Pub Rants

STATUS: Pleeeaassse… The beach is a calling. Working? What’s that? Yep, I’m in Daytona. I actually to plan to go to the registration desk and check in for the conference. Then a little breakfast and then right to the beach. Oh yeah!

What song is playing on the iPod right now? Listening to the crash of waves. Oceanfront view!

Definition 3: One that got away can mean a manuscript for which I read the full but then decided to pass.

I remember reading an article (and this was at least a year or two ago) and in it was a story from literary agent Stuart Krichevsky (and since my memory is faulty it might not have been Stuart but I’m pretty sure it was). In it, he divulged a very amusing tidbit about passing on a project called MUTANT MESSAGE FROM DOWN UNDER, which later when on to sell a million copies.

DOH!

He just laughed at himself in the article. That work just didn’t grab him when he gave it a look. Now he kind of half-heartedly kicks himself. Not really because he’s got Sebastian Junger on his roster (and a bunch of other great names). So what? He missed one great project. After agents are in the business for 25 years or more, we probably have a bunch of big sellers on our list (at least I do in my dreams of when I’ve been in the business for that long—big smile here). I’ve had my own agency now for only 4 years and I’m not unhappy as to where it is. My clients are building and their name recognition growing. In 25 years, they’ll all be big sellers (hear that clients? Get busy!)

Yeah, I imagine that if I had been an agent 10 years ago and was in the UK and passed on a little project called Harry Potter, I’d probably want to kick myself. Good thing it wasn’t even a possibility for me because that would feel pretty yucky.

Luckily, I think that was a phenomenon and unlikely to occur again in my lifetime.

Most “overnight” successes take about 10 years (Dan Brown a prime example).

But there is one project that I read a full manuscript for and do sort of feel some regret for passing on it. The book hasn’t actually published yet so I have no idea if it will be a big seller or not.

That in itself wouldn’t necessarily trigger regret.

No, I regret passing on this book because I really, really liked it but thought it needed some editorial input before submitting. At the time, days in the office were crazy with the negotiation of the Disney deal and a bunch of other projects. I felt overwhelmed and thought, gee, I haven’t got the time to really do this justice right now.

I even called the author and chatted with her. But, I passed. In the months that followed, I kept thinking about that novel and would give myself a little kick. I should have taken it on because the story kept coming back to me.

Then I saw the deal post in deal lunch. Here it is:

Terri Garey’s DEAD GIRLS ARE EASY, about a former Goth girl who wakes up from a near-death experience to find herself an unwilling ‘ghoulfriend’ to the dead – described as Mary Janice Davidson meets The Sixth Sense, to Erika Tsang at Avon, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Annelise Robey at Jane Rotrosen Agency (world English).

This one got away. For me.

For Terri, she’s probably thrilled that Annelise was one smart cookie and took it on. It should be coming out this fall or early next spring. Look for it!

STATUS: Fast-paced day. I did manage to get up at 6 a.m., leave the house by 7:15 a.m. to catch the bus to the airport, make my flight, arrive in Orlando on time only to discover that the person whom I’m meeting at the airport won’t be here for another two hours because her plane is delayed. Best laid plans…

What song is playing on the iPod right now? Since I’m sitting at the Orlando airport typing this, I’m listening to CNN headline news or something similar being piped in through the speakers.

In good news, this gives me plenty of time to blog (although I have my tablet PC with me and I should be reading the full manuscripts I’ve requested). I’ll do that in 15 minutes when I finish this entry.

Definition 2: The Ones that Got Away can mean the projects I read 30 pages of and decided it wasn’t for me so I passed.

As I mentioned yesterday, agents rarely expend a lot of time worrying about sample pages we passed on. I often track full manuscripts I’ve read and then passed on, but sample pages–no.

Every once in a while I’ll see a sale posted on deal lunch and I’ll remember that yeah, I didn’t request a full for that one.

In fact, I have no ego. I’m happy to share the covers of two books I had the pleasure of reading sample pages of but didn’t end up asking for a full or offering representation.

So here they are.

I actually know both the authors too. Mario is part of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and is beyond a delightful gentleman. Carrie is a part of Backspace: The Writer’s Place and so we often interact online. Great people. Great books. They found a perfect agent to rep them.

For whatever reason, the stories just didn’t work for me (and it obviously wasn’t because of the writing or because it wasn’t publishable). I just wasn’t 100% in love with what I read to ask for the full.

