tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post7456805422101860932..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: So, tell me what you think about Nathan's mad experimentJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-33965865446946744842009-04-19T23:12:00.000-04:002009-04-19T23:12:00.000-04:00"I don't read YA or fantasy, so I lost interest pr..."I don't read YA or fantasy, so I lost interest pretty fast. The first sign of a magic kingdom, a magic cat, or a fairy (what the hell is a "fae" anyway?), and I run screaming from the screen."<br /><br />Oh amen, baby. Fae? Not for me, I stopped reading blurbs at that word.lynneconnollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10687025766573756077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-34266022773831142352009-04-19T20:30:00.000-04:002009-04-19T20:30:00.000-04:00I don't read YA or fantasy, so I lost interest pre...I don't read YA or fantasy, so I lost interest pretty fast. The first sign of a magic kingdom, a magic cat, or a fairy (what the hell is a "fae" anyway?), and I run screaming from the screen. I was surprised at how many disclosed that it was their 1st novel. <br /><br />I'm taking "literary agent" off my list of second career choices.Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11450387996962139704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-64800919259840494462009-04-17T21:11:00.000-04:002009-04-17T21:11:00.000-04:001) I was surprised about the "rejection" issue. F...1) I was surprised about the "rejection" issue. First I was surprised, as many people were, how many of the "agents" were really cruel and obnoxious. Second, if you do rejection in an appropriate business-like manner it shouldn't be painful. Yes, it's a bummer to be rejected, but as we've all seen... not EVERYONE can be given a green light. Rejection doesn't mean "you suck", it just means "I'm not interested in your writing project right now."<br /><br />2) I can see how an agent would feel too overwhelmed to respond to each and every query. I do like the idea of some form of acknowledgment so that the writer at least knows that the query arrived like a "we got it and if you don't hear from us in X# of weeks assume we're not interested." <br /><br />3) I was surprised how difficult it was to find the gems. There were quite a few I thought were possibilities that I was curious about but felt like I didn't have enough information to decide one way or another. There was one that I LOVED the writing in the query, but the story was strange and disturbing, so I didn't put it in the short list. I also noticed that sometimes the query sounded good but the sample pages didn't (or vice versa). It was really bewildering.<br /><br />All that being said, I don't think I would like being an agent, but I think I *would* like reading slush if I could get better at picking out the good ones. But maybe you either have it or you just don't.<br /><br />FANTASTIC EXPERIMENT! :)Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03115002505324651653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-14498472215947786672009-04-17T12:12:00.000-04:002009-04-17T12:12:00.000-04:00I managed to post a shorter comment here, so I'm g...I managed to post a shorter comment here, so I'm going to try to cut-and-paste the longer comment I posted over on Nathan's Blog:<br /><br />I decided to evaluate all 50 queries in one day, so that I could return to writing my novel the next day, and also because that would be closest to an agent’s real time frame. Within minutes of beginning to look at queries, I suddenly realized that I was going to have to send out form letters in order to make my deadline. Hesitant to use only one form letter, I wrote up five different types of form letters to fit different situations. I also cut-and-pasted the author’s individual book title into each letter, taking the time to retype it in all caps if the author hadn’t done that. About seven hours into the contest, I found myself thinking, <I>Make it stop! Make it stop!</I> I started making mistakes. I found myself going in the wrong direction on the Blog (down instead of up) to find the next query and had to waste time scrolling in the opposite direction, I forgot to record some of my decisions on a list I was keeping and had to go back to the Blog to record the type of query letter I had posted, and I started misspelling my own name when I entered it into the Blog. I managed to finish evaluating all 50 queries, making my final decisions and posting responses to all of the queries by 5:30 A.M. the following morning. Granted, I didn’t start until 3:30 P.M. the previous day, I took an hour off for dinner and two hours off to watch <I>Battlestar Gallactica</I>, and I spent a fair amount of time updating a detailed list of my query choices – but an agent has lots of other things to do as well, and it still took me eleven hours of solid work. I realized that, if I were a real agent, I would have to use form letters for most rejections, automate my reply system, and personalize my responses only for projects I thought had amazing potential but weren’t quite right for me.