Once you've found your dream agent, how would you recommend trying to start a relationship with her? Twitter? Email? (And let's assume you can't afford to fly around the country for conferences)
This question makes me want to reach through the computer screen and turn off your computer before you do something really really stupid. Something you Can Not Recover From.
If you want to "start a relationship" with an agent you SEND A QUERY.
That's the only kind of relationship I'm looking for.
Now, as it happens, because I have this blog, I do have relationships with writers who are not clients. They made comments on the blog, or they entered contests, or in many cases, asked questions for the blog to address. In all cases you'll note that writer was simply contributing to the community here. Friendship with me was just a
If you mean you want to get to know an agent before you query: DON'T.
You'll come off as a stalker. Or stalker-y.
And guess what? I go out of my way to avoid that kind of writer. As do my colleagues.
You want to get rollicking conversation going amongst agents? Ask about the weird things authors do by trying to "make friends."
Here's what really happens:
A writer who introduces himself/herself on Twitter as a writer looking for an agent gets muted.
A writer who introduces him/her self on Twitter with "you are my dream agent" gets blocked.
A writer who retweets everything I say (up to and including things that make NO sense out of context) gets muted.
A writer who asks publishing questions on twitter gets ignored.
A writer who emails anything but a question for the blog or a query gets discarded.
And is this time to review why you setting your sights on a "dream agent" is not not not a good idea?
Now if I didn't understand the question correctly and you meant to ask how to get off on the right foot with an agent who has signed you there's always one correct answer:
64 comments:
I got so much stalkery stuff floating in my head right now I can't choose. It must be the whole Halloween thing.
Anyway...
Dear Janet,
They like you, they really, really like you.
Best regards,
Sally F
Fruit?!
All right. What'd you do with our Shark?
OP Thank you for asking the question. The wee woodland hamster wheel is alive and well. The agenting and publishing business has so many social aspects to it, authors trying to entice an agent with a query, agents building relationships with publishers for the sake of success for their clients. But it's business social. Not personal social.
And with agents and publishers on social media, it's easier for authors to have written access. And a double bonus for us Reiders as Janet's good about answering questions emailed to her. Questions that are pertinent to the blog or the book industry. Acquaintanceship is different from friendship.
Hm...did I learn good? It's early in the morning yet!
This makes me cringe. Embarrassing story: Several years ago, when I first got on Twitter, I would retweet...just about everything I saw from everyone I followed. Thankfully a kind friend informed me that was NOT how most people used Twitter. To this day retweets still constitute an abnormally high ratio of my feed, but I'm trying to break that habit. (But I follow so many interesting people!)
FRUIT? Okay, if that's what you want. I'll give that bottle of 25 y-o Macallan to my brother.
I really thought you'd say booze there, JR.
Uh-oh, i think i might be guilty of this. I follow a bunch of agents on Twitter - not necessarily agents i ever intend to query, but mostly agents who represent authors i love love love - and i do tend to like/retweet them rather indiscriminately. I hope i come across as fan-girl-y rather than stalker-y...
I've learned a lot following agents on twitter and reading their blogs. None of them would know me from Eve. Maybe that's better, less embarrassing when I make (another) one of those earth-shattering query fails. Given the competition, I suspect that lots of people try to game the system. Agents have secret meetings to devise new punishments for them. I know this to be true; I read it on the internet. Twice.
Sometimes it's hard for us aspiring writers to remember how much of their lives agents live under a very bright spotlight. Platforms like Twitter can be confusing for some of us old hats. The clarification here is much appreciated.
Ok, back to trying to get to 1,000,000 words...
Everyone knows the best way to start a relationship with one's dream agent is to swipe right. Right?
But, seriously...yikes.
Once agent obtained through the usual channels, have whisky will travel. Just saying.
Will be in New York for Thanksgiving as my wayward kid can’t get enough time off work to come see her mother. Will have whisky then too. Agent or no.
I follow a bunch of agents on Twitter, who are either agents I'm "interested in", agents who rep books I like, agents who do #tenqueries, or agents who do #MSWL (well, in one instance the agent is a dog, and that kind of speaks for itself).
Are these all agents I myself will query? Probably not, actually. But they're frequently handing out information that's useful to me all the same. And I like being familiar with names in the industry; it then makes me feel good to see them mentioned in Publisher's Lunch, or Publisher's Weekly when I'm book ordering at work, etc. etc.
