Nabbing and Keeping an Agent

CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE:

http://helenafairfax.com/2015/10/17/some-surprising-tips-on-pitchin...

I like this article and I've got just about every one of those suggestions covered. It's pretty standard fair. I'm weak in a few areas. 

Get ready to submit to an agent when you have a completed, polished manuscript, an intro query letter, a full synopsis, a little bio paragraph, credit list, some social media links and maybe a brief marketing plan.  

I just found out about a year ago that series really DO sell. I didn't think it was necessary, or all that popular. Five months ago I went kicking and screaming on a writing rampage because my agent suggested I take my YA Screamcatcher book and make it into a trilogy. Actually it had crossed my mind. I'd never done a series before. The results: I finished it and it sold. I couldn't be happier. You really HAVE to love your characters enough to see them through to this length. You have to perform a little bit of sewing to tie the books together. But...alas! You can use a little magic and make them stand-alones at the same time!

I read where a professional stated that three agent queries a month was just fine. I disagree about three agent queries a month--if that's what the poster was actually suggesting. It will be years to find an agent with such a tepid sub outlay. Do you normally quit around 100 or 135 agents? That is more like a satisfactory expenditure of agent submissions. I know no one who subs that little (three a month) to agents. And did they really say wait one month and move on? Oh fiddle-e-dee--give me a break. You might not hear from an agent for three or four months or even longer. 

I'm at the different end of the spectrum; I use Guerrilla tactics but I don't recommend you do this: I subbed to 440 agents in a span of three weeks--a full-on blow out. I kid you not, there are that many thriller/suspense agents out there. I left hard mail subs off my list. Within five months I had four offers. I took the best quality A-list agent from the stack. Finito. Done. Finished. It was that fast and effective. Of course, you BETTER have a bullet proof query/synopses with a mind-bending premise and irresistible hook. Give it a tag line right up front like you would a movie script and be rewarded extra points for that. Tag line? Look it up.

Here's what I put in the left margin of my query, synopsis, three chapter sample, or even full manuscript. If required, add your social media links. At a glance, the agent can see exactly what I have and who I am:

Chris Stevenson 

18857 County Road 29 # 6

Sylvania, Alabama    35988

Phone—(256) 000-0000

Stevenson_333@msn.com      

Genre: Espionage Thriller (Adult)

Pages:  325

Words:  85,000 

Agent: Susie Cutie                          

 

Where and what in the land of Goshin is your bio and credit history? Are you supposed to leave that out if you have nothing? Let me show you how to make something out of nothing and you tell me you can't do the same thing. And believe me, I'm a paltry example.

ETA: You know where you can put this example? Right below your query or synopsis. 

PUBLICATION HISTORY

BOOK CREDITS:

Auto Repair Shams and Scams (Forward--Ralph Nader), 1990, Price Stern & Sloan, Los Angeles--226 pages, non-fiction, consumer warning and repair book.

Garage Sale Mania, 1988, Betterway Publications, Crozet, Virginia--190 pages, non-fiction—1988.

Word Wars, a SF novel, to Rain Publishing, Canada—May, 2007.

Once Upon a Goddess, a Fantasy novel, to Rain Publishing, Canada—January, 2008

Planet Janitor; Custodian of the Stars, a SF novel sold to Engage Books, May 2009

The War Gate—paranormal thriller to Pen and Press—August, 2012

Gate Walker, a Paranormal Fantasy, sold to Lyrical Press—January, 2009.

The Wolfen Strain, a fantasy thriller sold to LBF Books, February 2009

The Girl They Sold to the Moon, a YA dystopia, to Intrigue Publishing 2014

Planet Janitor, Omnibus Edition Reprint, Engage Books, March 2016

Blackmailed Bride, erotic romance to Melange Books, Jan 2018

SOLD--COMING SOON:

Screamcatcher: Web World, Book 1, Melange Fire & Ice YA—March 2019

Screamcatcher: Dream Chasers, Book 2, Melange Fire & Ice YA—March 2019

Screamcatcher: The Shimmering Eye, Book 3, Melange Fire & Ice YA—March 2019

MAGAZINE—SHORT FICTION:

“Stella” by Starlight, to Amazing Stories, 1988.

The Lonely Astronaut, to Amazing Stories, 1988.

Temperamental Circuits, to Gordon Linzner of Space & Time, 1989.