In fact, I think the only reason these two stand out in my mind is because Mario’s novel had a unique title and Carrie’s novel was fairly early in my career and I wasn’t reading nearly as many partials as I do now. I’d be hard pressed to remember stuff today given the current volume of what I receive and read.

But back to my point. This business is so subjective. For agents, it’s all about our individual tastes.

Heck, do a test yourself. Walk into a bookstore. Not every book on the shelf is going to tickle your fancy. Some authors you loathe and wonder how ANYONE can read through such dreck, but it’s your best friend’s favorite author of all time.

Now you are getting the picture.

I think I need to debunk some myths that writers hold in their minds.

1. Agents will take on any project they think they can sell.

Nope. It takes an awful lot to champion a novel. Often, I’ve read the darn thing twice before it even goes on submission. I have to love something 100% to take it on knowing that I might be reading this project a couple of more times if necessary. If it doesn’t sell right away, I have to stay enthusiastic enough to reread and work with the author on another edit. Also, I have to make the assumption that I’ll love future works by this author (even if the first book doesn’t sell).

If I’m only lukewarm about project despite the fact that I think it can sell…

2. Agents won’t pass on good writing.

Wrong. I pass on stuff that’s written well all the time. Maybe I don’t see a big enough story. Maybe I like it but I don’t LOVE it. Maybe I can totally see the value but have no idea what editor would love it so the author is best served by another agent. It’s not a novel I would pick up and buy at the Bookstore. Blah, blah, blah. The list goes on.

3. Agents are infallible in their judgment.

Ha. That’s silly. I was just reading the most recent Publishers Weekly and there was a tidbit on E. Lynn Harris who failed to find an agent or a publisher for his first novel INVISIBLE LIFE. He publishing it himself in 1991, sold well, and then was later picked up by a publisher in 1994. Now his current book I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER is on the bestseller lists. Harris can now boast more than three million copies in print of his books.

Right. Infallible.

The market constantly surprises agents, but I’m not going to kick myself on the stuff I passed on (especially if I only read 30 pages of it). Why? Because I know that another great project that I’m going to love is just around the corner and I’ll sign that author and then sell the work (for big money–LOL) and then sell all the foreign rights and then sell the film rights and then it will hit the bestseller list and then…

And that’s what makes this job so delightful.

STATUS: Crazy day. Monday always is. I’m finishing up a submission—to make sure it’s all completed before I leave town tomorrow morning. Also, I’m in the middle of negotiating the film/tv rights for one of my books. Flurry of emails going back and forth as we try and resolve some outstanding issues and see if we can settle this down so I can present the offer to my author.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? THAT’S HEAVEN TO ME by Sam Cooke

Just a warning, I’m going to be leaving for the RT Convention in Daytona Beach, FL bright and early tomorrow morning. I actually don’t think I’ll have time to blog. We’ll see. I have to catch the bus to the airport at by 7:30 a.m. Ouch. That’s early folks. (As an aside, this is way too much travel in such a short period of time. I plan to be smarter when scheduling next year.)

I thought it would be fun to rant about what I think is an interesting topic—the projects that got away. I define “projects that got away” in a couple of different ways so it will make a good theme for the week. Also, I imagine that writers might find this rather fascinating. Do we have regrets? The quick and dirty answer? No. Not really. I see lots of stuff that’s publishable but not right for me. Every once in a while though…

Definition 1: The Ones that Got Away can mean the writers whose projects I offered representation to, vied for, but lost to another agent.

This happens. I wish it wouldn’t happen as often as it does but when I see a great project, chances are good that other agents think it’s good too. I offer and the writer mentions she already has a couple of offers on the table.

I am my charming self on the phone. I toot my horn—highlight my terrific sales record, high sell-through, movie deals but alas, the writer chooses another agent.

Darn. The project that got away.

For the most part, there really isn’t any regret. I tried hard for the project and lost. Karma in the world. The author/project wasn’t meant for me (and I know this is corny but I really do think certain agent/author hook ups are meant to be).

Of course, this sanguine approach sounds great until just a couple of weeks later I see the sale on deal lunch that it went in a pre-empt.

Grrr… Then I sigh. Maybe mutter an expletive (but that’s pretty rare) and move on.