<br /><br />This contest has had an amazing effect on me as a writer. I feel so much freer. After sending rejection letters to so many people with amazing talent, I feel that receiving rejection letters in the future will have much less power over me. Although they’ll always make me feel sad and frustrated, I’ll probably stop reading between the lines for messages like <I>You suck! Stop writing!</I> I think I wrote some of my best work the day after this contest because of the freedom I felt. I also suddenly see the entire publishing field in a new light. Although literary agents can’t critique every manuscript they read, an author can approach editors for a critique. And, for good books that aren’t mainstream, there are many reputable small publishers who will publish them. It’s nearly impossible to make money as a small press author, but it’s a way to get book reviews, enter contests, and be a part of the writing community. It is what it is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-10498048422486924412009-04-17T03:24:00.000-04:002009-04-17T03:24:00.000-04:00I've tried several times to cut-and-paste a long c...I've tried several times to cut-and-paste a long comment that I posted on Nathan's Blog about what a fantastic experience it was participating in his <I>Be an Agent for a Day</I> contest, but somehow it keeps disappearing into cyberspace every time I try to log in here. I'll try typing a new comment instead. During <I>Be an Agent for a Day</I>, I learned the necessity of sending form rejections after deciding that I would answer all fifty queries in one day. And, after sending rejection letters to some amazingly talented writers, I learned that a rejection letter does not in any way mean that the writing sucked.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-89034809146475402132009-04-16T12:58:00.000-04:002009-04-16T12:58:00.000-04:00I commented about this last night, but Blogger was...I commented about this last night, but Blogger was down for maintenance so I lost a lovely, well-thought out post. <br /><br />This one won't be so lovely.<br /><br />I posted a more complete response at http://julie-weathers.blogspot.com/2009/04/agent-for-day-nathan-bransford.html<br /><br />However, here are some thoughts. Keep in mind I stayed up until just a few hours ago reading Beth Shope's manuscript and I haven't had any coffee yet.<br /><br />I think it was a fascinating experiment and anyone who plans on querying an agent should do it. Going through fifty queries like that, especially in one setting as an agent might do, makes you quickly pick up on some things. This is a better how to on query letter writing than any advice. You can hear, "Get to the story quickly and hook my attention," every day, but it doesn't really sink in until after you read several queries and you realize how important this is. My eyes started glazing on queries that rambled and were ill-organized. I kept skimming to get to the plot. Can you imagine how much more important this is to agents who are doing this every day?<br /><br />Don't tell me what your book is about, show me. Bring me into your world and make me care.<br /><br />Two women walk into a room. One is wearing a sandwich board announcing she is really sexy and her name is Cha Cha Vavoom. The other puts on some slow music and begins to sway rhythmically, her eyes closed, lips slightly parted with the merest hint of a smile. She turns slowly, her hips rolling in an undulating figure-eight. Her arms raise, stretching her back and those tiny dimples below the small of her back rock back and forth like a gently rolling ocean.<br /><br />Which one is more interesting?<br /><br />Writing is like a well done belly dance. Tantalize the reader and leave them wanting more. <br /><br />Writer bios did make a difference to me. If I was on the fence and they had a proven track record in that field it sometimes pushed me over the line.<br /><br />Some subjects were just ick to me and I didn't want to read them. IJulie Weathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725236516593676381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-10639398578436072782009-04-16T08:55:00.000-04:002009-04-16T08:55:00.000-04:00I seriously debated about joining the experiment. ...I seriously debated about joining the experiment. I read the queries, the responses, hovered my finger over the comment button. But, ultimately I didn't want to spend any more time with it.<br /><br />I got want I needed:<br /><br />*A sense what others are writing about.<br />*What not to say in a query.<br />*Ideas about what to say in a query.<br />*That everyone (even super author out there) makes typos and grammar mistakes. That's why there are editors.<br />*That it's hard enough to be a writer. I don't want to be an agent too.<br />*Agents are just doing their job. They're not out to destroy our souls. That just comes with the territory (jk--a little).<br /><br />And the best thing...<br /><br />My own query ROCKS!!!