Pub Rants

Category: agenting

Agency Anomaly

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Plugging along. Only two weeks ago I was all pleased because I had caught up on everything. Ah, those were the days…

What’s playing on the iPod right now? ROCK THIS TOWN by Stray Cats

Sitting on the panel this past weekend also reminded me of a fact that I often forget—the fact that my agency is a little bit of an anomaly in this business.

The three other agents sitting on the panel all handled mostly nonfiction with an occasionally novel to fill out their roster.

I’m the exact opposite. About 98% of what I do is fiction with an occasional story-based nonfiction project such as Kim Reid’s memoir NO PLACE SAFE or Jennifer O’Connell’s book of collected essays EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT BEING A GIRL I LEARNED FROM JUDY BLUME. This is actually unusual. The majority of agents sell nonfiction because it’s easier to sell (more quantifiable), takes less time to put together (because most nonfiction is sold in the proposal stage), and it usually tends to make more money (more six figure deals are for nf projects).

So why do I just mainly do fiction? Because that’s what I love and that’s where my passion is. And for me, for some reason, fiction is just easy to sell (and I do sell quite a few projects, even for debut authors, for high five or six figures, and I sell almost every project I take on). My nonfiction stats (early in my career when I handled both) couldn’t compare. I liked things that were too quirky for mainstream publishing. Go figure.

Now my agency thrives because I handle all types of fiction—including genre stuff such as romance or sf&f. A lot of agents are only interested in literary or commercial mainstream and let me tell you, literary fiction is one hard sell. When you understand how hard it is to place a literary novel, it becomes clearer as to why most agents concentrate on nonfiction to pay the bills.

Anticipation Is Making Me Wait

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: I had a lot of phone conferences today–each averaging about an hour in length. So even though I was working, I didn’t tackle too many things on my To Do list which always makes me feel like I was a slacker somehow. I know. Makes no sense but there it is.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? BABY GOT BACK –the Richard Cheese version

Okay, maybe I’m dating myself here but do you remember the Heinz Ketchup commercials to the tune of Carly Simon’s Anticipation?

The idea was that the ketchup was so thick (and delicious I presume), that it took a while to pour out of the bottle but that extra anticipation made it all the more worthwhile.

The point being that you need to be patient and wait.

Well, that’s what you need to do when an agent comes a-calling and offers representation.

I know. You’ve been waiting a long time for this moment so your first instinct may be to scream “YES, somebody wants me. I’m yours,” but that may not be in your best interest because what if another agent also wants to offer? If they do, now you have choice which puts you in the catbird seat (thank you James Thurber). This is exactly where you want to be. You are about to embark on what will hopefully be a long-term partnership so don’t be in a rush to make that decision.

And don’t worry. An agent isn’t going to withdraw the offer if you make it clear that you’ll need a week or two to assess all your options. And if an agent did withdraw an offer, well, that’s an answer all in itself so don’t sweat it.

So, squelch your initial reaction. Patience. Anticipation is worth making agents wait.

Secret Language Of Agents (part two)

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: BEA is in 29 days. Boy, I’m going to be busy getting all my appointments set up. Not to mention that three of my authors will be featured there. I see running around a large convention center in my near future…

What’s playing on the iPod right now? I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE by Marvin Gaye

I might have to dig deep for some more examples. I don’t tend to use too many catch phrases when I respond to sample pages (and I always personalize responses to fulls). Yesterday’s example is pretty much my mainstay or I actually comment on a specific issue regarding the work.

I have used this one though (or a version there of):

“I really need to be 100% enthusiastic about a work to take it on.”

Translation: I liked it; I didn’t love it. Also implied is that it’s a tough market and I don’t feel confident in my ability to find this work a home.

Secret Language Of Agents

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: We just had one big whopper of a thunderstorm roll through. Chutney has decided to hide under Sara’s desk. Thunder—not her favorite thing.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? GOOD by Better Than Ezra

Oh wise one, share with me the secret language of agents. (Sounds like it should be a title of a book.)

Actually, we don’t really have one but I’m convinced that writers think we do. I’m amazed at how much time is spent interpreting and analyzing sentences in rejection letters (for sample pages) that may ultimately be throw-away lines (as in they are somewhat “standard” and writers shouldn’t read too much into them).

