Katie asked:
I was wondering, what if I get an agent and she tries to sell two or three of my novels, all in the same genre, and nothing sells. What would happen in this case?
Well Katie, sounds like you and your agent will be at a crossroads and need to make some decisions.
Each agent is different, and some agents might set you free at this point, believing they’re not the right agent to help you find success. You’ll want to clarify whether your agent wishes to continue or hang it up.
Remember that you have a choice, too. You may want to consider indie publishing. If you want to continue pursuing traditional publishing, and you think another agent can serve you better, it would be a good time for you to make this decision. Be cautious not to automatically blame your agent for the lack of a sale – she’s put in many hours on your behalf and hasn’t gotten paid a thing. She probably deserves the benefit of a conversation, at least.
If you and your agent want to continue working together, you’ll probably have a meeting to discuss your options. You’ll take a hard look at what’s going on, asking questions like:
→ Why aren’t your books capturing the attention of editors? Is it the ideas? The writing?
→ Could there be something specific about your characters and plot lines aren’t resonating?
→How much of this is due to the market, and how much is it the specific books you’re pitching?
→ Is it the genre? If so, is there another genre you’re interested in writing that perhaps is more saleable?
Ideally this meeting would culminate in a strategy and action plan for moving forward to find the success you’ve been working toward.
Keep in mind that this isn’t an uncommon scenario. Once you get an agent, it could still be a long time until serendipity strikes again and you find the perfect match between a project and a publisher.
What would you do if you were the writer in this situation?
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"This book isn't going to work."
I know many of you worry that agents gossip about writers behind the scenes. I don’t find this to be true, but what I've found is that agents often commiserate with each other about the hard parts of the job (like people in any kind of job). And one of the hard parts is when we need to have a difficult conversation with an author. So this week in my never-ending quest to make you the most informed writers on the planet, I'm going to talk about some of those difficult conversations. I hope that by reading this, you'll be better prepared and perhaps less devastated if (when?) it happens to you.
Today's difficult conversation is the one where you've written your "next" book—it could be your third or your fifth or your eighth (whatever)—and send it to your agent, or perhaps it's sent to the publisher. In any case, the agent or editor reads the manuscript and... things aren't going well.
I know my author is a good writer. As I begin reading, I can tell that, as usual, this book is amazingly written. But when I'm a couple chapters in, I start to wonder about it. A couple more chapters and this foreboding is stealing over me, growing page by page. By the time I'm halfway through the manuscript, there's this lump in the pit of my stomach. I push myself to continue. By the time I finish, I just know. It's not going to fly.It might be the subject matter is all wrong. It might be a genre that's just too different from what you've written previously. It might be the tone is off, or the plot isn't well constructed, or the characters are cardboard, or you've simply strayed too far from the brand you've established. Sadly, it might feel like you phoned it in.
Regardless of what the problem is, now a serious internal wrestling sets in, as the agent or editor examines the manuscript and thinks about options.
Maybe it just needs a good edit. Maybe it's not a lost cause. Maybe we can tweak a few things... maybe... maybe...
But finally, we're forced to admit to ourselves that we simply can't sell this, and it's unlikely that an edit will help.
Now we begin to stress about telling the author. After all, you've probably agonized for months over this manuscript. You finished it, triumphant, another 85,000 words written! You may even feel like it's your best book ever. How am I going to tell you it's not going to work?
I remind myself this doesn't mean the manuscript will never get published, it just means that now is not the right time. I remind myself that the only reason we need to have this conversation is because it's my job to help you not only get published, but get
well-published. It's my job to keep my eye on your long-term writing career. And so I can't be afraid to tell you the hard truth when I believe it's in your best interest.
I pick up the phone and make the call, and what I wish I could say is, “This hurts me as much as it hurts you.” But I don’t, because I know that no matter how hard it is for me, it’s worse for you.
I’m really sorry to be the bearer of hard truths sometimes.
Q4U: Have you considered that this might happen as part of your publishing journey? How do you think you’d respond?© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
But "Yes" Seems to Take Forever
For the last couple of days we've been going over some basics of fiction writing - things that someone editing your book might be looking for in their efforts to help you produce the best book possible.
But acquisitions editors - and agents - won't be spending time analyzing all those specifics. They're going to to be assessing whether the book is right for them, and here's how it works: If it's a "no" they can discern it very quickly. Anything that isn't a "no" becomes a "maybe" and is going to take a lot longer to make a decision.
Sometimes it's difficult to accept that agents and acquisition editors can make decisions almost immediately, after reading what seems like a very small portion of the work. You've worked long and hard on your manuscripts, and for someone to say "no" after what must
seem like barely a glance can be crushing. But there is a ton of experience and knowledge behind a quick "no." An editor or agent can discern a countless number of things about your writing from a very few paragraphs.
One of the best ways to see this illustrated is to attend a session at a writer's conference where a panel of agents and editors reads the first page of a manuscript and gives immediate verbal feedback, finishing with a decision about whether the first page would compel them to keep reading. It's a crash-course in how their minds work and how they're able to make decisions quickly. You see how your writing style and level of expertise comes across loud and clear on that very first page.
Recently on my blog, a commenter mentioned it would be nice if agents and editors would actually
read a manuscript before rejecting it. The truth is, we read exactly as much as we need to. It's not necessary for an editor or agent to read more than a few pages to determine if it's a "no." It takes a lot longer to determine if it's a "yes."
