STATUS: At 5 pm today, we are officially closed until Monday, January 4, 2010.
What’s playing on the iPod right now? CAROL OF THE BELLS by Mannheim Steamroller
What a crazy wrap up to the year! I won’t be blogging again until the New Year, but then I’ll be back and in rare ranting form! Here are the stats for 2009:
15
books sold
53
foreign rights deals done (and that includes several overseas auctions)
I had to update as we did 3 more foreign deals late on Friday!
6
number of new clients (Kristin & Sara combined)
38,000
estimated number of queries read and responded to (and yes, that is up from last year)
55
full manuscripts requested (down from last year)
7
number of projects currently on submission
3
major motion picture deals
15
new deals for previously published clients
1.3 million
number of copies in print for my bestselling series this year
340,000
number of copies in print for my bestselling debut this year
102,000
number of copies in print for my bestselling sleeper hit
6
conferences attended (also includes BEA and London Book Fair)
3
number of New York Times Bestsellers
1
Number of books named to Publisher’s Weekly list of top books of the year
75
number of physical holiday cards sent
375
Number of electronic holiday cards sent
6+
number of Starbucks eggnog chai consumed in the last week
Lots
number of late nights reading on the couch with Chutney
All
number of great days loving my job
Have a safe and happy New Year. I’m out!
It looks like you’ve had an amazing year. Have a great vacation and hope your 2010 is even better!
Thanks for this. It was really interesting to read it. Kinda wish others would do this.
The last statistic made me smile. That’s what makes a great agent, when they really love their job, through the good and bad. Hppy holidays Kristin and have a happy new year.
Congratulations on a wonderful 2009 and happy holidays to you and Sara! Enjoy the well-deserved break. Your list made me smile, especially the last one. It’s pretty clear from all that you give back with this blog that you love your job. Thanks for all the helpful, insider scoop this year 🙂
One of the brains behind Mannheim Steamroller… C.W. McCall, yep, the “Convoy” guy. Believe it.
Wow, that’s a lot of work. Enjoy your holiday!
In the spirit of the season I penned a little song I thought maybe you and your readers might enjoy…
(to the tune of O Come All Ye Faithful)
Oh, come all ye writers
Desperate and reject-ed
Oh come ye, oh come ye to Ha-ar lequin
Come and pay money
to have a book put in your hand
But don’t think it will sell a one
No, don’t think it will sell a one
No don’t think it will sell a one
Iiii—-iiiiiit’s a scam
Nary a book store
Will see your fancy co-ver
No, don’t think it will sell a one
No, don’t think it will sell a one
No don’t think it will sell a one
Iiii—-iiiiiit’s a scam
Thank you for all your fabulous information and advice this year! You do a wonderful service for those of us trying to navigate this labyrinth.
Eggnog Chai. I’d never considered that. I must go try one now!
Thanks for these stats, Kristin. I always like seeing how the numbers turned out.
I take it, then, that none of your new clients’ books have sold yet (if you’ve sold 15 books and have made 15 new deals for previously published clients). Hmm. Or maybe I’m just interpreting this wrong…
In any case, merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah. See you (er, read you) next year!
Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic stats! Congratulations. The amount of queries is a little mind boggling.
These are some impressive numbers. What really got my attention was the eggnog chai at Starbucks. Hm. Yummy.
Wow, I just love seeing it all broken down like that! Thanks for the stats and Happy Holidays!!!
Fascinating statistics! Thanks for posting, and Merry Christmas to all!
Watery Tart–that was amazing! Will you do a recording?
WV: coffriv: What agents need before holidays.
Very cool. Maybe one day I can be one of those numbers in your “major motion picture” section. lol
Is it weird that I put this to the tune of “Twelve Days of Christmas”?
I love this! 😀 Congrats to you and your awesome clients on this year’s successes.
Happy holidays, and enjoy the break!
Congratulations on a great year!
Thanks for posting your stats for 2009. I’m so glad I found your blog this year. It’s been educational.
Happy Holidays!
Wow. Amazing stats!! Outstanding.
I can’t wrap my mind around the 38,000 queries!
Wow! You have worked hard!!! Hope you enjoy a well deserved holiday 🙂
38,000 queries/year = 730 queries/week. Wow, that added up faster than I would have thought.
Wow, I don’t feel so bad about the form rejection I got from you now that I know your rejection rate is 99.984%.
38000 queries/year = 104 queries/day every day for a year.
Could you, pretty please with sugar on top, tell us how many partials/fulls you requested out of those 38k queries?
You perform an amazing service by telling us these numbers. Although I was disappointed to receive from you a rejection to my query, these numbers really put that into perspective. Please keep doing what you do. And in my case I know I’ll find that agent in 2010 who loves what I do!
After all that you SEND HOLIDAY CARDS! Holy crap!!
(as someone who’s recently left an agent who wouldn’t even answer my emails to tell me where my book had been sent, I’m flabbergasted at sending holiday cards… I think I need to get out of this business.)
It’s so great that you love your job so much! I’m new to this whole publishing thing, and man! I’ve read some horror stories.
I’m glad my eternal optimism was rewarded when I stumbled on your site.
Merry Christmas!
Wow – what an awesome year! I’ve enjoyed your blog and look forward to reading more in 2010.
Have a great holiday break!
