#Querying Literary Agents | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kimyoonmiauthor · 3 months

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Dear Agents, Writers are not Psychic, please auto include YOUR Trigger Warning Policies

Some background, because no one is going to click on the profile part of the page. I'm aware of that.

The first part of this is that I have an Anthropology degree, which the majority of the classes are concentrated in Systems, such as racism, sexism, etc. The BA would have had a certificate if I didn't have to travel 2-3 hours one way in order to get the certificate.

The second part is that I've been around the publishing industry inside of it, published by it, reading up on the history of it, reading an astounding number of writing advice manuals to track down one diagram and crying over that, to know how the industry works. I know I don't list all my credentials, but seriously, how long do you want a bio?

The third part is that I've worked with websites, UX (User Experience) and the whole idea of User Experience is that even if it functions, it doesn't mean it works without the ability to interface with humans.

And lastly, I have C-PTSD. I know how fucked up PTSD can be. And what a trigger feels like. What a flashback feels like. It's not OMG, I feel icky and have no emotional toll. It's I need a therapist to manage my triggers because it wears me out to have an anxiety/depression attack. And I know how fucked up triggers can be. I've written blog posts about it.

You are not everyone.

User experience is about Empathy. This means you realize: You are not everyone else. Everyone else is not you. They are not going to do what you think is best, so how do you make everyone happy through best practices?

Other agents aren't going to WANT what you want. They are selling different genres, they have different life experiences. Just because it works for you doesn't mean it works for anyone else. By saying, Well, every agent should do as I want, isn't helping anyone.

History

Before the 1900's, most stories were serialized, and only the popular ones got full books. Before the 1960's-1970's according to Steven King's On Writing, there were no Agents. You simply submitted to the publisher. (Agents should know their publishing history, I'm just saying... you should know the history of your own profession.)

Agents became a requirement in the 1990's, not the 1980's. Before that, you could hire a lawyer. And many early agents were lawyers.

This meant because of print tech, and the requirement to join a union, the way to submit to an agent was EXACTLY THE SAME.

The Neurdivergent rejoice. They are happy with this.

But then the internet hit in about the mid-2000's and then agents started to be paid more and more like crap. And then with the plummeting enjoyment, and the publishing industry realizing that they could dump people from their staff and PUT IT ALL ON THE AGENTS, the standardization of the forms fell with it.

Why would this be in UX terms? Well, now agents aren't doing it "for the money" and in basic psychology this means they want more individualistic things. You're likely to do it for the side money, you want to have it the way you want to have it, because what's the point if it's not fun? Thus the standardization in the industry falls apart as people put forth their own individualistic wills. (Do you need the fancy psychology terms. I can do that.)

And then with the internet the industry and everyone started to MAKE UP THEIR OWN RULES.

The ND people are crying. WTF.

Especially the autistic people who like structure and rules that are even and easy to understand. (I had a long conversations about this. I did the research.)

Why would someone want a different trigger policy than me?

People represent different genres and have different aims

This is where the empathy and the ability to actually go through other agent blogs comes in. You need to be able to read other agents, their genres and realize that writers have different genres and combination of genres they are submitting to.

You might be looking ONLY at contemporary Romance, but there are agents that represent Horror, Thrillers, and Mystery and dark fantasy. Even without that, there are subgenres of fiction that might *require* triggers be included. Abuse Romance is a thing (50 Shades) and there is Dystopian SFF.

The agents that rep these genres want the thrill of the surprise. The agent wants to not have to know what's up front to experience the story first hand. This is what I've read from those agents. The ones that rep Horror are more than likely to not want trigger warnings from my asking over and over again. And they are less likely to list a no list to the trigger list.

But those self-same agents *also* represent things like Romance. Because like everyone else on the planet, people like more than one genre.

BTW, out of all of the agents, the agents that rep Romance from my asking around, because no one else is crunching data are more likely to want trigger warnings, but I'm telling you it gets tricky when you're mixing Romance with Supernatural, Mystery, and Fantasy.

BTW, Fantasy and SFF as genres, RANGE WILDLY. So the triggers are going to be all over the map.

And for the people who rep Horror, etc, the reason why your (US) romance agents want trigger warnings is because romance works on a totally different emotional basis compared to Horror. Expecting your potential clients to know that and your fellow agents to follow suit when they have a totally different agenda is not reasonable.

This is where UX comes in. YOU, agent, Have do the work to bridge the gap between you and the other agents. If you all are going to have different policies about triggers, then writers are going to also do their best guesses and try for a middle.

People have different triggers than you.

I have a trigger around melamine floors. Do you have a trigger around melamine floors? Does it make your spine go cold it makes my spine go cold. Do you get a mild headache thinking about them especially if they are white? No? You don't?