I apologize if you've read this on my blog before, but I came up with this analogy to help explain how we're able to recognize the "no" projects so quickly.
When shopping for clothes, I can browse through racks fairly quickly. "No, no, no, no... " My eyes and hands can take in copious detailed information about each item of clothing. Color, style, size, texture, pattern, fabric... so many things register in my brain in a millisecond. I instantly reject the ones that clearly aren't what I'm looking for - they don't suit the occasion I'm shopping for, or they're not "me" for whatever reason. Occasionally I stop at something. "
Hmm. Maybe." I grab that item to take to the fitting room and try on.
If something looks, in a glance, to have something I
am looking for, I need to spend more time considering. It starts off as a
maybe, and might progress to "yes" or it might not.
So that's kind of how it is when we look at those queries and proposals and first pages, and listen to your verbal pitch at a conference. The thought process is something like, "No, no, no... hmmm,
maybe," based on our experience evaluating, acquiring, editing and selling books.
Your control comes in writing the best book you can, so that's where I think you should keep your focus. You'll never be able to get a handle on what everyone is looking for. You will not be able to identify the magic fairy dust that makes an agent or an editor say the "yes" you've been wanting.
So just ke
As you know, agents aren’t able to sell every book we decide to represent. But the decision to stop trying to sell a book is always a tough one. We’ve already put a lot of work into it, we haven’t made a dime, and we may really like the client. When do we know it’s time to quit and move on?
Here are a few reasons we might give up:
1. Out of OptionsWe’ve exhausted our list of editor contacts and don’t know of any more viable prospects among advance-and-royalty-paying publishers.
2. Poor ResponseThe general feedback from editors was negative or lackluster, and the project never even made it past the editor’s desk to the editorial meeting or the pub board. (As opposed to situations where editors loved it but couldn’t get it approved.)
3. Market ConcernsThe market reality turns out to be different than we expected—last month everyone was buying vampires and this month we can’t give them away. We don’t see the situation changing anytime soon.
4. We Were WrongWe realize we were probably wrong about the project. We thought it was “saleable” but it’s not selling and in discussing it with editors, we realize they have some good points and maybe this one’s not going to cut it.
There could be other reasons, or combinations of the above, but these are the main ones.
The decision to give up on a project is related to another difficult question: If we’re done with the project...
Are we also done with the client? Again it depends on a number of factors:
1. Does the client have a saleable body of work?
2. Are the client’s other works any better, or do they suffer from whatever weakness that kept the first one from selling?
3. Does the agent still have enthusiasm for selling this writer and do they believe they can do it?
Whatever the agent decides, this is never an easy crossroads. Being a good businessperson and a good steward of our limited time and resources sometimes requires letting something go. I wish it weren’t that way!
Q4U: Do these seem like legitimate reasons for an agent to drop a project or client? Can you think of other reasons?© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
A writer asked:
If there are two or more agents interested in representing me, how do I make my decision? I've heard it can be better in some cases for a less established author to go with a younger or newer agent -- is this true? What other factors would you consider?
If there are two or more agents interested in your work, you have a pretty good problem on your hands! You should approach this the way you'd approach any situation in which you're going to "hire" someone. Let them know that you're deciding between two or more agents. Then find out everything you can about each candidate and decide who seems like a better fit.
First, a ConversationIt starts with talking to each of them on the phone. You'll definitely want one or two calls in which you can chat, ask questions, and get a general feel for who they are and how they communicate. Find out how they work, who they'd expect to be pitching your project to, and how close they think your manuscript is to being ready to submit. Get a feel for the other clients they represent and what kind of a track record they have for selling books to legitimate publishers. (You may want to read my posts "
Getting the Call" and "
Questions to Ask an Agent.")
Check 'em OutYou'll also want to do your due diligence in finding out whatever else you can. Read their blogs, websites and Twitter feeds; Google their names to find online interviews or articles; check
Writer Beware and
Preditors and Editors to make sure there are no red flags. If you have access to
Publishers Marketplace, look the agents up to see what kind of deals they've done recently.
Got References?Some people even like to "check references" by talking to some of the agent's current clients. Many authors have blogs/websites with contact information and you can write them asking if they'd mind being a reference for the agent.
Newer Isn't Always BetterSome people advise that a younger or newer agent might be a better fit for a new author, and this can be true, but I don't think you can make your decision based on a generality like this. Try to choose the person who is the best fit for
you.Don't RushWhile you may be excited and want to make your decision quickly, I recommend you take your time and do as much investigating as necessary first. You should be able to find out everything you need to know within a few days... then put those agents out of their misery and tell them your decision!
© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
Katie asked:
I was wondering, what if I get an agent and she tries to sell two or three of my novels, all in the same genre, and nothing sells. What would happen in this case?
Well Katie, sounds like you and your agent will be at a crossroads and need to make some decisions.
Each agent is different, and some agents might set you free at this point, believing they're not the right agent to help you find success. You'll want to clarify whether your agent wishes to continue or hang it up.
Remember that you have a choice, too. If you think another agent can serve you better, it would be a good time for you to make this decision. Be cautious not to automatically blame your agent for the lack of a sale - she's put in many hours on your behalf and hasn't gotten paid a thing. She probably deserves the benefit of a conversation, at least. But if you honestly think the agent hasn't done a good job, you need to address it.
