I think I’m going to have my students sign-up to use this for one week at a time since there are seven activities. Though it’ll take two weeks to complete all of the activities in a meaningful way since they’re pretty elaborate. Here are the titles of the activities I put inside of [...]
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Blog: TWO WRITING TEACHERS (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: word, Langston Hughes, diamante, Galway Kinnell, Rhonda Bacmeister, Taylor Sheldon, Uber Aymat, Add a tag
Blog: BookEnds, LLC - A Literary Agency (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: persistence, rejection, contract offers, Add a tag
In a recent post, When Agents Agonize, a reader commented, “I don't supposed you ever agonize over rejecting someone and wishing you hadn't? LOL That's what I wish.” And it made me think of a story, one I hope I haven’t already told you.
Earlier this year I was getting slammed with busy, busy authors, submissions from established authors, and all-around good news. In other words, I was exceptionally busy. During the midst of all of this I received an email from a published author who had just received an offer for her second erotic romance contract. While she successfully negotiated her first contract on her own she decided that now was the time to find an agent, so she was getting in touch with me. Of course I moved immediately. I read her proposal and really, really liked it. But I was getting skittish. My concern was how much room I had on my list for another erotic romance author (or another author)? I love erotic romance and I love the authors but, as I tell all of them, the problem with erotic romance is that you have a limited market. Simply because of the subject matter not everyone is going to read it. Therefore I’m reluctant to take on too many authors in this narrow genre. So with a great deal of hesitation I told the author no. In fact, my exact wording was:
“Thanks so much for giving me the weekend. You are really talented and I enjoyed reading this, but in the end I’m going to pass. While I liked your writing a lot I just don’t think I’m as passionate about it as an agent should be about her client’s work. This was a tough decision for me because you are so talented, but I also need to be fair to you.
"Congratulations on your offer. I suspect you’ll have a long career.”
And in a follow-up to her follow-up I said, “It was a tough decision and if you’re ever looking for an agent again please keep me in mind. Things might be different. I do wish you lots of luck.”
Well, this incredibly wise woman read into my hesitation and emailed me back to suggest that if I was really on the fence maybe I should give it a second look. I did. And she was right. I was a fool. I scheduled some time to talk with her about her career goals and what she had in mind, beyond more erotic romance, of course. I humbly offered representation and it’s entirely my honor that she accepted.
Now I don’t recommend that you hound every agent that rejects you. This is obviously a very, very rare instance, but it does showcase that anything is truly possible in this business. I also want to make it clear that changing my mind in no way means I’m any less dedicated or in love with this author’s work than I am with my other clients and their work. It simply means I reacted too rashly.
I think often we hear that authors are really lucky when they have an offer on the table because it makes it easier to find an agent. It also makes it harder for agents to properly evaluate an author’s work the way we would like to. Sometimes sitting on something is better than moving quickly. It gives you time to really process your dedication to it. In this case I was lucky because this probably would have been a decision I would have regretted. I thank the author every time I see her for her persistence, and of course now we both have an interesting story to tell.
Jessica
Blog: BookEnds, LLC - A Literary Agency (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: negotiations, contract offers, Add a tag
In a continuation of trying to let you know what happens to your work in an agency and in a publishing house, I’m going to address what happens when an editor finally does make that offer to your agent. Of course it’s different in every instance, but here is a basic look at how I handle the situation.
When a phone call is made (in rare cases an editor will email the offer) I thank the editor, let her know I’ll be getting back to her after discussing the offer with the author, and hang up. If it’s a first-time deal for an author or project I’m really excited about, my first calls are to Kim and Jacky. I know, I know, I should call the author first, but often I need to get my squealing under control before doing that. Once some semblance of professionalism has returned I’ll call the author to let her know the good news and listen to her squealing. I LOVE doing this. Once the author and I have gotten our excitement down to a dull roar we’ll discuss the steps I would like to take in negotiations.
Remember, I think this business is about teamwork and I like to include the author in all my negotiations as much as possible. I like to think it might give her a better understanding of what’s going on, and she might have some ideas, thoughts, or concerns that she would like to share at this time.
If the book is with multiple houses my goal is to try and get multiple offers. The more the merrier, I always say. In that case my first step will be to contact all the editors who still have the project, let them know we have an offer and what it is (but not who), and give them a deadline for when I need to hear of their interest.