Things that go Clump in the Night, to Richard Fawcett of Doppelganger, 1989.

Dance the Macabre and Dance it Well, to Erskine Carter of Ouroborous, 1989.

Future School, to Chris Bartholomew of Static Movement, January 2006.

The Incredible Mr. Dandy, to Not One of Us.

Planet Janitor:  The Moon is not Enough, to Enage Books, 2012

Planet Janitor:  Journey Interrupted, to Engage Books, 2012

Other magazine appearances from 1988 to 1991 include, Alpha Adventures, Small Press Writers and Artists Organization and Sycophant.

RADIO PLAYS:

The Summit, 15-minute horror play to Night Sounds, Embassy Cassette Inc, Santa Ana, California—1990

Night of the Moa, 13-minute horror play to Night Sounds, Embassy Cassette Inc, Santa Ana, California—1990.

AWARDS:

Finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest for Temperamental Circuits, 1987.  First place, grand prize for The Girl They Sold to the Moon—in the Entranced YA novel writing competition—cash prize.

JOURNALISM AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES
350 newspaper profiles, stories, and interviews to Sunset Publishing, Anaheim, California, appearing in The West Coast Jewish News, The Senior Citizens Reporter and The Military Review. From 1988 to 1991. Seven automotive and home and garden articles to Dollar Stretcher Magazine, from 12-2-2011 to 2-28-2012. Eight science articles to Xiauduo Media, for Chinese translation( 8 -14 year-old audience)—Astronomy, new transportation technology, space, exoplanets, future spaced ship drives, big bang theory and inflation.

CONTENT AND CLIENT
I have written and published over 1,750 non-fiction automotive, aircraft, marine, home and garden and science articles for Demand Media Studios under the Beta-Automotive and E-How stations. Six automotive articles to Examiner.com—6-2012. Published. 440 automotive and general articles to TextBroker--2014—plumbing, gardening, home improvement, home utilities, electricity--Content writing for a total of three years.

ORGANIZATIONS/POSITIONS:

Served as content editor for Sunset Publication (see above) for three years. Responsible for all writing assignment content, filler and artwork.

President and founder of Heartland Writers Group, Huntington Beach, California, from 1987 to 1991.

AGENTS:

Past agent--Richard Curtis Associates, from 1988 to 1991.

Past agent—TriadaUS (Dr. Uwe Stender), from 2005 to August 2009

Present agent—Sara Camilli Agency

CURRENT FINISHED BOOKS (AVAILABLE):

Iron Maiden an adult military espionage thriller.

Valley of the Mastodons, a non-fiction book involving the Ice Age megafauna discoveries in Hemet, California, during the Diamond Valley reservoir dig in 1994--1997. Proposal, chapter outline, and 100 pages available upon request

Dispossessed Incorporated, an urban ghost fantasy with time travel.

The Omega Wars—SF, apocalyptic alien invasion (Sequel to PJ)

Screamcatcher (Web World, Dream Chasers, The Shimmering Eye), A YA fantasy trilogy about teenage paranormal investigators. (ALL ARE SOLD)

Earth Angel, a paranormal cop thriller.

Sky High—YA dystopian thriller—Logan’s Run/Hunger Games mash-up.

The Wonders of the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits—a children’s chapter book about the Ice Age and the megafauna entrapment—told in a nonfiction/storytelling format. 

Do you see any category in there that would include your history or even general writing interests? You SCRATCH deep for anything you have that is writing related. No one has nothing. That's impossible. BTW--your bio is a one-paragraph recap of your personal life--your name, location, work history, degrees, if you love hamsters and such things. I'm sterile. I don't include a bio--with me it's all business. If I must add a bio, it's very short.  

It's perfectly acceptable to contact your agent about every 30 to 40 days. You're not being intrusive with that frequency. Once you hook up with an agent, you can usually call and discuss things over the phone, UNLESS, your agent prefers email. The exception would be if you are both in discussions about revisions or a contract offer. With a bidding war you might never get off the phone!

Are you worried about writing the second book for the agent? Here's a controversial tip you'll seldom hear: ask your agent what's hot and are any publishers looking for something specific. Publishers ask agents this all the time. The agent will evaluate one of his/her writers and ask them if they would like to take a leap of faith. I've been assigned twice. If you have the chops to write in most genres, or excel in one, and your agent singles you out for a stylistic fit, you just might give it a go. Talk about putting your finger to the pulse--this one takes guts. It is NOT trend chasing.  