If you and your agent want to continue working together, you'll probably have a meeting to discuss your options. You'll take a hard look at what's going on, asking questions like:
→ Why aren't your books capturing the attention of editors? Is it the ideas? The writing?
→ Could there be something specific about your characters and plot lines aren't resonating?
→How much of this is due to the market, and how much is it the specific books you're pitching?
→ Is it the genre? If so, is there another genre you're interested in writing that perhaps is more saleable?
Ideally this meeting would culminate in a strategy and action plan for moving forward to find the success you've been working toward.
Keep in mind that this isn't an uncommon scenario. Once you get an agent, it could still be a long time until serendipity strikes again and you find the perfect match between a project and a publisher.
Q4U: What would you do if you were the writer in this situation?
© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
~Ancient Proverb
I frequently receive emails from writers asking me if the process they're experiencing is "normal."
Maybe they're seeking an agent, and they're in the midst of a convoluted and confusing process of agents requesting partials and taking forever to respond; other agents never responding to queries; perhaps an agent expressing interest but never following up.
Sometimes the writers asking questions already have agents. They're not necessarily looking to switch, but they're having trouble communicating with their agent, or they're confused by the process, and they want some advice. For whatever reason, it seems easier to ask me about it than to talk to their own agent. So they email me, asking, "Is this the way it's supposed to be?"
I often sense what people are really asking is: Am I crazy or is this a terrible way to do business?
And more importantly: Should I stick with this situation (this agent? this publisher?) or should I move on and find something better?
Here's the gist of the answer I normally give:
1. You're probably not crazy - if you sense something isn't right, that may be the case. You may be working with someone who's not handling things ethically or responsibly. Beyond that, I think the whole system is crazy-making. The query process is hard on everyone, and even when you're represented, things don't always go as you (or your agent) would want. Add to that the fact that everyone has more on their plate than they can realistically handle, and it makes for a crazy system in which it's impossible to keep everyone happy. So something may not feel right, but it may or may not be a "normal" part of the system.
2. The best answer is always to communicate as clearly as possible, directly with the person with whom you have an issue.
3. I don't know whether you should stick with your situation or move on. There are countless variables and every situation is different. Unfortunately, I'm not the right person to advise you on the specifics of your situation. This is where you take all you've learned in general about agents and publishing, put it in a pot and stir it with your wisdom, try to eliminate your emotional response, and come up with a plan for yourself.
One of the reasons I write this blog is because I want to share general information to help you navigate the system. I hope to give you a sense of the industry so that you can add your own wisdom and make good decisions.
Basically, I'm trying to "teach you to fish" so that you can be confident in the publishing world. I'm not able to give everyone their own "fish" but I hope the fishing lessons on the blog are useful!
Having said all that, I must admit that I do try to respond to every email that lands in my box. But sometimes I can't help feeling that if the writer would just read more blogs, talk to a couple of writer friends, and get their emotions out of the way, they'd be able to come up with their own answers fairly easily.
If you're tempted to write an agent with a question about your own process, I recommend you take a few moments to deeply examine all you've already learned about the business, and see if you can come up with a workable answer on your own. Are you asking for fish when you've already been given the hook, line and sinker?
Got a question you've been wanting to ask an agent? Put it in the comments; m
But You Don't Have an Agent
There are numerous situations in which you may find yourself unagented but having an offer from a publisher. A nice situation, to be sure! It may happen because you met an editor face-to-face at a conference, or through a referral. In any case, at this point the question will always come up: Do I need an agent?
I’ve addressed this on the blog before, and other blogs have also addressed the advantages of having an agent beyond simply selling your book to a publisher. Today I have a few new points to add.
When an editor makes an offer, they may suggest you get an agent; some will say that they can't go any further until you're agented. These days, most publishers prefer to work through an agent, both for the protection of the author, and to make their lives easier. They don’t want to be negotiating a complicated publishing contract with their author who typically has no idea what most of the contract clauses actually mean. They want to keep the author/editor relationship focused on the book—not on business matters.
In addition, there are so many questions that come up for the first-time author throughout the publishing process. Your editor would rather not have to deal with those questions; they don’t have time to walk you through every step of publishing, so they want you to have an agent partner for that.
So if you’re in this situation—with a formal offer from a publisher—you may need to get an agent rather quickly. Here are a few tips:
1. When talking with the editor who made the offer, do not accept the offer. Instead, tell them you’d like some time, and ask them if it’s okay to delay your response pending your getting an agent. Ask if you can have a couple of weeks.
If you indicate that you’ve accepted the offer, then once you do get an agent, the agent will not be able to negotiate the offer. They won’t be able to get you a better advance or more favorable terms—they’ll be hamstrung as far as whatever was in the offer. You’ve already said yes, and that’s that. They’ll still be able to work with the publisher on the contract, but only on terms that were not specified in the original offer.
2. In trying to get an agent quickly, use all the contacts you have, including friends who are agented, to try and get a referral. Send query letters but in the subject line, you can put something like, “Fiction query – have offer from Penguin.”
3. Keep in mind that some agents might jump on it simply because there’s already an offer, but most will still make their decision the same way they always do—based on whether it looks like you and your project will be a good fit for them; if your project would tend to compete with another they already represent; and if they have room on their list for one more client.
