The Good and the Bad

Just so you can get a quick glimpse into the exciting life I live as a literary agent, I'm going to show you the wording from an email I received yesterday. It's from a guy who certainly pulled out all the stops in hopes of landing me as his agent. He writes: "If you do not take me as a client you are guilty of discrimination. My novels are great open your mind. I have an IQ of 182. My novels are great stop discriminating you can't see the forest for the trees."

This was all said in CAPS, by the way. And though the author has a high IQ, it apparently wasn't high enough to get him through junior high grammar class. This is a different guy than the one who told me I must represent him or "be responsible for [his] death." Nice. Color me the insensitive type, but I've found a way to say "no thanks" to both of them.

Speaking of crazy ideas, Paulette wrote to ask about a literary agent: "I received an advertisement through one of my sites for a literary agent. I went to the agent's web site, which is interesting, but I wasn't sure if I could trust it. You have to contract with them for a year and pay them an up-front fee of $195, though it's not clear if that is per project or for all your work. Do you know anything about e-literary agents?"

Yikes. Several thoughts come to mind... First, you don't want to sign up with an agent you know nothing about. I can claim anything I want on my web site (that I'm the best agent in history, that I'll make you a million dollars, that I look exactly like Tom Cruise...), but if we don't know each other, if we've never met, HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE? (For the record, I look exactly like Tom Cruise. Especially if you stand far away. And squint. And are blind.) Second, be wary of agents trolling for business like this. It's one thing to meet someone at a conference, or to begin a dialogue over a submission you've sent in, but I don't know of any reputable agent who does this sort of thing. It's akin to a lawyer chasing ambulances. Third, you never want to pay an up-front fee to a literary agent. That screams rip-off. I don't know of any credible literary agent who asks you to send him or her a check right off the bat. Stay away from fee-based agents, Paulette. If you're interested in this topic, I highly recommend the book Ten Percent of Nothing, which offers a fine expose' of scam agents.

Camiille wrote to say, "I have heard the best way to contact agents is to attend conferences. I've also heard it is possible to schedule a meeting in order to have the agent look at your material at a conference. Is that true? And if so, how does an author find out about conferences? And how does one go about scheduling an appointment with an agent at a conference?"

It's true, Camille. There are few venues left for getting a face-to-face meeting with an agent any more, but a writers' conference is one of the best. And many will simply post meeting schedules, where you can sign up with an agent either before the conference or on the first day of the conference. Usually you'll come in with your one-sheet or proposal, make a quick pitch, and have about 15 minutes to talk. You can't totally "sell" them in such a short time, but you can certainly start a conversation and make a good impression. To find writing conferences in your area, just google "writers' conference" or talk to your local bookseller. You can also check out an online writing group like The Writers View, or join a writing association such as Romance Writers of America, American Christian Fiction Writers, Mystery Writers, and the like. I'm a big fan of writing conferences because it puts writers and agents in touch with each other.

Dale wrote and noted, "A publisher requested my manuscript at a conference. They later sent me an evaluative memo with some editor notes and a request that I rewrite it and send it back. Is this worth mentioning in an agent query?"

Sure it is. Understand that many editors will request a proposal at a writers' conference. Unfortunately, most aren't really "requests." They are more "resigns" -- as in, "The editors was resigned to saying yes to every author who showed them a proposal." That's because the bulk of editors, while exceptionally nice people, are also big weenies. They hate looking you in the eye and saying "no, that doesn't fit us" or "this isn't ready" or "did you stop taking your medication?" Consequently, I often hear authors tell me an editor requested a proposal, when in actuality the editor did nothing more than agree to see it so as to reject it later, by letter, thus saving himself from having to tell the author "no" personally. However, if the editor has taken the time to review your work and make notes, then has suggested you do some revising and re-submit, that shows genuine interest. So yes, I'd tell a prospective agent that bit of news. And by the way, I think it's great that you wrote to me, since it allows me to throw in a "Chip and Dale" reference.

Cindy wrote to ask, "What do you think of writers who promote their project online prior to representation? Does web promotion help a writer find the perfect agent?"

I'll admit I may not be the best person to answer this question. I'm not a huge fan of this practice -- in fact, I don't think I've ever picked up an author because I saw his or her web site and thought, "Good grief! I need to represent that project!" I think often times it's overdone, with too much hype and not enough editorial control. And I'm a guy who has a tendency to get turned off by somebody who looks to be over-promising. On the other hand, I've often said that an author should do everything he or she can do in order to promote their work. So...it's your call. I've asked agent friends about this practice, and few of the experienced agents are fans. But to balance that, several of the newer agents represent authors who have tried this, so it might work for you. (Sorry to waffle, but I want you to have the full picture.) I AM a big fan of author and speaker web sites, so you should definitely consider putting together a great site in order to market yourself. But as to having a site dedicated to one unpublished book, I'm not sure there is great value in that. (And I'm open to hearing dissenting voices on this topic.)

Great questions! If you've got a publishing question, feel free to send it my way.

