tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post4715623498345916525..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Can you find all the errors in this v. inept book promo email?Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-66580787823923110542015-11-20T22:33:05.200-05:002015-11-20T22:33:05.200-05:00I'm a week late and a dollar short as usual, b...I'm a week late and a dollar short as usual, but I am returned from North Dakota no thanks to my mother who was doing snow dances hoping I would get snowed in. Snow dances are like rain dances, but fluffier, and whiter, and colder. Well, actually they aren't alike at all aside from the dancing.<br /><br />Anyway, I am returned laden with gold nuggets and a minivan full of important junk, I mean stuff.<br /><br />On to the promo. Several things jump out at me about this. Me being me, the first thing was the word count. At Surrey a well-respected agent said flat out she won't even look at anything over 100,000 words regardless of genre. Now, if this agent is so aware of word counts even for historically longer genres, how on earth is a YA or children's book going to slide by with this count?<br /><br />I've had some interest in FAR RIDER as YA. It isn't. Even if it were, there's no way I could cut 70,000 words to fit what most agents want and they are pretty adamant about where they want YA.<br /><br />That brings up the second question. Shouldn't this promoter at least know what age group the book is?<br /><br />"Someone claiming to be an editor spit this out. It is nice to have all your arguments against hiring a freelance editor justified."<br /><br />I've visited with a freelance editor who also edits for a traditionally published NYT best selling author. I wouldn't hesitate to use him or Diane Ciarloni, my editor at the magazine for years. Unfortunately, this honyocker casts a very poor light on the good editors who are out there.<br /><br /><a href="http://julieweathers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Charlie-Russell.jpg" rel="nofollow">Just because someone offers you a cheap ride doesn't mean it's going to be a fun ride.</a> <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-59230707832869447552015-11-17T16:36:39.079-05:002015-11-17T16:36:39.079-05:00Craig - "Someone claiming to be an editor spi...Craig - "Someone claiming to be an editor spit this out. It is nice to have all your arguments against hiring a freelance editor justified."<br /><br />Shew to the whee, yeah. <br /><br />I'm trying to find a way to tailor my most recent favorite Sheldon Cooper quote to this, but I'll leave it unedited: "I wouldn't coitus her with somebody else's genitals." I certainly wouldn't let a friend use this editor, and perish the very thought of using them myself.<br /><br />Ms. Strauss, thank you for setting me straight. There was #13, staring me straight in the face, and I literally could not conceive of such an error being possible.DLMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08768285199864217885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-69370104384624766932015-11-17T15:18:08.869-05:002015-11-17T15:18:08.869-05:00This person needs a CLUES FOR DUMMIES ON WANTING T...This person needs a CLUES FOR DUMMIES ON WANTING TO GET PUBLISHED. A bit of research on the book industry would have shown them that everything in this query was wrong.Karen Baldwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01522178275164058849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25545973475331322062015-11-17T15:13:20.809-05:002015-11-17T15:13:20.809-05:00I didn't even deal with the REALITY of the ema...I didn't even deal with the REALITY of the email request. I agree with everyone else!<br /><br />1) Not sent to the publisher<br />2) Still being edited<br />3) Literary agent acting as publicist<br /><br />(This is either a vanity press, or an indie-focused literary agent that is wearing many hats to reduce costs to the author. However, this does the author no good!)<br /><br />I focused on the letter itself and tried to unravel and correct the misleading statements.<br /><br />Hello, [Start a new paragraph.]<br /><br />My name is [agent name redacted]. I am the literary agent for [author name redacted] whose debut novel is set to be published in January 2016. This is a hefty YA Fantasy novel totaling over 100,000 words.<br /><br />[Book Title Redacted] is in final stage editing and will be sent to the publisher soon. We understand that your blog may become booked by the time of publication, or even by pre-publication. [Add a period.] Therefore, we are seeking to [begin] scheduling this book’s [social media] tour now. [Start a new paragraph.]<br /><br />This tour is not strictly for blogs. We seek [removed the “are” and changed “seeking" as it is redundant.] publicity on all platforms [remove comma] including: [added semi colon] FaceBook, Twitter [remove comma] and other platforms. <br /><br />If you choose to participate in this tour, you will be supplied with a media packet based upon the type of post, [add comma] or feature, [add comma] you choose. The media packet will include [remove comma] but, [add comma here] is not limited to: an ARC, a synopsis of the book, images of exclusive illustrations done specifically for this novel, the book’s trailer, other promotional graphics, [removed forward slash and inserted a comma] banners, etc. <br /><br />Each tour participant will be entered into a raffle to win a hard copy of [Book Title Redacted], swag items, and a $25 dollar Amazon gift card. [Moved this sentence fragment to a more appropriate place in this email. Also, started a new paragraph.]