4. Don’t keep the editor waiting too long. Check back in with them, sending a quick email after a week, and let them know your progress. You should be able to gauge from their response when you can’t wait anymore and must make a decision.
Important: If you do not have an actual OFFER from a publisher, don’t misrepresent yourself with agents. Be very careful when saying things like, “So-and-So at Harper is interested.” If you met them at a conference and they requested you send chapters, you need to say exactly that. Don’t use the vague term “interested” because an agent has no way of knowing what that really means.
Q4U: If you received a publisher offer while unrepresented, would you still try to get an agent?
P.S. To read more on this topic:
Earning Our Keep
45 Comments on You Have an Offer From a Publisher..., last added: 11/4/2010
(Encore presentation of a previous post.)
There comes a time in every agent's life when one of their clients needs to move on. Yep. We all get fired by an author at some point. It isn't pleasant, but it's a reality in business.
What are some reasons writers opt to terminate their agency relationship? I think four big ones top the list. (1) The writer believes they're not getting enough attention; (2) the agent has dropped the ball too many times and the writer no longer trusts them; (3) the writer and agent disagree about the best plan for the writer's career path; or (4) the writer finds out that the agent is doing something unethical or is somehow not a legitimate literary agent.
Not to Be Taken Lightly
Ending your agency relationship is a personal decision, and I think it should be preceded by a great deal of thought and a sincere effort to correct the problems that are making you unhappy.
It's a fact of life that people find it difficult to end relationships, even relationships that are making them miserable. Consequently, people often do it artlessly. It takes maturity to try and repair the relationship before ending it. There's a lot of fear involved in telling someone that we're not satisfied and asking if there's a way to fix the problems. Often, there's also hopelessness: we assume the person is not capable of change, so we don't believe there's any point in talking about it.
But I'm a believer in talking to the person with whom you're unhappy, in this case, your agent. I think the mature way of handling a situation like this is to say, "This isn't working for me. Can something be changed?"
When people get fired from jobs, it's often (not always) after one or more warnings. The employee is given a chance to recognize where they're failing and step up to the plate. If they're unable, then they're fired. I recommend taking this approach to terminating your agency relationship. Talk to your agent and give him/her a chance to fix things. Of course, this doesn't apply if the employee (or agent) is guilty of a serious error or egregious offense, in which case, you just fire them and be done with it.
Be Discreet
What I really don't like is when writers talk to a lot of friends and others in the business about their unhapppiness with their agent—before officially terminating their agency relationship. That's just rude. If you're looking for another agent before getting rid of your current one, have those conversations confidentially. Don't gossip.
Try To Address the Problem
If you're unhappy with your agent because you're having a hard time getting them to respond to you, and it has gone on for awhile and you're really frustrated, launch an all-out effort to reach them. Send several emails and leave a couple of voicemails, all within a few days. Be brief but clear, saying something like: "I've been having a hard time reaching you and I'm at the point of reconsidering our agency relationship. Would you please respond to me so we can discuss where to go from here?" If a week goes by and you don't hear anything, it's time to terminate the relationship. Do what you need to do, according to your agency agreement (if you have one).
How To Do It?
You may wonder about specific protocol—do you sever your agency relationship on the phone, in email, in a letter? Your answer depends on the length and depth of the relationship, the way you a
Everyone knows that agents and editors are reading practically all the time. We read queries and manuscripts of people hoping to secure representation, we read the manuscripts of our clients, and we read as many published books as possible - partly because we love reading, and partly because we need to stay on top of what's happening in publishing.
One of the most common things people say to us is, "Oh, I would LOVE to read for a living!"
And yes, I admit, since reading is my favorite thing, I love that I get to read for a living. However, I have to admit that "reading for a living" is not as wonderful as it sounds. The main reason is that, like anything you're doing for work as opposed to simply because you want to, you automatically look at it differently.
It takes much more energy to read for work, whether I'm reading my client's manuscript or the work of new writers seeking representation. It's not relaxing, because this kind of reading involves a persistent critical eye. I'm constantly assessing the work, making notes to myself, trying to identify problems and weaknesses, and evaluating the quality and saleability of the work. If there are issues - I'm bored while reading the story, I'm having a hard time staying engaged, I don't care about the characters - then I'm asking myself questions and sleuthing out the reasons for these issues.
So my mind is processing on two levels while I read: I'm paying attention to the the story itself, and I'm also paying attention to my reactions to the story. There's awareness, and then meta-awareness. Like I said, not relaxing!
I love what I do. But whenever you catch yourself saying (or thinking) "How great it would be to read for a living!" remind yourself - it's not quite that simple.
Q4U: Which parts of an agent's or editors job do you think you'd like the best? The least?
Image: A Woman Reading by Claude Monet, 1872
(c) 2010 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
Lately I've been hearing complaints from writers that agents are not specific enough in telling writers what kinds of projects they're looking for. On my post "Too Much Information?" I received several comments that echoed this opinion from A3Writer:
Agents are sometimes a little closed-mouthed about what they are looking for. I love the agents that are highly specific on their detailed pages, but others simply put out "looking for commercial fiction" or "most genre fiction."
I believe I can speak for the majority of agents when I say this: You are simply not going to get more specific information.
To give more specific lists of "what I'm looking for" would be to defeat the whole purpose of my job. Let's get this straight:
It's the writer's job to come up with the best book idea they can, and write it as well as they can.