<br />So thanks for the confidence booster.Aliciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17850093219528986439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-85232553164816817232009-04-15T17:39:00.000-04:002009-04-15T17:39:00.000-04:00I read all 50 in one day & thought I couldn...I read all 50 in one day & thought I couldn't hack doing this for a living. Mind you, I get 100 emails a day at my marketing job, so that ought to speak loud & clear. Also, since I only requested 3 partials and 1 complete, I guess that makes me Hatchet Agent for a day. In a real-life situation, I'm not sure I would have requested those partials as I had doubts about them. But honestly, what really annoyed me were all the queries that showed the authors had not done their homework. There is no excuse for substandard queries with so much info available on how to write one.Man Candy Fanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09542364196870106590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-78103387059522122282009-04-15T16:58:00.000-04:002009-04-15T16:58:00.000-04:00QueryFail, what ever its intention, was nasty. It ...QueryFail, what ever its intention, was nasty. It was an exercise in abuse. If you think otherwise, gauge it from the heated writer reaction on the AgentFail thread.<br /><br />Nathan's experiment was a true learning experience. <br /><br />I can't write a query letter to save my life. Fortunately I found a publisher who could see beyond my sorry query and actually read pages.<br /><br />I am pitiful as a query writer. I'm an excellent writer otherwise, even if I'm saying it myself. (Hey, I'm willing to put it to the test: Free chapters of Pixie Warrior are on several bookseller sites and a short story is here: http://membradisjecta.com/2009/03/too-soon-goodbye/) I won’t post my sorry query letter. It’s too icky.<br /><br />Thanks, Nathan.<br /><br />My one reservation is this: I hate taking private letters (and that's what these are, even if no names are attached to them) and making them public. I hope no one was hurt. I would have been. On that basis, I did not participate.Sha'el, Princess of Pixieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14049854555801812071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-6929078285761619192009-04-15T15:54:00.000-04:002009-04-15T15:54:00.000-04:00I freaking loved it. With many writers it's very, ...I freaking loved it. With many writers it's very, very hard to understand what it's like to be on the other end of things. The interwebs are chock-full of sad writers wailing WHY do we have to write query letters, WHY can't an agent just take a chance on me, WHY didn't I at least get a lovely long rejection detailing all my mistakes so I won't make them next time, WHY don't they understand how hard I worked, WHY WHY WHY.<br /><br />Now I can just send them the link.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06965380978953755823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-29078551361978094442009-04-15T15:50:00.000-04:002009-04-15T15:50:00.000-04:00I read them all :) It took me a couple days becaus...I read them all :) It took me a couple days because of other responsibilities. I actually had fun, but I can see how it would be wearing after the first few hundred. Especially if you see the same mistakes over and over again. <br /><br />It almost made me want to consider becoming an agent. Almost. :) <br /><br />I have a whole new appreciation for agents. You guys must have really good patience and self-discipline to read a couple hundred of those in a single day!Rachaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11918987890132222901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-57745021648244604892009-04-15T15:23:00.000-04:002009-04-15T15:23:00.000-04:00It's always a treat to go through an experience th...It's always a treat to go through an experience that reminds you what already know but perhaps occasional let slip off the radar:<br /><br />1. My respect for what agents do.<br />2. It's completely subjective.<br />3. I love this business.<br /><br />The reminders that came out of Agent for a Day are the one's you hammer home here on your site, too:<br /><br />1. Use paragraph 1 wisely.<br />2. Be clear and concise.<br />3. It's subjective: Query widely.RB Ripleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12547323293851263887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-41265447152463764902009-04-15T14:50:00.000-04:002009-04-15T14:50:00.000-04:00It was fun. I agree with the poster who mentioned...It was fun. I agree with the poster who mentioned how boring the rejections got after awhile. Still, looking forward to the next one.Mechelle Aveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01752190893989675914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-57956088866357580982009-04-15T14:23:00.000-04:002009-04-15T14:23:00.000-04:00I will add to the above that I was surprised by ho...I will add to the above that I was surprised by how few of the queries were for books I would have had any interest in buying off the shelves. So many of the queries, no matter how well-written they may have been, were for lackluster stories with a minimal hook. I doubt many writers have a clear understanding of what the public buys at the bookstore (at least in numbers large enough to justify publishing the book). <br /><br />On the other hand, there were a handful of queries that were clearly for commercial fiction aimed at the market picking up a book to read for a flight, yet they all sounded stale to me, victims of "been there, done that already." <br /><br />I only saw two queries that were relatively fresh, one non-fiction and the other a mystery.