<br /><br />Lastly, we are rewarding the top 5 bloggers who drive the most traffic to their [Book Title Redacted] post. These 5 will receive: a SIGNED copy of [Book Title Redacted], exclusive [remove comma] custom-made swag,a $50 dollar [Amazon/American Express/etc.] gift card, and exclusive opportunities [to receive future] ARC’s by [author name redacted]. <br /><br />If so desired, all tour participants have the opportunity to:<br /><br />• be featured on the author’s social media platforms including: FaceBook page, Twitter, Instagram, etc. [This author has a combined social media following of 100K.]<br />• host a follow-up interview with the author after the tour ends <br /><br />We are planning to do a 2-month tour, starting in December 2015 through the end of January 2016. [Start a new paragraph.]<br /><br />You will find below the current tour post types we are seeking. Please note: We are open to any combination of the post types below, or a new type of post of your choosing.<br /><br />• Guest Post (written by the author)<br />• Author Interview (a list of questions can be provided for you)<br />• Author Spotlight<br />• Book Review<br /><br />If you do not have a space on your blog [removed comma] and would still like to participate via social media platforms [removed comma] --- let us know! <br /><br />Thank for you for taking the time to read this request. <br /><br />If you are interested in participating, please send us the date and the type of post you’d like to feature on your blog.<br /><br />Thank you,<br />[literary agent name]<br /><br />The Notebook Blogairyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14668353619273159877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-42675262689833414342015-11-17T15:11:53.045-05:002015-11-17T15:11:53.045-05:00Haven't read all the comments so I apologize i...Haven't read all the comments so I apologize if someone already said this, but my best guess is that this is a self-pubbed author looking for some free promo.Christina Seinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18411040428007697691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-83189903428756470612015-11-17T14:39:01.682-05:002015-11-17T14:39:01.682-05:00The first time I read this and the then limited am...The first time I read this and the then limited amount of comments I decided that Jenn had her head around it nicely.<br /><br />The second time I read it I figured it was a cry for attention in a cruel world.<br /><br />The third time I read it I realized that being careful what you wished for applied. All those twitter pitches where agents reach out to writers took on a new level of scary.<br /><br />The fourth time I read it the marvelous Ms. Strauss had shared her research. Someone claiming to be an editor spit this out. It is nice to have all your arguments against hiring a freelance editor justified.Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157301156577795781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-32646498014143516392015-11-17T13:51:24.636-05:002015-11-17T13:51:24.636-05:00This inspires me to start work on a new YA Epic Fa...This inspires me to start work on a new YA Epic Fantasy series about the adventures of a teenage apprentice scribe monk who labors on illuminated manuscripts by day, but at night dreams of making it big as an author in the era before print.<br /><br />Working title: UNDERPROMOTED.<br /> <br />Do you think Neal Stephenson will blurb?<br />The Penultimushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15970222257381550109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-59918098654389285772015-11-17T13:47:37.533-05:002015-11-17T13:47:37.533-05:00I think I'm going to win the prize for cynicis...I think I'm going to win the prize for cynicism here, but the only scenario I can think of where this makes sense is:<br /><br />Somebody ("X") wrote a 100,000+ word fiction fantasy novel. X is going to self-pub electronically, so as soon as X finishes running it through Spell Czech ("the editing process") all X has to do is tell the word processing program to save the manuscript as a PDF file and Poof! - it's published and ready to be sold. Therefore "still in the editing process" and "January release" make perfect sense (well, to X anyway). The "publisher" is whatever e-pub seller X is using - or possibly even just X, whose computer skills are absolutely awesome. The ARC's will be printed on X's home computer when/if they're needed. The "editor" is X. The agent writing the letter is either X or X's BFF who is helping out.<br /><br />In a way, you have to admire the indefatigable X.<br /><br />Oh, wait - I thought of another scenario. X does have a publisher, and X's novel is coming out in January and the publisher told X there wouldn't be any pre-publication marketing, so X decided to do some. In which case X needs to learn that printing off copies of your MS on your home computer and sending them out does not make them ARCs.<br /><br />Adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08790958029798438793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-54227547343569805142015-11-17T13:44:42.595-05:002015-11-17T13:44:42.595-05:00After a good night's sleep and fun with an oph...After a good night's sleep and fun with an ophthalmologist, I believe E. M. got it:<br /><br />It appears that this book is to be “published” by a scam or vanity press. The “agent-pretender” is trying to gen up some noise for it in hopes that readers of popular writers' blogs will be fooled into paying for a poorly written book. <br /><br />How else does the “agent” know when it will be published and how else can it be published a month after the final edit by the author? <br /><br />That's how my left eye sees it.Mister Furkleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07156977719916770984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-43868645500765727862015-11-17T13:44:17.708-05:002015-11-17T13:44:17.708-05:00Do we know there's really an agent? I remember...Do we know there's really an agent? I remember reading about an author who was pretending to be an agent in order to talk to an editor...