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Florida Attorney General Sues Scammer

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Today was all about foreign contracts. It’s been stunning. We’ve done 38 deals so far this year in foreign territories. Wow.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? LEGS by ZZ Top

As I’ve been out of town, I haven’t been able to read my Publishers Lunch daily. This morning I was getting caught up on my emails and my industry reading when I came across this news item. I couldn’t help but crow in delight. Let another scammer bite the dust.

And be sure to spread the word and link to this so word gets out in the writing community (and especially to newbies) that they should never, never, never pay a fee to a literary agent.

Florida Attorney General Sues Writer’s Literary Agency and Robert Fletcher
The state’s crimes division “received more than 175 complaints from around the world claiming Fletcher and his associates, who claimed to act as literary agents and publishers, allegedly collected money from victims anxious to see their work published.” The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief as well as full restitution. (full article)

I was appalled to read that he was pulling in an estimated $600,000 a year for fleecing writers. Crime certainly does pay—until you get caught that is.

It’s That Time Of Year When All Thoughts Turn To…Quarterly Estimated Taxes

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: It’s after 8 p.m. It’s really time to leave the office.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? DEAD MAN’S PARTY by Oingo Boingo

Just a happy FYI that the deadline for the third round of quarterly taxes is tomorrow, September 15, 2009. If you still need to pay, don’t delay as you’ll want a US Post Office post mark on the envelope so as not to be charged penalty or fees. I’d send certified mail just to be safe if you’ve waited until the very last day to send.

And if you have to make regular quarterly payments, I suggest getting hooked up with the EFTPS site so you can make payments electronically.

And I might as well take a moment to remind authors that it’s not worth getting behind in estimated payments due from book income throughout the year. I’ve heard one too many horror stories from authors who always thought that the next check would pay all the taxes only to find themselves in a major hole later on (as the next check was basically already spent before taxes came around again).

I know some of you are thinking that gee, I wish I could just get paid for my writing to begin with; I’d be happy to pay taxes. (Okay, maybe not “happy to” but you’d be delighted at the idea of having to because you’re earning money from writing.) For all you published authors out there earning income, this is a not so gentle nudge. Pay your taxes, quarterly, and on time. And if you are the kind of person who doesn’t manage money well or just likes the idea of it, sign up for EFTPS and simply have X amount taking out monthly so it becomes part of your monthly budget–an automatic debit you don’t have to think about when April 15, June 15, Sept. 15, and Jan. 15 rolls around.

That way your taxes are paid (and the date doesn’t sneak up on you when funds might not be in the ole checking account).

The Risk of Pitching A Memoir

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: I always enjoy doing my local conferences so it’s no surprise that this afternoon that I find myself at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Conference. Two conferences back to back, glutton for punishment I guess. Grin.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? DON’T SPEAK by No Doubt

Last conference blog entry, I promise (at least for a little while anyway). This really occurred to me when I was out in Hawaii and I think it really needs to be said.

When you are pitching a memoir, don’t take it personally if an agent declines to look at pages.

I know. Impossible. After all, most people who write memoirs probably didn’t have a happy time of it and thus why they want to write it to begin with.

As an agent, when it’s clear that the memoir is something that might simply be too painful for me to read, I’m between a rock and hard place. Do I ask for the pages even if I know I’m not going to be able to handle reading them? Or do I decline?

One time I did decline and I felt awful because it was clear the writer was on the verge of tears. Even though I explained why I was passing on looking at pages (nicely but honestly), I knew that the writer felt like it was a personal rejection of the validity of the story and what the writer had experienced.

Ack.

So, what do I do for the future? Ask for pages knowing it’s not right for me or do I request them—knowing in my heart of hearts that we are going to pass?

I have no answer and I’m sure I’ll handle it case by case (or pitch by pitch as the case may be).

Glazed Like Doughnuts

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Back in Denver after a red-eye flight. A little bleary.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? YOU’LL THINK OF ME by Keith Urban

Last year it felt like I had done about 8 conferences too many. Big Grin here. So this year I was very careful on how many I actually committed to so truth be told, it’s been a while since I’ve had to do pitch sessions. I certainly got back into the swing of things this weekend with over 30 pitch sessions.