Would it be reasonable for me to ask you to guess that about me?

Would it be reasonable for you to take all of my feelings about it because I never informed you this was the case?

If you're getting my drift:

LIST YOUR TRIGGERS. Not everyone has the same triggers. Write it out. Asking people to manage and guess your invisible triggers is unreasonable. It does harm to others. You don't want them to do harm to you, it's your responsibility to let people help you by making it known. 100% I know this as a person with C-PTSD and also with Sensory issues. It's not other people's responsibility if they don't know about it. It is 100% mine to let them know if I have an issue and it's too much. If they don't respect you after you have let them know, then the onus is on them, not before then. It's also anti-ND to expect people to *guess* your triggers. But it's also better for your mental health so people don't submit something you don't want.

Trauma *is* fucked up. But part of recovery is taking control and taking control of your triggers and processing them. So let people help you by you listing your triggers you don't want to see or be warned about in fiction.

Set clear boundaries

Goal-setting: Ask yourself questions like “What is the goal in setting a boundary or needing to set a boundary?”

Start small: Setting boundaries can be hard and uncomfortable. The key is to start small and focus on one at a time.

Be clear: Focus on what you want as clearly as possible.

Practice: If thinking about setting a boundary makes you nervous, write out what you want to say beforehand or practice stating a boundary in the mirror.

Keep it simple: Less is more with boundary setting. Try not to overload someone with too many details at first. Just pick the main thing that is bothering you and focus on that.

From the website.

Make your boundaries clear. If you don't list triggers, don't ask for a trigger list on your forms, don't make it known on your website, assume everyone is going to do it that everyone agrees with you, and don't put it where people can see it, then you are responsible for the result and in making it more clear. You can't act like a victim if you haven't set clear boundaries.

Act like an adult and set your boundaries.

BUT WHY would anyone write it/not want a warning as an agent?

Some people like to deal with their triggers in fiction. It's distant, not real, it gives them a sense of control, like a safe word in BDSM. A lot of reading of horror and thrillers in particular are when people are anxious. This is according to Stephen King that greater fear means a spike in his sales. (Interviews, Writing Excuses). You should be paying attention to that... just saying. This is marketing. You are also (unfortunately) part marketer, not only lawyer.

Some people are using it to ask for rights. Buy being clear as a victim of abuse, etc that helps people feel empowerment by *stopping it*.

If people want to stop homophobia, that means they have to talk about homophobia. Taking power back from the oppressors feels good. This is like step 3 of recovering from trauma, though. I've covered previously that after victimhood, you should be aiming for survivor, but the aims of a social justice person are transformation of trauma and that has to be somewhat different and is somewhat opposed to being a victim.

Everyone is healing in a different way and speed than you are. Again, everyone is not you. This is marketing too.

BUT OTHER AGENTS SHOULD DEAL WITH MY POLICY

No, they shouldn't. You are not everyone else. See the UX rule.

How Do I Fix it?

Put on your forms a trigger policy. Try to get other agents to also put on a trigger policy standard.

You can copy-paste the following and cut the irrelevant:

Trigger Warning Policy

I would like you to give a trigger warning: Yes/No.

I would like you to give a trigger warning:

In the query

When I request fulls.

You should not submit if your manuscript has:

You can submit if your manuscript has, but warn me:

Skip trigger warnings for these genres:

[List genres]

Listed nicely and UXed like that with the bold? Yes. Makes it easier to read.

Where should I put it?

There's a fancy UX term for this, but the basics are: If it's important to you, you will LIST it in multiple places. And since writers, even if they wanted to be aren't psychic at grand distances and are submitting to you from places like Australia (because you should know that) and from other countries. They will have no clue what you want if people want different things. So all of these places.

Manuscript Wishlist

Your Profile on your website

Query Manager (You can put it at the top and sometimes with the query part)

Submissions Guideline Page (especially if you don't have Query Manager)

Why not on Twitter?

No one is going to read thousands of tweets and work through your tweets that are going to disappear to find your trigger policy. !@#$ No. Too much time, too much effort, those things disappear, and those are not for permanent information.

If it's Absent...

The user will assume if it is absent in the query manager, especially, there is none, and they can do as they like or guess. Absence is assumed this way.

If you need the long psychological reason why, in UX this is true, then imagine it this way (extended analogies are my jam):

Cashier A is not labeled. Cashier B is not labeled in a store.

You want to check out of the items you've collected in the store and not steal things. You're likely to do as you like. And choose between Cashier A and Cashier B.

Cashier A is labeled now: Returns.

Cashier B is labeled with a cart icon.

You want to check out. You're likely to choose Cashier B.

Therefore, if it's absent on the form, people will do as they like. Basic marketing, psychology and UX. If you want it to be known, you label it.

