Ask a Literary Agent

Can I land an agent with a short story collection?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 02:16:00 +0000

Hi Noah,

I'm a short story writer with a finished collection. I've published 6 of the 11 stories in literary journals -- reputable journals, but not the New Yorker. What is the likelihood of my landing an agent? Is it highly unlikely? I've been contacted by a few agents when my stories have appeared (a good sign) but they've lost interest when I didn't have a novel in the works. Is this more or less how it will go if I start querying agents? Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for your generous blog!

The fact that you've landed several stories in reputable journals and that agents are contacting you is a very good sign. It is not impossible to land an agent with just a collection, particularly a younger agent who is just starting out and has a passion for literary fiction. But it is much harder to do so without having a novel ready, too--or at the very least a synopsis for a novel and the first 50 pages. I would really suggest, if at all possible, having the novel synopsis and pages ready before querying with the collection. On the other hand, if you don't plan on writing a novel, then query with what you have. Nothing is impossible!

"Should I pay a fee to get published?"

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 05 Jul 2014 01:58:00 +0000

"Hey Mr. Lukeman, I hope you can offer some advice, experience, suggestions and knowledge about publishing a book for me. I tried to self publish my first book but it was very costly. I recently finished my second book and was looking for a publisher. I was contacted by and chatted with Page Publishing in NCY. When I described my book to the guy and told him everything is done, illustrations, type, cover he said to send the file to the submissions link for review (this was Friday), I got a call today saying they loved the illustrations and the story and that it would do very well and they want to take it to the next level. So I get the contract and they want $795 initial up-front payment and (10!!!) monthly payments of $295 for a whopping total of $3745 for them to publish my completed book. I have everything ready for publishing and they want to publish my book but it's costing me this much! I had several people tell me I shouldn't have to pay up front fees. Are there publishers out there who will accept new artists and publish a first time illustrator? Any advise would be greatly appreciated."

As I have mentioned several times throughout this blog, NEVER pay a fee to get published. In nearly all cases, that means the "publisher" is just trying to take advantage of you--and in this instance, that certainly is the case.

It is difficult to get published, and even more difficult if dealing with an illustrated work, but the answer is not to pay money to "publishers" who are likely illegitimate anyway.

If you have a strong desire to self-publish, then I would suggest you publish your book as an ebook, via self-publishing portals like KDP, Play, KWL, B&N and Apple. If you want a printed edition, then use a service like CreateSpace or Lightning Source.

If you have a strong desire to be published by a traditional publisher, then you must first seek out an agent (I describe how to do this many times on this blog and in my free ebooks). If your work is heavily illustrated it will be much harder--and it's hard to say exactly without knowing the genre and subject matter of your book. But that doesn't mean it's impossible.

Please take some time to read ALL the questions and answers on this blog and to download the free ebooks. This question is covered many times.

26 tips for maximizing sales of an ebook series

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 07 Jun 2014 18:22:00 +0000

I was recently asked by BookBub for my thoughts on this topic, and I have written a brief article that I believe you may find useful. If you'd like to read it, here is the text:

Enjoy.

Best wishes,

Noah Lukeman

26 strategies for maximizing sales of an ebook series

1. Make your first book free on all etailers

This is crucial. Make your first book free. Not 2.99. Not .99. But free. And keep it that way, permanently. This is one of the most important things you can do. I’ve seen a huge difference in the number of downloads between a book priced at 99 cents and one at free. It is what will spark momentum and reader interest in your series, especially when you don’t have any merch. Thousands more readers all around the world, every day, are searching for free—many more than are searching for paid.

A free book is the key that will unlock the doors to a number of promotional opportunities and strategies that are simply unavailable otherwise. Without that first free book there is a limited amount you can do—it is like having your hands tied behind your back while trying to promote your series.

Consider it an investment in your future. If the idea of spending two years writing a 400 page novel and making it free does not sit well with you, then consider approaching your series with an eye for keeping the first book shorter, say 200 pages. (More on this point next.)

2. Write shorter books, if possible (while preserving artistic integrity)

In my experience, readers of Ebooks are not quite as discriminating when it comes to length, so I don’t believe you are gaining any edge with a 400 or 500 page novel anyway. See if there is any way you can keep your books shorter (while of course preserve the artistic integrity of the book). Try to plot the entire series that way before you embark. If you’ve already written a 400 or 500 page book, try to see if there is any way, preserving the artistic integrity, that you can split it into two books—thus giving you your first free book. This might entail some heavy revisions and/or new material, but it is worth it.

