tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post5533919914496032032..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Well, that was quickJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-63932043948585707042016-01-30T19:35:55.677-05:002016-01-30T19:35:55.677-05:00I'm sympathetic to the OP, having gone through...I'm sympathetic to the OP, having gone through the same sort of experience. After landing an agent, submissions to multiple publishers, some close calls, no offers, and lots of edits, I was blindsided with a Dear John email saying the agent was terminating our agreement. You think agents are in it for the long haul (my own former agent said this too). You also assume that if a book doesn't sell, the agent will tell you to write a new book, not drop you as an author. I understand that agents want to sell big books, but it sucks to have this happen. <br /><br />My question is, what can be done about this? I don't want to publicly name the agent for fear of being blackballed by other possible (future) agents and I'm sure the OP feels the same. If the agent in question has other bigger and/or happier clients, talking about your own experience online makes you seem petty. But if you <i>don't</i> name the agent, then another author will probably go through the same thing and wonder if it's just them. I wish someone had warned me. What can be done??Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10548812481849329661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-80603901158382051152016-01-29T20:35:32.597-05:002016-01-29T20:35:32.597-05:00LynnRodz, sorry for the confusion! I was addressin...LynnRodz, sorry for the confusion! I was addressing nightsmusic's question a couple comments up, not Opie's situation. "Everyone" most certainly hasn't said no to poor Opie. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-37389621329084942942016-01-29T11:39:38.432-05:002016-01-29T11:39:38.432-05:00Luciakaku, "everyone" did not say there ...Luciakaku, "everyone" did not say there was no market, only one out of only ten editors referred to it not being marketable. Those odds would not make me quit on my bs&t novel. OP, keep going!LynnRodzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796099106913990163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-27888712574452659362016-01-29T09:14:42.619-05:002016-01-29T09:14:42.619-05:00nightsmusic, actually they're chewy CHOCOLATE ...nightsmusic, actually they're chewy CHOCOLATE chocolate chunk. The most alliterative of foods. <br /><br />RE: what to do when everyone says there's no market, I imagine that would be when you hook an agent with a different book, then when they ask about inventory, you dangle your shiny "unsalable" MS in front of them. At that point, it's their job to represent your work, and "not now" doesn't mean "never."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-67613139630740203692016-01-29T08:18:59.967-05:002016-01-29T08:18:59.967-05:00Interesting points, HerGrace and Jennifer, thanks ...Interesting points, HerGrace and Jennifer, thanks for the info. There's a distinction between genre and subject matter, though, isn't there? I can completely understand someone only reading romance novels, or sci-fi, or crime, if that's what they enjoy. But just seeking out vampires or werewolves or, I don't know, mid-century female zombies with relationship problems...? Anyway, I'm rambling. Clearly some people have very specific tastes.Clairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06688291652480357123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-33919357732750947042016-01-29T06:56:39.122-05:002016-01-29T06:56:39.122-05:00I hereby nominate KD to be the pitbull motivator o...I hereby nominate KD to be the pitbull motivator of the Reiders! <br /><br />:)<br /><br />I fear just a couple days is not long enough, but I have the whole thing here in front of me (printed because I don't do electronic editing) and will work on a LOT of it every single day until I get it done and sent.<br /><br />Jennifer, werewolves because: dobermans! ;)<br /><br />Lucia, cookies? Chocolate chip ones? Chewy? With big chocolate chunks?<br /><br />Panda, reCaptcha doesn't like me. Period. Not here, not most places that use it where I post, doesn't even like me on my own site. Go figure...<br /><br />But I do have one other comment and this one is out of my control...what happens when you've written your book, polished it to within an inch of its life and you continually hear; I can't sell this, there's no market right now for this. Not that I've heard that yet, but I have other writer friends who have. And it's consistent from all the agents being queried. I think that goes back to the glutted/passe genre.<br /><br />Sort of another rhetorical question/comment there, but something to consider.