Kristin, you are fantastic. Got hooked on your blog this year and really appreciate all the advice and enthusiasm. Happy Holidays! Enjoy your well-deserved break.
LOL, Watery Tart.
38,000 queries: terrifying–for us and for agents. Waaayyy too many people writing books.
Well I’m going to ignore the 6 out of 38000 number and instead look positively to the 6 out of 55 (fulls) number. The glass is half full over here…
6 out of 38,000? Hmmm, I must admit that’s not terribly encouraging. Is the material that bad? Or are you that tight? Or is the industry that tight right now? With a 1-in-6,333 chance of acceptance, I can’t imagine why I should bother to submit. Sounds a little like playing the lottery, or am I missing something here?
What caught my eye was 38,000 queries read, 55 full manuscripts requested. Wow. That’s a lot to wrap an unpublished brain around.
It looks like you had a fabulous year.
Have a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year!
Increadible stats. Seeing those numbers makes you realise just how hard it it to go from dream to reality.
I’m happy to have representation, now just hope to take that next step to being published.
FYI, having just returned from Ukraine, I can assure you the folks there detest the adjective ‘the’ when placed before their country’s name.
Wow. Looking at those stats, I feel really privileged that you even read my full ms, let alone decided to sign me up as one of those six writers. It’s only been a short amount of time so far, but I can honestly say that the attention I’ve received from your agency is more than I’ve ever received from any other (and I’ve had a few agents!). Thanks for the fantastic welcome and interest in me and my work. I’m so looking forward to working with you in 2010!
Kristin,
Congratulations first and foremost. I wish you many years of success and happy holidays to clear your brain.
The blog has been very special for me in both learning and inspiration. I look forward to the “query game” with a submission next year. You don’t have to post this. Regardless of the outcome, your site and insight is wonderful.
Thank you,
Doc
Kristen – I can’t say thank you enough for opening up that inside world of publishing. You’ve really opened my eyes and I feel I know a lot more about what’s going on.
The stats are very interesting and give an excellent picture of the realities.
Thank you again and have a Wonderful Merry Christmas 🙂
Lane,
It’s not at all like the lottery. The lottery assumes all who play are on an equal playing field. This is very different. The numbers really don’t matter. The quality and timeliness of the writing does.
I used to read queries and these numbers sound right on target. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) depending on how you look it, the vast majority of queries and submissions are just not very good. Of those that have strong writing, the story itself might not be fresh or engaging.
Remember, if it was easy, everyone would do it.
🙂
38000? Yikes. 6/38,000 — quite daunting.
38,000 queries! Gulp! Looks like you’ve had a fabulously productive year. Happy holidays and we’ll see you next year!
Thanks, Kristin, for taking the time to break this down. Enjoy some time off and see you in the New Year!
*Gulp* I did the math, your acceptance rate is 0.016% of the number of queries that you received. Which makes the probability of a new writer landing an agent pretty slim.
Only the truly dedicated and persistent writers will surmount those odds.
Congratulations on the sales!
Love that last statistic. 🙂 At the end of the day (or year), loving one’s job is the most important thing of all, and you clearly love being an agent with all the hard work you do for both your clients and for authors in general by giving out such generous info with your blog! Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you, too, and we’ll see you in 2010!
Thanks for posting these stats- very interesting. I especially liked the last few.
Merry Christmas!
What a great year!
I especially LOVED the Starbucks statistic as I can totally related to that one during the holidays! Who am I kidding??? Everyday!
Beautiful breakdown. 🙂 I’m glad you added the part about loving your job. That is obvious to anyone who reads your blog, but worth mentioning all the same.
Wishing you many smiles in 2010!
Well Done!!! I hope that 2010 will be another amazing year!
While the odds are slim of landing an agent, they are much, much better than playing the lottery. Also, there a many agents out there, so the odds are increased in that respect. Keep writing!
Hi Kristin-
I have a quick question about pitching memoir. In the cover letter and plot synopsis, should the writer refer to her character-self as “I” or as her name? Are these plots typically pitched in first or third person?
Thanks!
Hi Kristen
I have just worked out the % of new clients you took on compared to the number of submissions. You read 38,000 and with the assumption that Sara read about the same about – lets round them off to 80 000. Of the 80, 000, you took on 6 clients! 6 clients!
That means statistically any new writer has a 0.008% chance of being taken on by your agency.
What does this mean? It means that first time writers probably have a higher chance of being accepted by NASA to fly a shuttle to the moon, being taken off death row, or become a doctor without any form of qualification.
Quite frankly with those frightening statistics, I have to be honest with myself – and I do have tenacity, but I’m also a realist, I think being a beggar would at least bring in some money without any false impressions given to first time writers.
Another thing, thanks for your pub rants over the last year but maybe they should remain in the pub, whilst you snicker about the 80,000 (ok 79,994 useless query letters you’ve had to wade your way through, instead of giving false advice to writers who have a laughable 0,008% chance of being published. Yes it’s completely laughable.
Why don’t you make that new Years resolution – and rather stop giving out false hope to unemployed writers, rather be dam honest with them and tell them to rather scribble down a few sentences as a hobby every now and then when they feel slightly bored with life, but to rather go out and get a real job.
Yeah hope your New Year will be great. I’ll be looking into a new career.