If each of your books is 200 pages instead of 400, it will make it much easier for you to have, for example, 8 titles in a series instead of 4. I say if artistically possible, because you don’t want to arbitrarily end a book, and you don’t want to end a book without readers being satisfied. But if you can plot it shorter, then do so. While Smashwords did release a report showing that longer books have stronger sales, I personally have not seen any evidence that a 350 page book gives you any significant sales advantage over a 250 page one—as long as the readers are able to be truly satisfied in 250 pages. Of course, you can write 550 pages and not satisfy anyone, and write 150 and satisfy everyone. It all depends on the quality of your writing and plotting. But the main point is, don’t feel obliged to stick to convention—just because everyone tells you a traditional novel must be 350 pages, you don’t need to listen. Your readers, and ultimately your, sales will dictate if you are doing something right or wrong. That is the final say, and it is they who cast the final judgment.

3. Don’t end your series too quickly

Frequently authors will do all the hard work of setting up a series—the characters, the world, etc.—and then end the series after only 2 or 3 titles. There seems to be entrenched in our society an unspoken etiquette that series should not contain more than a few titles—any author who breaks this unspoken rule is immediately accused of “milking it” or “cashing in.” There is no reason why you have to subscribe to this. It is ultimately your readers who will decide what they want, and they will speak loud and clear via your sales figures.

If your readers are still buying your books in strong numbers, then they still want more books in the series. If haters surface and attack you for having too many books, are you going to let them be the ones to dictate what you can and cannot do, what is and is not acceptable? Cater to your fans, not your haters. My experience is that fans often do not want a series to end—as long as artistically the series demands it, and each book is as fresh as the next, and you make as sincere an effort with each new book as the last. My experience also shows that once you end a successful series, those fans won’t necessarily show up to your next series. So don’t assume that they will and don’t be so quick to end it. When sitting down to plot a series as a whole, ask yourself if it can comprise many more books than you had originally intended.

4. Shorten the release time between books

My experience is that series overall tend to sell better when the release time between books is shorter. The faster the better. Push yourself to write faster without, of course, sacrificing quality. In my experience, the optimal release time between books is approximately 4 weeks—the greater the time after that, the bigger the risk of your losing momentum and readers. Especially in this day and age of binge-reading, which is especially prevalent amongst ebook buyers. Imagine a TV episode being released on January 1 and the next episode not airing until March 1. Would you tune out? Ebooks are not quite as drastic as TV episodes, but when it comes to series, they are moving in that direction. You also gain crucial momentum on sales rank by releasing books quickly that you will lose with longer release times. Of course, 4 weeks is a near impossible feat for most writers, but do the best you can.

5. End your books with genuine cliffhangers

Too many books end in a way where you are not necessarily propelled into the next book. Ask yourself if, after reading the last sentence, a reader ABSOLUTELY MUST purchase your next book immediately. Is there a driving, burning urgency? You must feel that burning feeling, that you have no choice but to buy and read it right way. If you don’t, they won’t.

Don’t take it for granted that fans will buy your next book. You should always assume they won’t and always be fighting for your life to keep them.

At the same time, the paradox is that you must, in most other ways, leave your reader with a strong feeling of resolution, so that he feels as if he’s read a complete novel and not a few chapters. This is a very fine balance and not easy to achieve—but if you do, it will make the difference.

Spend some time watching and analyzing some popular TV shows that are absolutely addictive. How do they end each episode? What is it that they do that makes you HAVE to watch the next one? There is much to be learned in this regard from TV episodes.

6. Give all the jackets a uniform look

You want your series as a whole to have an easily recognizable look, which will also make it easier for readers to find future and past books in the series, and which will make the series feel more connected and the reader thus more likely to buy subsequent books. Also, if a reader is browsing and there are multiple jackets on a screen with a similar look, you are more likely to catch his eye amongst the thousands of other titles out there.

7. Get your books up on ALL etailers

Most authors will be live on just Amazon, Google, Apple, Kobo and BN, and these do comprise the majority of sales. But there are many midsize and smaller etailers now, all around the world, and if you reach dozens of them, it can add up and become significant. You might want to reach them individually and/or use a distributor, like Smashwords, EpubDirect, Wheelers, Gardners, Overdrive or others, to name just a few.

8. Get your free ebook onto “free ebook” sites

There are a ton of websites that offer free ebooks—not just the major etailers. Do a Google search for “free ebooks” and you will be surprised at how many they are. It would be ideal to have your free ebook live for download on at least the top 10 search engine results. Many of these sites don’t sell books (they just give away free ebooks), so make sure that you put prominent links at the end of the files to all major etailers (ideally with embedded clickable links) to direct readers to buy your next book, so that you can convert new readers to buyers of your paid books.

