too much value on the decision Marvel goes. The arguments and reasoning for people’s preference (those who have one as there are fans who have none at all and are just hoping for a great actor to take on the role) are understandable and have me nodding and listening and learning.
Having said that, a lot of people are going to be unhappy with whatever is decided. This is quite a deficit for the individual who will be chosen to be Iron Fist and that’s where I find things to be rather dismal.
“When Marvel and DC Comics hear cries for diversification, their first instinct is to turn to legacy characters like Red Wolf and Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu.”
Marvel’s first reaction to calls for diversity was Miles Morales, black Nick Fury, Sam Wilson Cap, Lady Thor, Muslim Ms. Marvel, Korean Hulk, the list goes on. Marvel changed their entire first string team long before they fell back on 4th string nobodies like Red Wolf or Master of Kung-Fu.
DC on the other hand pulled out Flipper Dipper.
This article and writer is stupid. Having an asian american as a lead actor for Iron Fist would be a significant step forward. There is nothing wrong with perpetuating the martial arts stereotype – it’s not a negative stereotype per say. Is it wrong to cast a black man as a lead in a basketball film? I don’t think so. Having some sort of representation is better than not being represented at all. I am completely apalled at the fact that the writer would rather prefer not seeing an asian in the media than having him assume the role of a protagonist and hero.
I appreciate your thoughts in the article Alexander. I think conversations like this are important. I understand the concern of pigeonholing Asian actors into martial arts roles. I also appreciate you saying that more Asian comic book characters need to be created. However, I disagree that casting an Asian-American Iron Fist would be a negative.
There are ways to nuance an Asian-American Iron Fist. I read Ching’s article as well and I think he was reductionistic in making Danny Rand only a simple martial arts hero. An Asian-American Fist can still have depth and be more than Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee.
1. We can still have the outsider story that so many comic fanboys (of which I consider myself to be one) love. If you make Danny Rand either bi-racial or a 2nd/3rd generation Asian-American, you keep the outsider storyline, but also add layers to it. How many Asian-Americans feel the pull between American culture and Asian culture?
2. An Asian martial arts series by itself isn’t a bad thing. In Chinese cinema martial arts movies are a true art form. It’s part of the heritage of Asian cinema, just like Westerns are a big part of American cinema. Furthermore, you can add layers to the martial arts element. Go watch Rickson Gracie talk about BJJ and how it’s such a transformative tool. The constant practice and failure that goes into learning martial arts could be a great storytelling device if taken beyond the “snatch the pebble from my hand,” cliche.
3. Newer comic book characters don’t get as much pull. Ask anyone who their favorite superhero is. Iron Man? Captain America? Batman (my own favorite)? Flash? Green Lantern (another favorite thanks to Geoff Johns). What do these heroes have in common? They are all well established heroes. Simply creating another hero through comics, that does not have nearly as big an audience as movies, and hoping he or she will become popular is very hard to do. Miles Morales isn’t mainstream enough as seen in the casting of Asa Butterfield for the new Spider-Man and it will be a long time until Amadeus Cho is. Why not use a platform like the Marvel Netflix series, which hit it out of the park with Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and have an Asian Iron Fist?
4. Finally, we see white castings for Asian roles all the time. Scarlett Johannson for “Ghost in a Shell”. Emma Stone in Aloha. Tom Cruise as William Cage in “The Edge of Tomorow,” originally Kiriya Keiji in the novel that the film is based on. In the live-action “Akira” movie, Robert Pattinson was rumored to be Tetsuo and Andrew Garfield was supposed to be Kaneda. Why is the comic book community, a community I love, so abhorred by the idea of an Asian or bi-racial Danny Rand.
I agree with your final statement, that Asians should not be discouraged if Danny Rand is cast as caucasian. But I don’t think having an Asian Iron Fist is as negative as you think.
You know, I would love to see a Jimmy Woo and the Agents of ATLAS movie, or series, or whatever.