If it’s a situation where it’s a continuation of an already established career or an offer on option material, we’ll discuss whether it’s even an offer we want to consider or if we think it’s too low or insufficient to even counter-offer. Traditionally, though, I’ll begin by counter-offering on the money issues—advances and royalties—and we’ll discuss rights (world, North American, etc.) and due dates.
At this point it’s a little wait-and-see and a little strategic planning. My conversations with the author are usually about what would make her very happy, happy, and not happy at all. I want perspective on exactly what her feelings are so that I know in what direction negotiations should be going.
From the negotiations side I’m talking to editors (in the case of multiple offers) and negotiating deal points.
The only time I’ll counter-offer on the spot (before calling the author) is when it’s an offer we knew was coming (usually an option), something from a series publisher like Harlequin, Dummies, or Complete Idiot’s Guides when I know exactly what they usually offer or what I should expect, and when negotiations are rather limited (like in the cases of the publishers mentioned above).
I’ve had negotiations take a mere few hours and I’ve had them last weeks. How intense they get can depends on a number of things—how many publishers are involved, how successful the author is, how badly the publisher wants her, and the house we’re dealing with. Of course, things like vacation can also come into play, as can forgetful editors.
When the deal is done, though, I make sure I get a finalized deal memo from the editor and then we wait for contracts. At which point my job is to negotiate all over again. Those things that we might need new boilerplate wording for or that are traditionally negotiated with a contracts person rather than the editor, things like indemnification wording, schedules, or reversion clauses.
Keep tuned in and I’ll do a future post on what exactly is negotiated with the editor versus with the legal department.
Jessica
Blog: BookEnds, LLC - A Literary Agency (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: contract offers, unagented, Add a tag
Recently I got a call from an author asking advice for a friend of hers. The friend had received an offer from a publisher and was unagented, and while she was over the moon, she was also in a panic. What to do? What to do?
I covered this topic once before here, but it bears repeating and elaborating on.
While most of us preach against submitting directly to a publisher, there are still a few publishers who accept unagented material and will consider it. And yes, they will, on occasion, make an offer. In fact, I have four clients who came to me with a publisher’s offer in hand. In two instances the author was previously published with this publisher and decided that this time she wanted to use the offer as leverage to find an agent. In another instance the author had never been published before and wanted an agent to negotiate the finer points of the deal. In that case we sent the material around to a number of different publishers, and while we got some interest, in the end we signed with the publisher who originally offered. In another case the author had never been published before but had submitted to a couple of publishers based on contest requests. In that case we used the offer as leverage to sell the book to another publisher for an even better deal.
So what are your choices if you’re unagented and receive an offer directly from the publisher? As I see it you have two: (1) sign with the publisher and move on to working with the editor on your book, or (2) use the offer as leverage to contact all of your favorite agents and find the one you think is best suited to your work and work style.
Of course my suggestion would always be choice #2, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with choice #1 either.
If, however, you decide to try to find an agent, here’s my advice. . . .
1. Thank the editor and let her know that you’re planning to find an agent to negotiate on your behalf. Let her know that you’ll get back to her in 7 to 10 days (and then of course get back to her in that time frame). Do NOT tell the editor you accept her offer or anything even remotely similar. This will ruin any possibility of the agent negotiating on your behalf.
2. Contact every agent who has your work (at least those you are most interested in working with) and give them the details of your deal. You don’t need to reveal money matters at this point, but let them know that you have an offer, with what house (you can leave out the editor’s name) and for how many books. And give them a deadline. Let them know you’d like to hear back in 3 to 5 days.
3. Contact new agents who you’ve always liked and wanted to submit to, but who don’t have your work. Let them know why you’re contacting them and provide all the same information as in point #2.
4. And then wait. Most agents will get back to you in the time asked. For those who don’t, they should at least ask for more time or let you know when they can get back to you. For anyone who seems uncommunicative or lacks the ability to get back to you in time, cross them off your list. Either they aren’t interested enough for you to want to work with them or their communication style isn’t what you want in an agent (unless of course you’re fine with being ignored).
5. Once the agents get in touch with you, read my blog post on Questions to Ask Before Signing with an Agent and don’t forget to read the comments. This should help give you an idea of what the agents are about and who you would be most comfortable working with. And then go for it. Sign with the agent.
6. Now that you’ve found your perfect business partner let the editor know that So-and-So agent will be getting in touch to handle the deal.