It's the agent's job to sift through all the manuscripts and proposals, and find the ones they want to represent in the marketplace.
To be more specific about the kinds of books I'm looking for would be extremely limiting. I'd be cutting myself off from a vast array of creative ideas out there - the ideas that are so terrific, I'd never have thought of them myself.
In other words, it is out of respect for you, the writer, that I refuse to be more specific in what I'm looking for. You're the idea person, not me. You need to write what you write, then send it out and find someone who loves it enough to advocate for it. Impress us! Wow us! Blow us away with your creativity and talent. That's what we want - to be swept off our feet.
Most of us are specific enough about what we represent and what we don't. For example, some agents rep only romance, some specialize in mysteries and thrillers, some represent only books for the Christian market. Many of us are specific about what we don't want, such as the fact that I don't look at fantasy, sci-fi, or YA.
Other than that, I'm open to being surprised by finding something I love that's perhaps not what I would have itemized on a specific list of "what I'm looking for." In fact, I believe that's my only hope of being successful as an agent - having an eye for talent, and being open-minded enough to consider book ideas I'd never have thought of myself.
I encourage you to avoid worrying about exactly what each agent or editor wants. There is enough information out there for you to know in general whether you should send them your project. Beyond that, be thankful that most of us are sincerely hoping to be blown away by a project we absolutely love. And our best chance of that is to be open to a wide variety of ideas and genres.
(c) 2010 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
Some of you may have read the post from agent Kristin Nelson last week about agents fighting over writers. She wrote that every single time she offers a writer representation lately, she ends up competing with several other agents who want the same client. You can go read her post now: Hot Commodity
In response to her post there was quite a bit of talk on Twitter, with writers saying, "I better get my query out there soon because agents are fighting over writers!" I don't very often write posts that are discouraging, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to pour cold water over this excitement, because I think it's based on a misunderstanding of what Kristin wrote. Time for a reality check.
Kristin's post is absolutely right-on about agent competition. I've seen the same dynamic lately. I'm typically competing with several other agents for the clients I really want. Sometimes I win, sometimes I don't.
But the reason this happens is because the majority of queries don't motivate us to immediate action. The awesome ones are relatively few and far between; so when they come across our desks, we recognize them and we tend to act fast. The reality is that agents are only fighting over a few writers. Maybe it will be yours. And maybe not.
Here's something else to take from this: When a project looks like it's going to be hot, many agents notice it (assuming you've sent it to multiple agents.) So if you're not getting positive responses from agents, don't blame the agents and don't make excuses for yourself. If your project looks saleable in today's market, agents will notice.
Of course, there are all kinds of reasons projects get rejected. It's a combination of your book, your platform, the agent's workload and need for a new client, the agent's preferences, and how the market looks at that very moment. It's not all about the worthiness of your project. So don't take those rejections as a reflection of your worth as an author.
But at the same time, don't sit around thinking all the agents must be making a BIG MISTAKE by not offering representation. Most agents recognize a saleable project when they see it. And they'll pursue it, IF it fits what they want to represent.
We get hundreds of queries a week, but we're only "fighting over" a few of them.
Sorry about that cold water.
Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
Lately I've gotten some remarks from people, both in blog comments and in response to pass letters, complaining that "agents are only looking for what they're personally interested in." And some have called into question whether that's a legitimate way to do business.
So is it true? Are we just looking for what we like? Well... yes and no.
Yes, it's best if I enjoy reading your manuscript, because I'm going to read it once, twice, or multiple times especially if we're doing one or more editorial passes. That's awfully hard if I merely tolerate your work rather than enjoying it.
More importantly, as an author you probably want an agent who completely believes in you and your work. There may be times your agent has to really push hard, fight through obstacles, get really creative about selling your book to a publisher. That's much easier to do if I'm totally sold out on your project.
Don't forget that my criteria for "liking" a manuscript may be different from yours. When I'm looking for projects in a professional capacity, my "Do I like it?" filter is different from the one I use when I'm looking for books for my personal reading. It's common for me to love a manuscript, totally believe in it, and want to represent it, even though it might be different from what I typically choose for my leisure reading.
But a far more crucial question than "Do I like it?" is "Do I think I can sell it?" This is, after all, a job, and no matter how much I love what I do, I have to make a profit or I have to quit. (Jessica at Bookends wrote a great post about Making Money.)
In the end, I choose projects to represent based on a combination of what I like, what I believe will sell, what fits into the current market, and what I'd be proud to align my name with.
Not sure there's any other way to do this job.
Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
Last month I wrote a post on the Top Ten Query Mistakes. The first two points were all about personalizing your query to the agents. They were:
#1. Not making me special, and
#2. Not caring who I am.
Now if you didn't know me, those might seem like kind of narcisistic statements, and believe me, I did receive some flak for them. But I hope most people who read my blog know that I have a sense of humor, I don't take all of this so deadly seriously, and I say things like "Not making me feel special" with a big grin. It's kind of a joke, you know? Just a silly way to make my point.
But the point remains that there is value in personalizing your query. It's not a must, just a suggestion.
I realize you're trying to get an agent, and it behooves you to query as many agents as possible. I get that—and I encourage it. But once you actually have an agent, it's a business relationship that is hopefully going to be long and will at times be intense. My clients are not just numbers or words-on-a-page to me. They're people. They're people with whom I spend a lot of my time—whether on the phone, or in email, or working intensely on their books or proposals, or working intensely on their contracts... etc.