9. Get your free ebook onto “free ebook” apps

There are many apps devoted to giving away free ebooks, and users searching apps might not necessarily be the same user searching the web. You want to reach as many readers as possible, so check the major app marketplaces for “free ebooks” and ideally get your ebooks up on at least the top 10 results. Again, make sure clickable links are included at the end.

10. Put up free excerpts on sites like Wattpad, Scribd and Feedbooks

There are some sites, like Feedbooks, that have thousands of readers searching for free excerpts or sample chapters. Post the first chapter or two of all of your books on each of these, with links at the end to buy the paid version.

11. Keep the price low on ALL ebooks in the series

Many readers will look at a free series starter, then check the prices of all the other paid books in the series. If they see the prices escalate and are too high, they might not even bother starting the series. If they see that all the books in the series are, for example, 2.99, they are more likely to give the series a try.

12. Consider that readers might discover you via ANY book in the series

Most authors assume readers will first discover their series via the first book, as the only entry point into the series. But this may not always be the case. A reader might be browsing and attracted to a particular jacket—which may happen to be book #3 in your series—and click on that. It might be his first experience of your work. He might be disoriented, landing on book #3, and you must make it obvious in the first sentence of the synopsis that this is book #3 and name the title of book #1—and let them know that it’s free. This way he doesn’t have to go wasting time searching for the title of book #1,and he knows he can start the series for free. In this day and age of instant browsing decisions, if you frustrate a reader, making him work to figure out where he is in the series and the title of the first book in the series, he may very well move on.

Also, some readers skip the synopsis, sample a book, glance at the first few pages, and make a decision. Again, if they are landing on book #3 or #4, add a sentence inside the book, upfront, naming book #1 in the series, and tell them that it’s free and offer a prominent link to it, so they don’t have to work to go find it.

13. Optimize your front and back pages

Along these lines, make sure your back pages are optimized so that, if the reader likes the book and is ready to buy #2 in the series, he can easily click or tap a link. Include a synopsis to #2, and an image of the jacket (linkable). You might even want to include the first chapter of #2. If you have audio editions, include links here.

Many authors optimize their back pages, but forget their front pages. Make sure you have prominent links to your other books and/or to your other series, in case a reader samples your book and wants to try something else (but not this book).

14. Make it easy on the reader to instantly know the series order

It always amazes me when I visit a book’s page and have no idea which number book in the series it is. It is often not in the title, not in the subtitle, not mentioned immediately in the synopsis. Often new readers are forced to waste (precious) time trying to figure it out, and they can easily get so annoyed that they click away.

Make it easy on them. Err on the side of hitting them over the head with clarity, as opposed to annoying them with lack of information. I recommend putting the series title and number right in the title itself, for maximum clarity, and then repeating it again in the first sentence of the synopsis.

15. Make subsequent books in the series free for a limited time

Often writers run promotions for the first book in a series and stop there. Often they make the first book free and never consider making any other titles in the series free, for any period of time. This is a mistake. Again, you never know which book in a series will be a reader’s entry point—it may not always be the first one. You never know which jacket/title/synopsis will make a reader finally want to pay attention to your series for the first time. Run promotions and/or advertise for subsequent books in the series, and make them free for a limited time—at least one week--as you do so.

16. Have your next books up for pre-orders

On the etailers that will allow them, get as many of your future titles up for pre-order, and as soon as possible. In fact, it is ideal to release a new book and already have the jacket, title and synopsis of the next book embedded at the end of the new release, with a link for the pre-order page, which should already be live. It takes a lot of work, but you capture more sales and you can even hit bestseller lists you would not otherwise because of the way some etailers calculate bestseller lists.

17. Make your books DRM free

There is a lot of controversy over this issue, but I personally feel that it’s better to err on the side of gaining readers than it is worrying about piracy, and I feel that to maximize sales, all books should be DRM free. The bigger danger for most authors, in my view, is not piracy but rather not having any sales. DRM free is appreciated by many readers for ease of use on devices. It will lead to greater piracy—but again, I think this is a lesser concern. I also think that greater piracy may actually be a good thing—which bring us to my next point.

18. Embrace piracy

Let’s face it: there are millions of readers browsing for pirated books on piracy sites—perhaps even more than are searching for paid. We will never stop all of them. Most are afraid of piracy—but I say EMBRACE IT! Why turn away millions of potential readers? If your first book is free anyway, then get it up yourself on all the piracy sites. Let millions of people read it. Some of those might want your next books. And those next books will be paid, on legitimate sites—and for the paid books, you definitely should fight piracy—which bring us to my next point.