The normal production route: getting an agent is not as difficult as keeping one. That means you write your butt off and have a new book ready to go after your agent has exhausted all attempts at selling your first one via one, two or three rounds. My agent took my entire inventory. I was lucky she'd sold and dealt with the multiple genres I write in. If you time it right, you'll have a book making the rounds all year long, year after year. Start a second book right after your agent takes your first one.


REPEAT: You don't want a one-book agent if you can help it. You don't want a cheap date. You want a marriage ceremony. You want an agent to invest in your career. That demonstrates their faith in you.


I really don't think the Twitter calls are a waste of time. I know too many authors who participate in them and many get picked up or get solid feedback. Those hash tag ones, you know? The pitches and call outs. 


Now, wait a minute about new agents who are intent on building a stable but have NO fiction credits or very little. I'm sorry--agents who have been in the industry for eight years plus and live in NYC or near by are on a friendship-face-to-face basis with dozens of A-list publishers and routinely use the phone (or dinner) to intro a book and get FULL manuscripts read. This also includes big agencies that live in other states. Check their sales history, staff, genres covered and best-seller status and frequency (if any). Go for the gusto first. Then work your way down. My list is A-List, B-List and C-List agents.

 There's nothing wrong with a new, enthusiastic agent that will really go to bat for you and try and pull a sale. It can happen. That's your choice. You really need to speak with those types more and ask many questions.

Don't send agents gifts out of the blue. Seasonal cards are an exception.

Gobble up any critique suggestions you get and use the rule of 3. If three or more agents discuss the same problem you have in the manuscript, take it to heart. They've probably got you nailed to the wall. This goes for major R&R, grammar, syntax, POV, show not tell, passive, plot, theme, execution, adverbs/adjectives and any other nasty little trouble makers. You can rewrite and resubmit to new agents, unless an agent wants an R & R. That is a revise and resubmit according to their critique. Hint: take your deliberate time on any R & R request. Go deep and slow, not fast and shallow.

You better keep a spreadsheet/database of all your agent submissions including query, partial or full and the date of all contacts with them.

Do not protest a rejection. Read it and file it away. You can get a form rejection, a form rejection with notes, a critique letter and even, dear God Almighty, a red-lined manuscript WITHOUT representation. Savor it. They took the time which shows you have promise.

Do not refer your friends for representation to your agency even though you might have that power as an agented author. I get asked that one a lot. You might run across a potential best-seller written by a friend, but ask your agent first if they'd be interested in perusing it.

I could go on and on...but I have to stop. I'll have some more guerrilla tactics on this subject later.

 Keep writing and reading and submit till hell won't have it.

Trilogies and Madness

I can't believe that I'm about halfway finished with book # 3 in a series. It's my Screamcatcher YA fantasy (# 1) that started this nearly reckless journey. I've written sequels before--three in the past that didn't sell. That's because book # 1 never sold, so how did I expect to sell two as a package deal? I swore that I would never commit such a blunder and waste of time again.

Alas, lightning struck me again, leaving me addled and stupid. 

 My reason for the trilogy could be really misplaced and off track. But the original Screamcatcher was offered 10 contracts by small press independents in a span of 11 months. I made submissions after my agent gave it a huge round # 1 of subs to the majors. She turned me loose like an unchained barbarian and suddenly I was getting offers right and left. 

These offers put us in a mild shock. I say mild because we couldn't understand how NYC missed it, along with the medium-sized independents--and there were a lot of them. My agent agreed that digging even deeper and finding a large publisher was worth the effort for a round # 2. So it' going out again. Meanwhile, I thought if I got that kind of reception, surely I could write a sequel to it that was just as captivating and adventurous. 

To safeguard myself, I would make all the books stand-alones. The titles would all be different. There would be no "Book 1, Book 2 or Book 3 connotations. The characters would remain the same but the hooks, queries and synopses for each would be unique and unfamiliar. I did not want to make any obvious reference of any book to another. I would, however, make a subtle tie-in with all of them but it would not be blatant. I figured this stand-alone strategy would protect me from any of the book # 1 first rounds that were rejected by the big pubs. "Series" would not be mentioned, until we had an offer on one of the books. Agent said, "Then we could reel them in for the other two." Agent agreed to this method.