I’m happy for the author. He/she deserved the quick sale and I would never begrudge him/her that. Still, it would have been more fun if it had been my sale…

STATUS: Feeling lazy. It’s so beautiful out right now. Sara and I went to lunch so we could sit outside. Struggling to get back into the groove this afternoon.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? THIS IS IT by Kenny Loggins

Because I’m being supremely lazy today, I’m going to point out some really terrific and recent blogs if you want to learn about the publishing industry. So, if you are feeling chipper, head on over and check out these two.

Editor Anna blogged about Profit & Loss Statements and how editors decide what to buy and for how much.

Then Bookseller Chick took the mystery out of the term “mid-list.”

Curious? Truly some edifying blogs.

I’m out.

STATUS: Feeling happy. I’m really close to resolving an outstanding issue. My New Zealand/Australian author Cheryl Sawyer needed an ITIN (International Tax Identification Number) so her publisher could pay her without withholding 30% of her royalties for tax purposes. It has been a long, frustrating road for Cheryl. Many IRS hoops to jump through, but finally the ITIN is here and the W8BEN form has been completed. We can now benefit from the US tax treaty with Australia. No 30% for you IRS!

What song is playing on the iPod right now? TRULY MADLY DEEPLY by Savage Garden

If you know me personally, you’d know that nothing burns me more then hearing about writers who are fleeced by scam agents. It makes me truly irate that there are unethical people in the world who prey on the hopes, dreams, (and I have to say) ignorance of aspiring authors.

Lucky for me, there are brilliant people in the world like Dave Kuzminski for Preditors and Editors and A.C. Crispin and Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware.

Well guess what? Ann and Victoria have just nailed another scam b*stard. Click here to read the whole story. These folks unselfishly take a lot of heat and keep the world safe for the newbies in the publishing world.

Three Cheers! Three Cheers! Three Cheers!

And while I’m on this topic, I want to throw in a warning about marginal agents—folks who might mean well and aren’t scammers but also aren’t very effective (folks that might be on the writer conference circuit but don’t seem to be selling any books). And just to be clear, I’m not talking about new agents who are brand new to an already established agency or have recently established their own agencies. These folks are either paying their dues or have paid their dues by working at other agencies or by being actual editors at publishing houses. Obviously these folks won’t have a lot of sales to their credit. I’m talking about “agents” for whom you can’t find any information about recent sales or past publishing jobs. Trust me, this information should not be hard to find and if it is…

That’s a red flag (as are any fees: editorial, reading, submission, or whatever they are being called. Money flows to the author—not the other way around).

Remember, anyone can hang a shingle and state that he/she is an agent. Hanging the shingle doesn’t make that true. Only good contacts and a solid sales record can.

(And Victoria has a brilliant blog post on marginal agents too! As well as evaluating an agent’s website. Boy these gals are smart. Bookmark this page right now.)

STATUS: A good day. The final contracts came by FedEx overnight and joy of joy, all pages were included. Definitely makes my job easier. However, I did just get a new contract for another project I just sold. Price to pay I guess for selling but delight, contracts are time-consuming.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? STAND BACK by Stevie Nicks (sometimes I just need my Divas)

Sample pages update: Sara and I have read and responded to all partials up to about April 3, 2006. If you haven’t received a response, hold off for a week before inquiring because I still need to evaluate a few before the response letters go out.

I was at the Silicon Valley Writers Conference this past weekend. I have to say, on the whole, I was pretty impressed with the good pitches I heard. If the writing matches the pitches, there could be some exciting reading happening soon.

On Saturday night, the conference held a speed-pitching session—kind of like speed dating (but for a professional relationship rather than personal). The writer has 3 minutes in which to pitch and make a connection with the agent. Then the bell rings and whisks the writer away to the next person.

On Sunday morning, several attendees asked me what I thought about it.

It’s a good question. I actually needed to process it a bit but here are some thoughts.

What I liked:

1. It forced participants to nail their pitch in the allotted amount of time.

I really do think this is a valuable skill. You need to be able to talk about your work in a succinct but engaging manner. Y’all know that I’ve commented on this blog before that all pitches should be in 2 minutes or under. In a regular pitch session, the remaining time would be spent in actual conversation with the agent (you asking questions, the agent asking questions or whatever).

2. Hear ‘em all in an hour rather than spending a whole morning on pitch sessions.

It’s usually clear in the first two minutes or so of a pitch whether it’s something for me. Get ‘em in, swing ‘em out. The pace worked for me. It was fun, didn’t feel as serious, yet work was getting done.

3. When a writer missed and pitched a project I didn’t rep, I just told her to scoot and head on to the next appropriate agent (and was able to point her in the right direction).