So for fun, I thought I’d tackle a few this week. Now remember, I can only give the translation based on my unique perspective, and I certainly don’t speak for all agents.

Here’s a sentence that I’m guilty of using fairly often. It really fits what I’m trying to convey. I don’t want to go into too much detail (too time-consuming) but I want to add a little comment beyond the standard NO letter.

“I just didn’t fall in love with the story as much as I had hoped.”

Translation: The writing is solid or good but for whatever reason, I didn’t feel connected to the characters or the story or something. The “click” just wasn’t there for me, but I can see it being possibly there for another agent.

Website Calling Card

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: I watched the best movie this weekend. It’s been out for years. I had heard good things and it finally queued up in my Netflix list. It’s rare that I get excited about a film (which is why I rarely see them in movie theaters since I never think the money I spent to see it was worth it). But for this movie, I would have paid $20.00 to see. It’s so easy for filmmakers to make a heart-warming film over-the-top and cheesy. Not so with THE STATION AGENT. If you haven’t seen it, I’d add it to you queue.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? THE ONE THING by INXS

I’d like to spotlight here that the only thing I really want writers to take away from my last blog entry and that is this: the agent/agency’s track record of sales is most important. (And yes, new agents at really effective agencies are just fine. They have a built-in mentor to guide them and as long as the agency’s reputation is solid, it’s fine.)

All you need to know about whether an agent is effective or ineffective can be answered by research that will give you the sales information. And if it’s hard to find, well, that’s an answer all in itself as well.

But an agent/agency’s website is simply one tool in the research process.

For me, I wanted to embrace the 21st Century in a big way. I figured lots of aspiring writers might also be great readers and if they are visiting my website to find out about me and what I’m looking for, they might just get interested in one of my clients’ books and buy it. (Anything that sells books let me tell you!)

Besides, I figure it’s just easier to keep a website up-to-date about what I do than any paper publication that pretty much goes out of date the minute it’s published. So for me personally, my website is a pretty important tool—my calling card so to speak.

For other agents that’s not always the case.

So remember a few things about agent/agency websites.

1. Some scammers and ineffective agents have very pretty websites.

2. Some excellent and very effective agents have websites that make me cringe
(Somebody get them a copy of Dreamweaver or a web designer pronto!)

3. Some agents/agencies literally refuse to have one. I have an agent friend at a very established and well-known agency who is always bemoaning the fact that her agency doesn’t have one and it hinders her ability to build her list. Perhaps their client list is full. Maybe they want to fly under the radar. Maybe they just don’t think it’s worth the bother. Maybe they have a policy about it. Who knows.

Doesn’t matter. Only the track record of sales matters.

Joe Schmoo Agent

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: I feel great by getting a jump on the day by blogging early. Later it could be crazy. Hard to say. I’ve got lots on the To-do list but that’s always true.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES by Sinead O’Connor

I think Rachel Vater is one smart agent so I want to point people to her recent blog about ineffective agents. In fact, I’m even going to point to an article I read recently by writer Victoria Strauss as well. Excellent information and should be required reading for any new writer wanting to enter the industry.

There are such things as well-intentioned but ineffective agents (because any Joe Schmoo can hang out a shingle without ever having worked in the industry). These aren’t scammers, mind you, just folks who actually want to agent and have good intentions but not the background or the contacts to really make it work.

And can you imagine having an agent who has never negotiated the deal points or a publishing contract, has few or no editor contacts, has no idea how to run an auction, has no connections for foreign rights or Hollywood?

I mean, why bother with paying a 15% commission? You might as well do your own submission and contract for all the good this “agent” is going to do you.

And unfortunately, a lot of these “agents” do the conference circuit but not much else (like selling books). Although lately, I haven’t been seeing some of the ‘old regulars’ so maybe a lot of conference organizers have wised up.

So how do you know who these people are because I’m not going to list them here?

Easy. A look at their websites can pretty much tell you. And don’t fool yourselves, the websites are professionally done but where is the track record of sales? Most of these “agents” have been in business for years (by their own admission) but have only a few sales that can be found on their website or even by Googling. If an agent has been in business for 3 or 4 years or more, you should be able to find lots of book sales if they are an effective agent/agency.