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10295578997809611422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-36376988214102786502009-04-15T13:47:00.000-04:002009-04-15T13:47:00.000-04:00Jim --
You're right, the contest was your idea a...Jim -- <br /><br />You're right, the contest was your idea and you deserve a round of applause. Clearly, a lot of people are paying attention. Thank you.<br /><br />(Signed), #20fatcasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13097132363586411217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-14024940083728098202009-04-15T13:19:00.000-04:002009-04-15T13:19:00.000-04:00I read through all the queries. I had a raging hea...I read through all the queries. I had a raging headache afterwards and I now understand the need for a form letter. I also understand how agents say they can spot a winner before they even finish the query, and on the flip side, how they know before finishing if it's a dud.<br /><br />I'm really grateful he did this and I hope it helped others as much as it helped me.Melanie Hooyengahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08781235493983907234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25822095415230957662009-04-15T11:56:00.000-04:002009-04-15T11:56:00.000-04:00I read 10 queries and said "Blech. I don't ever wa...I read 10 queries and said "Blech. I don't ever want to be a literary agent." All my sympathies.Liesl Shurtliffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09064620851881036609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-52286368845060049592009-04-15T11:36:00.000-04:002009-04-15T11:36:00.000-04:00Agent-for-a-day was fun, but nothing I would like ...Agent-for-a-day was fun, but nothing I would like to do on a regular basis. Kudos to you, Nathan and all the other agents. You're all awesome, and I have no idea how you have any free time, doing this every day...<br /><br />I'll echo most of the comments on here about subjectivity and the hook being REALLY important.<br /><br />My eyes were glazing over at about the 15th one. I trudged through them, but I don't think I got to all 50. I put a comment with every one I critiqued. I just couldn't bring myself to write a from rejection, nothing wrong with that, just couldn't do it.<br /><br />I found also, the writer needs to catch me right away, doesn't matter if it is good, if I don't like the hook, I'm not reading on. <br /><br />Nice experiment. Interesting results.erica m. chapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14773306703153110737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-28945926038670624162009-04-15T11:30:00.000-04:002009-04-15T11:30:00.000-04:00A simple idea that did more to show unpublished wr...A simple idea that did more to show unpublished writers why landing an agent seems so difficult than any other fifty-three blog posts could have.Ulysseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11702993322170403647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-68441310172683616972009-04-15T11:27:00.000-04:002009-04-15T11:27:00.000-04:00For better or worse, I get to take credit for givi...For better or worse, I get to take credit for giving Nathan this idea to run with. Hopefully, it didn't inspire too much alcohol consumption. I came up with it after all of this agentfail crap hit the blogosphere, and I saw just how little folks understood just how crazy an agent's job is, and how difficult wading through slush has to be. I wanted people to see that getting form rejections or having agents say, "if I don't respond then it means no," is a perfectly reasonable thing for them to do, because dealing with queries and all of the angst writers bring to the table is really trying and demanding work.<br /><br />I must say I was pleased with the results. Nathan rocked putting all of this together and taking all of the extra time needed to put this one. Big kudos to you, Nathan. Your lack of sanity when it comes to blog contests is truly appreciated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-40452848521382035562009-04-15T11:02:00.000-04:002009-04-15T11:02:00.000-04:00I participated by sending a query