19. Hire a piracy fighter, like MUSO

For a small fee, there are services that will roam the web looking for your pirated titles and take them down. Use this for all of the paid titles in your series. That will help counterbalance their being DRM free and will protect your paid books.

20. Translate your books into the major languages

Hiring translators is expensive and is by no means an easy process. Nor are sales guaranteed overseas. However, if you have the spare cash to try it, then go for it. Translate into a few of the major languages, starting with the first book, and see how it goes. If you are seeing a high volume of downloads, then you can translate the second and make it paid and see how that goes—and take it one book at a time. If they do well, over time it is possible for the income to end up matching the English language edition.

21. Create audio editions

Use a service, like ACX, to hire narrators and produce audio editions. If you choose the royalty option, then you don’t have to put up any money upfront. If your ebook sales take off and audio editions are available, it might become one more stream of income. There are also some users who ONLY want audio—and having these editions might make the difference to gaining some fans or not.

22. Create POD editions

Use a service like CreateSpace or Lightning Source to create print on demand editions. If the ebooks take off, print sales can be one more source of income. There are also some users who ONLY want print—and having these editions might make the difference to gaining some fans or not.

23. Create bundles

Some readers prefer to buy books in bundles and some may even go so far as to only buy ebooks in bundles. Having bundles give you more virtual shelf space, more jackets for readers to stumble upon when browsing. And if the prices are lower, you can attract bargain hunters that might not have bought your books otherwise. And if you do indeed have many books in a series, as you get deeper into it, many readers will prefer to have bundles rather than a dozen individual titles clogging up their ereader.

24. Be generous to your fans

Stay in constant touch with your fans and shower them with free books. Ask them to review your books, and let them know that there is no pressure to write a good review—that they are free to write any review they wish, positive or negative. Most fans who seek you out anyway will want to help support your work and will be happy to post reviews, as they want to let others know how much they like your work.

25. Constantly experiment

Don’t sit back on your heels and let everything coast, even if you’re doing well, and don’t ever think that you’ve figured it out—even if your books become bestsellers. Things are constantly changing in the incredibly fast moving ebook world and the beauty of ebooks, and of controlling your own publishing career, is that you have the freedom to instantly make changes and experiment. I’ve seen some books not sell a copy for 8 months, then suddenly sell tens of thousands. Sometimes ebooks need time and need to reach a critical mass. In other cases an ebook does not need time—it needs hands-on tweaking. It could be the jacket, the title, the series title, the synopsis, the price point—or, of course, the writing. Try to isolate each and every element and figure out what’s wrong. It could be that your experiments fail 99 times, and on the 100^th time you accidentally stumble across something that changes your sales from 10 books a month to 10,000.

Also experiment with genre. If your series is not taking off, write another series in another genre. Sometimes it is the genre switch, or even the tweak to a different niche within the genre, that makes all the difference between not selling any copies and becoming a bestseller.

26. Advertise on Bookbub.

I’ve found Bookbub to be the single most effective tool for driving ebook sales, especially if you make your book free for the promotion and especially if it is first in a series. Advertise for all books in the series, too. It is a great service and well worth the money.

Literary or Commercial fiction?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 24 May 2014 18:16:00 +0000

Hi Luke,

First, I'd like to thank you for making your e-books available online and for THE FIRST FIVE PAGES, which is a very helpful book indeed. I've just received feedback from a literary agent who said my novel is a high-concept novel. I cannot reconcile the definition of high-concept (mostly applied to blockbusters) with my story, which even though driven by a big and hypothetical idea, weaves in three first-person narrations and is very much character-based. What is according to you a high-concept novel? Could you possibly give me examples? Thank you very much!

Many thanks!

A good question, and hard to answer. We always enter into a gray area when we start to try define precisely what is "commercial fiction" versus "literary fiction" and where one departs and the other begins. In some ways our industry is split down the middle, with some editors tasked solely with acquiring commercial fiction, and others with literary. That said, there are also many editors who will acquire both, and/or who will look for the hybrids. There are many shades of hybrids, across the whole spectrum, with some leaning literary and others commercial. Complicating matters, as soon as one gives examples one can immediately be proven wrong, as one can point to a literary novel which was a huge commercial success or a commercial novel which reads like a great literary work. Also complicating matters is that the line in the sand has become more apparent in our day, whereas going back a century, many literary works were expected to have great plots. Moby Dick is a great literary work--yet at the same time, it has a great plot. That can't necessarily be said about many "literary" works today, for which a great plot can be absent.