Here’s another factor. Now that you’ve looked at the number of sales, who are the sales to? Are they just to small publishers (and let me highlight that there is nothing inherently wrong with selling to small publishers so don’t leap to any conclusions) but the number should not be disproportionately high in comparison to sales to major publishers. It should be balanced.

Why do I point this out? As agents, we make money off commission and the truth is that the main money comes from the larger publishers who can afford to pay decent advances. And yes, there can be some good money at smaller publishers. I’m not knocking them.

And you can tell who is a good agent by analyzing the website and how they highlight their books. Good agents want to sell more books so they spotlight them on their web page. Pretty simple.

Ineffective agents seem to bury the information. They might have only 4 or 5 covers on the website (all small publisher sales but not always) and other sales seem hard to find. They might list their “authors” and the author titles but there is no publisher info included so are these clients published or unpublished?

The website shouldn’t keep writers guessing.

Let me highlight some of the agent websites I just love so you can see what I’m talking about.

I actually don’t personally know Laura Dail but I love her agency website and always have. You can even click on a button that says “in stores now.” These are books that Laura or other agents at her agency have sold to publishers. She even has a nice news page with recent sales.

There’s no disguising what she and her agency has been up to. Speaking of, I need to snag that new Sarah Mlynowski novel…

My friend Laura Rennert works at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and big thumbs up to their newly redesigned site. I like it! Once again, look at the home page. They even have a button that reads ‘Clients and Sales.’ You click on it and voila, lots of great sales going down (and why didn’t I see the manuscript for THIRTEEN REASONS WHY? Sounds awesome!)

And here’s even a website for a fairly new agent, Kate Epstein (whom I know). She was a nonfiction editor at Adams Media before going out on her own in 2005.

Click on her “news” button. Look at all these great sales in such a short time to such houses a Berkley, Wiley & Sons, her own stomping grounds Adams Media, and Kensington.

So in two years, she has more sales than some, ahem, “agents” who have been in business for years.

So that’s how you know if an agent is a “good agent” versus an “ineffective agent.”

The sales track record doesn’t lie.

Correction: Commenter is indeed correct. Victoria Strauss is a writer (and one of the lovely watch dogs of Writer Beware) and not an agent. My apologies for the mix-up.

Agent Assets

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: It’s after 5 p.m. but I’m reading a client manuscript and just really enjoying my job at the moment.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? F.M. by Steely Dan

I think that a lot of aspiring writers simply assume that an agent’s job is to find projects and sell them and that’s it.

I’d like to posit that my real job is to be a troubleshooter but that’s getting a little off track. As I was walking Chutney this afternoon, I got to thinking about all aspects of my job and what I could share that would show my blog readers a different facet of what an agent does and why an agent could be valuable beyond just negotiating your contract.

So here’s a good example.

This afternoon I had a three-way phone conference with me, my client, and a prospective editor potentially interesting in buying my client’s novel.

Yes. You read that right. A phone conference with an editor who has not yet offered for the work.

I’m assuming I don’t really need to point out the value in having this type of conversation with an interested editor. What I want to highlight here is that this type of event is part of my daily job. It’s not even all that unusual.

This is just one way an agent can be a valuable asset to an author, but I bet most writers wouldn’t even think to include it in the job description of what agents do.

Better Off With Someone Else

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: It’s still raining in Denver. This is good for spring so I try not to complain too much but it does make the world feel a bit drab.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? VIRGINIA WOLF by Indigo Girls

When I take on an author, it’s with the intention of being that person’s agent for his/her whole career. I’m not one to take on projects and if they don’t sell, dump the author. It’s not my MO. But sometimes if I stay as the agent, I could, in fact, be hindering the writer’s career and that’s something I never want to do. You’re probably wondering how that’s possible.

Here’s a story. Well over a year ago, I took on a new author with a project that was pretty darn different from anything that I usually handle. But I loved the novel and really wanted to send it out. I was honest with the author from the very beginning and the author was game to try. So we did. I submitted the project everywhere. Got some close calls but no cigar (those darn editors were just wrong, wrong I tell you). The project didn’t sell but I was eager to see novel number two.

And I did. And I had no confidence that I, as the agent, could sell it.