(#20), appreciat...I participated by sending a query<br />(#20), appreciate the feedback and made some of the suggested revisions to my letter. So the experiment/contest/game worked for me and I think Nathan got his point across. 8,800 unique visitors + 27,000 page loads yesterday alone. Ergo, a good thing.fatcasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13097132363586411217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-56463591603145241492009-04-15T10:24:00.000-04:002009-04-15T10:24:00.000-04:00I absolutely LOVED it. I wish I could do it every ...I absolutely LOVED it. I wish I could do it every day. :D Maybe my calling in life is to be an agent assistant, who knew!<br /><br />I commented on the <A HREF="http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2009/04/thats-it.html" REL="nofollow">finish line</A> post about the considerations that made this experience different from what I think the "normal" agenting day would be like, mainly the fact that this was also a contest. So there was pressure on to pick actual successfully marketed queries.<br /><br />And, you know, I honestly thought the real queries would just sort of stand out from the crowd like glowing stars, but they really didn't. So I was left using all these weird imaginary criteria to try to pick from my favorites of the bunch, haha.<br /><br />I tried to leave meaningful feedback for everyone, but by the last 8 queries I was just exhausted and everyone got my auto-responses with nothing else. Feedbacking made the work of responding harder, and I think if I had been doing this as an actual agent I would have felt quite guiltless about just sending auto responses. Then I could take time to respond encouragingly only to the ones I really loved or saw potential in.<br /><br />I think also if I were an actual agent, I would have pulled my top queries from the bunch, then gone back later to reread them. Then I could request fulls/partials of my favorites and winnow the rest out with encouraging notes. Of course, there's so much query traffic coming in on a regular day that it might not be possible to do that, but in an ideal world I'd like to think that it's possible!<br /><br />But here's the thing I didn't expect to learn - that *instinctive love* does not automatically equal "successful query."<br /><br />Of the entire batch, there were only one query that I absolutely *loved,* that made me sit up and go, yes, *this*.<br /><br />And I wound up rejecting it.<br /><br />Because the more I considered it, the more underlying problems I could see with the premise of the story and the writing in the query itself. I *liked* all of the stories I requested, but the voice, polish, and marketability of their queries was what sold the deal for me.<br /><br />I was honestly stunned to realize that I couldn't in good faith request the one query that I felt the most strongly about, and that really brought it home to me that there's so much more to what an agent does than falling in love with a story and plucking it from obscurity into the shining world of book lovers.<br /><br />So, yeah, lots of work, lots of fun, PLEASE LET'S DO IT AGAIN SOON.<br /><br />Also, Janet? Coincidentally, two of the queries were previously featured on query shark. They turned out quite presentable. Good job! ;)Ajahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17792831434120292560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-86014319627928755962009-04-15T10:22:00.000-04:002009-04-15T10:22:00.000-04:00I think if more writers tried to do this, there wo...I think if more writers tried to do this, there would be a smaller slush pile to go through. Plus, I think there would be less for agents to vent about on their blogs :) Enlightening and educational.Joyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11522815284842789408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-53058519177815119342009-04-15T09:00:00.000-04:002009-04-15T09:00:00.000-04:00I read through several although I knew I would not...I read through several although I knew I would not have the time to participate. The dedication it takes just to go through 50 must be daunting. To imagine you can have over 100 a day is mind-boggling. <br /><br />As a writer, all I can do is smile for any type of response I get for my query and nod my head in understanding over the agents who don't give a response.Michelle H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10117937124348728578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-75267885661790899852009-04-15T08:20:00.000-04:002009-04-15T08:20:00.000-04:00What I enjoyed the most were the comments...the wa...What I enjoyed the most were the comments...the way Agents for a Day delivered their pretend rejections. It fascinated me how many ways people can say No Thank You. I have my share of rejections, and prefer something straight to the point, short, direct and painless - not something that cushions the blow by telling me to "query widely" or "keep on truckin'". I love a personal rejection, but most of these were faux personal (eh hem, form). I know the AFAD were trying to be nice, but for me, reading them over and over again (as I read the comments more than the queries) they seemed silly.<br /><br />I have a new appreciation for the form rejection.Amy Sue Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13854920309673361956noreply@blogger.com