No guilt feelings! Okay, the writer messed up. Move on to the next agent who does rep mysteries (or whatever). There’s no wasted 10 minutes staring at a person I can’t help.

The downside:

1. That’s an awful lot of pitches in one hour.

I did feel a little dazed and confused by the end. I hoped that I didn’t have that glassy-eyed look for the last person. (I also made the mistake of thinking the final bell had rung; I got up to walk down to the bar—of course—and panicked two participants who were still waiting. I apologize for that).

2. Some writers still rambled the whole 3 minutes—giving a roundabout synopsis, not a pitch (and there is a difference).

I have to say that I was firm this time around. Adhering to the rules of the game, I was only going to request pages for projects that grabbed me. If I wasn’t sold in the 3 minutes, I passed on asking for sample pages. I think this might have stunned a couple of people and I know one person was particularly upset with me. Please remember, it’s not personal. There are a lot of published books at the bookstore that don’t grab me but still managed to be published. It’s just not something I was particularly interested in. It doesn’t mean the work doesn’t have value (although I still strongly encourage the writer to work on her pitch).

3. The hour passed in a blur.

I’m not sure how much of a memory I’m going to have about the writer who presented the pitch. Sometimes there is a nice recall connected to the sample pages when I sit down to read them. The pace might not be conducive to that.

In the end, does speed-pitching work? Guess I won’t know until I ask somebody to come aboard from a speed pitch. Truly, the only barometer of success.

An aside, does speed-dating actually work? I’ve been married for years so have no idea…

STATUS: It’s an okay morning. Got lots to do still so this rant will be short. A nice wrap up to the Name Game.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? LONG HOT SUMMER by The Style Council

One last story.

My author Kelly Parra is Latina/Asian (and if you visit her website and read her bio, you’ll discover that she’s actually Mexican-Filipino-Italian-American to be exact). And yes, you guessed it. Her last name is not “Parra.”

That is actually her mother’s maiden name.

Since she’s writing edgy Latina fiction (adult romantic suspense and young adult), we wanted a name to reflect her mixed heritage so readers would be able to identify her as a multi-cultural author who knows what she’s writing about.

You see. Kelly married a terrific guy with an Irish last name and she uses her married name in everyday life. That coupled with her first name Kelly made her sound full-blooded Irish and not even remotely Latina (and Irish is not even in the mix—except for her kids who are now Mexican-Filipino- Italian-Irish-American). Get the picture?

So, this was actually an occasion where a pseudonym made more sense and Kelly Parra was born.

Now, it wouldn’t really have been a big deal if she wanted to use her Irish married name. We just both agreed that connecting with readers was most important and since she’s writing Latina characters…why alienate readers who might make the misassumption that she didn’t have the heritage?

Besides, I don’t know about you, but I just love the look of the last name “Parra.” The double “r.” It even looks a little edgy on the page/cover and boy, does that really fit what she writes.

Tomorrow, off on a new rant so stay-tuned.

STATUS: Is it possible to be unhappy while in San Francisco? I had a great day. There is publishing out West (just in case some of you didn’t know that). I had coffee with Kate Nitze from MacAdam/Cage and then lunch with Renee Sedliar, Marlowe & Company. Now I’m back at the hotel but the conference starts in an hour.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? Telly in the hotel room is on instead.

I have to say that although my last two rants are pretty pointless, I’ve had a great time with them. I promised you a story so finally, here it is. I actually have two stories to share.

Okay. I’ve included the cover of PLAN B from the author of BACHELORETTE #1. Take a close look. Do you notice anything different? Don’t read on until you catch it.

It’s subtle so give yourself a pat on the back if you caught it right away. Yes, this is the debut YA cover for my adult market author Jennifer O’Connell.

And yes, her publisher is the one who decided to change her name from Jennifer to Jenny O’Connell for her YA stuff.

The big question is why.

Well, her editor actually thought that the name “Jenny” had a hipper, younger feel than Jennifer and since we wanted to appeal to that younger audience, we choose to change her name slightly and go with the Jenny.

Even better (and this is what cracks me up) Jennifer, being the savvy author that she is, decided to do a photo op that had a younger feel. She even decided to remove her wedding rings for the photo since being “married” might feel too stodgy and established for her younger readers. There’s no disguising that she’s not in her 20s but she’s looking pretty hip if I do say so myself.

I’ve got another story but must head out now. Will have to wait until Monday.