Mechanically list it. Put it visible everywhere.

Make the form standard on Query Manager and Manuscript Wishlist

Even better yet is to make it standard on agent websites.

Here is the contact for them.

MSWL: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/contact/

Query Manager: https://querymanager.com/contact.php

Here is what you can write:

Hello,

[Honest reasons you love their website]

I would really like a standard form for trigger warnings. The form would look like something like this:

I would like you to give a trigger warning: Radio buttons: Yes/No.

(Require) If no, then the rest of the form doesn't need to be filled out.

I would like you to give a trigger warning:

If yes require...

Radio buttons for:

In the query

When I request fulls.

You should not submit if your manuscript has: (Optional)

You can submit if your manuscript has, but warn me: (Optional)

Skip trigger warnings for these genres: (Optional)

[List genres]

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[Name]

BTW, I put programming and UX info into the letter to make it easier on them. Because again empathy and again, I'm HSP, so I can't help it. I want to make implementation as easy as possible.

Please don't abuse the word "Trigger"

BTW, Please do not for the sake of people with C-PTSD and PTSD say something you "dislike" is a "trigger." Dislike should be Content warning. And in that case just list it with your usual "Don't send me this."

Saying something is a trigger because you dislike the trope–please don't abuse the word trigger this way.

Yes, there are low level triggers that don't make sense. I've covered melamine floors before as a trigger for me and institutions. But usually I don't trip out if it's in fiction. But that might be you. Again. Not everyone has the same triggers for fiction, because you are not everyone. Or as Mr. Rogers liked to say loosely You are unique.

While you're at it...

BTW, I also listed other things that agents disagree on. Just do it as a part of your policy to list them.

Conclusion

To me, at this point, if you don't list it and rep a bunch of different genres, I'll choose what I guess is best. If you hit more than one, then yeah, I'm left guessing.

And as an HSP, agents getting really mad at both ends, to the point they are willing to get irritated, I can't take that on. Writers are left confused and in the middle. So instead, just use the form I listed. I mean, it's not that hard to copy-paste.

Your little bit of work up front will help everyone else. Make it a standard that all agents list a trigger warning policy EVERYWHERE it can be visible. We can't guess and no one is going to read all of your Twitter.

Marketing ideas also work towards your clients. You want them to do a certain behavior, then you have to also market yourself well, which means you need to be making your trigger policy known and visible.

#dear literary agents #user experience #psychology #marketing #querying #querying standards #triggers #trauma

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literallycait · 9 months

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Submissions Schedule

Hi, all! I know I've been absent from social media for quite some time. The last few years have been a struggle, first with the pandemic and then the onset of a difficult medical condition that I'm still learning how to live with. My existing clients are of course always my priority, so unfortunately my query inbox and social presence had to fall by the wayside for a time. But I'm back on a roll, finally almost caught up and ready to reopen to queries on SEPTEMBER 1st!

If you had an unanswered query or manuscript out with me from several years ago, you may see something in your inbox in the next day or two. Given that at this point most authors in my inbox will have moved on to other agents and new projects or significant revisions, I feel it makes the most sense to start with a clean slate, so I'm closing out the vast majority of old submissions with an automatic pass and an invitation to resubmit with the same (or new!) material when I reopen on September 1st.

So if you've been waiting to query, please get your materials ready! Please note: in order to better stay on top of timely responses, I will initially only be open for ONE WEEK. I will then close until I've gotten through all of those initial submissions, and then reopen again. The submission form link will be: https://QueryManager.com/cmcdonald

There will also be a couple changes to the genres that I'm seeking once I reopen: I will no longer be accepting queries for middle grade or for any nonfiction. Apologies to anyone who was sitting on a project in those areas.

And final note, since the site formerly-known-as-Twitter is a collapsing cesspool, this (Tumblr) will now be my main base of operations until further notice. I won't be deleting my Twitter account (yet) and I will still post announcements when I open/close to submissions on there, but I will not be particularly active when it comes to replies or interactions. It's a better bet to send me an Ask or DM on here instead--though with the caveat that I may still not be super quick with responses due to my health issue, which limits my computer time.

Thank you for your continued interest and understanding. I'm looking forward to seeing your work!

#query queue #submissions status #publishing #literary agent

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bee-barnes-author · 3 months

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Me: I’m down w Covid. I don’t need to be checking my query email and get bummed out by rejections while I’m sick.

That terrible voice in the back of my head: what if it’s a full request and you ignore it and the agent loses interest?

*checks email*

Zero emails.