Comments

[Susy Flory]

Hi, Chip.
What are your thoughts, then, on single topic blogs? Do you think that's an effective way for an author to promote a yet-to-be published book? Would publishers view a "single book" blog as a valid part of the author's platform?
Thanks,
Susy

[cameron conant]

Nothing like a little good, old-fashioned manipulation. It's really strange when people refuse to take personal responsbility for their actions. "You made me do this." Well, actually, no, I didn't make you do anything. These emails get even stranger when the person sending them brings religion into it. I used to get those when I worked in PR at a publishing house; stuff like God was going to curse me because I worked for a company that produced a Bible translation with inclusive language (a translation that used words like "man and woman" when it was clear in the original lanaguage that both genders were included).

These are battles that just don't seem worth fighting.

But back to the email you got, Chip---it seems to me that if this person has to threaten someone in order to get an agent or a book published, that would take a little bit of the joy out of the whole process.

Cameron

[Timothy Fish]

I have a few comments concerning marketing a project to an agent via a website. I think there are pros and cons to that approach, but mostly cons. This is especially true if the only reason for the website is to market the project. On the positive side, the URL can be included on any correspondence that the author has with the agent and he has the option of visiting the site to gain addition information that does not fit well in the more concise format used for other things. If the agent ever looks at it once, then it ends up in his browser history and there is a chance that he will stumble across it again. If he is considering the project then having a website gives him something to bookmark. (Yes, I know that I am reaching on these.)

On the negative side of using a website to market a single project, more work is required to create and maintain an effective website than what is required to write a book. Put the emphasis on effective. In developing this website, you would be aiming at a very select group of people. I am not sure how many agents there are out there, but they are only a small percentage of the people online. There are a couple of ways to get agents to look at the site. One is through targeted marketing, which can be very expensive or time consuming and many of the agents will probably ignore it. They may delete e-mails that mention the site, like the e-mail from our friend with the stuck CAPS LOCK KEY. The other is by creating a website that will attract agents (sort of like using raw meat to attract flies). Doing that requires putting information on the site that agents want to read. If you could do something with the site that would cause many different agents to visit the site regularly, you would probably have several inquiries concerning the project. The problem with that is that if you are an expert on a subject that is of interest to most agents then you are probably already so deep in the publishing industry that an agent may not be very helpful. It would be somewhat like Bruce Ryskamp or Bob Hawkins going out and looking for an agent. Then, on top of all of that, you would need to do the work required to make the website noticeable. That means getting links, and keeping it up to date.

Still, there are good reasons for an author to have a website and there is no reason why the author must wait until he has an agent or a publisher buys the manuscript. Various Christian newspapers and websites have made requests to reprint some of my articles. The two largest of the newspapers probably have a circulation of 50,000, so it we are not talking about great recognition, but I always enjoy it when I learn that someone appreciates my writing. I especially appreciate it when I receive that appreciation from the editor of a paper that primarily prints articles by Christian writers that I respect and admire.

[Rob Sargeant]

You do kind of look like Tom Cruise, with a moustache. You must get harassed in public for autographs.

[Sam Pakan]

It's true. Chip DOES get addressed as "Tom" or "Mr. Cruise" by groupies wanting autographs. In fact, when he and I are at the same conferences, we have to make an effort to keep our distance so people won't think the newest Tom Cruise/Brad Pitt flick is being filmed there.

It's such a hassle.

The good, the bad and the what?

[Julie]

You are so cotton-pickin hilarious. But please tell me we'll never see you sliding across the floor in your underwear, with or without Brad Pitt.

[chip responds]

Single topic blogs: I'm not crazy about them. Of course...you could argue that THIS is a single-topic blog. We just focus on books and writing and publishing. But the discussion has to do with authors who, in trying to drum up interest in an unpublished book project, create a blog just focused on their book. I guess I don't see it working very well. (I'm not the expert, so I could be wrong. If you know of a situation like this that IS working well, join in the discussion and let us know.)

A good question to ask: Do YOU visit single topic blogs like that?

Chip

[Timothy Fish]

Not to get away from "books and writing and publishing," but I will say that I have seen many church websites that have such a narrow focus that there is little more to say after it goes live. They end up looking like a church building with boarded up windows. It is there, but no one pays much attention to it. Then the webmaster starts asking why he is only getting six or seven hits a month.

The same situation will exist with a site that focuses on a single unpublished book. Most of the hits the site will receive will be those that it gets when the owner visits other sites and says things like "look at my book project." Even that has its limits. It works great to get a site into the search engines, but after the first couple of weeks the site had better have information that is useful to someone or it will die.

As for experts on the subject, unless there are several agents who are willing to stand up and say that they search out new talent this way then I think we are safe in saying it is a waste of time, even if there do happen to be a handful of authors who have been approached by an agent because of an unpublished book project website.

[Camille]

(And I'm open to hearing dissenting voices on this topic.)

That's not very funny. For some, there are very few days the voices agree. Those are good days.

[Susy Flory]

Maybe the key is not to have a website or blog with a focus that's too narrow. I guess the blogs/websites I like are the ones that promise to help me learn more about a subject I'm interested in, with a strong theme and plenty of content creatively delivered. The blogs I return to (and there are about 3 or 4) have such good, consistent content that I don't really even care that they are promoting a product or a company. There are a number of writers/editors/agents who host some very successful blogs. Is there any sense in the industry that those blogs translate into sales? If a writer can create and host a good, content-rich, successful blog, is the effort worth the time and energy, as measured in book sales and name recognition? Just wondering....