Looking for new authors

[alchemist]

I've noticed that a number of agencies are beginning to take the approach of "no response means no interest".

If after 3 weeks I've not heard back from an agent, then I'm assuming they are not interested and am moving onto the next five agents on my life to contact.

Is three weeks an adequate length of time to assume you're not wanted? I ask this out of complete ignorance.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

But they're not customers, Gary. They're more akin to people applying for jobs. And sadly, every job applicant can give you tales of similar treatment from all kinds of businesses, big and small. Courtesy isn't a priority.

I, too, disagree. Firstly, most companies who advertise for staff (and to take your analogy of a job that's what they're doing) know that they will turn down talent cos someone else is better on the day? They will though be polite about it and send out a rejection (unless they're unprofessional)to say so. A certain leading agent who I know responds to emails and other queries has never responded to mine. I'm very polite and professional in my dealings as you'd expect given I work in a professional field, so I'm not sure why not. Even if the wip is crap a polite no thanks as others have got would suffice. Now this doesnt matter except word of mouth is king ESP. In a market where agents are in danger of becoming relegated by the Internet. Courtesy is a professional perogative; both Gary and I run our own businesses and i suspect like me his would fail should he forget that. It seems to me to be a poor business model that rejects without courtesy a potential stakeholder when a single email would suffice.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

In the area where I live, with white collar jobs, if you were called in for a second or third interview, someone will let you know if you aren't hired. Mere peons like sales associates and waiters and cooks don't hear anything unless they get the job.

And I don't hear back from people who query me about editing and decide that they don't want the services I am offering or the fees that I charge. And they've approached me, not the other way around.

It would help me block out my schedule if I knew. Nevertheless, I don't expect them to write back to me. (Which is good, considering that I would be disappointed.)

 

[Gary Compton]

Courtesy is a professional perogative; both Gary and I run our own businesses and i suspect like me his would fail should he forget that. It seems to me to be a poor business model that rejects without courtesy a potential stakeholder when a single email would suffice.

I have forgotten that from time to time in my 30 year career.

Success breeds arrogance which makes you forget the important things sometimes and concentrate on being successful. It's all about ME, ME, ME, when things are going well but when things go badly you re-visit the past, I have done this and I realized the error of my ways.

Best business model is based on humility and courtesy. You reap what you sow - simples

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

You left out efficiency, Gary, which is surely a necessity?

Some of the larger agencies can hire minions for the purpose of handling submissions and sending out rejections. Others may not be able to do that. (And they will have many, many, many times more applicants than almost any business I can think of would.)

 

[Jo Zebedee]

In the area where I live, with white collar jobs, if you were called in for a second or third interview, someone will let you know if you aren't hired. Mere peons like sales associates and waiters and cooks don't hear anything unless they get the job.

And I don't hear back from people who query me about editing and decide that they don't want the services I am offering or the fees that I charge. And they've approached me, not the other way around.

It would help me block out my schedule if I knew. Nevertheless, I don't expect them to write back to me. (Which is good, considering that I would be disappointed.)

This happens to me too and is very frustrating but I know they might reappear at some stage and shelve it as future business. But I do accept I operate in a very small pond and offence given here spreads across ireland in five minutes, so I am very aware of that as a business risk.

 

[Gary Compton]

You left out efficiency, Gary, which is surely a necessity?

That's why you are a talented author and editor** and I'm a practicing idiot!

Would you like to be my agent?

**Every one in a possible transaction should complete the conversation by saying. "Thanks for your quote but today, I decided on someone else."

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Would you like to be my agent?

I would make a terrible agent. I don't know that many editors, and those I do are probably still rather cross with me for all the manuscripts I delivered late.

Fortunately, when I am editing a manuscript, "late" is a matter of a few days rather than years.

 

[Gary Compton]

I like unconventional; have you noticed?

Anyway, a woman being late is her way of saying, "I'm in charge!"

I tip my hat to all the ladies of Chrons

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Anyway, a woman being late is her way of saying, "I'm in charge!"

Unfortunately, publishers want to be the ones in charge.

Better to go with a reputable agency, like the one that started this thread!

 

[Ursa major]

Post content deleted.