Oh, and a bit of writing news on the Jen front, I won Syntax & Salt's Fall Flash Fiction contest! It was a one thousand word limit, a bit more wiggle room than our 100 word forays here, but I'd say doing these laps for Madame Sharque sure helped! I'll come link the issue once it's live.
Fermented fruit, I imagine. Or grains....
Jennifer - congratulations! Looking forward to reading your winning piece.
When it comes to social media, especially Twitter, I treat agents like... wait for it... people!! I don't follow every agent because, frankly, not every agent has an engaging Twitter account. There are those agents who use Twitter primarily to engage with their clients. Some will follow unagented writers, but I assume that's because they enjoy reading their tweets. Some agents I follow don't rep fiction, so I would never query them. However, they are entertaining, and have some interesting things to say.
Since most of us here are trying to join the publishing industry, our engagement with agents and editors is primarily professional. These are the people with whom we hope to have a business relationship one day. It shouldn't offend us that Jeff Somers is on friendly terms with Janet, and they might well share DMs (Direct Messages--"private messages" on Twitter), and have email dialog, send each other gifts, etc. Jeff is one of Janet's clients. There is not only a business relationship at the core of their interaction, but also a trust. She knows Jeff. And Jeff knows her whisky cabinet.
Some agents do engage in industry talk on Twitter, and invite followers to engage with their questions. Some are very accommodating to writers asking their publishing questions. And agencies will often set aside time to handle followers' industry questions using a hashtag (e.g., #pubtalk, #askagents, etc.).
As with a lot of things we talk about here, there are exceptions. I'm sure Janet follows some unpublished non-clients on Twitter. Clearly ones that are wittier and more entertaining than me. *sniff* *deep breath* it's okay... really. But there are some highly enlightened agents who do follow me. I don't read anything more into this than they enjoy my tweets and we have some fun back-and-forth on topics such as food and TV. Are they more likely to remember me if/when I query them? I hope so, but my query letter will not assume that (i.e., the tone will still be somewhat professional. ish.). Bottom line: I let the agent decide the level of engagement. If they want to follow me on Twitter, that's up to them. If they want to strike up an email correspondence, then that's cool. But I leave that up to them. As much as I'd love to be on texting-relations with some literary agents, I know that's not going to happen this side of representation.
One final thought. And I want to say this as delicately and respectfully as I can. Many agents are women. And many of them are VERY sensitive to how they are approached by strange men, even the nicest of strange men. Stalkers and sexual predators have always been a threat, but with the latest high-profile cases, women these days are more guarded. I hate that my gender has, it seems, forgotten how to be decently human, and I can't blame women for being careful. I have five daughters, and I hope and pray they are this cautious with their online relationships. Let's please bear that in mind.
I think that's all I had to say... I'll probably think of something else as soon as I hit "publish"... :)
Jen!! YAY!!!! Congratulations!! :D :D :D Yes, post the link as soon as it's available.
What about an honest thank you for advice received through their blog even if they are not your agent?
Just remember that stack of 70 unread requested manuscripts. That means 70 writers did their job, finished their book, wrote a great query and got results.
So friendship is one thing, we all love writing and books. Janet sure seems like a fun person to know and count as a friend. She's got a great sense of humor and would be fun to hang out with.
Business is when you have your work done and then you're ready to pursue an agent because you have something they won't want to miss.
Way to go Jennifer!
As we all should have learned in Kindergarten, the best way to make a friend is to be a friend. So just be your normal (again: normal) lovely, entertaining self, and let the friendships develop as they will. Chasing a person doesn't work for any other type of relationship, and it certainly won't work here.
Fruit is for everyone else.
Booze is fo me.
Cookies are for The Duchess of Yowl who wonders why she's not on Twitter so her fabulosness is seen by all.
Fruit.
*snort*
I've chatted with some very nice agents on Twitter. I may even have queried one or two of them. But I don't connect the two at all, especially in a query letter. The agents I have the best conversations with rarely rep what I write, anyway.
I tend not to interact much with agents who currently have my query, though. I do watch them, to see if they're caught up on queries or whatnot, because who doesn't? But I get nervous around agents who currently have my hopes in their hands. Although I try to be a wise owl, I'm still a woodland creature. I'm afraid I'll say something to make them think, "This person is an a$$hat - REJECT."