Because it’s so fresh in my mind, I have a couple of things I’d love to share with you readers—just in case you are doing a conference in the near future.

1. As hard as this will be to actually do, try not to be nervous. Agents are pros at helping writers through the pitch session. Even if you botch it to start, we’ll help save the session for you so do let us. In other words, don’t ramble on about your project. If you’ve missed, just stop, ‘fess up to it. Chances are we’ll be charmed and we’ll start asking questions to help you get it right.

2. This one is crucial. Limit your pitch to under 2 minutes and I recommend 1 minute if you can do it.

Why?

Because if you talk for the full 10 minutes, trust me, we’ll start glazing like doughnuts and our thoughts will start drifting. It really is hard to focus on someone talking straight for that amount of time without any interaction (and we really try not to glaze).

Luckily, this only happened once for me and when I realized I had lost my focus, I tried to get back into the session. I have no idea if the writer noticed or not. I hope not.

When the glaze is happening, I do look for an opening to see if I can interject and ask a question. Another good piece of advice? If the agent does that, don’t go back to your pitch! Let it ride and move forward from there.

Agents & Editors At Work—Really!

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Having a day of play on Oahu!

What’s playing on the iPod right now? Nothing, just the sound of the waves.

Try not to laugh too hard as we work hard at the Halekaluni’s House Without A Key beach bar.

From left: Me, Agent April Eberhardt, April’s husband, Putnam Publisher Neil Nyren, Agent Cathy Fowler.

Untitled In Paradise

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Aloha! Need I say more?

What’s playing on the iPod right now? Kokomo by Beach Boys

Here is a shot of me working this morning before the conference officially begins!

It’s a tough life but somebody has to do it. I’ve got my feet up and my netbook (thank you Ally and Leslie!) ready to roll. As I’ve been working on this little netbook, I’ve had 3 different people stop and ask me about it.

I should get a kickback from Verizon or HP or something. Even though it’s a brand new toy, I’ve got my eye on that new Apple iBook as well if they ever release it this fall.

So what’s happening today at the conference? Opening ceremonies and then the agents and editors are free until the one-on-one consultations begin at 2 pm. I imagine a lot of attendees are nervously awaiting that.

Just remember, keep your pitch short—under 2 minutes—and allow time for the agent to ask questions. Don’t worry. We are pros at this and we’ll do our best to help you relax and make it a good experience (and to pull the necessary info out of you if you botch it!) Grin.

Still, you want to be able to talk about your novel easily so simply practice in the mirror a two sentence sum up of it so you are ready.

Have a great Labor Day weekend folks. I know I will.

No Prize For An Unblemished Record

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Tomorrow I head to Hawaii for the Hawaii Writers Conference. It’s a tough job and somebody has to do it and I’m always happier doing it in Hawaii. Grin.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? FAMILY AFFAIR by Mary J. Blige (now that I’ve learned how to code it down to a small playbox, I’m going to try putting it right under the iPod song–just in case you want to listen while reading.)

I’ve actually been mulling in my head how to write this entry. The reason? I don’t agent the same as all other agents so it’s hard to talk about percentage.

For example, in comparison to a lot of other agents, I don’t sell a lot of books in any given year. I’ve never have—even when I started seven years ago. I’m very selective about the projects I take on.

Earlier in my career when I was still feeling out my tastes and what I really wanted to represent, I had a much higher percentage of books that didn’t sell (especially when I was doing nonfiction titles—which I’m hopeless at and hence why I just rep fiction).

When I became more comfortable in the fiction realm and knew exactly what works for me and what works for the editors, my percentage of projects sold drastically increased. I’m going to assume that what is of most interest to blog readers is the percentage of projects sold for new clients (or debut authors) who haven’t been previously published.

For me, I’m looking back on the last two years and my percentage is almost 100% of what I took on sold. Now this sounds like I’m tooting my horn and other agents aren’t good as I am but that’s not what I’m trying to say (although it could be true, I really don’t know). There may be another way to look at this. Maybe I’m not taking as many risks. I don’t perceive it that way as I only take on the stuff I love but maybe that’s it.