This is not how writers want their agents to feel. Trust me. And an agent needs to be honest with that author and not string him/her along (or suddenly decide to not return emails etc.).

Those calls are tough though. It’s the last thing I want to do but if I’m not honest, then I’m not allowing that writer to succeed because they can’t succeed if their agent is the weak link through lack of vision. I’m hoping this makes sense. Ultimately, they are better off without me but I can’t help but feel I failed them. Hate that feeling.

Do Editors Say No To Agents?

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Another offer came in today for a different project. Three offers for three different projects in a span of two days. Law of Attraction in action. Love that. Puts me in a good mood! And then like icing on the cake, the blog Ypulse asks “what’s your Judy Blume Moment?” and the author shares hers. How fun is that?

What’s playing on the iPod right now? I HAVE CONFIDENCE by Julie Andrews

Confession time. As a pre-tween, I totally used to enact the whole SOUND OF MUSIC musical in my basement. Of course I played Maria. That might be one of my Judy Blume moments.

Someone asked me a question that totally made me think about this topic. They asked if editors agree to read everything an agent pitches to them. Great question I thought and good blog topic.

The answer is: mostly.

Don’t you love how cryptic I am? So let me explain with some examples.

1. Two weeks ago I emailed an editor who is a good friend of mine about a project. She ended up declining to look at it because she knew that she would personally love the novel but that it wasn’t the type of project her house was currently buying and why torment herself? She decline but in doing so, I learned a valuable fact about what that imprint is currently looking for.

2. Agents don’t know every editor on the planet so when we have a project that might work for someone who is new to us, we call. I did this a couple of weeks ago too. This editor was lovely but swamped. He did think the project was perfect for a colleague so asked if I minded if he forwarded the project on to the other editor. Of course not, I said, and the other editor was really enthusiastic to get the submission. This editor was fairly new to me as well so I rang up so we could chat and connect. Win-win all around.

See what I mean?

And here’s another fun tidbit. I have a couple of editorial directors who have asked me to send them any young adult project I’ve got. They don’t care what it is. They like what I’m doing at my agency and they want to see it; they’ll pass it on to the perfect editor at the line if that needs to happen. They just want to ensure that they don’t get left out on a possible project that might be a little different from what they “normally” take on.

The Power Of A Mentor

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Way too many things on my To Do list!

What’s playing on the iPod right now? STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER by The Beatles

I’m the first to admit, and as I have mentioned several times on my blog before, that I owe a good portion of my success as an agent to several special gals who are my mentors.

These gals have been agents for a lot longer than I have and were incredibly generous to share their wisdom with me. And over the years, we’ve become close friends. And I’m always so tickled when I learn something new from a unique situation/experience that I get to share with them. Doesn’t happen often but when it does…it’s like I’m giving something in return for the hours of time they’ve given me.

That and a six-month subscription to a gourmet cheese-of-the-month-club can go a long way.

You see, I came from an agency that did 98% nonfiction. The reason I went out on my own was because I wanted to represent fiction—and genre stuff at that. Romance, SF, Fantasy—this just wasn’t my former agency’s cup of tea. So, there was a lot to learn regarding contract specifics unique to these genres—stuff I couldn’t learn at my old job and stuff that I could only learn from mentors in the same field.

And mentor me they did. And success I have.

I believe in the power of mentoring and now that I’m far enough in my career to actually have some wisdom to share, I do pay it forward. I do have a couple of “newer” agent friends who feel comfortable ringing me up to get a perspective or feedback.

We are all learning every day in this job—trust me. A situation arises that’s brand new to even the “old timers” I know because the industry is changing and evolving.

And I think it’s a brilliant human being and agent who is willing to ring up (and potentially look stupid) by asking a question they don’t know just so they ensure they do right by their client.

I’ll take that agent any day over someone who thinks they know everything about the biz.

Besides, to me, mentoring is all about karma in the world. About connecting as human beings. About being committed to helping others.

Do I mentor every “new” agent who comes my way? Of course not. I chose to mentor people for whom I feel that spark of human connection. That’s how the decision to mentor happens and I imagine it’s not much different for an unpublished author looking to a published author as a possible mentor.

And it’s what most of the commenters pointed out. Human Connection is the first step in finding that mentor.