#journal #love working myself up only for nothing to come of it lmao #Covid #querying #agent querying #literary agent #writeblr #writing #writing community #writers on tumblr #novelist #writers #the beast in the glass house

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rosieethor · 1 year

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Hi there! I had a quick question for you. You used to have a free post on Patreon that had a bunch of tips for researching agents to query, and I've had it bookmarked for a while, but I can't access it anymore because your Patreon stuff is all down currently. I was wondering if you happen to have that article up anywhere else? I'm about to search for agents for querying round 2: electric boogaloo and I was hoping to refresh myself before diving in. If you don't have it up anywhere, no worries, and thanks for writing it in the first place!

Hello! Happy to repost it here! I took down my Patreon, as it was causing me too much stress to create enough quality content to feel as though I could justify charging folks. Anyway, without further ado, my general overview of how to research and evaluate literary agents when you're in the query trenches: ~~

Lately I’ve been working with some of my mentees to build their query lists. It’s an exhausting process with a lot of research and guess work. In light of some recent discussions and advice floating around to “research” agents, I thought I’d throw together a sort of haphazard guide on how I do that and what I look for. “Research” is pretty nebulous advice and it’s just… not very helpful without any kind of caveat that no matter how much research you do, you’ll never be 100% sure about an agent until they reveal themselves to be a schmagent (shady agent). It’s sort of… Schrodinger’s schmagent, if you will.

This isn’t going to be an exhaustive how-to, but it’s a starting point. I hope it helps you as you figure out who you want to query and who you’re willing to trust with your career.

Depending on what type of book you’re writing, there are many tools the industry has to offer that you can use to figure out if agents are legit, what they are interested in signing, and what books they’ve sold.

MSWL

Manuscript Wish List is an incredible resource. Agents can upload their wishlists to a profile on the website so you can see up to date information about not only what age categories and genres they’re accepting, but what other sorts of things they’re most interested in seeing like themes and writing styles and ship dynamics etc. This is a great place to start with building your query list and can help you narrow down who would be the best fit for you.

But… it doesn’t filter out schmagents. You don’t have to pass any sort of test in order to make a profile on MSWL except… be… an agent. Of any caliber. There are lots of agents on MSWL that I would never suggest someone query. On the flip side, there are lots of agents who are not on MSWL who I would suggest someone query.

Querytracker

This is another great tool the industry has to offer. I didn’t use it for myself, but have used it to help others with building their query lists. The gist of it is that you can log all your queries and see when other people submitted and got their responses to see where you are in the queue. You can also see examples of form rejections from certain agents to see if yours was a form of personalized, and there’s a list of pretty much all the agents in existence.

However, this list of agents is not vetted in any way. There’s no quality control of the list, so again it’s just a starting point. There is a tool on the site called “Who reps Whom” where you can see an non-exhaustive list of authors and which agent reps them. This list is sometimes out of date though since authors leave agents sometimes and don’t announce their new representation until their book sells. It also sometimes lists multiple agents for an author when that author has sold different books repped by different agents. It can sometimes help you see which agents are losing clients, but it doesn’t really tell you why and that’s the important detail that will help you see if an agent is bad-bad or just bad for that author.

There is a paid version of QT, which I’ve never used, but I’ve heard it’s a great tool to have while you’re querying, but maybe not before you’re querying.

Children’s Bookshelf

If you’re a kidlit writer of any age category, you should be subscribed to Publisher’s Weekly Children’s Bookshelf newsletter. It’s a biweekly (Tuesdays and Thursdays) newsletter that includes a deal report. This lists all the book deals from picture book up through YA that are being announced that week.

First of all, you should get on this whether or not you’re ready to start querying. It’s a great, free resource that will help you stay aware of what’s selling in the industry. Keep in mind, though, that books being announced now won’t come out for at least a year or two. They also probably sold months ago. What’s selling now won’t be what’s selling in a few months, necessarily, so be wary of chasing trends.

Mostly, though, this is a great way for you to see who is selling what to whom. See a book deal that sounds cool? Check who the agent was. Then check who it was sold to. Is that a publisher you’d like to publish with? Maybe check out that agent’s wishlist to see if you’re a match!

Old editions of Children’s Bookshelf and the deal reports are available online, too, so if you want to do a bunch of research right now, you can search for those on PW’s website.

Publisher’s Marketplace

I hate this website very very much mostly because they charge so much money for you to get access to what should be free information HOWEVER it’s a very useful tool with lots of internal connectivity and links that are actually helpful. If you’re willing to shell out the money, you can check up on agents’ sales and see how their sales are.

A word of caution: PM has some “top dealmakers” lists you can peruse. These are misleading and simply list agents who are making the most deals. There’s no vetting of the quality of these deals. There is a well known schmagent who often tops these lists, so just because someone appears on a list, don’t take that as gospel that they are a quality agent.

