In the query process, I've come across a challenge with Query Tracker and the agents who use it. How can I take them seriously when they ask for a "one sentence pitch" for your submission and stress checking your work for errors—yet ignore compound modifier rules themselves? “One-sentence pitch” - enough said.
When I was an agent, briefly, in the 90's, my partner had come from publishing sales and I was "the writer/editor." We read queries and chapters with an eye on "Is there a market for this?" We didn't care what the genre, the age/gender of the writer, etc. We were very surprised to learn that most agents had to be "passionate" about a book to take it on. This turns out to be the general case. I kind of get it but not really. Example: if a book was a well written and compelling horror story and we didn't like horror, so what? It was a good product. We knew there was a market, period.
Maybe this sounds crass but let's face it, books ARE products. (As a writer, I own the PROCESS. But when it's done, I treat my book like a PRODUCT.) My partner and I weren't passionate about most of what we represented but we took them on anyway and sold several. So when agents ignore the markets they don't deal with or don't like, they are doing themselves a disservice. They will say that there is only a certain amt of time to read and why read what they don't like? And, they don't have the publishing contacts for every genre. Granted. But if you have a product that is worthwhile, then that's a good reason to develop the contacts! Those contacts will be useful throughout their agenting career.
A quick look at Google stats says that older people read A LOT! People with time on their hands join more groups including book groups. And my novel is really a perfect fit for book groups. I do mention book groups in my queries but I do NOT mention age groups. Actually, when I searched for agents, I looked for some with grey hair if there was a pic available.
Avoiding language and references that might date us when we query, well, you can do that I guess, but if the audience for your book is mostly people YOUR OWN AGE, then the agent might request a few chapters... and THEN reject it!
Would love to hear more about your experiences as a literary agent. For this post I was talking about the subconscious biases that can come in to play when making decisions. Particularly when faced with the stressful situation of having dozens or even hundreds of queries to review, the human mind tends to default to stereotypes. (I don't mean negative stereotypes. It is mostly a default for coping with the complexities of existence. Early humans had to be able to differentiate between threats and benefits. So when they saw a lion they knew it meant danger. We still do it today. For example, we know what to do when we see a red traffic signal without thinking about it.) Anyway, you make a good point about how some agents pass on excellent work that is not in the markets they represent. And the market for older people is huge. When I peruse manuscript wish list I rarely see agents who are looking for work that appeals to that market.
Being a new agent is a very long term committment before you make any money. Remember, you take on a book on "contingency" which means no income unless/until the book sells. When it does sell, you get around 15% of the advance, if there is one! Otherwise a % of royalty. With new writers (which is all we could get as new agents) they get paid very little so we got very little. Meanwhile we both had other real jobs to pay the bills. It was A LOT of work.
Also - remember, editors already have agents they trust and work with. Those agents are known quantities, meaning, if they come with a book they think will work, the editors are more likely to listen and maybe bite. A successful agent (one who has sold a lot) is one that editors are hesitant to say no to because they worry that a diff editor will pick it up.
Where did that leave us? We had to work to get editors to give us time. We took them to lunch (on our dime) and courted them. We had no sales yet! Bottom line - new agents, like new authors, struggle.
We could not even join the AAR (Assoc of Authors' Reps) until we had about 10 sales. And joining was something we needed for credibility. So we hustled.
Also--lastly, as a writer myself I (foolishly) assumed that a new writer would jump at ANY offer from ANY publisher. Turned out not to be the case. So after I had spent a lot of time working with an author to get her book in shape (something agents don't really do) and we got an offer from a small press, she said no! I was shocked. But there was nothing I could do. Writers have many misconceptions about what they can expect.
Ultimately after about only 2-3 years we saw how steep a climb this was and that we might never earn enough to quit the real jobs and ...we were exhausted.
But I have to say, I loved it. I did feel that I was made for this vocation. I loved working with writers while my partner handled the sales. If it had been even a little easier to make some money we might have stuck with it.
Now I work with writers as a teacher of creative writing, especially memoir. Feel free to take a look at my booklets on Amazon (The Portable Memoir Writing Workshop, and Part 2.) Thanks!
That's really interesting, Rachel. I think sometimes we writers fail to acknowledge just how difficult it is to get established as an agent. I am curious about your experience. Was your agency located in New York City? Did you have previous connections with editors and publishers, or did you just start cold? My impression of the publishing business is that it is based largely on personal connections.
We both worked in publishing in NYC, me as a sec'y, she as a salesperson. SHE knew some people in the industry, some high up. I knew no one. But she was a great COLD CALLER! A rare skill. So she just reached out to people we thought we would be a good fit for whatever we had to offer and she usually was able to pitch them and send them stuff. Weirdly, when I quit being sec'y to get into tech (PRE INTERNET) I got a gig at the Disney Press and became friendly with a childrens' book editor there. When I became an agent, we had a book perfect for her and I told my sales partner to call her right up. And...we sold her the book. We still get a tiny bit off that! But I would not advise anyone to start their agency via working in tech!