STATUS: Giddy. Got my Brilliance audio copy of LOVE YOU KILL YOU today. It’s the agency’s first bona fide audio book.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? CRUEL TO BE KIND by Letters To Cleo

Methinks that sometimes the readers of this blog take me too seriously. Unless your name is Charles Manson or something equally creepy, I’m certainly not going to nix somebody’s query or partial based on their name alone or how they sign it.

A name can be changed. Story in a moment.

But let’s talk about this some more.

I think an author’s name should fit the genre they write. A nice hyphenated last name might work well for a literary work but would be too cumbersome for romance, mystery, and thriller. SF and Fantasy can swing either way I think.

Middle initials are just the bane of my existence. Drop ‘em. If your name is super common (as is Kristin Nelson), I’d seriously consider a pseudonym for your writing career. And, no need to provide that middle initial for your query either. Trust me, that single letter isn’t going to distinguish you enough if your name is Jane Smith.

When we respond to partials and actually do put the writers name in the heading, we leave off any titles (Mr., Ms., or Dr.) and initials. First and last name only. We don’t have time for anything else.

Not to mention, long or difficult names are not easy to remember. Let’s do a quick quiz.

Name five literary writers. Go….

Okay, off the top of my head without even thinking, these writers pop to mind:
Salman Rushdie
Toni Morrison
Marilynne Robinson
Alice Munro
John Fowles

Easily remembered names.

As much as I would like them to, folks like Michael Ondaatje and Chuck Palahnuik (and Annie Proulx for that matter) don’t leap to mind easily.

Is it hurting their sales? Probably not. I will venture a guess that book buyers probably don’t ask for them by name (if they are like me, pronunciation is slippery) but by title.

Gets the job done. Still…

Off to the airport. Will have to share my good author name story tomorrow.

STATUS: Doing okay. I wish I had gotten a few more things completed today but… that’s life. Off to San Fran tomorrow for the Silicon Valley Conference. I will try and blog whilst traveling but Friday might be iffy.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? GOLD FEVER by Clint Eastwood (yes, he does sing—or should I say did at one time.) This is from the PAINT YOUR WAGON soundtrack. I’m in a musical kind of mood. I’ve got tickets for LES MISERABLES tonight!

I have to admit that this is a purely esoteric rant because ultimately, what author name you use isn’t that big of a deal. This is purely something that annoys me and really isn’t a huge issue in the grand scheme of things.

I want to talk about author names because ultimately, promoting your work and getting published is all part of one big package of professionalism.

And, I think writers are potentially too hung up on their formal names (as in using first, middle, maiden, and last name).

I wouldn’t blame you if you are scratching your head at this moment, so let me explain.

If you write literary fiction, I think using three names is fine as long as there is a memorable rhythm to it (Jonathan Safran Foer pops to mind).

Otherwise, three names is overkill and potentially not in your best interest (in terms of name recognition, ease of finding you in the bookstore, etc.) It can sound pretentious and if you are writing a big, bad thriller, it’s potentially defeatist. It’s James Patterson, Lisa Scottoline, Iris Johansen, John Grisham, Robert Crais, Lee Child. Boom, boom, boom.

Of course there is also Mary Higgins Clark… (always exceptions to the rules). I also love Orson Scott Card as a name and that’s SF. But notice, it’s got memorable rhythm. It works. The name itself mesmerizes.

And notice something else about these names. There are no middle initials used. I see a lot of signed queries/partials with “Jane P. Smith” or whatever. Personally, I don’t think that translates well to a front cover.

When BACHELORETTE #1 was getting published, my author originally wanted her name on the cover to read Jennifer L. O’Connell, and I talked her out of it. Why? Because Jennifer L. O’Connell doesn’t really roll off the tongue as well as just plain Jennifer O’Connell. The “L” just visually interrupts and looks out of place. Not as memorable. Discord in what could have rhythm.

I do like just first initials and a last name—especially for genre fiction. RL Stine, JK Rowling, JD Robb. It’s got a nice feel.

I know what you are thinking. Who cares? I’m not even published yet. My name is the last thing I’m worried about. I understand. Still, it’s all a part of showing a polished package in the business that is writing. Think like a professional writer and you’ll become one (well, as long as you have talent too). Now, I don’t want y’all getting hung up on all these silly details and neglect what is most important—your writing—but it’s still worth thinking about.

I’ve got more to rant on this subject so until tomorrow…