<br /><br />Oh, reCaptcha, make up your mind! A river is not a puddle behind a train!nightsmusichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05984119792540771870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-28876923506213264642016-01-29T01:59:11.167-05:002016-01-29T01:59:11.167-05:00Late once again to comment, but OP, I'm not go...Late once again to comment, but OP, I'm not going to repeat what Janet and everyone else has said. Instead, if you strongly believe in your novel, I think you should continue to try and push it until you find it a home. Why not? Just because that wham, bam, agent gave up, that doesn't mean you have to. <br /><br />We've all heard success stories about an author not giving up and I don't think you should either. Find out which editors have seen your ms and take it from there. If other agents won't touch it, like Janet has mentioned she wouldn't, submit it to publishers that accept unagented submissions. Do all you can before putting it away to write something else. And if all else fails, you can think about self publishing. There again, we've heard of numerous success stories. <br /><br />Good luck, ten passes (all for different reasons) does not mean your novel isn't good enough to one day find it on the shelves of bookstores.LynnRodzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796099106913990163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-68328878204000792032016-01-29T00:05:41.778-05:002016-01-29T00:05:41.778-05:00Yeah. Gateway books. When readers read one book of...Yeah. Gateway books. When readers read one book of a type, they get this insatiable hunger for more. Romance readers are especially voracious like this; that's why Romance is a top-selling indie genre.<br /><br />When I was working in a library a few years back we created some Recommendation Lists. Stephenie's vampire books hooked 'em. The readers wanted more, so we recommended Richelle, and Anne and so on. We listed every vampire/werewolf/ghostie book we had in the library. Had the same thing going for my drinking buddy Jo's books about some boy wizard, and a few other popular reads.<br /><br />Our readers would devour all these and beg for more. Thank goodness for InterLibrary Loans.<br /><br />So yeah. I don't worry too much about glutted genres. The glut only exists in commercial publishing. Indie's got room for everything and more. I'm not above indie publishing something if I can't get an agent to love it. May do that with my Regency Romance after it's won "Ticket to Ride--Agentville".<br />Her Grace, Heidi, the Duchess of Knealehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17818060864422019573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-9975262922617807332016-01-28T23:35:46.619-05:002016-01-28T23:35:46.619-05:00nightsmusic: historic werewolves sound pretty rad!...nightsmusic: historic werewolves sound pretty rad! What're the chances that there were two of us here with werewolf trilogies in mind? (mine's contemporary.<br /><br />Claire: I don't know about at Barnes and Noble, but people have come to the library and put in requests like that. Sometimes they've read a "gateway" book like Twilight or something and need something with more meat on it, sometimes they've finished one series and need another similar or caught a particular flavor and want everything in the system to do with witches, that kind of thing. And I tell you, I know author research when I see it, and have been able to have some great conversations that way! (like a patron who was getting alllll the occult and non fiction witch books in the system)<br /><br />kdjames should give more of us pep talks! Jennifer R. Donohuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00363886899308588391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-61594523527078608832016-01-28T23:16:34.067-05:002016-01-28T23:16:34.067-05:00Nightmusic, write the story you love. Vampires wer...Nightmusic, write the story you love. Vampires were supposed to be over until someone named Meyer wrote some series or another. I don't think a writer should ever worry about what is popular. Write something great and be the next popular trendsetter.<br /><br />My Civil War novel has a lamia in it, but is heavily researched and story centric. I hope people won't think, "OMG! Another paranormal!"<br /><br />To the OP. I'm very sorry. On the plus side, there's always a bright side, when you write your new book and the agent asks, "what else do you have?" you actually have something. Yes, it's been lightly shopped, but your new agent may have some ideas about it. Plus, a new editor for you new book probably hasn't seen the old one. Think of it as inventory, not wasted time.<br /><br />Good luck in future endeavors. Soldier on. Keep writing. It's what you do.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-23485285223245909832016-01-28T23:14:43.545-05:002016-01-28T23:14:43.545-05:00John Frain - lol. KDJames - you make an effective...John Frain - lol. KDJames - you make an effective pep talk! nightsmusic - I would read that subgenre. <br /><br />Off to a little more editing before bed! This blog is a great motivator! Lennon Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03570629350169504234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-62363566622971099712016-01-28T23:01:26.571-05:002016-01-28T23:01:26.571-05:00*snort*