The people I choose to represent have to be people I think I can successfully have a long-term business relationship with. So from the very beginning, right from the first query, it helps to see that someone has already done a little research and thinks I might be a good fit. I don't choose just "any old writers" to be my clients, and I hope you wouldn't be looking for just "any old agent" to sell your stuff. So that's why it makes sense to know who you're querying, and at the very least, to write me a letter that addresses me by name (even if that's the only thing you know about me.)
But that's just me, and other people have their own ways of doing business. For some agents, the project is all that matters and they probably don't care about the relationship so much. Many authors may also feel this way.
I just wanted to explain that, as much as I'm looking for great projects to represent, it's the people I interact with. So I like it when we all treat one another like people.
What do you think? Is there value in personalizing your queries? Or do you think we ask too much?
Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
As you know by now, almost all agents have Submission Guidelines that they post on their websites and/or blogs. Agents who blog and Twitter always remind writers to follow guidelines, and some agents reject without responding if you don't follow guidelines.
But why are the guidelines so important? Are we just picky and anal people, obsessed with power and intoxicated by the ability to control people?
Obviously my answer to that is "no."
It's simply a numbers game. It's all about the high volume of submissions we receive, and the need to get through them as quickly as possible, while making smart yes and no decisions.
Our guidelines specify the exact information we need in order to make the best decision possible, in the shortest amount of time.
Our guidelines tell you what to include, because otherwise you may include a lot of information that we don't need, which means it takes more time to get to the heart of your query and figure out if the project is something we find interesting. Similarly, if you don't include enough information for us to make a good decision, we're not likely to spend our time asking you for more info. We're just going to pass.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote The Top Ten Query Mistakes in which I gave some protocol guidelines. I said that I'd be unlikely to reject based on any of these protocol mistakes—so of course, several people wondered why I would even mention them if they're not important.
Well, it's exactly what explained in my post: You have a very brief amount of space and time in which to convince an agent to request more of your writing. Everything you write affects my overall impression of your writing. Why not make the best impression possible?
Agents are doing their best (through blogs and Twitter) to set you up for success. We're trying to help you make the most of that small amount of space in a query letter.
Why would people object to my sharing these tips, when the upshot is that you have some simple guidelines for making the best impression possible? I wonder, would these same people object to a magazine article on 10 Things to Avoid in a Job Interview? Or 10 Ways to Make Your Resumé Shine? I doubt it. Seems to me, we all need all the help we can get.
If you're wondering why agents seem to be so picky about their submission guidelines, stop thinking in terms of yourself and your one query. Remember that yours arrives along with dozens or hundreds of others, and that's why we need the guidelines. We need your help in making our query-reading efficient and effective. By following query guidelines, you make it more likely that an agent will immediately be able to see your project accurately and determine whether it would be a good fit.
Computers and the internet have made it possible for ever-more people to write books, dream about publication, and approach agents. The submissions are increasing all the time. In order to be able to respond to queries at all, we need the process to be streamlined. Otherwise, there's going to come a time when most agents will be unable to respond to queries unless it's a yes.
And in case you think agents are just somehow inefficient, or power-hungry, or lazy... or whatever... read this post from Harvard Business Review
We spend a lot of time on these blogs discussing what makes an agent say "yes, I want to see more" or "no thanks" after reading a query. And last week I tried to give you some idea of the things I'm looking for in a manuscript, things that make me want to keep reading your partial or full. Today I'm going to approach it from the opposite angle. I want to address the question of what makes me say "no" after I've requested your manuscript.
Of course, there could be any number of problems that make me stop reading and/or say no. I just want to mention two major things I've been noticing lately.
1. The story falls apart after the first 2-3 chapters.
With a surprising number of manuscripts, the first two or three chapters are polished and amazing and full of action and contain a great hook to keep me reading. In other words, it's a compelling set-up. But the book falls apart quickly after that. The tension disappears, action is slow or non-existent, plot is weak, there is too much narrative and not enough scenes, or it all gets bogged down in backstory. The fact is, there's a big difference between being able to write a few great chapters, and being able to sustain the tension and interest throughout 80,000+ words.
I've noticed something that might indicate part of the problem. Writers who are entering their fiction in lots of contests typically have twenty-or-so pages that are really great (because that's all most contests require you to submit). But frequently the rest of the manuscript is nowhere near as good as the opening.
So ask yourself: Have you put as much work into the last 90% of the book as you put into the first 10%?
2. The manuscript doesn't pass the "put it down" test.
This is my own little gauge to help me determine if I really like a book. It always takes several days to read a full manuscript. I read in bits of time here and there (never during the regular work day), which is helpful because it approximates the way most people read novels. So, after I've put the MS down—how eager am I to pick it up again? During the interim, how much am I thinking about the story and wondering what's going to happen? When my reading time rolls back around again, am I excited to pick up the book, or do I feel more like I've been assigned to read something for a class?
This is a huge indicator of whether or not your story is crafted in such a way that readers will want to keep turning pages. Your book has to pass this test, because the only books that get wonderful word-of-mouth and pass-along from readers are the books people actually finish and enjoy all the way to the end. Subjective? Yes, of course. But if I'm going to represent a book, I need to be able to confidently stand behind it and advocate for it. If I can't make it to the end, it's not going to work very well.
