tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post5624687118788119708..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Input needed!Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-81777608378448610672020-02-28T10:03:49.479-05:002020-02-28T10:03:49.479-05:00Normans are hard. I tell myself if they like my MS...Normans are hard. I tell myself if they like my MS I'll hear from them and try to bury the anxiety away. An agent actually made fun of me on Twitter once. It was thinly disguised and clearly me. They asked (in their online form) 1) why did I query their agency, and 2) how did I find their agency. I truly hate those questions. We all know the answer, because 1) I want to see my book on shelves and 2) Google! What answer do they really expect? It's like applying to McDonald's and having to answer an interview question of why you want to work there, because I love McDonald's so much? Because I want money! I have rent to pay! I have an agenda and so do you and maybe we can help each other out! So this time I jumped through the why do you like our agency hoop and dug up some dumb butt kissing answers and by the time how did you find us came around I just answered honestly, Google! And they made fun of me on Twitter for it. And their Twitter bff's commiserated and also made fun of me as all good Twitter bff's do. It was dumb and annoynning. Oh well! Alenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13648128684561927420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-8516572984360574422020-02-28T05:54:03.128-05:002020-02-28T05:54:03.128-05:00I'm with the NORMANs-are-the-worst people. I h...I'm with the NORMANs-are-the-worst people. I haven't done much querying yet, but no response is my nightmare. Unless (general) you say "if you haven't heard back in one month (or whatever length of time), we're not interested," definitely don't do it. Preferably a form rejection anyway.Alyssa Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01438012212591150209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-7203631536538863662020-02-27T23:24:37.887-05:002020-02-27T23:24:37.887-05:00>>I'm a police officer; I don't catc...<br />>>I'm a police officer; I don't catch a perp and then ask the victim what I should charge him with. It's my job to know that ("You said 'Assault,' but it's technically 'Simple Battery,' so unfortunately, we have to let him go"). <br /><br />I've actually won several traffic trials with this exact argument. The ticket stated my client violated X law but the facts don't support a violation of X law. My client actually violated Y law [altho that's not how I argue it]. Case dismissed.<br /><br />>>Please don't single out any agent by name OTHER than me.<br />Me, you can rip to shreds if you want.**<br /><br />Thankfully, you respond to all queries, which is good news since the badge on the left side of your blog says you're up to date as of 9/28/2019, which was FIVE MONTHS AGO! Slacker..............<br /><br /><br />Dena Pawlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14444683810125395220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-15832749549326350962020-02-27T23:10:35.121-05:002020-02-27T23:10:35.121-05:00I'm the dissenting vote: I don't care abou...I'm the dissenting vote: I don't care about NORMAN. Like at all. It is not an agent's job to respond to the query of a writer who is not their client. It is there job to take care of their clients, to spend time on their clients, to respond to their clients. Most of them would like to read a query and find new talent, but they don't owe that to me. I am not yet their client when I'm querying. I'm lucky they read my email at all. <br /><br />Perhaps it is my prior life as an actress. I had to get a talent agent a few times (they go out of business or we part ways). Getting a lit agent is nothing compared to getting a talent agent when it comes to hoops that have to be jumped through. You have to get a talent agent to take time out of their day to *see* you, not just read something you email them. They have to see you and they have to see you *act*, either in a monologue or scene in their office or in a play that they take time out of their life to attend. Sure, everyone wants to discover the next Brad Pitt. But again, their actual job is to represent the clients they have. And if you think getting your writing rejected is hard, as an actor YOU get rejected if the agent doesn’t want you. After you’ve acted for them. As an actor you develop a thick skin or you get committed to Whistling Pines. It is a business and you are the commodity.<br /><br />Whether or not I'm right in not caring about NORMAN: it made for a fairly painless query experience. If I got a reject, form or not (again, I couldn't care less if it is a form letter), I sent the reject to the "REJECT" folder in my email so I wouldn't forget I'd queried them, and I sent out two more queries for each reject. If I didn't hear back I didn't care. There are so many agents! It isn't personal! When I got an offer I just wrote the people I hadn't heard back from. It literally made no difference in my life. I was lucky in that I got an agent in less than two months. But was it because of my business-like attitude towards it? Maybe.