John, that wasn't me being pissed off...*snort*<br /><br />John, that wasn't me being pissed off. That was me being supportive. OK, sternly supportive. You do not want to know what I'm like when I'm pissed off. Luckily, I have a very long fuse and that's a rare event. One I usually keep to myself until I calm down.<br /><br />Maybe one day I'll tell the story of the time I got <i>epically</i> pissed off at Sears and ended up with not only the exact goddamn stove they sold me at the price they (mistakenly) advertised, but also a new kitchen floor and an abject apology and job offer from some exec VP in the Chicago office, who said it was the best complaint letter he'd ever seen. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-69307366704288620692016-01-28T22:39:34.401-05:002016-01-28T22:39:34.401-05:00Thank you, BJ, for this:
The only thing the marke...Thank you, BJ, for this:<br /><br /><i>The only thing the market never gets tired of is GOOD BOOKS. Write those.</i><br /><br />Would that it were that easy, right!<br /><br />Also, note to self: Don't piss off KD James. I'm trying to get coffee cup samples of KD and our Queen and run the DNA samples at genealogy.com to see if they're related. Yikes. Careful where you swim in these shark-infested waters.<br /><br /><i>No ma'am, wasn't me talking. I've got my head down working on these here revisions...</i>John Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01702305890462479118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-48196269190193104132016-01-28T22:04:51.171-05:002016-01-28T22:04:51.171-05:00Aaaand, still off-topic:
NonononoNO. Nightsmusic, ...Aaaand, still off-topic:<br />NonononoNO. Nightsmusic, there will be no shuffling and no hiding in the corner and ABSOLUTELY no more negativity. You are not allowed to say your work is bad. You have zero objectivity on that score. None. You are a writer, a damn fine one. Your work is worthy of attention and praise. Stand up straight and tall, shoulders back and chin up, and own it. I also recognize procrastination when I see it, so don't think for one minute I don't see what you're doing. Give yourself a deadline to be done futzing with it. Yes, futzing. What day is it... Wednesday? Oh, right, Thursday. OK, by end of day Sunday you will be done messing around and on Monday you WILL send the full to that agent. Feel free to send me a panicked email immediately afterwards. [I'm not kidding: kdjames.99ATgmailDOTcom] You can do this.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-60084147364465383962016-01-28T21:29:17.814-05:002016-01-28T21:29:17.814-05:00*pets NM and offers cookies* If it was so bad, you...*pets NM and offers cookies* If it was so bad, you wouldn't have a request. Hush now. <br /><br />And my copious emails to CPs about how awful my MS is before I shoved it under the bed and turned to a WIP are completely irrelevant to this encouragement, and in no way make me a hypocrite. >.><br /><br /><br />Panda, reCaptcha doesn't find me suspicious, either, except if I hit it once, and then went back and edited for five minutes, then tried to post. Apparently it finds the insecurities of woodland critters to be suspicious.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-12345475180492053472016-01-28T20:03:04.267-05:002016-01-28T20:03:04.267-05:00Oh dear, OP. I feel for you. I think bailing on yo...Oh dear, OP. I feel for you. I think bailing on you was downright crappy, especially after saying that if there were no takers after the first 10 submissions, that you would revise your query (or revise something anyway) and do more rounds of submissions.<br /><br />When I was first dipping my toes in the kid-lit river, I went to a SCBWI event to hear an agent speak, and she said she rarely (if ever) gives up, and had submitted work as many as 32 or more times before selling it. And that she would have kept on submitting until it sold or there were no publishers left.<br /><br />Colin, the question you asked about whether this wham-bam submission tendency was just among younger agents or whether it was going on in all phases of agenthood, was on my mind as well, so would love an answer to this one.