I can't teach you on a blog how to sustain your novel through 300+ pages. It's trial and error, experience, and studying the craft by taking workshops from great teachers and reading books on crafting fiction (such as The Art of Fiction by John Gardner, or Writing the Break Out Novel by Donald Maass).
The important thing to realize is that getting an agent to request your partial or full is only the first step. After that, you've got to keep them reading all the way to the end.
Q4U: Have you found it challenging to keep your story interesting and keep the reader engaged beyond the first few chapters? How did you recognize the problem? What are you doing to solve it?
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I would appreciate being told the truth no matter if it is something I want to hear or not. The truth sets you free.
Oh wow. What a tough conversation! However, those come up in all relationships. Also, I don't think an agent is there just to be a cheerleader. They should help push a writer to do their best work. Sometimes that might not be fun for anyone, but the goal is for the good times to outweigh the rough patches.
I agree with so many of the points above - and, I would totally react as Sally Hepworth described :) drama first, dealing with it later. I hope I would get to that second stage, anyway. And I hope I would reserve the drama for my mom or my journal, and not take it out on an agent. I hope, I hope, because hearing the bad news would definitely be hard.
However, as a freelancer, I've had to let story ideas go, too, because I just couldn't get anyone interested (meaning maybe the idea wasn't as great as I thought). And as an unpublished author, I've let several novels go. Hopefully this ratio gets better as you become a better writer, but the odds are likely that it will still happen from time to time.
And if someone actually tells you that a project won't work, then you are lucky. Publishing a subpar book would even worse than starting over.
That would be a tough one for sure, but w/ my general Eeyore attitude in life, I would expect it. I hope for the best and expect the worst--that way I'm never completely crushed. I'm not really like Eeyore, anyway, because I believe that things happen for a reason. God has a better plan than I have.
Rachelle, I appreciate your commitment to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Yes, those kinds of conversations are difficult to have, probably more so for the recipient. But that kind of gut-honest feedback, when received in the right way, can only serve to help the writer improve his/her craft. Thank you.
DJ Hughes
I love this post and the comments it has generated from other agents/editors. I often have to adjust the way I look at writing and publication, and this is such a crucial one. I would much rather be published well than to be published quick. And that should help me deal with these kinds of conversations.
Incidentally, I'm so thrilled you wrote this post, Rachelle. Your tweet last week that you hated hard convos with your authors had me burning with curiosity as to what those kind of convos might entail and if I should be prepared for them with my agent. Thanks so much for elaborating here.
I would be grateful that I had someone on my side who was knowledgeable enough and honest enough to give me the hard truth before I invested even MORE time in the book. But I would hope that I might be able to get this kind of feedback at the idea or outline stage rather than after I've written a full draft.
However, if it were strictly a marketing issue, not a quality issue--outside my "brand," for example--and it was a book I really believed in, I might want to explore other options.
@Timothy and Rachelle,
I definitely don’t believe that a rejected book should be self-published out of a sense of defensiveness, but out of belief that the book could possibly succeed. As Katherine mentioned above, if it’s a problem with marketing rather than quality, this might be the time to just see what happens in the e-pub market. I want to brand myself as a contemporary romance author, but if I wanted to dabble in paranormal romance or even romantic sci-fi, e-publishing might be a worthy experimental endeavor – as long as I didn’t tell a living soul. ☺
And Rachelle, you are right. There are some books that are unsalvageable. I was asked to work on a project, and the entire premise of the book was … I can’t say this any other way: it was racist. I knew that no publisher would take it on, and I wasn’t going to, either. On the creepier and slightly nauseating side, there’s actually a hefty niche demand for this specific type of fiction. A lot of it’s been e-published and is highly successful.
Great post, Rachelle. This is the biggest fear that we unpublished writers have. I've brought a work in progress into my writers group thinking it was the best thing I'd ever written and they panned it. After my initial shock, I reviewed their written comments and they were absolutely right. As much as people criticize agents, the bottom line is they have the best interests of their client at heart. Having said that, if a writer really believes in a project, he or she should evaluate the criticism, revise as needed, and move forward. We have to get past the initial hurt and do a candid self-diagnosis of our work. The person who is closest to the work can oftentimes be the last one to see any problems with it.
I'd ask why. Rachelle gave a few examples, but there might be some other reason that might be specific to your book that you could learn from.
Also, you could learn a lot about your agent. By knowing how he or she views your work, especially the work that they don't feel they could represent, you'd be that much better at communicating with them going forward about your work.
I rewrite just for kicks, so my first reaction would be to try to fix it. If that fails miserably then I would probably break into tears, but only in private...I hope. The only play to move is ahead.
I imagine at some point it's bound to happen to me. Not every book can be a winner. It'll be a let down, but I'd rather my agent tell me right away that the book isn't going to fly. That way I can start on the next one. After discussing with her why she thinks that book didn't work and doing a little strategizing on how to make the next one more marketable of course ;)
Well I may be idealistic, but I would hope that if you're on your 8th book with an agent, he or she would be willing to take a chance with a book different from the last, or off-"brand." How depressing that thought is, that an author needs to stick to a brand.
As anyone in ANY business knows...you are only as good as your last (insert whatever here). Even authors, you are judged by your last book or novel. I think it's kinder to say "no deal" than to put out something that is not going to work/sell and it would cause irreputable damage to your career.