<br /><br />But I do have a “thing that I hate” when it comes to agents: being unkind towards authors. And that includes some of the things you guys have mentioned here, including the “personalize the email…but don’t throw my MSWL back at me…” and also an agent on Twitter made fun of an author whose font changed after the “Dear Ms. Jones,” because they clearly copy/pasted. Okay, look, we all know we copy/paste. Do you actually think I’m going to type 80 queries out separately? At least I took the time to write your name. And if you don’t put the salutation into MS word and then copy the entire thing and put it in the email, it might change the font on you. That is petty and mean. <br /><br />Publishing is a professional business, and everyone should be professional—on both sides. Agents shouldn’t be on twitter making fun of authors, or on podcasts doing it, and they shouldn’t make unreasonable demands when it comes to querying. But you know what? I didn’t query those agents. If I thought they were petty, or mean, or unrealistic in their requests, I didn't query them. There are so many agents! So they didn’t get my book. Or the book deal I just got ;)theblondepihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05504674085135675032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-60408979047453580642020-02-27T22:14:37.760-05:002020-02-27T22:14:37.760-05:00Nicole and Barbara: I'm giving you both standi...Nicole and Barbara: I'm giving you both standing ovations. Extremely well said. <br /><br />And on Nicole's point about being foisted off on an intern/assistant--this is genuinely one of my biggest fears. The Noise In Spacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13433798159445551782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-63654812002571966602020-02-27T21:58:39.383-05:002020-02-27T21:58:39.383-05:00(Note: all "you" mentions in this rant a...(Note: all "you" mentions in this rant are general, not referring to any agent in particular)<br /><br />AGENTS WHO DON'T SPECIFY THEIR GENRES, OH MY GOD. It drives me up the wall. If your agent bio is "I'm looking for projects I can connect with. Something that speaks to my soul. I'd really love to find the next thing that will turn the world on its ear. I read submissions on the subway, so I need something that will grab my attention and never let go. Something that takes me back to my roots and reminds me why I fell in love with reading in the first place"........then you're an a*****e. <br /><br />"I rep everything!" No you don't. Maybe you'll rep *anything,* but that's not the same, and even then, I doubt you really do. <br /><br />"All my repped genres are on my twitter." Well, you never pinned that tweet, so after scrolling for a solid half hour I can't find it. <br /><br />"All my genres are on my website." Oh, you mean this old blog that you haven't updated in eight years? The one that doesn't match up with what you've sold recently and lists an agency you're not even with any more? I'm guessing that's wrong now. <br /><br />"I'll read anything that speaks to my soul." This is just a waste of everyone's time. It's utterly meaningless and I expect you as a professional to know that. Do better. <br /><br />Dollars to doughnuts, these are the same agents that will then go on twitter rants about how writers keep querying them for genres that aren't theirs. I just want to slap them--if you told us what you rep, you wouldn't be in this boat, now, would you? <br /><br />It's very easy. A) Make a list of things you rep (I don't care if it's hard to pick. Pick.) B) Post THAT SAME LIST in all the places (agency site, PM, personal site, social. If it's a tweet, pin it.) C) Once a year, ask yourself, "is this list still true?" If not, update. That's it. That's literally it. It is literally the most basic foundation for this job and I am shocked at how many agents disregard it. If I read one more agent bio that says they just want "something they can get excited about" instead of naming genres paired with tweets about queries they didn't want, I'll lose my mind. <br /><br />Tell us your genres. Tell Us Your Genres. TELL CLAP EMOJI US CLAP EMOJI YOUR CLAP EMOJI G E N R E S. The Noise In Spacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13433798159445551782noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-49763410693028376602020-02-27T21:18:52.455-05:002020-02-27T21:18:52.455-05:00I can't answer the question, not yet having qu...I can't answer the question, not yet having queried, but I find it really interesting that in 38 comments (so far) we writers pretty much have one universal complaint: lack of response. You'd think a problem this pervasive, and this infuriating, would have been addressed and resolved by agents before now.<br /><br />And Janet has a list of gazillion things that drive her bonkers -- probably she's being polite and it's really two or three gazillion.<br /><br />That imbalance is . . . interesting, I guess. Probably I'm being polite.<br /><br />I've said this before and will reiterate, in case any agents-who-are-not-Janet are reading along, that I will never query any agent who has a stated policy or reputation of NORMAN-ing writers. Not that I'm some great catch and they'll regret not hearing from me, but I simply refuse to be treated that way in a business setting. I think other writers should do the same. Maybe this practice would change.