How not to approach an Agent

So, as some of you know, I am a part time literary agent. I have a few select clients that I have chosen to work with because I love their writing and I think that it's worth the time and effort to get their work published by a traditional publisher. I generally don't advertise my agent services because I earn a living doing publicity- which is my first love, but I am excited to be working on selected manuscripts.

Anyway, people seem to find me and send me lots of manuscripts. Some are referrals from current clients, but many are unsolicited. It's those ones that I sometimes have problems with.

Now, I have to say that for the most part I will offer up as much feedback as I can, but on occasion, when I get a manuscript that doesn't fit any of my submission requirements, those end up at the bottom of my manuscript pile and if they send me messages, I get pissed off.

In the first place I receive a ton of manuscripts a week. Coupled with my publicity business I am quite busy and I am extremely picky about what I choose to sell. It's not uncommon for people to wait months to hear back from an agent and many don't give any feedback at all. I'm usually pretty nice and will reply to all my inquiries in a timely fashion if possible.

Since I am also a writer,  I know what it is to wait to hear back from someone and then find out it's a big fat no. As an agent I waited 8 months to hear back from a publisher- and it was a big fat no. So when someone submits a manuscript that isn't even in a genre that I'm interested in I don't think it's asking too much for them to wait.

So this brings me to my small rant. I received an unsolicited manuscript by someone who dared us to read their manuscript. The first note was somewhat humorous, so I passed it to my partner because it was non-fiction.
The manuscript was chock full of spelling errors  (they spelled excerpt incorrectly) on the chapter sample so already it would have been a no. We are really picky about that kind of thing.

So, Brian didn't like the manuscript and sent a polite no thank you, best of luck, and wished the writer well.
So then I get a note that said:

"I really disagree with the assessment of my manuscript. Please read this, I think we can make a lot of money with this amazing piece."  

So because I'm nice, I replied with the following:
"I currently have a backlog of manuscripts to go through, but I will try to schedule yours in as soon as possible and give you some feedback. Please note that I don't choose every manuscript based on a monetary value. Selling a book for me is more than that. I have to love and get excited about a project. Just FYI.I'll be in touch." 
Even though I should have said no because I'm interested in fiction at the moment, not non-fiction. 

I think that pointing out my backlog ( which I do have- and I'm trying to get through them) is very fair and actually more than other agents reply back. Most of them will give you dead silence. I also wanted to point out to the person that I don't just look for sales, I look for merit, quality of writing, and I want to get excited about the project. Because, as everyone knows there isn't much money in books these days!


So, 21 days later ( I still have a backlog) I get another note from the submitter. It stated:

" I know that you are super busy with all of your work, but I really think you should take the time out to read my book. I'm not asking for much. I'm sure that once you read mine you'll see that it's the best one you've ever read. My family and friends all love it, and I really think you owe me a reading as soon as possible. I think I've waited long enough." 

Because I was in the middle of work, and hadn't found time to schedule his work in, I wrote back:
" Hi. Just a note. If I feel I would like to represent it. I'll let you know." 

Yes, it was a don't call us, I'll call you. But I didn't think that I was out of line, given the fact that it wasn't in a genre I generally deal with, it was unsolicited, and I really didn't like the angle of the submitter. I don't think this person realized how an agent works, and how many unsolicited manuscripts cross our desks. Excellent writing moves me.
So, about ten minutes later I got a reply.

" I think you are being very unreasonable. And I doubt you have that many manuscripts anyway. I'm withdrawing my request- too bad, cause you are missing out on a ground breaking book."

Well. I guess it's my loss. Now, that writer wasn't bugging me so much, but I couldn't connect with the tone in the emails, and I did actually scan the manuscript and it wasn't for me at all. But before I could tell that writer, they got pissed off with me and ended the conversation.

Unfortunately, I think that writer is going to hear a lot more of those types of answers if they continue to submit their work without reading the submission guidelines they are given, without checking for spelling errors, and without a little patience. It's these types of writers that might be more suited to self-publishing, and most likely will self publish, and then complain when they aren't selling anything.

Writing should have passion, yes, but it should also have quality, spark, something that no other manuscript has- that it quality. It takes time to find an agent that will work for you and with you to sell your work. Being an agent is a grueling, arduous task that  can take a long time with a lot of doors slammed in your face. It's one of the reasons why people ask an agent to sell their book for them. Because they want someone else to do the work while they hone their craft ( and to get them a smoking amount of money).

There are lots of pros and cons to having an agent, but if you do seek one out be prepared to be patient. Remember that they aren't getting paid for their time reading your manuscript. They don't get paid unless they sell a book, and that could mean hundreds of hours of reading unedited chapter samples and manuscripts before they find that gem in the bunch. Yours could be that gem. If you have a little patience.

