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mary rosenblum
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Hello all!
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mary rosenblum
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Welcome to our Friday After
Hours.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor We're talking about agents. I've
published seven novels (number eight will be out in November) , more than
60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any questions you have. If
you're new here, remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question'
button or the 'word bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the
screen in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me!
Or you can use /ask and type your question into the regular send bar if
that works better for you..
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you've all had a good
week!
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mary rosenblum
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I want to let you know that
you'll be seeing some changes on the LR website in the next few weeks.
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mary rosenblum
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They're cutting back on the
live forums and interviews. I'll be expanding the LR Website Updates and
they'll come out weekly...
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mary rosenblum
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but we'll only have one Forum
per week, alternating Friday evenings with Tuesday midday, and only one
interview per month.
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mary rosenblum
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But I'll include a Q&A
forum in the newsletter, where you can submit questions via email.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm afraid we're going to have
to stick to a 'real' hour from now on, too. :-)
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mermaid2499
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and these forums are so helpful,
I'm going to miss them
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mary rosenblum
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Well, we'll still have one
every week, mermaid. LR just feels they'll reach more people with the
newsletter...
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mary rosenblum
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many students just can't make
live chat work.
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mary rosenblum
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If you haven't signed up for
the free writers news, you should do so. I'll be adding a lot to it.
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cherley
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Yes, they are. I don't always
make it, but I read the transcripts.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll still have them. Don't
worry. Just not as often. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I wanted to talk about agents
tonight because people always have questions about agents.
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mary rosenblum
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And actually very few writers
these days need agents.
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mary rosenblum
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With the emergence of
inexpensive Print on Demand technology and the resultant proliferation of
small publishers...
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mary rosenblum
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many writers go the small
press route and don't ever make use of agent.
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mary rosenblum
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However if you plan to pursue
the bigger money of the New York publishers, you really must have an agent.
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mary rosenblum
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Very few large publishers will
accept unagented manuscripts any more.
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mermaid2499
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What does an agent do?
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mary rosenblum
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Nice question, mer.
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mary rosenblum
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An agent acts as the
go-between bewteen you and the publisher. Your editor has the publisher's
wellfare at heart.
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mary rosenblum
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Your agent has YOUR welfare at
heart.
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info
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Off subject a bit but we can
still come in and bounce ideas off each other, can't we?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, absolutely, info!
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mary rosenblum
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The chat rooms won't
change...and I'll still do my best to drop in at the usual times.
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mary rosenblum
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They're a great asset. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I may see if I can't do
something with the newsletter to get more people to visit during the open
chats, too. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Back to mer's question...your
agent will also keep an eye out for markets for your work...
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mary rosenblum
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but that's something you
should do, too -- as far as you're able. Two sets of eyes are better than
one. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Mostly, your agent will handle
the HUGE and highly complicated contract that the NY house wants you to
sign.
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mary rosenblum
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My agent alters nearly every
page at least six or eight places.
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cherley
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Is the Newsletter the LR Website
enews?
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mary rosenblum
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That's the one, Cherley. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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It's going to get a lot
bigger, have much more stuff in it, and come out weekly.
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mermaid2499
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so they deal with the legal
mumbo jumbo?
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mary rosenblum
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They do, mermaid, and it's
pretty important.
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mary rosenblum
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Those NY contracts include
details that affect how the publisher calculates your earnings!
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mary rosenblum
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The agent knows how much she
or he can demand of the publisher. And your agent will not allow the
publisher to acquire rights without paying extra for them.
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mary rosenblum
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However, agents do not
ordinarily handle small press sales.
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mary rosenblum
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That is because small press
publishers don't pay an advance and your sales generally are not large..
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mary rosenblum
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Your agent only earns money
when you sell something...they get 15% of your gross income...
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mary rosenblum
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so putting in hours to sell
your book to a small press house doesn't earn them much money.
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mary rosenblum
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And small press contracts are
generally -- but not always -- much simpler.
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mermaid2499
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Agent = understanding so we can
do the writing.
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mary rosenblum
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Exactly. Even after a number
of NY contracts I STILL can't understand them, and I am NOT stupid.
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mary rosenblum
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I can read an ordinary
publishing contract with magazine or small press house just fine, thank
you.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor We're talking about agents. I've
published seven novels (number eight will be out in November) , more than
60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any questions you have. If you're
new here, remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or
the 'word bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen in
order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me! Or you can
use /ask and type your question into the regular send bar if that works
better for you..