Janet, thanks for the clarification. I kept trying to figure out how to combine booze, cookies, and fruit, and kept coming up with fruitcake. Which has its moments, but doesn't seem like the direct road to anyone's heart.
Jennifer, congrats! We loves to hear success stories here. Brightens our whole mornings, it does, and makes us talk in the third person plural, too!
I admire how Janet does a great and time consuming job of encouraging us through this blog. My first creative posting was met with a YOWZA!!
And who doesn't feel special after a YOWZA!!?
It's good for days.
I love how she reads every contest entry and singles out writers for a great line, or a bit of poetry or a laugh.
I haven't come across agents who devote so much time and energy to writers in the process of getting published. Maybe they are out there but I think Janet is special.
If you read the blog, post, enter the contests and read Query Shark, you're going to get a thorough grounding of how it all works.
Back in the earlier days of the internet, pre-Facebook/Twitter, I put out a weekly newsletter of market updates and suggestions. I had sources all over the place - newsletters, websites, etc. When Twitter came along, I started following agents, magazines, publishers, editors, etc., to find out the same things I'd put in the newsletters: who was open, who was closed, what people wanted to see, etc. I started a blog to share some of this, but got bogged down by life a few years ago. I may try again someday.
My interest in following publishing people is to keep an eye on what is going on in the industry. If I make connections, that's a bonus.
I've started following lots of agents on Twitter, mainly to get a sense of them before I query and see if my work matches any of the MSWL they might post about. I don't interact with them though, or retweet. I thought it might help me decide which of two agents who accept my genre at one agency might be better to query or query first, depending on if they are a one and done.
Some agents may have periodic Q&As and there are agents other than Janet who have blogs too. Not all of them take questions, but some do.
But I would advise OP that it's probably not a good idea to have a dream agent. I believe Janet has spoken about this before. Just because an agent looks good on paper and is successful in the industry doesn't mean they would be a good fit. And unfortunately, the chances of landing that one specific agent you have your eye on are very slim. There are just too many factors that we have no control over (or knowledge of) whatsoever. Not that you can't have some favorites, but put them at the top of your list and be prepared to move on to the next if they don't bite. Query widely right? (This is what I'm telling myself.)
LOL, looks like I got bad advice. I was told to let people know when I'm actively seeking an agent - on my website and social media. Maybe THAT's why I keep getting rejected.
Nope, wait - it's the writing.
JEN, saying you're looking for an agent isn't a deal breaker, or even a red flag. You don't need to say it though. If you query, I assume you want an agent. If we're just shooting the breeze on Twitter, or here in the comment string, I assume nothing. (well, I assume you're witty, a great writer, and have good taste in blog reading --and not a robot)
JEN: Until I have an agent, I am actively seeking an agent. If an agent wants to rep me "sight unseen" so to speak, call me! :D
Janet: Question: Do agents generally assume that an unagented writer is seeking representation, even if they aren't actively querying? For example, say you come across this incredibly witty writer on social media whose writing just blows you away. Makes you miss your stop. And you do your due diligence FBI-level investigating and discover he... I mean this writer is currently unagented and is working on their NaNo... I mean their WiP. Would you pro-actively reach out to that writer assuming they will be wanting to talk to an agent at some point? Just for example. Ya know. Just asking. For a friend. :D
*Reads Janet's comment immediately above his own. Feels a disturbance in the Force...*
I find myself on Twitter more and more lately. And I interact with agents a fair amount. BUT it's usually not about publishing or writing etc. Usually it's when they post a random question for the Twitterverse. It's good practice for remembering that agents are people too. That said, I do wonder now and then if they consider me stalkery...ah well, can't be helped now! Guess I'll be sending baskets and baskets of fruit. Fruit from a fruit.
Except for the QOTKU. As instructed, she gets booze. But I'll admit that you had me worried there for a second, QOTKU.I wasn't sure what we woodland critters would do if we couldn't send you bottles of Writers Tears.
A big Yay! to Jennifer. Looking forward to reading your story.