<br /><br />KDJameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10534864045227102030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51652675861636162752020-02-27T21:00:53.654-05:002020-02-27T21:00:53.654-05:001. NORMANs, which everybody already said. If I d...1. NORMANs, which everybody already said. If I don't get any reply at all, I will not query that agent again for future projects.<br /><br />2. Submission guidelines that are "extra": when an agent's SGs basically suggest he doesn't want your carefully crafted industry-standard query, but instead, wants something specific that requires you to create something new from scratch. So, in addition to having to write the novel in the first place, write multiple editions of a standard query, write a 1-page and 3-page synopsis to have at the ready, we have to stop our momentum and write a new, custom Frankenstein query just to please this one guy because he only wants two paragraphs or some arbitrary thing. And no one else is going to want it, so you'll never use it again. And then he NORMANs you. I've noticed the most demanding, high-maintenance agents are the first ones to NORMAN.<br /><br />3. The inconsistency of stated importance of comp titles: Some agents insist on them. Some agents don't care. But that's a dangerous subjective. What if I compare mine to a book the agent HATES and I get rejected based on that? Janet Reid may not reject someone based on an errant comp, but I'm sure someone will. Then there's rules about which titles you can use: don't use something too old, don't use something that was too successful, etc. I get that you should keep abreast of what's current, but why does a professional need me to tell her where something goes on the shelf? I'm an amateur and probably have it wrong, anyway. If she read my query, she should have her own ideas about similar titles. <br />I'm a police officer; I don't catch a perp and then ask the victim what I should charge him with. It's my job to know that ("You said 'Assault,' but it's technically 'Simple Battery,' so unfortunately, we have to let him go"). <br /><br />Has listing the perfect comp title ever been the determining factor of someone getting rep? I can't believe that if a query or concept sucks, but you compared it to Book X, they'd still throw a contract at you. So why do some set so much store by them? They're just one more thing I have to worry about getting wrong in this process.<br /><br />RebeccaBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05274723938536595028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-20441340272572650222020-02-27T19:12:18.140-05:002020-02-27T19:12:18.140-05:00And the agent who wanted me to submit a marketing ...And the agent who wanted me to submit a marketing plan along with the partial request. <br />BrendaBrendahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08941043145591116608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-122882084172008052020-02-27T19:07:56.147-05:002020-02-27T19:07:56.147-05:00I haven't started querying yet so I can't ...I haven't started querying yet so I can't speak to the whole NORMAN thing (though I imagine I will find it a source of angst and despair when it comes). Right now it's The whole difficulty of fulfilling agent requirements to query (personalisation, listing previous publications when I don't have any, etc.) and even finding out what they rep or if they're the real deal / non-schmagenty. It seems like I'm expected to sign up to reams of websites - none of them free - to find out this information quickly, or in some cases at all. I can't afford that and it's depressing.NLiuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00184714542401822508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-60847527012754633112020-02-27T19:01:54.326-05:002020-02-27T19:01:54.326-05:00Norman’s, of course.
Personalizing queries.
Wa...Norman’s, of course. <br /><br />Personalizing queries. <br /><br />Waiting. (Having said that, don’t rush. I’d rather have you take your time and get it right. By that I mean sign me.)<br /><br />BrendaBrendahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08941043145591116608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-3142516720866592772020-02-27T18:22:59.749-05:002020-02-27T18:22:59.749-05:00Forgot to add the agent who wasn't interested ...Forgot to add the agent who wasn't interested in authors "from the great void" (west of PA and east of CA). She visibly shuddered.Margaret S. Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07810307017440257313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-54219418721658741632020-02-27T17:04:13.170-05:002020-02-27T17:04:13.170-05:00I remember when I saw an announcement that someone...I remember when I saw an announcement that someone who had been holding my full for many months had agreed to judge a writing contest, I wanted to advise her to get her own work done before volunteering for more. Petty, I know. Beth Carpenterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02447148196867821907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-60451656083037631292020-02-27T16:52:10.844-05:002020-02-27T16:52:10.844-05:00I won't start querying until later this year, ...I won't start querying until later this year, but I'm sure NORMANs would be one.<br /><br />Btw, great analogy, <b>Barbara</b>.LynnRodzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796099106913990163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-28030820941645433482020-02-27T16:17:58.132-05:002020-02-27T16:17:58.132-05:00* Barbara, that is brilliant!
