Writer's Digest Questions and Quandaries - Agents

Do Agents Steal Your Stamps? (The SASE Conundrum)

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:23:52 GMT

Q: Do agents steam off the stamps on self-addressed, stamped envelopes (SASEs) and resell them?! The agents demand pages, SASEs, that sort of‑thing, but—and I know this sounds cynical—many of my queries disappear.
—Don B.

A:Of course agents don’t steam off stamps from SASEs and resell them. They steam them off and use the stamps themselves!

Actually, they don’t steam off anything (as far as I know), and really do try to respond (unless, of course, they state specifically in their writing guidelines that they only accept e-querys and don't respond to snail mail). To gain further insight on the matter, I called Donald Maass, president of Donald Maass Literary Agency. He represents more than 100 fiction writers.

“If you’re certain that you wrote to the agent’s current address and the SASE had sufficient postage, then you can conclude one of three things,” he says. “Either the agent is rude, the agent is busy or the agent just isn’t interested.”

Now, I doubt that agents try to ignore you, as their profession and income are based on finding great writing. With the mounds of submissions they continually receive, they probably don’t have time to respond to everyone (though that would be nice).

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwmedia.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line.

Looking for more?

Consider taking an online course through WritersOnlineWorkshops on Writing the Query Letter.
Follow us on Twitter: @writersdigest @BrianKlems @JaneFriedman @robertleebrewer @alicepope @kmnickell
Become a fan at our Facebook page

Can I Query Before I Finish My Novel?

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:43:06 GMT

Q: I'm currently writing my first novel and am about halfway finished, but I have completed an outline and synopsis. Can I start querying agents now?

A: Being a first-time novelist, it's important to finish your book before sending out any query letters. Without a track record, you have no proof that you can finish a novel. And the number of folks who finish writing novels is dramatically smaller than the number of folks who start them (I'm certainly guilty of having three unfinished novels taking up valuable space in my underwear drawer.)

Agents are inundated with submissions and they don't want to deal with unfinished work. From their perspective, it makes no sense to waste time getting excited about a story that may never get completed (or may not fulfill the promise made in a query letter).

So spend the next few weeks/months completing your book, including edits, rewrites, more edits and more rewrites. Do the same with your query letter. Make sure everything is in tip-top shape. Once you feel confident in your work—or as close to confident as any writer can be—it's finally time to slap a stamp on the envelope and drop the query in the mail (or send it via e-mail, depending on the agent's guidelines).

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwmedia.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line.

Looking for more?

Consider taking an online course through WritersOnlineWorkshops on the Fundamentals of Fiction Writing.
Join us for the Writer's Digest Conference (Sept 18-20) in New York City, which focuses on how to use the newest tools to get published and market/promote your work.
Follow us on Twitter: @writersdigest @BrianKlems @JaneFriedman @robertleebrewer @alicepope @kmnickell
Become a fan at our Facebook page

What Should You Include in Your Bio for Agents?

Tue, 12 May 2009 17:57:16 GMT

Q: I’ve recently finished my first novel and have begun searching for an agent to represent me. Some of the agents ask for a writer’s bio. Could you please tell me exactly what information I should include in this bio? What should be left out?—Terrie Smith

A: Writers are often advised to write bios that read like jacket copy, but catching the eye of an agent is about convincing her that you’re just as marketable as your book is. You also need to clearly show why you’re qualified to write your proposed book. In any bio, you want to focus on your job qualifications.

“Your bio should highlight any features that will hook readers’ interest,” says Katharine Sands, an agent for the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency. “The rule of thumb is to convey in one paragraph that you can be successfully published. Of course, you want an agent to fall in love with your writing but, to an agent, your query letter is actually your interview for the job of book author.”

According to Sands, there are four pressing questions you need to ask yourself before writing your bio:

1. How have you and your work been noticed up until now?

2. What professional achievements or personal interests serve to make you, along with your project, an intriguing package?

3. Does your background show special insider knowledge that would enable you to transport your readers to an interesting world, such as backstage in Hollywood, behind the scenes with Washington power brokers or a behind-the-headlines look at your subject?

4. How is your work informed by personal experience, such as meticulous research, surviving a catastrophic event, cherished family lore or travels to exotic lands?