It is so weird to me to think people want to game this process in any way. It is a business and it is smart to treat it that way. I have friendly conversations with restaurant servers because I'm friendly, not because I want them to give me free food (or maybe it's because I don't want them to spit in my food!) Never do I mistake friendly conversation for being friends. And never do I make friends because I may later want something from them.
That said, the above comment fromCasey made me laugh. I pictured a furious Google search for recipes with fruit, cookies and booze. And a picture of oh-so-yummy fruitcake popping up.
And then I laughed again when Janet said she assumes those of us commenting here are not robots. True, I hope, but with all the advancements in AI, maybe not...
Yay Jennifer
And it is true, your Majesty, we are not robots. However, some of us are zombies, ghouls, ghosties, and other things that go bump in the night. Which is why we write.
And here I thought someone thought they were madly in love with their agent.
NP in my head:
Every night I hope and pray
A dream agent will come my way
Piles of contracts in her arms
Who knows the magic of my charms
'Cause I want (yeah-yeah, yeah)
A girl (yeah-yeah, yeah)
To call (yeah-yeah, yeah)
My own (yeah-yeah)
I want a dream agent
So I don't have to sell alone
-Bubba Darin
Casey, booze + cookies + fruit = TRIFLE
And this is yet another reason I'm glad Janet doesn't rep anything I write. I can make an ass of myself here and not have to worry.
I stopped in for a quick read. Oops. Man, have I made all these mistakes in a past life. I unfollowed most agents I was following on twitter and refollowed them on my "writer" account because I wanted to keep a clean presence and was planning on going dark with the personal account.
Unfortunately, I have never done anything with the writer account, so it is dead as a door nail. I need to remedy that. One agent recently said she checks twitter to see which other agents a writer is following if she's interested in the writer. She's interested in who her competition might be for the manuscript she's looking at. I would have never thought of this. I don't follow every agent I query, only the ones I find interesting on twitter.
Honestly, it's probably best for all concerned if we don't know each other. That being said, I adore NYC Editor Gal on twitter and harass, I mean visit with her frequently.
I collect shark stories for Le Sharque on twitter.
An agent at Surrey a couple of years ago received a bottle of wine with pages of a manuscript attached and a note about how the writer was looking forward to the workshop on pitches and queries. The agent doesn't drink and was mortified at the gift and attached pages. The agent mentioned in the workshop this is not the way to go and the young woman wanted to leave as she was embarrassed to the very core, but it all got worked out. The agent left the wine on a table in the hall with a note that it was a gift for anyone who wanted it, btw.
I pitched an agent at Surrey who asked me to send him Rain Crow. I looked at his twitter feed, but won't follow him. I see no need. He's most likely already forgotten me and won't think about it again until he gets the manuscript.
Jennifer
Congratulations! We were just having a discussion about short story contests at Books and Writers this morning. It really is a big deal, so this is awesome news.
Cheryl, that's a good point, but I'd hate to make my Someday Forever Agent think I was trifling with her affections.
Ob-Semi-Relevantness: I, as so many of you do, follow a number of agents and people of other publishing-related professions. I try to interact with agents the same way I do with anyone else I follow: I almost never retweet, I like when something genuinely engages me, and I reply when I think I have something enlightening or entertaining to say.
And I hope the agent Julie mentioned isn't on my query list, because if she tries to check up on me, she's going to be wildly mislead. Many of the agents I'm following don't even handle the stuff I write; I follow them for any number of reasons unrelated to querying them.
Congratulations, Jennifer! I'll look forward to the link. I'll be thinking twice before retweeting from now on. Too bad, because I thought I was finally getting the hang of this tweeting thing. Etiquette was easier back in the day when all I had to do was refrain on eavesdropping on the party line.
Congratulations, Jennifer!
My dream agent is one who loves what I write, can market it effectively, and pushes me to be better with every book.
The agents I follow are ones who have been profiled in Writer's Digest and are either very knowledgeable about the field in general or are looking for what I write. I also check to see if they are anyone I might like to work with.
Have a great rest of your day, everyone.
I have decided that I don't want a dream agent. I want a real live agent that is still human. I want the chance to align my hopes and aspirations with them.
Time to dig into trying to get FEMA and the SBA to turn off applications for aid that are in my name and I didn't file. Too bad telling that to a live person wasn't enough to make it happen.