* I agree with MA H...* <b>Barbara</b>, that is brilliant!<br /><br />* I agree with <b>MA Hudson</b> that knowing if a rejection is personalized or a form would be helpful.<br /><br />* You guys are the very best! I love the insights and the humor.<br />Lesliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10657190244852959404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-20609551247443461292020-02-27T15:51:27.273-05:002020-02-27T15:51:27.273-05:00This is only a sub-complaint but I'd love it i...This is only a sub-complaint but I'd love it if the form rejections were written in a way that shows they are definitely form rejections. Sometimes I can't quite tell and I sit and analyse every word, turning my head sideways and upside down, and squinting my beady eyes, all in an effort to discover even the slightest bit of personalisation.<br /><br />The only reason it matters to me is that when someone takes a small moment out of their busy day to give a stranger acknowledgement or encouragement, then my heart sings and I cut and paste that agent's name into a special highlighted list of lovely people I will always appreciate. <br /><br />(As you can tell, I obviously don't get many of these. LOL)MA Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11055543285024785889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-60876999764094871012020-02-27T13:43:13.156-05:002020-02-27T13:43:13.156-05:00Of course, NRMNs. I am still surprised that profes...Of course, NRMNs. I am still surprised that professional people do this. <br /><br />Compromise at least? Some agents update their slush pile on Twitter or their website. So if your date has been passed, at least you can check it off.<br /><br />Also, I love auto-replies. ZERO effort and time. At least you know they got it.<br /><br />And yes Twitter. I always look at potential agents' social media. Hey, if you have an incendiary viewpoint, maybe keep a personal account separate. And I try not to judge anyone complaining about their job, but if it's often, that's a little disconcerting. It's like seeing your surgeon tweet, "Hey everybody I'm really dreading this surgery tomorrow bc it's super hard and I'm dead tired, wish me luck!!"<br /><br />Janet, thanks for the vent here. Lennon Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03570629350169504234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-48159159220606939582020-02-27T13:33:28.320-05:002020-02-27T13:33:28.320-05:00Please treat writers with professional respect. Au...Please treat writers with professional respect. Auto-respond confirming that you received a query and letting us know your timeframe and expectations. For example, NORMAN after 4 months, or please nudge after 6 months, etc. Also, if you request a partial or full, do NOT ghost us… it’s rude and unprofessional.Eileenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08987609138117743213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-41276259127686733662020-02-27T13:22:01.572-05:002020-02-27T13:22:01.572-05:00Barbara: ... and why you chose this restaurant... ...<b>Barbara</b>: ... and why you chose this restaurant... :)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-64502317154508285752020-02-27T13:07:56.729-05:002020-02-27T13:07:56.729-05:00I don't want to hear how busy agents are. Agen...I don't want to hear how busy agents are. Agents work at a profession they chose. They knew what it was like going into it. And doing the job is no more difficult than someone else doing their job, especially if their job is menial work, or physical labor. Then they come home and do all the things we all do, and work in time to write. <br /><br />Imagine if agents had to live by their own rules. They go out to a busy restaurant for dinner and are told to please wait patiently. The restaurant is so busy, the waiters may not get to them tonight. If they haven't been served by closing, it means they won't be served at all. And because we're so busy, we can't even stop by your table to let you know if we'll serve you or not. You'll just have to wait and see.<br /><br />And, oh, by the way, just in case we do find time to serve you, we'd like to know the names of three similar restaurants you've eaten at, and let us know how their food is similar to ours.<br /><br /><br /><br />Barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15769803733067838372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-81978524258075916002020-02-27T12:24:43.372-05:002020-02-27T12:24:43.372-05:00One thing I ABSOLUTELY HATE -- I mean, it just BUR...One thing I ABSOLUTELY HATE -- I mean, it just BURNS me to the VERY CORE -- is when agents...<br /><br />wait...<br /><br />Ah, I see what you're doing here. No way I'm falling for this trick!Android Astronomerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09313512616093076181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-56637706907980976442020-02-27T11:50:41.653-05:002020-02-27T11:50:41.653-05:00I have another comment, kind of an anti-comment I ...I have another comment, kind of an anti-comment I guess, along the lines of NORMANs. <br /><br />No response from an agent is frustrating for an author, but of course being skittish woodland creatures who perpetually run on our hamster wheels, we wonder "do they hate it, or did they never even RECEIVE my query???" As an author I LOVE autoresponders confirming my query is in the agent's inbox. Then if there's no response (NORMAN), I check the agent off my list, but at least the agent got my query and (presumably) read it. Agents who don't send an autoresponse of receipt AND practice NORMANs are a nightmare for an author's nerves.KariVhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13824650323413004291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-15932706065404418482020-02-27T11:34:12.041-05:002020-02-27T11:34:12.041-05:00Nothing bothers me during the query process especi...Nothing bothers me during the query process especially when my favorite and brilliant agent has a full.<br /><br />I'm stuck in lottery ticket limbo. The time from buying the ticket to scratching it off is wondrous. Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-6830553861904548922020-02-27T11:28:46.111-05:002020-02-27T11:28:46.111-05:00I will go along with everyone else on NORMANS.
I ...I will go along with everyone else on NORMANS.<br /><br />I also hate ambiguous query requirements. Some agents spell out what they want and others don't.Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157301156577795781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-52300535800734771422020-02-27T11:07:00.859-05:002020-02-27T11:07:00.859-05:00I can sort of make peace with NORMAN on a query, b...I can sort of make peace with NORMAN on a query, but it's an absolute deal breaker on a requested full. I had an agent request a full once and then never get back to me even after a couple polite nudges spaced many, many months apart. When a few years later an editor offered to introduce me to that agent with a new manuscript, my response was visceral: "not if he were the last agent on the planet." I will never work with someone who can't be bothered to respond to a full request even with a form rejection. <br /><br />Agree with everybody else's points as well. Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11496605027635278064noreply@blogger.com