7. And Celebrate!
And lastly, don’t worry that editors or agents will be put off by your demands. You’re demanding nothing. You are acting as a smart and wise businessperson.
Jessica
Yep, I've got a few of these stories I could tell from the ranks of the authors I know, but I'd best keep them to myselves. One's a real humdinger too.
;)
It happens, but, yanno, agents are human just like the rest of us.
:o)
I think the moral of the story is to just keep going. Keep writing, learning, polishing, and submitting. If you stop, you certainly won't ever be published. But, if you keep going, you just might.
I have a related, personal story: My first novel (now with BookEnds) was read by another agent a few months before. He called to say he loved it, requested changes, and as I was in the middle of making them he wrote back to say he was leaving for another agency and wouldn't be able to represent me. I was completely bummed, but sent the manuscript out again to other agents, including BookEnds.
When the book was published, this agent read my PW review and wrote to congratulate me, and say he remembered the book and how sorry he'd been to eventually reject it. I think having gotten so close before, and then hearing I was out on the street again, was the most depressing time of my life. But hearing from this agent, knowing he remembered my book and had kept my e-mail address and taken the time to write to me--it just had an amazing, full-circle feel to me. One of those times you wish you could pat your past-self on the back, and tell her everything will be okay...
I want that experience with an agent. Someone who really gets my work, and is not just throwing their hat after something "maybe publishable," or who wants me because a couple of other agents already do.
You make your list of possible agents based on what you know about them. You never know whether they really enjoy your writing, or for that matter even read the whole manuscript until after you are working with them.
Dena
Confession is good for the soul. Thanks for that. :-)
Kudos to that erotic writer for not having the typical knee-jerk reaction of bitching and moaning over rejection; they kept their cool and read enough between the lines to sense Jessica's hesitation.
Lessons for us all.
I think timing is one of the most important things. You simply have to have faith.
When I spoke with Jessica during our talks about representation, I told her about an agent who'd wined and dined me at RWA, only to send me a scathing rejection letter once we got home (and she'd pursued me). This agent's exact comment in her rejection letter was "this will never sell". I'd sent the same proposal to my editor, who called to buy it two weeks later and then offered me a continuity book. Those were my sales 3 & 4, and I was once-bitten, twice-shy for 14 total books before Jessica & I began working together. I told her I didn't want someone who'd take me on just because I could do it on my own. I also wanted someone who'd tell it to me straight.
That's always my advice, to trust your gut and instinct in directing your career. Don't just grab anyone, and always maintain the high road and don't go bashing those who may reject you now.
This story surprised and puzzled me for several reasons:
First, I wondered why you didn't tell the writer you were hesitant to take on more erotic romance because of the narrow market--especially since that was your main concern.
Second, "I don't think I'm as passionate about this as an agent should be . . ." sounds like, "I liked it but didn't love it enough." If I'd received a response like this, I wouldn't want to risk annoying an agent by saying, "Since you think I'm talented, why not take another look?" (Or, since this author was already published and had a second contract offer, does that reduce the potential annoyance factor?)
Third, since we keep hearing how important it is for our agent to love our work--I would think twice about working with an agent who wasn't passionate enough to offer representation the first time around. Or does "passionate" also relate to your ability to market a project?
Jessica,
Thanks for posting this. I think we all need to know and be reminded that agents, as well as editors, are people, too. And as always, it goes back to the subjectivity of the business.
I know I attempt to read a lot of books that don't intrigue me, but they intrigued the heck out of a lot of people. One person's opinion, even an experienced opinion, can be wrong, or maybe it's only one person's outlook and not that of the majority. Also there are times when a book won't appeal to me, but later when my situation changes, the book suddenly has my interest.
Thanks for the post.
CC
Re: "Well, this incredibly wise woman read into my hesitation and emailed me back to suggest that if I was really on the fence maybe I should give it a second look..."
I have to admit, I would have never thought to ask for a second look. It kind of reminds me a bit of having a not-so-great first date with someone – and then having the nerve to call them up and say, "can we give it another go?"
I think it takes more than wisdom, I think it takes A) self-confidence, loads and loads of self-confidence, B) interest, you have to be really interested to ask again anyway, after being told no! and C) Friends and/or loved ones to cheer you on.
Hey, wait a minute...I've got A, B, and C...well, most of the time! I'm sure plenty of us here posting comments do too. So thanks again for another window into the world of agenting...now, I've got to belatedly post something about "holiday lit"...