I've never done this before. I had to have characters that could easily appear multiple times and solve multiple paranormal mysteries--kind of like a Ghostbusters without the humor. I would call it the Badlands Paranormal Society. There's a lot of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in it too, and a rash of other similar ghost cop books.

This is probably the most difficult project I've had in 27 years. I don't even know if I've grabbed the golden ticket or wasted a lot of precious time.I only know that I've constantly seen series books sell like hotcakes, even though many or most of them have been written by A-list authors. 

Have you written a trilogy or larger series? How has it worked for you? Was it any easier sell? If you have an agent, did he or she encourage this journey of madness?

It's a little daunting when you fuss and fret over a single book. We all know that feeling. I'm praying, heaving buckets of fairy dust in the air, and throwing kegs of salt over my shoulder. I'm wondering if this is the biggest mistake I've ever made in my writing life. I keep saying to myself, STAND-ALONE, STAND-ALONE, STAND-ALONE, in the hopes that my writing career won't be dashed to bits.

Until next time...

Chris

  

A Retrospect of Name Authors

Keep in mind that the source/research of this blog post was the free edition of Publisher's Marketplace. The membership edition might very well contain many more debut authors. I only wonder why the free edition is so skimpy when it comes to new authors or small independent publishers. Where are we little guys in the scheme of things? Please keep in mind:

I'm not as jealous as I am mystified.

No sour grapes. Just a lot of questions and curiosity.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy
John Scalzi's thirteen books - 10 adult and three YA titles - to be published over the next 10 years, for 3.4 million dollars, which includes a new far-future space opera series, as well as more in the Old Man's War universe and sequels to 2014's Lock In, again to Patrick Nielsen Hayden at Tor, by Ethan Ellenberg at Ethan Ellenberg Agency (world English).

John Scalzi is a well-known and established best selling science fiction author, who tends to get loads of film options. His reading public is more than loyal; they’re rabid and always coming back for more. I truly wonder why Tor has dug so deeply into its pockets to single out this author, when that outlay of cash could support a dozen exceptional authors for the same workload, even though it’s a ten year contract. Do the yearly math income on this one. It’s pretty astonishing.   
Thriller
NYT bestselling author Dale Brown's ON THE EDGE, to Henry Ferris at William Morrow, in a two-book deal, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group (NA).

Dale published eleven best sellers in 11 years. But I wonder if his track record had more to do with his offer than the quality of his storytelling. Sorry, but I just wonder if his contract signing is on full automatic. If I remember correctly, for example, Jean M. Auel’s last book received some of the worst reviews ever on Amazon. It took her 31 years to get to The Land of Painted Caves. Her 1-star reviews eclipsed her 5-stars. Her 2-stars beat out her 4-stars. Was she published for her name’s sake, with editors overlooking the unsubstantial repetition and clumsiness of her manuscript? In her credit, she’s still in the top 100 best selling Amazon lists.      
Women's/Romance
NYT bestselling author J. Kenner's untitled new erotic romance trilogy, featuring a bad boy hero with a tortured past and the one woman who is absolutely forbidden to him, again to Shauna Summers at Bantam Dell, in a three-book deal, for publication in Spring 2016, by Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (World).
Film/TV: Brandy Rivers at ICM

I’m seeing a NYT bestselling author again. This is a planed trilogy that hasn’t been titled yet. Are all the books finished or will they be purchased on an outline? Just saying, if the books are sold on spec it’s kind of a gamble, wot? Or does it even matter? Uh, what’s a bad boy hero anyway? I’m a little confused on that one. And, okay, for some reason this blurb smells a little like 50 shades.
General/Other
The NYT bestselling author of The Southern Reach Trilogy Jeff VanderMeer's BORNE, about a scavenger who discovers a mysterious creature she longs to keep despite her companion's warnings and her own reservations, but is it animal, plant, company discard, biotech, cruel experiment, dinner, deity, or a source of spare parts, again to Sean McDonald at Farrar, Straus, by Sally Harding of The Cooke Agency.
UK/ANZ rights to Nicholas Pearson at Fourth Estate (World).
devon.mazzone@fsgbooks.com
Film: jveltre@gershny.com

NYT bestselling author again. This story sounds like a mash up of fantasy, horror and science fiction. I think it’s uncommon or not very likely that a very large publisher buys a book that has no real genre. Aren’t those types of books more welcome and appropriate for the small or independent presses who willingly gobble up crossed genres? Hence, its category of General/Other.  
Children's: Middle Grade
Chelsea Clinton's IT'S YOUR WORLD: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going!, to "inspire readers to realize that they can start making a difference now, in their own way, for their family, their community, and our world," covering a range of issues from poverty to gender equality, for readers ages 10 to 14, to Jill Santopolo at Philomel, for world English publication on September 15 (world).