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chandler
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Mary, How does one go about
finding an agent?
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mary rosenblum
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There are several ways,
chandler.
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mary rosenblum
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The 'basic method' is to get a
book that lists agents 'Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents' by Jeff
Herman is good...
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mary rosenblum
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or go to the Association of
Author's Representatives, the agent's professional organization. They list
agents who..
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mary rosenblum
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are open to new writers on
their website. http://www.aar-online.org/index.html
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mary rosenblum
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They have a FAQ page that is
an education in what you should ask a prospective agent and what you can
and cannot expect. Read it!!!
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mary rosenblum
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Each agent will have
submission guidelines.
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mary rosenblum
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Usually, they just want a
query letter.
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mary rosenblum
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Really work on that query
letter so that it's strong and snappy.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll find articles on
writing a strong query on the LR website.
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mary rosenblum
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If the agent is interested,
you'll get a request for more...perhaps a synopsis and chapters, perhaps
the entire mss.
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mary rosenblum
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You can query all the agents
you want at the same time.
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mary rosenblum
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I suggest you query at least
fifteen. You'll probably get one to three 'send it to me' responses.
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mary rosenblum
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Of those three, you might find
one who wants to represent you.
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mary rosenblum
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It is not easy to acquire an
agent.
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mary rosenblum
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Well...a GOOD agent, let me
qualify that.
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mary rosenblum
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The reason is that the agent
makes NO money until they sell your mss.
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mary rosenblum
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So they won't take you on at
all unless they are 99% certain they can sell this.
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mary rosenblum
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And they won't even look at a
new client if their stable is full...so often you'll get a 'no thanks'
letter...
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mary rosenblum
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merely because that agent is
fully loaded with clients.
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mary rosenblum
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Believe me, you do not want
that agent to say yes and then let your mss sit on his desk while he
handles his other 35 clients!
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mary rosenblum
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The other way to acquire an
agent
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mary rosenblum
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is to go to writers
conferences. You can meet authors and ask them about their agents.
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mary rosenblum
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If you and Author A hit it
off, that author may refer you to that agent...that is, you can write to
the agent and say John Author suggested you contact her.
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mary rosenblum
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That will at least get you a
serious look from that agent. It's a courtesy to their clients.
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mary rosenblum
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Also, some conferences offer
pitch sessions.
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mary rosenblum
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They bring several NY agents
to the conference, and for a modest fee, you get a five or ten minute pitch
session, where you get to pitch that mss to the agent directly.
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mary rosenblum
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Willamette Writers Conference
here in Portland does that and they have 'pitch practice' workshops so that
people
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mary rosenblum
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can do a professional pitch.
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mary rosenblum
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Of course, that requires that
you spend the money and time to attend a conference and not everyone can do
that.
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mary rosenblum
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The 'mail twenty queries'
method works just as well, believe me.
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mary rosenblum
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I do want to talk about the
scam agencies.
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mary rosenblum
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These abound and some have
been in business for decades.
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mary rosenblum
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The problem is that all the
publishers know who they are
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mary rosenblum
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and they know that these
'agencies' simply circulate every mss they get to every publisher whether
it suits them or not
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mary rosenblum
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and the publishers don't even
look at the mss. They simply get returned wholesale.
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geezer
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How do they stay in business?
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mary rosenblum
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ah, THESE 'agencies' charge
you a fee.
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mary rosenblum
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They may charge you for every
publisher they send to, or charge you by the month or the page or what have
you.
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mary rosenblum
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They make their money by
sending your manuscript around, NOT by selling it.
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mary rosenblum
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So if an agency wants to
charge a fee, no matter how good their reason is...think twice. Or three
times.
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mermaid2499
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so Real agents don't charge you
anything?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh they sure do....15% of
everything you sell.
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mary rosenblum
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Let me explain how it works.
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mary rosenblum
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My agent hauls copies of my
mss around to two or three publishers she thinks will be interested.
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mary rosenblum
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She doesn't charge me a dime
for that.
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mary rosenblum
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When someone buys it, the publisher
cuts a check...to HER, not to me.
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mary rosenblum
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She deposits the check in her
account, deducts her fifteen percent, and cuts me a check for the rest.