Avoiding Schmagents

There are a lot of schmagents out there and really they fall into two categories: Bad agents who are out to screw you over and bad agents who don’t realize they are bad agents.

The former are usually a little easier to spot. I say usually because… not always. Sometimes very successful agents turn out to suck at their jobs. *stares at the current situation* But! You can sometimes spot these agents because there will be articles or blog posts about how much they suck. There will be podcasts where the hosts have to call the agent by a rhyming fake name to avoid a lawsuit. Etc.

The latter are a little harder to spot sometimes because they talk a good game. They sometimes talk about bad agent practices and share their own processes in the name of transparency (lots of good agents to this too!) These agents have the best of intentions and really want to be good agents, but they might have bad training or not enough strong connections in the industry to actually sell your book. They might not know enough about contracts to negotiate a good one, or they might not actually know what is and isn’t industry standard. They think because they are well-intentioned and not out to scam you that they’re not a schmagent.

Basically, the first case is like hiring a con artist to do your plumbing and they come over to fix your sink and break your toilet in the process. The second case is like hiring your really enthusiastic neighbor to fix your sink. They might be excited to do the job, but if they have the wrong tools and the wrong training, a lot can still go wrong.

So how do you know who to avoid?

Google

Okay I know this is going to sound extremely ridiculous but just. Just. Google. Google the agent’s name or the agency and scroll through the first couple of pages of results. If there are public facing horror stories to be had, you’ll probably find them here. Sometimes I see people sign with schmagents and I know if you google their name the second or third result is a detailed and horrifying blog post from an ex client all about her “year with a terrible agent.” A simple google search of the agency’s name would reveal this information, and it hurts my heart to see people signing when there are so many obvious red flags for them to find if they just search.

Writer Beware

This is a great website with detailed accounts of many known schmagents and Schmagencies. It’s not exhaustive by any means, but you’ll see some great info here about bad actors in the publishing industry, what they’ve done, and why it’s recommended that you stay away.

Red Flags

There are also just a few red flags to look out for. Things like agents charging you up front—never ever pay an agent. Agents get paid a commission off of what they sell for you. They only get paid if you get paid. Money will flow from the publisher to the agent (who will take their 15%) and then to you.

Keep an eye out for agencies that charge a reading fee for queries. Again, don’t pay them money. Be wary of any agency that also provides paid editorial services. The same goes for if an agent tells you to work with a paid freelance editor in order to get signed. (This is different from feedback suggesting you work with critique partners or an editor. That’s a good suggestion. Prescribing that you work with a specific editor and pay them for their services as the conditions to get signed as a client is not okay.)

I am also very wary of any agent or agency that requires exclusivity on queries, partials, or full manuscripts. Exclusivity, to me, reads as though the agent doesn’t believe they stand a chance against other agents if they decide they want to sign you and… that’s a red flag to me. If they don’t think they can measure up, then they probably can’t and you shouldn’t be giving them a chance. (I’ll note that this is different from exclusivity on an R&R, which I think can sometimes be warranted in cases when an agent takes a lot of time to give you notes. Sometimes an agent will give revision notes and ask for exclusive right to consider the revised—be sure to nail down a timeframe for this so you don’t get stuck waiting for them to read for 6 months. Give them a head start of a few weeks or a month, but don’t give them forever to consider.)

Evaluating

When I evaluate an agent for a query list, I look at their sales.

If they have sales, I look to see if they are sales to publishers/editors you would be interested in working with? Likely, their sales are indicative of who they have relationships with. If you are submitting with the hopes of a traditional print deal to a large publisher, but the agent mostly does digital only deals to small presses, that’s probably not going to be the right fit for you. If you’re a middle grade writer but the agent has only ever sold adult historical romance, then… again, maybe not the right fit.

If they don’t have sales, I look at the other agents at the agency. Who has been agenting longer at the agency who might be mentoring them? Look at their sales and evaluate those. It’s possible the new agent you’re querying will make different contacts, but they’re likely being trained by the higher ups at the agency. Make sure you’re comfortable with that.

Check where the agent was trained too. Probably, you’ll see this in their agent bio. You’ll see some former workplaces—do they have prior experience in the industry? At a publisher maybe? A strong internship at another agency? This isn’t necessarily always going to be the sign of a good agent, but it can tell you what their history is and who might have had a hand in training them.

Other things I look at are their client list. Does the agent have a ton of clients already? Do they have a lot of high profile clients? These aren’t necessarily marks against them, but it might be an indicator that their plate is already pretty full. They might not be taking on a lot of new clients—or if they are, they might be overloading themselves and setting you up for very long wait times or even being neglected as a newer client. That’s definitely not always the case, and there are plenty of agents with huge lists full of very successful authors that juggle it all quite well.