(I hadn't noticed all the posts on this page - I was replying to a post o the previous one - which adequately cover what I was wanting to say.)

 

[Gary Compton]

I agree with Teresa; queying agents (and publishers) is like applying for a job. That they hope to make money by representing (or publishing the work of) an author is beside the point. It isn't as if employers don't "make money" out of their employees. Otherwise why employ them?

Hmmm! Ursa. When you apply for a job you offer your skills, you dont offer a mind bogglingly brilliant piece of fiction, like what I have wrote.

It's a product to compare with the IPhone and a sandwich-maker and the relationship, at it's very least, is a partnership where I'm in charge. At its worst, its a partnership where the agent/publisher isn't in charge

Does JK Rowling or Dan Brown have a boss - I don't think so!

Am I being as clear as mud?

EDIT: It would seem I have quoted you Ursa - sorry.

 

[Ursa major]

Publishers might hope to make a lot of money on that first book of yours, but I expect that their investment in you (expressed by taking on that book) usually pays off (if at all) only with later books.

(And someone who's self-employed has lots of bosses: his or her customers.)

 

[Gary Compton]

It's all opinions isn't it? I personally think that, like music, publishing is changing in favor of the author.

However, I could be wrong. I usually am.

Anyway, roll on Christmas

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Once you sign, the relationship changes, and you should be the boss, Gary. A humble boss, at first, eager to learn from your employee*, but once they agree to represent you, they do work for you. Some writers make the mistake of imagining a relationship before there is one (as though agents make money by reading their queries and manuscripts), and others the mistake of imagining the wrong one afterwards.

You are right, J K Rowling has no boss -- and neither will you have one by signing with an agent.


*If you hire someone for their expertise, you would be foolish not to take advantage of it.

 

[Gary Compton]

Once you sign, the relationship changes, and you should be the boss, Gary. A humble boss, at first, eager to learn from your employee*, but once they agree to represent you, they do work for you. Some writers make the mistake of imagining a relationship before there is one (as though agents make money by reading their queries and manuscripts), and others the mistake of imagining the wrong one afterwards.

You are right, J K Rowling has no boss -- and neither will you have one by signing with an agent.


*If you hire someone for their expertise, you would be foolish not to take advantage of it.

I agree Teresa. I do go into rant mode when I hear of the "no reply," approach. To me it's like speaking to someone and they ignore you. That makes me

Please ignore me as I'm wrong more than I'm right.

Anyway, it appears I'm richer than God apparently. Please see my blog. I will be in touch soon, from my yacht, once the cash comes to my bank.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Publishers might hope to make a lot of money on that first book of yours, but I expect that their investment in you (expressed by taking on that book) usually pays off (if at all) only with later books.

(And someone who's self-employed has lots of bosses: his or her customers.)

And thats what most agents are self employed consultants. The bigger ones might now be agencies but they are still that. The scary thing is all agents,consultants are only as good as the last job. I do work for a myriad of bosses(to call them end customers is a correct definition but is not quite the definition of the term customer in the classic sense) but they cant offer their services without me and I don't have a customer base without them. Ergo its mutually exclusive, as it should be.

Unfortunately, publishers want to be the ones in charge.

Better to go with a reputable agency, like the one that started this thread!

Absolutely. Whatever comments I've made is about my take on customer cs and norms, I toe the line wherever it's drawn cos thats how professionalism is carried out. As you epitomise,,

 

[Gary Compton]

I toe the line...

I always put mine half an inch over to see what reaction I get.

 

[psychotick]

Hi Danrama,

Just a quick thought. This is not a site to promote your books. But if you want to do that and get a critque etc, you could try Authonomy.

http://www.authonomy.com/

Sorry, don't want to detract from the actual conversation. So Exit - Stage left.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Montero]

Looked at the Ethan Ellanberg site the other week, and what they were saying is that every single thing takes time and "no thanks" emails add up and take time away from reading manuscripts. Each one on its own is quick, but you add up all the mouse movements and button clicks over a day.....

Now what I would like, as Angry Robot does, is an automated acknowledgement that your email actually reached them. I can live with the "if you've not heard in two weeks, forget it" - but I would like to know they actually GOT the email.