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mary rosenblum
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As long as that book remains
in print, she gets 15% of all royalties, movie options, foreign sales, what
have you.
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mary rosenblum
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And that's true even if I
leave her and sign with another agent.
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mary rosenblum
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But I don't pay her anything
out of my checkbook.
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geezer
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That check is the advance?
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mary rosenblum
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The first one. The royalty
checks go to her, too.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor We're talking about agents. I've
published seven novels (number eight will be out in November) , more than
60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any questions you have. If
you're new here, remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button
or the 'word bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen
in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me! Or you
can use /ask and type your question into the regular send bar if that works
better for you..
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mermaid2499
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So your agent better be honest.
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mary rosenblum
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Oh no KIDDING!
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mary rosenblum
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It is true that 'No agent is
better than a bad agent'!
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mary rosenblum
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And it happens.
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mary rosenblum
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That's why it's a good idea to
ask who that agent represents. Take a look.
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mary rosenblum
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See what these people have
published.
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mary rosenblum
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If none of them have published
in the last fifteen years...hmmm...maybe something is wrong here.
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mary rosenblum
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I had a friend who, as a very
new writer, signed with an agent who let his novel sit on her desk for two
years.
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mary rosenblum
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She had bigger clients.
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mary rosenblum
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Tough luck for him. He
couldn't submit it on his own.
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geezer
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I assume you can check with the
publisher has advanced.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, your editor can tell you
if the advance check was sent..in fact my editor gleefully informs me
whenever money is coming my way.
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mary rosenblum
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And agents don't stay in
business if they stiff clients, so if you're agent is legit you're probably
fine in that department.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...if you get taken on by
an agent with lots of 'big name' clients and they don't spend much time on
you, that can be an issue.
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chandler
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Are agents interested in
representing short stories?
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mary rosenblum
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No chandler. Not enough ROI.
(Return on investment).
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mary rosenblum
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And why should you give up
fifteen percent when you can send out a short story mss as easily as an
agent?
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mary rosenblum
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Short story editors don't work
with agents. They work directly with writers, so agented mss aren't going
to impress them. :-)
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mermaid2499
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Where would you so research on
agents?
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mary rosenblum
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Always, always, ALWAYS google
the name of anyone who represents themselves as an agent unless you were
referred by another writer.
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mary rosenblum
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Go to the Predators and Editors
website and check the name there, too:
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mary rosenblum
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http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/
predators and editors
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mary rosenblum
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http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/
is the actual url.
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mary rosenblum
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They rate publishers and
agents.
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mary rosenblum
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A very common scam is a sweet
little letter that starts, 'Dear Writer'...
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mary rosenblum
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It goes on to tell you that 'a
friend in publishing mentioned that you might be working on a novel'...
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mary rosenblum
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and asks if you'd like them to
represent you.
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mary rosenblum
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It is SO well done and sounds
SO reputable.
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mary rosenblum
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They tend to get your name
from mailing lists related to writing.
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mary rosenblum
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So they're very plausible.
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chandler
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Mary, Will you be issuing a
transcript of this session?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes I will indeed, chandler.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll find articles on agents
on the website, too.
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mary rosenblum
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I get very angry at the people
who prey on the hopes and naivete of new writers.
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mary rosenblum
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You can always email me if
you're not sure of a contract, an agent, or a prospective publisher.
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mary rosenblum
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But do google them first and
check preditors and editors. They keep that website well up to date.
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mary rosenblum
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It is very very frustrating to
hunt for an agent.
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mary rosenblum
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Even if you have sold novels,
you still get turned down right and left !
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mary rosenblum
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Don't take it personally.
Everybody hates that part of the business. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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My agent actually turned down
someone with a Tor contract in hand.
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mary rosenblum
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She found another one to take
it, of course, but agents won't take clients on unless they're very
satisfied that they'll make money.
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mary rosenblum
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Agents really vary in what
they do.
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mary rosenblum
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Some simply focus on selling
what you give them.
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mary rosenblum
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Others...Donald Maas is
one...will give a lot of critical input and ask authors for changes before
he submits their work.
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mary rosenblum
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You have to find the agent
that fits.
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mary rosenblum
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Some are very supportive.
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mary rosenblum
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Mine is cold as ice and hardly
supportive! But she's a bear about keeping my erights and selling my stuff
overseas so I can live without touchyfeely. :-)
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geezer
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So they don't automatically take
a novel from someone they have already represented?