I write and I work at the circulation desk of a busy public library in American suburbia. While there are quite a lot of younger people (20-30 year olds) reading thick fantasy epics with covers featuring swords from our YA section, there are as many 30-60 year olds picking up old and new thrillers by Patterson and McFadden. BUT there is still a huge demographic of educated, book-club or library-going people who tend to check out non-fiction, historical fiction and literary fiction together. Yes, the UK authors are popular as one poster noted. Aside from historical fiction, there seems to be a dearth of new fiction from American authors that is relatable for 40+ readers and explores heady themes. Publishers are missing the boat with literary agents too quick to respond, "Not for me.'
Very interesting post. To answer the question posed in your second footnote, I don't necessarily think it's a comment on educational standards; from what I can tell of my son's middle-school English training, it's covering all the bases I did. I will share a pet theory of mine though: The American literary scene skews toward YA, regardless of intended audience or genre. No value judgement intended here, but a lot of the US adult fiction I encounter is either told from the perspective of youth, or features adult characters reflecting on their youth/family upbringing. And, from friends who write YA and the blogs/newsletters they frequent, I've gathered that the "casual, excited tone" you pinpoint predominates.
Not sure I'm qualified to say whether the UK scene is different, but there is the Harry Potter phenomenon ...
A lot of people, especially in the publishing industry, have the same assessment. Most of what is marketed as adult fiction is really YA fiction. It makes it tough on us literary writers to find a market for our work.
That's interesting too. Might be part of why I've moved toward surreal, form-breaking, and absurdist fiction, both in my reading and writing. If it's going to be considered niche, may as well exploit that niche... (Plus I find out-there styles more fun.)
Appreciate Stevens observations and comments re the 2nd footnote. I was reminded of a remark made by Ben Lerner in one of his novels, that Americans are the perennial adolescents of the world, or words to that effect. Not surprisingly, I find myself drawn more to contemporary writers of Great Britain or other English speaking countries than the US.
* * * Literary Agent * * * Of note: LCS Literary Services (New York, NY) has good testimonials from the authors they have worked with: https://lcsliterary.com/events-2/
In the query process, I've come across a challenge with Query Tracker and the agents who use it. How can I take them seriously when they ask for a "one sentence pitch" for your submission and stress checking your work for errors—yet ignore compound modifier rules themselves? “One-sentence pitch” - enough said.
When I was an agent, briefly, in the 90's, my partner had come from publishing sales and I was "the writer/editor." We read queries and chapters with an eye on "Is there a market for this?" We didn't care what the genre, the age/gender of the writer, etc. We were very surprised to learn that most agents had to be "passionate" about a book to take it on. This turns out to be the general case. I kind of get it but not really. Example: if a book was a well written and compelling horror story and we didn't like horror, so what? It was a good product. We knew there was a market, period.
Maybe this sounds crass but let's face it, books ARE products. (As a writer, I own the PROCESS. But when it's done, I treat my book like a PRODUCT.) My partner and I weren't passionate about most of what we represented but we took them on anyway and sold several. So when agents ignore the markets they don't deal with or don't like, they are doing themselves a disservice. They will say that there is only a certain amt of time to read and why read what they don't like? And, they don't have the publishing contacts for every genre. Granted. But if you have a product that is worthwhile, then that's a good reason to develop the contacts! Those contacts will be useful throughout their agenting career.
A quick look at Google stats says that older people read A LOT! People with time on their hands join more groups including book groups. And my novel is really a perfect fit for book groups. I do mention book groups in my queries but I do NOT mention age groups. Actually, when I searched for agents, I looked for some with grey hair if there was a pic available.
Avoiding language and references that might date us when we query, well, you can do that I guess, but if the audience for your book is mostly people YOUR OWN AGE, then the agent might request a few chapters... and THEN reject it!
Would love to hear more about your experiences as a literary agent. For this post I was talking about the subconscious biases that can come in to play when making decisions. Particularly when faced with the stressful situation of having dozens or even hundreds of queries to review, the human mind tends to default to stereotypes. (I don't mean negative stereotypes. It is mostly a default for coping with the complexities of existence. Early humans had to be able to differentiate between threats and benefits. So when they saw a lion they knew it meant danger. We still do it today. For example, we know what to do when we see a red traffic signal without thinking about it.) Anyway, you make a good point about how some agents pass on excellent work that is not in the markets they represent. And the market for older people is huge. When I peruse manuscript wish list I rarely see agents who are looking for work that appeals to that market.
I'd be glad to share. I have some funny stories to tell too because we were new at that "game," some things took us by surprise.