Jenn: Congratulations, that's awesome
Casey
Here is the blog post from Jessica Faust at Bookends. I hope Janet doesn't mind.
I really like Jessica, and she's one of those agents I follow even though she doesn't rep what I write. So, like you, my follow list might mean little, but she clarifies it with agents the writer has recently started following.
It still wouldn't help with me because I'm not following some agents who requested fulls and then asked me to submit other works in the future. I just don't follow a lot of agents these days.
Which brings up the question, would an agent consider that rude?
Congrats, Jennifer!
Hmm. I think I've been retweeting too much. I only follow people and/or reply to them if they're interesting or entertaining. I'm following a few agents and editors for those reasons. But, I have to say, I've bought books by authors I've established some rapport with on Twitter. I figure, if they're funny on Twitter, maybe their books are too.
Julie: From what I've seen from agents on Twitter, I really don't think they would think anything of it. Those who use Twitter probably want their clients to have a Twitter account and follow them (Janet has said she primarily uses Twitter to track--er--keep up with her clients). As for those from whom they've requested fulls? I don't think it's expected.
Thanks a lot, Miles. I now have "dream agent" playing in my head, complete with the "yeah-yeah's."
I've heard of several authors meeting their soon-to-be agents at a conference. Some agents loooove having a connection before that cold-query. (They say so, paraphrased, on their website).
So I get OP has a legitimate trigger for this thoughts process. Still, the phrase "start a relationship" sounds super icky. At least throw a 'business' in front of the r word!
Congrats, Jennifer!
Lennon Still, the phrase "start a relationship" sounds super icky. Makes me think of this scene from Doctor Who, New Series Season 4, Episode 1. Of course. ;)
What if you decide you don't want an agent - after all? What if you decide this years-long and five completed mss road to publication has become a soul-sucking journey you no longer have the energy for?
I consider myself pretty hearty. I earned my living as a professional firefighter. I've fought warehouse fires, picked body parts up off the highway, and performed CPR on infants. In my spare time, I've rescued 100's of abused horses (and endured all the horror that entails).
I survived the front-line of the publishing industry for my nonfiction. But fiction? That's a whole new form of torture. And right now I just don't think I have the oomph carry on. I may be shooting myself in the foot, publicly admitting my flagging fortitude, should I ever want to get back in the trenches. But I'm a heart on my sleeve kind of gal, and truthfully, it feels like I've taken off the twine that's been wrapped around my chest. *deep breath
I'll keep writing - but for now I'll do it for me. And I'm going to (literally) burn my query spreadsheet. All fifteen pages where the word "reject" appears too many times, be gone! I'll still be around, however, to encourage all you intrepid beasts of the written word.
Janet What if I just wanna be friends? We still have our shared love of horses, maps, and booze (or in my case, yummy dark beer). As always, thank you for all you've done and continue to do for so many. As Hank would say, Cheers!
Melanie: FYI, there are people who follow this blog and friend Janet who don't want her for an agent. Either they already have an agent, or they are indie-published and quite happy with that. But Janet is such a fun person to be around (and I say that from IRL experience), who wouldn't want to have her as a friend anyway? Sure, I would love for Janet to be my agent (no secret there), but I'm quite open to the distinct possibility that, should I be blessed with an agent, it won't be her. However, I hope if that happens, we will still continue to be friends.
As for being done with publishing--you do what's right for you. You should always write what you care about, and not what sells. Keep on doing that. Maybe one day you'll self-publish. Perhaps an agent will take an interest. Or not. Whatever you decide, I hope you'll still hang around and join in the fun! :D
Mama Melanie,
:(
Melanie: What Colin said. You gotta do what's right for you.
Julie: Okay, that was more tongue-in-cheek than I expected from your original comment. Here's hoping to trigger that sort of response in an agent some day.
(Three comments today; shutting up now. Probably.)
Thank God lima beans are NOT fruit.
I kinda wish comments here came with a "like" button, a sentiment that will probably get me sent to Carkoon. I have a map, so I guess it's okay. I follow a fair number of agents on Twidder, more as a lurker than as a stalker. I can't resist pictures of kittens, so am likely to retweet those. Or food. I've had some great conversations on Twidder about food.
I might be guilty of retweeting too many panda videos. I think the Duchess of Yowl should have her own Twidder account.