( By the way- in terms of spelling and grammar- yes we have high standards,and I am the comma splice queen  in my own work, but I can pick out errors in other people's work in a second, so don't think I won't notice!)

Cheers, Rachel

gal-friday is branching out

Well, you heard it here first, or rather second- facebook seems to always be first- gal-friday is branching out to Vancouver. Coquitlam to be exact. After residing in Edmonton for almost 25 years, it's time to move onwards and upwards into the mountains and by the sea. As many of you know my business only started in October of 2009 after the firm I was working for closed it's doors. Since then it's been months of learning curves and craziness starting my own business, but it's all coming together now. I have a great group of freelance writers and designers, and my associate Literary Agent Brian Wood is showing me the ropes as an agent.

We are now at the point where we can offer Agent services and Publicity services all in one. Selling a book is much easier if you have a media platform and if the world knows about you. With gal-friday we are able to deliver both. It's been a great partnership and is getting stronger every day.
We are the only company that is combining that service, and we are also the only people who will give you an honest (very honest) opinion about the sales potential of your book. Most agents don't give those kind of responses. But with us you are guaranteed that if we don't take your book on- you'll know why. Whether you like it or not!!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with my little business I am a freelance writer and I continue to write as much as I can on those days when I might get a little spare time. I recently finished a non-fiction nature biography and as we speak it is with an editor at Doubleday, and I am awaiting it's fate. So as a writer, and someone who worked behind the scenes at Chapters/Indigo as well as in front of the camera, our business is an excellent one to consider when thinking about the world of publishing.

As well, I handle several businesses, some of whom I've worked with for years with their marketing and publicity.

So, by the fall I will have relocated to Vancouver and Brian and I will be all set to attack the United States with our publicity and selling talents. We hope you stay along for the ride!

Do you have a Publicity Platform?

I recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto, to meet with people in my industry. It was an eye-opening and inspiring trip, and I am very glad that I was able to connect with key players in the Canadian publishing industry. My associate Brian Wood was gracious enough to invite me along on several meetings with editors at the major publishing houses, including McLelland & Stewart, Doubleday, and John Wiley, to name a few. And I also met with a few clients and freelance sub-contractors.

One of the common themes I heard about on my trip was the vital need for authors to have a publicity platform. If you want to play with the big kids, they need to know your name. When you submit to an agent or publisher, you need to have some media backing to boost your creditability. If you say you are an expert in the field, but you have nothing to show for it, why are they going to publish your book?

This is especially relevant in non-fiction. It's not just about the words anymore. It's about name recognition. Build your brand, publish the book. The two go hand in hand.

I receive many inquiries about proposals and query letters that are being sent to agents and publishers. Many of the notes I receive mention that they have been rejected anywhere from 20 to 200 times with little or no feedback on why they aren't getting anywhere.

One of the reasons I started my business was to make sure that writers had a place to go to have their questions answered when they submit their work. There is nothing more frustrating for a writer when after months or years of writing and submitting, you get rejection after rejection with no reason why.

Most literary agents and publishers simply don't have time to comment on any queries that are sent to them. Some agents only deal with A-list writers ( those that are in the media all the time), and publishers are limited on the number of new first-time authors that they can take on.

It's important to note that when you are putting a query letter and proposal together that it is not just about the book. It's about SELLING your book. You need to talk about all your media appearances, include links to your publications, MP3's, and PDF files so that the agent or publisher can get a clear picture of your work, and how much work you are willing to put into selling your publication. 

A Publicity Platform includes all the blog sites, websites, print media, and target markets that you have either appeared on/in, or that you plan to include when your book is published. Publishers aren't able to give every new author a publicist to get them started, so either it's up to you to do all the marketing, or you can hire a publicist.

Either way, you won't sell books if no one knows who you are or where your book is selling.

If you have a question about your proposal, I would be happy to give you some tips. If you are interested in putting a publicity platform together, consider hiring gal-friday publicity to get one done for you.

Feel free to email me at rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com

It's a Dog eat Dog World- do I get a treat now?

So. I had finished the first draft of my book. It had taken forever to write, but it was done. Now what? Well after thinking it over I gave it to my sister to read. She liked it, but I was pretty sure she would because it was about her dogs as well. Why wouldn't she like it? But she gave me points and areas to work on as well. If there is one thing I can count on, it's that my sister won't hold back if she dislikes something. For a family member she's pretty honest.
Now, if i was a lone writer without any publishing connections I would have started that process of trying to find an agent to sell my book, or I would have just started shopping it myself. But fortunately, I chose a career in publicity, and as a result I have dozens of amazing authors as friends, and one in particular who is a literary agent.
Now, my type of book isn't really his style, but because we had worked in the same circles, he agreed to be my agent and try to sell my book.
Success!! I was half way there- how much harder could it be?
So I sent my manuscript to my agent and Lucy and I waited for his reply. And when it came it wasn't exactly what I had expected...