<br /><br />My guess for the Big Problem: there's nothing that says what the book is about!Noel (tell me now)https://www.blogger.com/profile/12044704621194378487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-30324638086526455422015-11-17T13:35:09.223-05:002015-11-17T13:35:09.223-05:00Holy horse farts indeed! Most have pointed out the...Holy horse farts indeed! Most have pointed out the most glaring errors, but I'd like to touch on a couple.<br /><br />Reviewers will need to know for sure whether a book is children's or YA (they are not one and the same), because some (like Kirkus) will include actual age ranges in their reviews. Plus, a book directed toward a third grader (still in the children's range) is much different than a book for a tenth grader (very much YA). Mostly because younger readers need to include K-12 elements like lexile levels to determine readability. <br /><br />And yes, January is WAY too soon to be considering a release. Publishers still need to consider what all parts of the book will look like (binding, front matter, back matter) which will likely be determined by, you guessed it, age group. <br /><br />Le sigh. Poor author. Karen McCoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02640324898284007337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-14293324482488453932015-11-17T13:15:11.116-05:002015-11-17T13:15:11.116-05:00Thank you for sharing that, Ms. Strauss! Question,...Thank you for sharing that, Ms. Strauss! Question, though. Is it a safe bet that the agent does indeed get time on Writer Beware?Brigidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13768090206152536761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-10004604498507167762015-11-17T12:37:16.077-05:002015-11-17T12:37:16.077-05:00Ms. Strauss, I doubt you will receive a response t...Ms. Strauss, I doubt you will receive a response to your letter, or even ever hear back from redacted.<br /><br />But if you do, I sure hope you share.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11543685541225544175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-24366222443411532552015-11-17T12:27:26.364-05:002015-11-17T12:27:26.364-05:00How many weeks ago did QOTKU state specifially, Be...How many weeks ago did QOTKU state specifially, Be Findable? (can't think of the word she actually used) She definitely guilted me into reworking my blog and such which I hope will go live again soon, but if you're at the point where you have a supposed agent *cough* schilling your book, shouldn't you already be findable? Just sayin'...nightsmusichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05984119792540771870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-2273334115621182752015-11-17T12:27:00.589-05:002015-11-17T12:27:00.589-05:00Ah, I see Victoria's comment directly above my...Ah, I see Victoria's comment directly above my first response says the "agent" is a freelance editor. So, not only is this person a poor agent, he/she is (judging from the letter only) a lousy editor as well. I wish someone could give the poor writer a heads-up because I think that writer is being taken for a ride.Elissa Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10727748060605823895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-75658878389316298162015-11-17T12:25:05.573-05:002015-11-17T12:25:05.573-05:00I'm confused. Is there is a contract with a pu...I'm confused. Is there is a contract with a publisher and the book is being re-edited? Or has it not even gone out on submission yet and they still think it will be published in January? Which is obviously crazy-pants.<br /><br />It does make me wonder about the typical turnaround time on the negotiation/finalization of a contract with a publisher. Back when I used to work with contracts (nothing like publishing) if we had a general agreement now, and wanted to get moving on something in January, I would be all antsy to get the contract going immediately because there are always drafts, and re-drafts, and redlining and re-redlining, and someone suddenly adding a provision that had never been discussed before, and now we all have to go back and stew. Plus the holidays when nothing happens except rogue emergencies. But maybe publishing contracts are different, or (more likely I guess) each is its own special snowflake.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14579884957931782780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-28193076610123835992015-11-17T12:22:04.233-05:002015-11-17T12:22:04.233-05:00It's such a bizarre, vague email that I wouldn...It's such a bizarre, vague email that I wouldn't know where to start. Poor client, is all I can say. <br />I'm also a bit wary of the agent- freelance editing service combination. Some agents who do this specify they won't consider editing clients as agenting clients, but to me it just seems a conflict of interests. Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00328411110801244620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-41118348761302991032015-11-17T12:20:39.365-05:002015-11-17T12:20:39.365-05:00I find it rather hilarious that this was sent to V...I find it rather hilarious that this was sent to Victoria Strauss of all people. Yes, she has a blog with extremely high traffic. No, I personally would not want to be featured on Writer Beware.<br /><br />I'm not going to list all the things I see wrong as others have done that more thoroughly than I. I take a more holistic approach to these things anyway. The entire missive stinks. I don't want to pick through it and separate the rotten bananas from the molding bread.