This is where the last piece of the puzzle comes in and I realize I’m about to sound just extremely annoying but… do a vibe check. You don’t have to have a concrete reason not to query someone. If you feel at all uncomfortable or you get a weird vibe from someone, it’s okay to just say “Maybe I’ll skip that person.” I skipped an agent who was probably lovely, but gave of a kind of weird ra-ra feminist terf vibe to me that made me feel like maybe that wouldn’t be a safe relationship for me. I also skipped a male agent who I saw tweeting at women in a way that just felt a little uncomfy to me. That agent was later revealed to be a total creep, so… my vibe check war right on point there. Just… sometimes it’s worth taking a risk on a newer agent (it certainlywas for me) but it’s not always worth taking a risk on an agent who just feels off to you. Especially if you’re a marginalized person and you get a vibe from an agent that might indicate they’d try to exploit your identity or just be kind of shitty to you… you’re not obligated to query them! Even if they request in a pitch contest! Even if they slide right into your DMs to ask for your book (especially if they do this omfg this is so inappropriate). Basically… listen to your gut.

Okay so… what am I actually looking for?

There’s not one perfect checklist to use for this that’s a surefire way to weed out the baddies and keep the goodies. Unfortunately, a huge part of this industry is figuring out what works for you and being willing to communicate that. You won’t know what you’re looking for until you find it sometimes. If you’d asked me who my dream agent was before I queried, I would have given you the name of an agent I would never ever ever query if I had to go into the trenches now. Sometimes what you think you want and what you actually need are two very different things, and I’m really lucky that I got what I needed without trying to.

It’s helpful if you keep in mind some stuff about what youwant like:

· Do you want an editorial agent, or do you want to manage the editorial side yourself with CPs etc. and just have your agent sell your work?

· Do you want an agent who specializes in your age category/genre or do you want an agent with broader contacts in case you decide to branch out?

· Do you want a large agency that manages a lot of clients and may have a really strong internal subrights department? Or do you want a more boutique agency where you might be in a smaller pool of authors?

· Do you want to publish traditionally with a large publisher, or are you interested in submitting to some digital imprints or independent publishers?

Keep all this in mind as you do your research on agents. I recommend that you reevaluate these wants as you go along to see if that’s still what you want or if your career plans have changed. But, use these as a way to steer you with your search. Don’t submit to an agent just because their wishlist matches up with your book. Make sure their agenting style matches up with your career plan too.

Dream Agents

Lastly, a plea from me to you: don’t have a dream agent. It’s okay to have like… an idea of what kind of agent you want and the relationship you hope you’ll have but… don’t pick a real agent to have as your dream agent. Nine times out of ten what you’re going to end up wanting in an agent isn’t what you think you want now while you’re in the query trenches, but also it’s weird and maybe a little bit unhealthy to idolize an industry professional who may or may not be doing their job well. Just because you like an agent’s twitter presence doesn’t mean they would be the right agent for you. There are a lot of agents out there who do a great job, so it’ll be better for you in the long run to have a dream type of agent rather than an actual specific dream agent. Keep your options open and dream broadly.

Whisper Networks

There’s a lot of talk about whisper networks in publishing and… basically yeah. These exist. They spread a lot of good information. They also spread a lot of bad information. Basically these are avenues for gossip, so take it all with a grain of salt. I’ve heard things before from the source and then heard a very twisted and garbled version of that story again a few days later from someone else. It’s like a big game of telephone and everyone’s tryingto pass along the right info, but stuff gets twisted along the way. Be cognizant of who your source is and who their source is etc.

Not everyone has access to whisper networks and… unfortunately that’s kind of just by design. The reason we have whisper networks instead of a detailed database is because these conversations can quickly turn into big spectacles that end with a cease-and-desist order and threats of lawsuits. Agents hold a lot of power in this industry—especially the ones with daddy’s money to throw around—and none of us wants to deal with that, especially since we don’t get paid nearly enough to actually fight it. We also don’t want to burn bridges. Maybe there’s a shitty agent out and about, but they rep some authors we really respect or they work at a great agency that we might someday want to query. Until the power imbalance in publishing is more even, it will continue to be dangerous for authors to talk publicly about bad agent behavior—even when it is very clearly unethical.

I don’t have the solution here. Maybe there just… isn’t one… Maybe someone a lot smarter than me will come up with one. Maybe we’ll all just keep circling on this issue for decades to come. At the end of the day, my best advice is to talk to other authors. If you’re having a weird experience, talk to someone else. The best thing we can do is compare notes to see if what we’re dealing with is normal.

In Closing

So… I hope this is useful in one way or another. It’s definitely not a catch all and it’s not a perfect system. These are just the tools I know of and the way I think about agents/agencies when putting together query lists with my mentees. A lot of it is guess work. I think the industry would hugely benefit from more regulation and standardization but… that is another conversation for another time because we’ve crossed over 3000 words on this post and it’s time for bed.