Okay! Okay! I'm packing for Carkoon even as we speak.
Melanie, you are in a very special category. It's listed on the blog roll. And lest you panic that it's "asshat writers" it's not. It's "a short list of people I respect a whole lot."
Retweeting is just fine. I find that people like my retweets a lot. I retweet interesting writing philosophy, market changes, cute animal pictures (because those are a desperate need these days), and other things that catch my interest.
But if you retweet EVERYTHING one person tweets, or personal stuff that your followers can't possibly be interested in, then you're looking like a stalker. Or an overeager person trying to be friends with someone who's not 'that into you'.
If you want to keep an eye on agents on Twitter without following directly you can make a list, either public or private or subscribe to someone else's agent list. I only follow people I find entertaining, but I used lists when querying.
It's a good idea to remember that just because you follow someone on twitter, it doesn't mean you really "know" them. I saw a writer get very excited to meet an agent, and she gave the agent a hug. Key problem: getting hugged by a stranger freaked the agent out. It also doesn't reflect well on the writer's future professionalism or boundaries.
Jennifer - Congratulations!
Julie - Well, did you grab the bottle of wine from the table? Or did you figure it might be demonized with bad zhouzhou (sp?). Then again, wine is wine.
Melanie - Don't give up. Your writing is beautiful and heartwarming. I know sometimes, especially after numerous rejections, this whole writing thing sucks.
Congrats, Jennifer!!
I may be in the running for least-sophisticated Twitter user of 2017, but I do enjoy its ability to provoke a belly laugh when needed. A cat named Curious Zelda may be involved.
xoxo to Melanie Toast a marshmallow over that query bonfire and go find the joy again!
Melanie - sometimes you just need to breathe, watch the grass grow, feel the wind blow.
My life runs in cycles - music, writing, theatre, with working a day job and taking care of family a constant thread. In joyful times, I got to do it all at the same. Sometimes I could only manage one. Sometimes life only had room for family and the day job.
We all do what we can when we can the best we can.
Sometimes we just need a break.
Hugs and love.
I swear to God there's a word demon that swoops in between the time I hit 'publish' and when the post appears.
Ginger
I'm not much of a wine drinker, so I would have left it for someone who really enjoys wine had I seen it. That being said, a friend in Colorado brought me a bottle of wine from Road Kill Wineries that I thought was very good. I tend to drink Shiner Bock beer or something close at conferences or maybe a margarita or two.
I think juju is the word you're looking for. I only know because we had an Aussie named Mojo. Several of her puppies got Mojoesque names including Sally Jos Juju.
As per my blog header: I retweet interesting/humorous legal and military news
So if you like reading interesting/humorous legal and military news, follow me! If those types of things don't interest you, then I'm probably not a good one to follow.
In addition to the legal/military sites I scan for my retweets, I follow lots of publishing folks for industry info etc, and sometimes I'll reply. I generally don't retweet publishing tho [unless it's also related to legal/military], because that's not my blog and twitter focus.
Congrats Jennifer! And Melanie, you do what you think is best, and we'll all support that decision. But please stick around. We like hearing from you.
Gosh - and I was planning to send Janet Reid an email. Read today's blog entry just in time.
Susan Helene Gottfried Fruit is better than vegetables.
Does all this mean I must break down and get a Twitter account? Must I get a smartphone to do that?
Julie - Who knew juju was so easy to spell. Margaritas, yeah, now you're talkin', any flavour will do! Salud.
Joseph: The madness starts HERE! I don't know if many people actually use the Twitter web site for their tweeting, however. I have TweetCaster on my cell phone, and I use TweetDeck on my PC. Both are free, and they help you manage your Twitter life. As with anything, though, sign up, play around, see how it works for you.
BTW, if you want to follow my wild and wacky and sometimes witty tweets, I'm @colin_d_smith. Identify yourself as a Reider and I will guarantee a follow-back. :D
Okay, I know I said I was shutting up, but...
Julie, was there one named Au Jus?
Sorry. Had to be said, or I wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight.
I have followed a few agent's twitter feeds, but avoided retweeting or commenting. I've also pinned pinterest posts for specific agents in an "agent" folder. I would hope that these attempts to remember agent names and revisit those agents when my books ripen into something I might query doesn't get me disqualified.
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