<br /><br />I'm surprised no one has suggested voodoo dolls but maybe that is the sort of suggestion that gets you sent to Carkoon. <br /><br />Having shown in galleries for over 30 years, I know there is a difference between the ones that work hard for you, and the ones who are just phoning it in. I also understand how hard it is when the excitement of "I have an agent" keeps you from asking the hard questions, that might cause you to say, "thanks, but no thanks, ...oh...I DON'T have an agent" :-((((<br /><br />Write that next book, and when your excellent new agent sells that one, maybe that first one will sell too. You did it once, you can do it again.<br /><br />And why is it that reCaptcha hardly ever shows me any pictures? Is it because my smiling pandy picture looks so innocent that I couldn't possibly be up to no good?Panda in Chiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160375490647791433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-45580565262869670182016-01-28T19:57:29.900-05:002016-01-28T19:57:29.900-05:00*peeks head in*
*shuffles over to KD*
*yes, ma&#...*peeks head in*<br /><br />*shuffles over to KD*<br /><br />*yes, ma'am.*<br /><br />*goes to sit in the corner*<br /><br />I'm working my way through it. Really, I am. It's so bad! It's good I let it sit for awhile, so I can better see what needs fixed. And I'm fixing. I really am!<br /><br />nightsmusichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05984119792540771870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-86811759022267821082016-01-28T19:48:57.062-05:002016-01-28T19:48:57.062-05:00Just to reinforce the encouragement from the other...Just to reinforce the encouragement from the others. But don't wait until someone else tells you to start the next book. When you have one accepted by your agent, then is the time to start the next one. Keep writing.Lancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17335923263777449916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-23682895322684595722016-01-28T19:47:34.237-05:002016-01-28T19:47:34.237-05:00It's funny, sometimes, how what seems like def...It's funny, sometimes, how what seems like defeat can be a driving motivation. I rather like Janet's attitude of "I thought they were short-sighted and I wanted to make sure they'd live to rue that rejection." OP, I hope you write dozens more books and they all get published to great commercial success and critical acclaim, and one day you will have the extreme satisfaction of knowing that one agent and those ten editors were WRONG. There will always be nay-sayers along the path. Don't let the bastards get you down.<br /><br />Off-topic rant/pep-talk:<br />Nightsmusic, don't make me come over there. You have a REQUEST FOR A FULL on that ms. I remember Janet telling you, recently, in no uncertain terms, to send it to the agent even though it had been a while. I seem to remember her making you promise to send her proof that you'd done so. Good lord, woman. I understand self-doubt and fear and all that other self-defeating crap. I understand it better than you'll ever know. But there comes a time when you need to tell your inner critic to put a sock in it and then shove her out of a fast-moving car into a ditch too deep to dig her way out of. All this talk of "probably she forgot about me" and "dead genres" is fear. There isn't a single genre that hasn't been declared dead, and yet they all come back to life. Maybe your particular genre is just waiting for YOUR BOOK to breathe new life into it. If you let fear stop you, it will become a habit. Don't do that to yourself. I know it's hard. Do it anyway. I have faith in you and am more than happy to hold your hand and drag you to the other side of this scary thing. Believe me, it's a thing that ALL of us have to conquer eventually. Whatever the result, I can guarantee it will not kill you. But it just might liberate you. No more excuses. Do it.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-84452138895951429912016-01-28T19:07:35.235-05:002016-01-28T19:07:35.235-05:00Well, Charlotte, when I finish making my pass thro...Well, Charlotte, when I finish making my pass through this, if you're interested, I'd love the extra eyes.<br /><br />And I think reCaptcha is schizophrenic. Now, I'm typing text...what happened to the pictures? Oh, reCaptcha, you're confusing me so...<br /><br />(I love ellipses, but not in my novels...)nightsmusichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05984119792540771870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-81868844115205723062016-01-28T18:06:41.697-05:002016-01-28T18:06:41.697-05:00Condolences, OP. This must be a hard thing to deal...Condolences, OP. This must be a hard thing to deal with. And you were at your very best going into the author-agent relationship. You have a quality mss that attracted an agent. You had a detailed conversation with said agent about how the mss would go out on submission. After the first round, there was supposed to be a discussion about possible revisions before the second round. But the agent bailed and the second round never happened.<br /><br />That's something to feel bad about for a while. Get it out of your system and then think about what comes next. Yes, it sounds so cavalier: Write another book. (Every time I finish one, I swear never again. Then I get an idea and I'm off.) But that is what you would do anyway. <br /><br />We're all here for you.<br />Theresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18165072684559960801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-64081529076466282202016-01-28T17:39:31.970-05:002016-01-28T17:39:31.970-05:00AJ: Check out this list of questions:
The Engagem...AJ: Check out this list of questions:<br /><br /><a href="http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-engagement-period.html" rel="nofollow">The Engagement Period</a><br /><br />Anything you'd like to add to this list, O Mighty and Wise QOTKU? :)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-90164980301014841992016-01-28T17:30:09.036-05:002016-01-28T17:30:09.036-05:00Janet, at the risk of finding myself with a one-wa...Janet, at the risk of finding myself with a one-way ticket to Carkoon, I was wondering if you could blog about what authors should do/ask an agent before signing (a la the things Charlotte mentioned and anything else we don't know to ask) and accepted protocols? By the latter I mean things like... Is it okay to ask questions and then think about saying yes? I'd be so worried they'd think I wasn't keen that they'd change their mind, so I'm liable to agree in panic and excitement.<br /><br />I know you've talked about a lot of these things in the past, but I can't remember a post where it's all on the one page. Please forgive me, your Sharkness, if my brain is just faulty.<br /><br /><br /><br />AJ Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04529233142099749005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-75920494592992856872016-01-28T17:03:21.087-05:002016-01-28T17:03:21.087-05:00nightsmusic - I for one would LOVE to read a histo...nightsmusic - I for one would LOVE to read a historical werewolf novel, and I know plenty of other people for whom that sort of genre mashup would also have an appeal. It's true that it doesn't fit squarely into either the paranormal or historical genres, but to me that's a good thing; we need more "outside the box" books published, because there are lots of readers whose tastes cross genres and age groups, and I don't think publishers are doing enough to capture that market. One of my favorite books of all time is Lauren Owen's THE QUICK, which is a Victorian-set vampire novel that's about as far away from Anne Rice as it gets (and might be worth a read for comp purposes). I seriously dig books that defy genre expectations.<br /><br />Janet, I had a question: I know that, when talking to an agent that has offered representation, you should ask what happens if the book doesn't sell. Is it also appropriate to ask where the agent plans to submit, how many submissions they plan to make, which editor do they think would be a good fit for the book, etc? It seems like knowing an agent's submission strategy before signing with them is the only way to avoid the OP's situation, but I don't want to offend an agent by micromanaging or appearing to doubt their abilities. If I signed with an agent who then told me "oh, btw, I'm only submitting to ten editors," I would feel very misled, but at the same time I'm worried that asking "you're not just going to submit to ten editors and then call it quits, right?" would make me seem pushy and paranoid.<br /><br />I think authors often avoid asking important, relevant questions of agents prior to signing because they're worried about committing a terrible faux pas and having the offer of representation withdrawn. <br />literary_lottiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00623210323911052377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-29282694749066918142016-01-28T16:59:03.152-05:002016-01-28T16:59:03.152-05:00My deepest sympathies, OP. It seems almost crimina...My deepest sympathies, OP. It seems almost criminal that a decent book could be rendered untouchable by the cack-handedness of an incompetent agent. I really hope you bounce back quickly and keep writing. <br /><br />On the 'werewolves and the market' question... I'm always a bit dubious about the idea that certain topics are 'in' or 'out', like Capri pants or hipster beards. Surely if the book is good enough, it doesn't matter what it's about? Like I might enjoy a really well-written novel about the Gold Rush, but it wouldn't necessarily make me want to read other books by other authors about the same subject. <br /><br />But maybe some people really do rush up to the sales assistant at a Barnes & Noble and pant "Give me all the vampire books you have! ALL OF THEM!"Clairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06688291652480357123noreply@blogger.com