“As an author, you must be an impassioned ambassador for your book,” Sands says. You should also consider including ways you can promote your book to readers (e.g., do you have access to mailing lists? Can you set up seminars or workshops to promote yourself?).

If you have blurbs from published writers, literary awards and/or reviews, include them. List your participation in readings, events and book festivals to show you’re not publicity shy.

While this sounds like a lot, most first-time novelists are lucky to have a few of these to include. If your bio is running a little thin, it’s best to leave it that way. You don’t want to include unrelated personal information, negative setbacks or rejections you’ve logged in your writing life.

“I don’t need to know that your aunt knew Elvis or you love cats or you make great lasagna,” Sands says. “Agents tend to short-circuit if too much information diffuses the message that this one work could work.”

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

How Many Rejections Does it Take to Self-Publish a Book?

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:00:53 GMT

Q: I've submitted my manuscript and query letters to various agents and publishers and have received several rejections. I feel this book is pretty marketable. How many agent rejections and how many publisher rejections do you think I should take as a signal to self-publish this book? I'm pretty tenacious. If need be, I could probably send out a query letter a day per day to 100 agents, but I'm wondering if there's a cut off number of rejections after which it's prudent to give up?—Barbara Bullington

A: There is no standard on how many rejection letters it takes to push an author into self-publishing mode—mainly because every author (and manuscript) is different. Some authors don't see self-publishing as a viable option for their work, while others—especially nonfiction writers who are also good marketers—see the opportunity to make more money self-publishing than they would spending time trying to traditionally publish their work.

If you believe self-publishing could work for you, you can certainly set a rejection threshold. But I'd recommend against it. This puts the timetable in the hands of agents and publishers, not you. And trust me, you don't want to have to waste your life away waiting for essentially bad news: "Well, there's rejection letter number 50. Thank goodness it came. Now, after 35 years of waiting, I can stop sending out all of these silly queries and self-publish!"

While I joke about the rejection-letter model, I absolutely do think it's good to set a timetable—just one that you control. For example, let's say I've sent out a dozen queries for my memoir, The Brian A. Klems Diaries: Editor by Day, Superhero by Night. I have set a deadline of 18 months to either sign an agent or get signed by a publisher. For each rejection I receive, I send out another query and continue this for the next year. If I don't get any bites by the time the 18-month deadline passes, then I look into my self-publishing options.

Now I'm not saying 18 months is the best timetable (depending on your work, you may want to consider giving it a few years or limiting it to one year). That's completely up to you. But by setting a timetable as opposed to a rejection-letter count, you have a clearer picture of when it's time for you to move forward.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

How to Find Out Who Agented a Book

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:11:55 GMT

Q: When an agent isn't listed in the author's book acknowledgements, is there a way to search backwards to find that agent from the author, journalistic facilitator or publisher? Thanks for your expertise. —Alice Lazzarini

A: Finding out who was the agent of a particular book can certainly be tricky, especially if the person isn't mentioned in the acknowledgements—which is the publishing equivalent of not thanking your wife during your Oscar acceptance speech. And here you can't blame it on the orchestra playing you off.

There are several other ways to find out who represented a particular book or author, though. The simplest way is by typing the book's title (or the author's name) and "agent" into a search engine, like Google or Yahoo. Click through the top few links and see what you find. Often it can be as simple as going to the author's website and digging around.

If you don't have any luck finding the agent's name on the author's website, you generally can find contact information (most likely an e-mail address) for the author or the author's publicist. Feel free to shoot the author (or the publicist) an e-mail. I wouldn't sit around longer than a few days waiting for a response, but you might get lucky.

When all else fails, you can call the publisher, says Guide to Literary Agents Editor Chuck Sambuchino. "If you see that Knopf published The Neptune Paradox (the book whose agent you want), call Knopf's main line and speak to the operator. Explain your goal and request to speak with the editor who worked on the book. The operator will say, 'Oh, that's Judy Smith. I'll transfer you.' You won't talk to Judy, but rather her assistant. No matter. Ask the assistant if Judy did indeed edit The Neptune Paradox. When the assistant confirms Judy's involvement, kindly request to know who the book's acting literary agent was. She'll be happy to tell you."

When you finally publish your book, be sure to mention your agent in your acknowledgements. Not only will your agent thank you, other writers will too.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.