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mary rosenblum
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Not necessarily. Usually, yes,
but that agent may now be overloaded with clients, and figures he/she
doesn't have the time to take your book around.
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mary rosenblum
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This is our After Hours Forum,
with me, Mary Rosenblum, your web editor We're talking about agents. I've
published seven novels (number eight will be out in November) , more than
60 short stories, and will do my best to answer any questions you have. If
you're new here, remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question'
button or the 'word bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the
screen in order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me!
Or you can use /ask and type your question into the regular send bar if
that works better for you..
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janecj333
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I like the idea of having a
professional to negotiate my novel contract, but if magazine publishers can
afford to read a page of a short story that comes over the transom, it
seems no more drudgery for a book publisher to do the same.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, yes and now, jane.
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mary rosenblum
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That should be the case, but I
have known a number of editors personally now, and I do know waht the
reality of novel slush is like.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a matter of mass.
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mary rosenblum
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A magazine publisher might get
1000 mss in a week.
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mary rosenblum
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Think of that in terms of 500
pages or more each.
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mary rosenblum
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The volume of mss being
submitted has gone WAY up since computers and printers became home
appliances.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm not kidding.
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chandler
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Mary, Do you tailor your writing
to fit the market?
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mary rosenblum
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I haven't, chandler.
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mary rosenblum
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I've been writing what I enjoy
and finding a market for it.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I'll take that back a
bit... :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I did get asked to submit a
proposal for a cozy mystery series...so I intentionally plotted a cozy.
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mary rosenblum
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So in that case, I guess I was
writing to the market. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Mostly I worry about market
after I write something.
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mary rosenblum
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That's pretty important for
you all as new writers.
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mary rosenblum
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Passion covers a host of sins.
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mary rosenblum
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What I mean by that, is that
if you write a story you care passionately about, and that passion and
intensity comes through...
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mary rosenblum
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and the writing is solid, if
not perfect, your editor will work with you to clean it up.
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mary rosenblum
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But if you try to write
something you don't really care about, you probably...at this point in your
creative lives...don't really have...
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mary rosenblum
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the skill to write something
powerful when you don't feel powerfully about it. You can certainly get to
that point.
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mary rosenblum
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But it takes the ability to
analyze a particular genre or subgenre and understand what makes it work...
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mary rosenblum
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before you're going to do it
well.
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mary rosenblum
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Write what you care about, to
start with.
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mary rosenblum
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Worry about writing for the
market later on in your career. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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The main thing you can do to
help yourself in the agent department is to learn how to write a GOOD query
letter.
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mary rosenblum
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Nearly all want queries. And
it is HARD to write a good one.
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mermaid2499
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The best of Magazine markets
taht LR has each year is great for looking at different genres
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mary rosenblum
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It's a good market list for
magazines..short stories and nonfiction articles. The best out there, in my
opinion.
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mary rosenblum
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Writers Digest offers a Novel
Markets list...that's what we're using for the novel course.
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mary rosenblum
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Mystery Writers of America has
an agents page, too. http://www.mysterywriters.org/library/agent.htm
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mary rosenblum
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I think that's a public page.
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mermaid2499
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Any pointers on queries?
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mary rosenblum
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yes. GRAB that agent's
attention.
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mary rosenblum
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You've got no more than will
fit on the page and you need to tell the agent a bit about yourself, too.
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mary rosenblum
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So think one good sized
paragraph.
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mary rosenblum
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Go read book jacket blurbs for
'how to' practice.
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mary rosenblum
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In a query, you do not need to
include the ending, and just as with a book jacket you want to snag the
agent's attention.
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mary rosenblum
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The book jacket blurb entices
the browser to buy the book. Your query entices the agent to ask for the
mss.
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mary rosenblum
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Put in a lot of practice time
on the query blurb.
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mary rosenblum
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I'd practice by blurbing every
book you've read in the last year. :-)
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builder guy
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Mary your very confident, and I
admire that, but have you ever been sucker punched by an agent you
trusted???
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mary rosenblum
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Sort of, builder.
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mary rosenblum
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Not that he cheated me.
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mary rosenblum
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I had an agent when I had
finished my first novel...I was a very new writer...and he dumped me with a
very rude letter.
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mary rosenblum
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I was pretty devastated.
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mary rosenblum
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I found out later that he had
just been diagnosed with AIDS, back when there was no cure at all...