With that… good luck!

#querying #literary agent #publishing #publishing industry #writing advice #querying is hell and i am so sorry

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hayatheauthor · 7 months

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I had a dream yesterday night that I got two full requests and was really happy, woke up today and thought nothing of it then came back from school, checked my email, and guess what I saw- a full request!

I was honestly really bummed out about starting another round of queries at the end of August because in the previous round I got 3 fulls that ultimately ended in rejections. Even now I'm scared to post this because what if this full ends up as a rejection too?

But tbh any progress is still progress, and I'm trying my best to look at this whole thing positively. How is everyone else's writing/publishing coming along?

#haya: talks #haya: talks the traitor's throne #querying is a very inconsistent process you really can't predict what comes next #i've gotten a full request within 20 minutes of sending in a query and i've also gotten full requests 4 months later #i've had people say they love my book but can't offer rep because it's not fit for their current list while others think it's the right fit #it really all just depends on the agent's current mindset and work goals #and as annoying as that can be you can't hold it against them #but honestly i can't deny it feels good getting this request kind of like a confirmation that I'm going down the right track #querying agents #literary agent #querying process #traditional publishing

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publishingwhispers · 11 months

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Resources for Researching Agents

When it comes to agents, we are constantly telling each other to do our research and due diligence to make sure we're making the best decision possible. But so much of publishing is opaque, and so much discussion of bad actors is hidden in whisper networks.

So, besides this blog, which I'm doing my best with but is far from comprehensive, here are other resources to scour.

Publisher's Marketplace This is absolutely essential to consider because it shows sales histories for individual agents and agencies, and you can see which publishers and imprints they are selling to. It is unfortunately a paid service ($25/mo) but they have a day pass to just do some binge-researching ($10). If you have writerly friends you can split and share with, that's even better. But more importantly, I have a subscription; if money is an obstacle and there's ever anything you want to look up, feel free to send me a DM or ask here and I will look into it for you. I'm not about gatekeeping or paywalling information.

Query Tracker QueryTracker is a great tool for querying, and the most valuable aspect in my opinion is the comment section for each agent. Read as far back as you possibly can for a given agent if you're considering an offer of rep.

Writer Beware This is often more for big scams rather than warning bad treatment from established agents, but it's still an invaluable resource.

Absolute Write Forums Agency Index This forum can be overwhelming to dig through since it goes back as far as 2004, but in general, looking at the more recent posts on a given thread from the past few years for an agency can give really good information.

Social Media & Other Writers!!! This might not seem helpful when I can't exactly link you to my group chats and writing communities, but it's absolutely vital you find your own support network so that you can compare experiences. When you get an agent offer, it's an industry norm to ask them for client references to talk to, but I would go further than that and try to talk to clients (and ex-clients) beyond the people they provide to you. You want to hear from someone who has had a negative experience just as much if not more than the person who has had a success story.

And of course, the Publishing Whispers blog here on Tumblr does its best to keep track of public or widely discussed industry whispers while keeping an open inbox for folks to share their experiences.

#writer beware #traditional publishing #literary agents #literary agency #publishing #querying

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historicity-was-already-taken · 1 year

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I’ve been trying to get a literary agent for almost five years. Many of those years were spent taking feedback from personalized rejections to heart, and doing deep edits/reorgs/rewrites. I knew nothing about publishing when I started, had to do all the prelim research, and pay $$$$ for an editor who specializes in non-fiction queries and proposals because it’s a very specific writing style that’s probably only intuitive for marketing and PR professionals.

I’ve found that most of the How To Get Published advice out there is for novelists and people who write fiction. So if any of you are writing non-fiction and trying to figure out this game for themselves, shoot me a message. I don’t have an agent yet, but I’ve absorbed a lot and would be happy to act as a resource for any non-fiction writers who need one/don’t have a network to tap into for some version of an inside scoop.

#writblr #querying #literary agents

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mightymur · 7 days

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[ISBW] The Landscape of Grief with Scott Alexander Howard

S20 Ep11: In which we travel to “The Other Valley” Transcript “I wrote it in a blissful who cares? Mentality, like, ‘oh, well, genre will sort itself out.'” – Scott Alexander Howard In this episode, we’re joined by Scott Alexander Howard, author of The Other Valley, a novel where literary meets speculative. Scott delves into his journey from philosophy to fiction, sharing how his background…

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#Character Development #Debut Novel #Grief In Fiction #isbw #Literary Agents #Litfic #livestream #Magical Realism #Querying #Scott Alexander Howard #The Other Valley #Time Travel #Writing Challenges #Writing Process

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novlr · 10 months

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As someone who just finished writing their first original novel and wants to know more about the American publishing process, where should I start? Any advice? Blogs? Articles? Twitter users?