<br /><br />This may well have been sent by an "Agent" but my suspicions have been aroused. If it's an agent, she/he is a poor one. I'm thinking this novel is a self-published POD and the "Agent" is either the author or the author's relative/friend/significant other.Elissa Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10727748060605823895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-40114707013204896712015-11-17T12:02:56.660-05:002015-11-17T12:02:56.660-05:00BTW, I tried to websearch the author and the book,...BTW, I tried to websearch the author and the book, and couldn't find a trace of either one, anywhere. Victoria Strausshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11993325726575944136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-10255137391131463192015-11-17T11:59:28.145-05:002015-11-17T11:59:28.145-05:00The email came to me directly from this "agen...The email came to me directly from this "agent." Also, because I redacted the names, one of the biggest problems isn't apparent: this "agent" runs a freelance editing service (a ton of red flags there as well, including no bio or CV), and is also this author's editor.<br /><br />Cue facepalm.<br /><br />I debated whether to bother responding, but honestly, it really ticks me off when people contact me as a blogger without bothering to read my blog (I mean, seriously, who would conclude that a blog called "Writer Beware" was a good bet for a book tour? Or that it belongs to a literary agent who's interested in receiving book pitches? Because I get those too). Because I'm a polite and mild-mannered person (ha!), I kept it courteous:<br /><br />"Dear [name redacted],<br /><br />I don't usually respond to emails like yours, from people who clearly haven't taken the time to actually look at my blog and learn about its focus. Had you done that, you'd have seen that we don't do tours, reviews, or author features. In fact, our focus couldn't be farther away from such things. But I feel you should know that your author deserves better research on the part of her literary agent.<br /><br />Additionally, since I have some experience with book tours and book bloggers from the author's side, I thought I'd let you know that you've chosen an approach that will alienate many book bloggers. Most are inundated with review and tour requests; it's a buyer's market, so to speak, and they see themselves as doing _you_ a favor by agreeing to consider a book, not vice versa. I think it's also not very likely that a book blogger will be interested in reviewing a book that does not yet have a publisher (and which, realistically, considering the difficulty of the book biz, may not ever). Plus, bloggers love to offer contests for swag, signed copies, etc. to their readers, but I doubt they'll be much incentivized by being signed up for contests themselves, especially where those contests basically pit them against one another. Remember, book bloggers are doing YOU a favor--not the other way around."<br /><br />Any bets on whether I'll get a response? ;-)Victoria Strausshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11993325726575944136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-65528165304732939552015-11-17T11:54:27.753-05:002015-11-17T11:54:27.753-05:00S.D. - I agree, if this is the F example I'd l...S.D. - I agree, if this is the F example I'd like to see what the A+ looks like. <br /><br />Assuming this isn't a self published author pretending to be an agent, this makes me horribly sad for the writer. I wish when any new writer sat down in front of a black page Writer Beware/this blog popped up. Like a newbie warning/safety system. I hate to think about the money that might have been invested in this. <br /><br />Lucie Witthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08521285162656949602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-11912295710768216022015-11-17T11:45:29.239-05:002015-11-17T11:45:29.239-05:00No knowledge of the industry and a f**kton of typo...No knowledge of the industry and a f**kton of typos that included repeated words and unnecessary capitalization. Dottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01624641148418615103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-77887104546801586502015-11-17T11:34:15.992-05:002015-11-17T11:34:15.992-05:00Biggest mistake? Sending this tragedy to Writers B...Biggest mistake? Sending this tragedy to Writers Beware. Now this 'agent' is getting the kind of publicity he or she didn't want. It's like sending your three-by-five glossies to the FBI's most wanted.<br /><br />Sometimes, you don't want the attention.Ardenwolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14053900506482830292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-75876343549440018532015-11-17T11:16:27.667-05:002015-11-17T11:16:27.667-05:00Colin, when I had an active book blog I usually re...Colin, when I had an active book blog I usually received offers of ARCs from small presses and 'published' novels from self-pubbed authors. <br /><br />The best offer I received was from a press rereleasing Winifred Holtby's work. They asked if I'd like advance copies because I'd recently reviewed South Riding on my blog. The message was brief and personal with the offer of more information if I was interested. <br />The Sleepy Onehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17406738871201908077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-61082761796507606532015-11-17T11:00:09.700-05:002015-11-17T11:00:09.700-05:00Man, my soul must have died at some point, because...Man, my soul must have died at some point, because I've gotten so many of those "do the blog tour enter for a prize!" thing that I'm not surprised at it anymore. Annoyed, but not surprised.<br /><br />I also didn't even see the "who the publisher is" or "what the book is about" things and that could tell you something about the state of my blog inbox!Lainahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00134705793566699951noreply@blogger.com