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mary rosenblum
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so I can certainly understand
that he was having a nasty time in life. But at the time, it was a pretty
hard slap.
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cherley
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By blurbing every book, you mean
read and copy the blurb as practice?
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mary rosenblum
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Blurb the book without looking
at the cover, and then compare it to any blurb on the cover.
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mary rosenblum
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See if you can get it as short
and sweet as the blurb writer did. (That's a coveted skill in NY by the
way...writing good blurb copy)
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cosmos
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How important is it to live in
close proximity to your agent? Does this matter with so many ways of
communicating?
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mary rosenblum
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Unless you live in NY, cosmos,
you don't want to live close to your agent.
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mary rosenblum
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My agent lives in Manhattan
now. She used to live across the river in NJ.
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mary rosenblum
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I ship her my mss by fedex.
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mary rosenblum
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She takes them to the editor's
office when she drops by...which she does frequently.
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mary rosenblum
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Agents take the editors out to
lunch, go to publishing parties with 'em, drop in to chat.
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dim writer
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Jeez, Mary I'll bet that was
hard on you.
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mary rosenblum
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Oh it smarted good, dim! :-)
Hey, I wasn't born publishing, dear. I went through all the early stuff
everybody else does.
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charie'
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In the query letter, is it best
to start with personal info or the blurb to hook them?
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mary rosenblum
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Gosh, set the hook first!
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mary rosenblum
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Worry about personal info
after they're salivating over the book! :-)
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info
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What kind of personal info do
they look for in query letters?
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mary rosenblum
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Info, all an agent is going to
care about is information that pertains to your marketability.
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mary rosenblum
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They want to know if you've
been published.
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mary rosenblum
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They want to know if you're
famous in some other arena.
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mary rosenblum
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They want to know if you have
expertise that will help sell your book...The amateur sleuth in the mystery
is a rock climbing DA, and you are a rock climbing DA. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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That's about all they need to
know.
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cosmos
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In your paragraph about your
writing accomplishments, should you just list what you have published or
should you also list novel courses you have taken?
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mary rosenblum
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I'd just list what you have
published. If you have attended one of the prestigious writers
workshops...the ones that are hard to get into
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mary rosenblum
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such as the Clarion Writers
Workshops, or the Iowa Writers Workshop, mention that...
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mary rosenblum
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but that's about it.
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geezer
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How interested are they in your
published SS. Do they cut any ice with them?
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mary rosenblum
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Some, geeze. Published short
stories mean that you already have some name recognition.
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mary rosenblum
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That is a good thing. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Remember, an agent's only
interest is 'can we make money on this'.
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mary rosenblum
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Note the 'we'.
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chandler
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If one is attractive, does a
photograph help?
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mary rosenblum
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LOL, no, chandler. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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It won't influence the
agent...or you'd better hope it doesn't!!! Save it for the book jacket.
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dim writer
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What if you won contests?
(writing)
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mary rosenblum
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Sure, mention them.
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mary rosenblum
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It won't mean a lot, but DO by
all means, name any awards your work has won!
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mary rosenblum
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They DO count.
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babbles
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How does one keep going when
you've had by two prior agents? I do have a few that I'm researching
throughly before querying. Yes, another fraudulent agent gone. It's a tough
market out there. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I think you have to do better
homework, babbles.
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mary rosenblum
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I wouldn't touch any agent who
is not a member of AAR, no matter what excuse that agent gives.
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, some legit agents aren't
members and it's fine, but it's not likely you can make that distinction on
your own...not at this stage of your careers.
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mary rosenblum
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If you stick with an AAR
agent, babbles, you should be fine. Surely your two previous 'baduns'
weren't AAR members?
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mary rosenblum
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AAR does have a greivance
committee for client-agent disputes.
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geezer
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Are the agents for the Christian
market in AAR?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure geeze. AAR is an
association of agents. They agent all kinds of work, fiction and nonfiction
both.
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babbles
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I've been researching the
writer's beware and they have a list of legitimate agents that I've been
researching. And I'm going to be reporting this agency that just frauded me
next.
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mary rosenblum
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By all means report it to P
&E if they don't have it listed. That's how they keep the list current.
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mary rosenblum
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Realistically, if you haven't
been publishing a lot of stuff in large circulation magazines any agent who
is enthusiastic about..