A Writer’s Guide to Navigating the Publishing Industry

There’s something undeniably enchanting about seeing your words come to life on the printed page and connecting with readers from around the globe. The allure of sharing your ideas, stories, or even your expertise with the world is the dream for many writers.

While the idea of publishing a book may seem exciting, navigating the publishing process can be a labyrinth. It requires a blend of passion, persistence, and a solid understanding of how to wade through the murky waters.

So, let’s take a look at the ins and outs of the publishing process and what you need before you start sending your manuscript out to the world.

Identify your genre and target audience

Before you start thinking about publishing, it is essential to identify your genre and target audience.

Knowing your genre will help you determine relevant publishers and agents who specialize in that genre. Understanding your target audience will help you tailor your writing to meet their expectations. For example, if you write young adult fiction, you will want to write in a style and tone that appeals to teenagers and young adults.

Publishers and agents are all about work that sells. If you can show that you know firmly where your book sits in the market and that you know the people your book will appeal to, you will have given yourself a head start. When you publish, your work ceases to be just about you and starts being about your readers.

Get feedback on your work from editors or beta readers

Feedback is crucial for any writer. You want to make sure your work is the best it can be before submitting it to publishers or agents.

If you can afford it, consider hiring an editor to review your work. If you can’t, then try joining a writing critique group or finding beta readers who can offer suggestions and feedback.

When you receive feedback, take it seriously and use it to improve your work. Don’t be afraid to ask your readers for specific feedback, and most importantly, never take their criticism personally.

Betas are your first readers, so try to choose people who read in your chosen genre. Don’t get friends and family to beta read for you, as they’re often not the audience you’re writing for and will find it hard to give you objective opinions. Also, avoid using only other writers as your beta readers, as they’ll often approach your work from a technical view, and not from a reader’s view.

You can learn more about how to get the most out of your beta readers in this post.

How to Get The Most From Your Beta Readers

Research Publishers and Agents

Researching publishers and agents is an essential step in the publishing process. Agents often have specialisations or work closely with specific publishers, so knowing that in advance can help you avoid a lot of wasted time, and save you from unnecessary rejections.

Not only will agencies have specific types of books they look for, but each individual agent within those agencies will also have specific genres they represent. For instance, a children’s book agency might have one agent who deals only in picture books, while another represents only YA. If you pick the right agency, but the wrong agent, you’ll get a rejection, so be sure to be diligent.

Research is also important because you want to find publishers and agents who work in your who are reputable. Not all agencies are created equal, so you want to make sure you’re vetting your agents. See who they represent, and also make sure they actually manage to sell books to publishers; there are, unfortunately, a number of scam agencies out there, so it doesn’t hurt to be diligent. Check online reviews, and ask for referrals from other writers.

Want a little more help on how to vet literary agents? We got you!

How to Vet a Literary Agent

Start Querying Agents

Once you have identified a list of agents and publishers you’d like to submit to, it’s time to start querying!

Agents, and publishers if you decide to submit directly, have very strict submission guidelines, so be sure to read them carefully in the research stage. And incorrectly submitted query will be an instant rejection.

It is essential to be patient during this process as it can take time to hear back from agents and publishers. If you’d like to learn more about querying agents, we’ve got a detailed outline in the Reading Room!

How to Pitch Your Novel to Agents Like a Pro

Don’t Stop Writing

While you’re waiting for responses from agents and publishers, it’s crucial to keep writing. Do not stop writing, even if the rejections come in. This might not be the book that makes it, but you’ll learn so much from the process that it’ll be even easier to navigate the next time.

Rejections will be part of the process, so be mentally prepared for that. But throwing yourself right back into the thing you love takes away a lot of the sting.

If you love to write, keep writing, and then keep trying. There are no quick wins when it comes to publishing. It’s hard work, and it’s not always joyful. So keep your eye on the prize, and make sure you stay on that horse. The world deserves to read your words.

Resources

Twitter is a great place to find information from agents. Agents will often post threads on what they’re looking for and will announce when they’re open for submissions. There are also fantastic Twitter pitch events that can help authors find agents. You can learn more about them here.

The Writers’ and Artists Yearbook is an annual publication from Bloomsbury that covers most of the big agents and publishers, going through their genre specialisation and submission guidelines. While the majority of the book is specific to UK agents, there is a useful section on US and overseas agents, too, that will list the biggest ones.

Before querying, try to keep up to date with industry news sites like Publisher’s Weekly or The Bookseller. That way, you’ll know what kind of books are trending and get a feel for where your book sits in the market.

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