Rachel, why did you leave the literary agent field? Sounds like you were open-minded and sensitive - - and made for this vocation.
Thanks, Linda.
Being a new agent is a very long term committment before you make any money. Remember, you take on a book on "contingency" which means no income unless/until the book sells. When it does sell, you get around 15% of the advance, if there is one! Otherwise a % of royalty. With new writers (which is all we could get as new agents) they get paid very little so we got very little. Meanwhile we both had other real jobs to pay the bills. It was A LOT of work.
Also - remember, editors already have agents they trust and work with. Those agents are known quantities, meaning, if they come with a book they think will work, the editors are more likely to listen and maybe bite. A successful agent (one who has sold a lot) is one that editors are hesitant to say no to because they worry that a diff editor will pick it up.
Where did that leave us? We had to work to get editors to give us time. We took them to lunch (on our dime) and courted them. We had no sales yet! Bottom line - new agents, like new authors, struggle.
We could not even join the AAR (Assoc of Authors' Reps) until we had about 10 sales. And joining was something we needed for credibility. So we hustled.
Also--lastly, as a writer myself I (foolishly) assumed that a new writer would jump at ANY offer from ANY publisher. Turned out not to be the case. So after I had spent a lot of time working with an author to get her book in shape (something agents don't really do) and we got an offer from a small press, she said no! I was shocked. But there was nothing I could do. Writers have many misconceptions about what they can expect.
Ultimately after about only 2-3 years we saw how steep a climb this was and that we might never earn enough to quit the real jobs and ...we were exhausted.
But I have to say, I loved it. I did feel that I was made for this vocation. I loved working with writers while my partner handled the sales. If it had been even a little easier to make some money we might have stuck with it.
Now I work with writers as a teacher of creative writing, especially memoir. Feel free to take a look at my booklets on Amazon (The Portable Memoir Writing Workshop, and Part 2.) Thanks!
That's really interesting, Rachel. I think sometimes we writers fail to acknowledge just how difficult it is to get established as an agent. I am curious about your experience. Was your agency located in New York City? Did you have previous connections with editors and publishers, or did you just start cold? My impression of the publishing business is that it is based largely on personal connections.
We both worked in publishing in NYC, me as a sec'y, she as a salesperson. SHE knew some people in the industry, some high up. I knew no one. But she was a great COLD CALLER! A rare skill. So she just reached out to people we thought we would be a good fit for whatever we had to offer and she usually was able to pitch them and send them stuff. Weirdly, when I quit being sec'y to get into tech (PRE INTERNET) I got a gig at the Disney Press and became friendly with a childrens' book editor there. When I became an agent, we had a book perfect for her and I told my sales partner to call her right up. And...we sold her the book. We still get a tiny bit off that! But I would not advise anyone to start their agency via working in tech!
I write and I work at the circulation desk of a busy public library in American suburbia. While there are quite a lot of younger people (20-30 year olds) reading thick fantasy epics with covers featuring swords from our YA section, there are as many 30-60 year olds picking up old and new thrillers by Patterson and McFadden. BUT there is still a huge demographic of educated, book-club or library-going people who tend to check out non-fiction, historical fiction and literary fiction together. Yes, the UK authors are popular as one poster noted. Aside from historical fiction, there seems to be a dearth of new fiction from American authors that is relatable for 40+ readers and explores heady themes. Publishers are missing the boat with literary agents too quick to respond, "Not for me.'
Very interesting post. To answer the question posed in your second footnote, I don't necessarily think it's a comment on educational standards; from what I can tell of my son's middle-school English training, it's covering all the bases I did. I will share a pet theory of mine though: The American literary scene skews toward YA, regardless of intended audience or genre. No value judgement intended here, but a lot of the US adult fiction I encounter is either told from the perspective of youth, or features adult characters reflecting on their youth/family upbringing. And, from friends who write YA and the blogs/newsletters they frequent, I've gathered that the "casual, excited tone" you pinpoint predominates.
Not sure I'm qualified to say whether the UK scene is different, but there is the Harry Potter phenomenon ...
A lot of people, especially in the publishing industry, have the same assessment. Most of what is marketed as adult fiction is really YA fiction. It makes it tough on us literary writers to find a market for our work.
That's interesting too. Might be part of why I've moved toward surreal, form-breaking, and absurdist fiction, both in my reading and writing. If it's going to be considered niche, may as well exploit that niche... (Plus I find out-there styles more fun.)
Appreciate Stevens observations and comments re the 2nd footnote. I was reminded of a remark made by Ben Lerner in one of his novels, that Americans are the perennial adolescents of the world, or words to that effect. Not surprisingly, I find myself drawn more to contemporary writers of Great Britain or other English speaking countries than the US.
* * * Literary Agent * * * Of note: LCS Literary Services (New York, NY) has good testimonials from the authors they have worked with: https://lcsliterary.com/events-2/