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mary rosenblum
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acquiring you as a client is
probably suspect.
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mary rosenblum
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Sadly, that's generally so.
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mary rosenblum
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Really good agents have
productive clients and they are not thrilled with first time authors.
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mary rosenblum
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The ones that come to YOU are
probably not your best choice.
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mary rosenblum
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Now if you have published
...as I said...in large circulation mags and you're seen as an up and
coming writer, you will be approached.
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mary rosenblum
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I got queries from agents
after I had signed with Martha. But I was getting considered for the
occasional award and had had nice reviews of my early stories.
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mary rosenblum
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If you have only had a story
or two published in an ezine, then beware the agent who comes knocking on
your door.
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builder guy
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Mary, did you reaserch your
first agent or was he/she a refferal???
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mary rosenblum
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He was a referral. And he was
a good agent. Until he got sick. Martha was also a referral.
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mary rosenblum
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I've been with her ever since.
We're a good fit. Not all agents are.
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mary rosenblum
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Each agent has a string of
editors they know personally and they are strongest when they can submit
your work to those agents.
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mary rosenblum
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So agents tend to specialize.
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mary rosenblum
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That's why you want an agent
with clients who write the type of work you write.
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mary rosenblum
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If you write mystery, an agent
who only handles mainstream won't know the mystery editors well.
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mary rosenblum
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Your mystery agent won't know
the romance editors well.
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mary rosenblum
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Now most agents handle more
than one genre.
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mary rosenblum
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And big agencies have agents
who specialize in particular genres.
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dim writer
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What if you want to write in
twogenres?
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mary rosenblum
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Make sure your agent is
competent in both. Or try to work out an agreement that your agent will
handle this genre only. (Many agents won't do that).
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mary rosenblum
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My agent handles mystery some,
but she's not real strong in it. If I was going to concentrate on mystery,
I'd have to leave her, realistically. But I mostly do SF ..
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mary rosenblum
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and she has been a GREAT
agent, so I'm sticking with ner.
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chandler
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Mary, Does your agent specialize
in SF?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes. She does romance, too,
and some mystery.
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mary rosenblum
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SF is her strongest suit.
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charie'
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Is it a good idea to get an
agent's name from the "thank you" page in a book similar to your
genre?
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mary rosenblum
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If you find 'em. I'm a bad
person, I guess. I never thanked my agent in my aknowlegements. :-) I just
pay her.
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aurora1
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how do you find the right agent
to fit the type of story you are writing?
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mary rosenblum
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Agents list the genres they
handle in their submission guidelines, aurora.
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geezer
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Can you have two agents, working
on different genres?
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mary rosenblum
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If they agree to handle only
that genre. My agent won't do that. Some will.
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charie'
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I was wondering if it was subtle
advertising for the agent to find new writers.
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mary rosenblum
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Oh no. Good agents don't need
to advertise. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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They mostly hide from writers
and let you find 'em.
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babbles
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How involved are you with the
editor, agent? Do you know each step they are taking to get you published,
like do they tell you who they've contacted etc.?
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mary rosenblum
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You bet! I know where a mss is
and Martha dutifully sends me the rejections . Bleah. When it sells, she
calls me. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You and the editor work hand
in hand.
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mary rosenblum
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Believe me, you'll know way
more than you want to about what is going on when.
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mary rosenblum
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Generally, by the time I
finish with the very last, utterly final page proofs it's 'if I see this
one more time I'll barf!'
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charie'
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So you write the novel, send it
to your agent, they send it to different markets/editors while you write
your next novel?
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mary rosenblum
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That's a VERY smart way to do
it, charie. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Give it to the agent and write
like crazy, because when you get going on the editing process you'll have
to stop and deal with that.
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dim writer
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Do they get 40‚
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mary rosenblum
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40, dim?
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dim writer
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40 percent of earnings
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, goodness NO!
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mary rosenblum
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15% is standard.
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babbles
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is it better to try and make a
first sale on your own or through an agent? Either way I'm not giving up!
I'm the captain and I'm going DOWN with my ship :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Always, if you CAN submit
without an agent, do so.
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mary rosenblum
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YOu'll have a much easier time
getting a good agent with a contract in hand.
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mary rosenblum
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Most publishers won't take
unagented mss.
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dim writer
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Lol.I was misinformed.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm glad. I wouldn't put it
past a scam agency t |