“Chelsea Clinton is adding a new title to her ever-growing resume: author!”

Uh, whoopteedo!

“The daughter of former President Bill Clinton and current presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will release her first book this coming fall.”
Is this her full resume? 

“The 35-year-old's book will aim to explain issues such as poverty, climate change, and more to children between the ages of 10 and 14.”

Sorry, but I’m just wondering in what context does she have the resume and professional background to write about paucity and climate change? She comes from a very astute and wealthy upbringing, which I think renders her under qualified to write about real poverty. I don’t believe she has a degree in any core science related to climate change. An unknown author would be required to have a degree or voluminous writing credits in either of these fields of study, regardless if it is meant for young teens. This one pisses me off, mainly because her parents have seen more print entitlement than a score of biblical authors. Hillary’s Hard Choices nabbed 14 million up front, with a first printing of one million copies by S&S. The book lost 50% of its sales in the third week and kept foundering. Like daughter like mother?   

Conclusion: celebrity author.   
Children's: Young Adult
Robin Roe's A LIST OF CAGES, a debut pitched as being in the tradition of Perks of Being a Wallflower, told from the alternating perspectives of a charismatic 17 year old with ADHD and his foster brother, a sensitive boy in an extraordinarily dangerous living situation that he must save him from at all costs, to Stephanie Lurie at Disney-Hyperion, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Peter Steinberg at Foundry Literary + Media.
Foreign: jregel@foundrymedia.com

No complaints here. Robin is truly a debut author—THE ONLY ONE IN THE BATCH! This book was also an auction property for a two-book deal. Bravo, and Hooray for our side!
NYT bestselling co-author of the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES series and author of THE LEGION series, Kami Garcia's THE LOVELY RECKLESS, pitched as "The Fast and the Furious" meets Romeo & Juliet in a YA contemporary romance about the daughter of an undercover cop who falls for the car thief her father is pursuing, to Erin Stein at Imprint, for publication in Fall 2016, by Jodi Reamer at Writers House (NA).

No big complaint here, except seeing that NYT bestselling tag again.

NONFICTION

Memoir
Herman Wouk's SAILOR AND FIDDLER: Reflections of a 100-Year-Old Author, Herman Wouk turns 100 on May 27, 2015, the first part of the memoir ("Sailor") refers to Wouk's Navy service during World War II and how those experiences informed his classic war novels, such as The Caine Mutiny; the second part ("Fiddler") refers what he's learned from living a life of faith, to Jonathan Karp at Simon & Schuster, for publication in December 2015, by Amy Rennert of the Amy Rennert Agency (World).

Herman Wouk is another celebrity author, but of advanced age. I wonder if Simon & Schuster wanted to cash in on or exploit this author while he was still alive. I’m curious about intentions here. Still, Wouk deserves any type of publication, to be sure.

“Barbra Streisand's memoir, called ‘honest, enlightening, and revealing’, that will share memories of her childhood; explore her extraordinarily successful career on stage, screen, and in the recording studio; and reflect on her life,’ as she is ‘finally going to tell her own story,’ to Rick Kot at Viking (which published her design book), for publication in 2017, by Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly (world).”

Another celeb author writing about her memoirs. This book was probably highly anticipated, but I wonder about the cash that went over the table for this one. I do think Barbara deserves the financial outlay and credits for this manuscript. Yet, I didn’t see the title to this and wonder, given the lengthily publication date, if it was bought on outline/spec. I still love her music!   
General/Other
New Yorker writer and editor Roger Angell's THIS OLD MAN, a compendium of writings that celebrate the view from the tenth decade of his richly-lived life, gathering essays, letters, photos, comic verse and drawings which in aggregate present a kaleidoscopic portrayal of a deeply engaged and vibrant life, including the National Magazine Award-winning title essay, to Bill Thomas at Doubleday, at auction, by Amanda Urban at ICM.

No major complaints on this one. Just an irritating itch. Angell has reached his 10^th decade, an accomplishment in itself. Yet I shun the thought that there’s any ambulance chasing going on here. We have another such name author of advanced age upstream.