Maybe other agents take on a higher percentage of projects because they are at bigger agencies and have to meet sales quotas. Maybe other agents take on more because they get paid on commission only and bills need to be paid (so the higher percentage they take on, the more likelihood that % number of projects will sell). Maybe other agents take on more simply because they love more stuff then I do (have a broader range in their tastes) and not all of it can sell. Maybe other agents are newer to agenting and still feeling out their tastes and what works best for them to sell.

I haven’t got a definitive answer here.

But what I can say because of yesterday’s entry, my record is not a 100% this year!

Now what’s interesting is that when I took on this author, I knew it wasn’t going to be a slam dunk sale. It’s a work that genre blends so didn’t fit squarely into one place or the other (always harder to sell). Also, this work was something very different for me to rep; it was going outside my “box” so to speak (although I like to think I don’t have a box and I’m open to anything as long as the voice is there). And, to top it off, an earlier version of this work had been shopped previously by another agent. We did a major revision and took it out again. Both the author and I knew what we were up against. If I don’t challenge myself now and again, what’s the point? This work is good; it deserves to sell. This week, we were “this close” to selling it before getting shot down in the agony of defeat.

And if I can’t sell this one, chances are really good I’m going to be selling a future work from this client. The author has a great way of nailing characters who are gray-area bad guys but end up being perversely likable. That’s mastery. I’m patient—as is the author.

So no unblemished record for me this year. C’est la vie!

The Agony of Defeat

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: I’m really ready to read a submission that really excites me.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? SHE TALKS TO ANGELS by The Black Crowes

Do you remember watching the Wide World of Sports and Bogotaj’s failed ski jump clip timed with the words “the agony of defeat”? I think that image is now synonymous with the concept of crash and burn.

Well, this is exactly how an agent feels when a manuscript he/she believes in doesn’t sell. (And I can’t imagine what an author feels like when this happens! Do they imagine that same vision?)

As a general rule, it’s not possible for an agent to sell every single project that is taken on. A lot of times the market isn’t quite right, the timing is off, the submission falls through the appreciation crack, who knows.

But not every project sells.

That’s a fact of life and not why I’m writing this entry. The toughest moment comes when an editor really believes in a project, when the editor fights for the project at editorial board, and then the unbelievable reply comes that despite the editor’s best efforts, he/she won’t be offering for the project. The work, already rejected from numerous houses, is at the end of the submission yet having come so close to almost making it through. So close and yet it might as well be a mile apart.

That, my friends, is the agony of defeat and let me tell you, agents do feel it as keenly as their authors. Well, I take that back. I really don’t believe it’s possible for the agent to feel as deeply as the author does for that lost opportunity. After all, it’s not quite as personal. I always feel incredible sad anyway (and for some reason I run that mental clip through my brain).

I don’t think I’m wrong. Why doesn’t the rest of the world see what I see?

And then I remember that it all comes down to timing and oddly enough, luck.

That can be the most frustrating part of this biz and about as graceful as tumbling through a failed jump.

Not All Publicity Is Good Publicity

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: The dog days of August. I handled over a 100 emails and got caught up. I concluded a film deal (won’t be able to announce for a bit so sorry) and did a phone conference about a contract as just a tad bit of what I did today.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? STAY (I MISSED YOU) by Lisa Loeb

I know you’ve heard the saying that all publicity is good publicity. Well, I can certainly think of a few instances where that might not be the case and when I saw this article about an author who made the news because she shot her father in the rear end, I thought to myself that there really couldn’t be a better of example that I could offer of this.

Especially since the author describes her writing as redneck noir. Suitably apt? So maybe the lesson here is think before you shoot?

Friday Funnies

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Blogging before noon! It’s happy hour someplace, right? Grin.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? DID YE GET HEALED by Van Morrison

It’s no secret that I love reading on my Kindle but I still laughed at Green Apple Books Smackdown on Youtube—Book vs Kindle.

They’ve gone 8 rounds if you want to view them all.

But here’s the latest for Storytime. Enjoy!