Yes as authors we spend quite a bit of our time, writing, editing, researching, but if it's bad it's bad. Not everything that I write is good, I know this and accept it. Everyone can have a bad day, month, or even years.
About self publishing- well, there is the rub. Too many authors are just throwing whatever out there. There are a few great self published books, but many are trash which should have stayed under a bed or tucked into a drawer. Horrible to say this about authors, because I am now a self-published author, but it's true. I self-publish to test the market, and then if I'm good enough I MIGHT be found, but I really do not expect it.
I honestly feel great sorrow for agents and publishers. They do not have an easy job of telling people their babies are ugly.
Ouch. Tough love is the way to go sometimes.
My agent has given me me very extensive editorial notes on my second book (much more so than the first.) It requires lots of rewriting, which I'm fine about, because the comments make a lot of sense to me. My question is this-- are there agents who just don't want to tell a client something's not good enough and will offer revision notes regardless? (Am feeling lots of self-doubt these days, obviously. Just wondering if I have such a nice agent that he/she didn't want to have that difficult phone call.)
It would be very tough to hear but I would rather hear it and not send out my best work then possibly end my writing career. Hearing the words that this book just isn't "it" are always going to be tough to hear. But I expect that someday when I have an agent, it will be very close partnership and friendship that those words will show he/she cares for me.
It's tough love but it is what is necessary.
Great stuff, Rachelle!
It would be hard to set an entire manuscript aside, but at the same time, if someone in the industry is telling me it's not going to work, then I am going to listen.
I have read authors and totally loved them, just to have them switch up on me and I lost interest. This is not something we want as writers, as we will lose our fan base.
That is why I prefer to let people read as I am writing. That way I get feedback, and if the story isn't working, I can start over or start something new. I have rewritten about 200 pages before, just to make what I wanted to put out more believable. So, I'd suck it up and move on. It happens. :-)
I've had this conversation from the writer's side of the table. Since my agent had already sold a book for me, I was shocked. My initial reaction -- she was wrong, it just needed some work. I considered self-publishing, but decided to put the book aside for a while and work on something else.
I'm glad I did. I read that ms. a couple of years later and found my agent was so right. The book was in a new genre for me and it was clear that I didn't understand the genre, hadn't found my voice, hadn't focused the plot, didn't know my characters. It was pretty much a mess.
I'm glad my agent made that difficult call. I didn't waste time trying to rehab a book that just wasn't going to make it, or possibly slow my career by self-publishing a bad product. Happily, I went on to write a book my agent could sell.
That's a tough conversation for agent and writer (especially the writer!) but it doesn't mean the end of a career or an agent/author relationship.
Love this post. Very interesting and offers lots to think about.
Anonymous 6:47: Do you have any idea how hard it is to do detailed editorial notes on a book, and how many hours it takes? It's a huge job! Believe me, if your agent could avoid all that work simply with a phone call telling you your manuscript is a dud, she'd do it.
Don't let your insecurity trump your reason! WHY would anybody go to all that work for an unworthy project? Why waste time (which agents never have enough of) on a project that's a lost cause? Nobody would do that.
If your agent went to the trouble to do extensive editorial notes, PLEASE appreciate how much that means, how much effort that took, and how much your agent must believe in you. Set your self-doubt aside and do your best with those revisions.
Great article. I had something in that vein happen with my first solo Star Trek novel. Sent it in on time and got it back with about 40 pages of "corrections" (essentially they felt it wasn't "quite" the novel they'd anticipated) and did an entire manuscript rewrite in two weeks. Taught me a lot and made me a better writer.
As far as self-publishing goes, I can see both sides. When I failed to sell my novel "Weathercock," I did opt to self-publish and am glad I did. This is a story I believe in profoundly and so far it's done well. Self-marketing is exhausting, but it's part of the game now, whether one self-publishes or not, so maybe it's good that I'm learning it now.
Whatever route a writer chooses to take, s/he must be ready (and willing) to realize that a story isn't up to snuff, and recognize when it is salvageable and when it isn't. Sometimes you just don't want to let go. That could be stubbornness....or it could mean you have a gem hidden inside all that rock.
I guess my reaction would depend on the "why" it isn't working. If the plot has a problem, etc. I would definately try to rework it. If it's a matter of genre/platform, and I really believed in the story, I'd either go elsewhere or self publish under a different name.
This really shouldn't be a tough conversation. Well, at least no tougher than having your doctor tell you to lose weight or stop smoking. It's for your own good. I'd hope if I had an agent I could trust, she/he wouldn't let me walk out of the bathroom with my skirt hem tucked up around my waist or let me publish a stinky book that's destined to flop.
Good friends watch your back...trust them.
Anonymous 6:47 here...
Rachelle, thank you so much for responding and saying exactly what I needed to hear--I'm guessing it took my agent 20 hours plus to do multiple reads and do the type of overall analysis and detailed manuscript notes that he/she did. And I know how much stronger my revisions are making my novel. I do appreciate my agent for being so wonderful and yes, self-doubt can't trump reason. Thank you again.
One of the reasons I favor traditional publishing is because every once in a while, we all need someone to give us this kind of hard news. It’s impossible for an artist of any kind to look at their own creation objectively. I would genuinely hope that once I get to the point where I’m publishing, I have people around me who will save me from major career mistakes like this before they are public and on the shelf … and who believe in me enough to know that I can create something better!