From an agent's point of view, there have been many great novels I've sent out to, say, 30 publishers, only to have 15 tell me it's too commercial for their list, and 15 tell me it's too literary. It can be maddening, and shopping novels that fall into that gray area can be one of the hardest tasks for an agent.

In any case, all great fiction, whether high-concept or not, should also be character-based, so I don't see the two as mutually exclusive. Yes, you need a great plot to guide the characters--but you also need the characters to come alive and to do something, at some point, that you would not expect, and to influence the plot themselves. The plot and characters must play off each other, and that is to be expected.

Should I allow my agent to negotiate my deal?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 24 May 2014 18:06:00 +0000

Hey Mr. Lukeman,

I just signed on with an agent. He has been great so far, already sending out a manuscript of mine. The problem is, just before he made me an offer I began working directly with a publisher on a separate non-fiction book proposal of mine. The publisher really likes it, and I think that a deal may happen soon.

If a deal is offered by the publisher, should I bring my in to negotiate the contract? I’m sure that he could help me get the best deal, or even potentially shop it around to other publishers. That said, I did all of the groundwork.

Thoughts?

It's a bit hard for me to answer without knowing if you signed the agent for fiction or non-fiction, but I will assume the latter. In either case, since you like this agent and he had been doing well by you, then I would indeed allow the agent to negotiate this deal. First of all, if he's a good agent he will get you more than the 15% you pay him and can protect you in the contract in ways you don't anticipate; second, the publisher will give you more respect knowing you have an agent and he can be there to deal with any thorny issues that arise during the multi-year process; third, you have to think long term. Over the course of a career you may write many books, and what matters more than this one book is having a good agent by your side who is devoted to you and can help you navigate it all and get you many deals. Bringing him this deal will help endear him to you. This is especially true with non-fiction, as often writers have to reinvent themselves with each book and concept and go out there and find a new publisher all over again. If you were an author of commercial fiction with a huge sales record, it would be a different story.

Should I pay a publisher in order to get published?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 24 May 2014 17:54:00 +0000

Dear Mr. Lukeman:

I've been approached by Rocket Science Productions who expressed a lot of interests to publish my novels that have received a lot of notice in the ebook site world. However when they sent over the information for me to go over, they stated the following:

" The world has changed a bit in the near 2-1/2 years since we met, and our prices have gone up to pay those professionals and experts who will lend their expertise to your book. However, because I like you very much and I believe you are going to become a great young author, I am going to discount your costs.

The Phase One cost today is $595.00 and includes a whole lot of work by individuals to register your book with the Federal Government (to protect your copyright), your ISBN, and all the registrations required for selling your book in every place where books are sold. I can discount this cost to $550.00. This fee must be paid upfront in completely when you send the MOU.

Phase Two for novels now (which includes editing and art direction) is $1,975.00, but I will discount you to $1800.00. Instead of requiring 60% upfront, you can send 50% upfront and the rest can be paid over 6 or 12 months with no interest.

Phase Three is still variable...every book is different in cost, but generally novels can range in cost from $4 to $10 depending on size and number of pages and cover design materials. We'll know more about this as we get closer. Whatever cost this is, you still need to send 60% upfront and the rest can be added to your monthly payments over 6 or 12 months.

Ebooks are $395.00 to convert to the dozens of different algorithms necessary to sell it on the many platforms. This is a one-time fee. "

Is this legit? I mean I would love to have my novels published this year, and so far this is the only company that has gotten back to me that could put my novels in bookstores. Any advice?

--Anonymous

As I have mentioned many times on this blog, I do NOT recommend your paying any publisher any fees to be published. If they are a legitimate publisher, they will not charge you any fees, and they will, in fact, pay you an advance against royalties. If legitimate publishers are not offering you a deal, then that does not mean you should rush to pay someone. If you want a legitimate deal, then I would recommend devoting time to your query letter, finding a legitimate agent and having the agent finding a publisher--and of course, continuing to improve your writing. I talk about how to go about all of this at length on this blog, so please read ALL of the questions and answers, and please download my free ebooks, with hundreds of pages of additional info.

If you would rather self publish, whether in ebook or print form, then, once again, you don't need them. You can convert and upload the ebook yourself with virtually no fees. It takes some time to learn but is not as demanding as they might have you believe. You can also design your own jacket, if you have the eye for it and the talent--or hire freelancers to do it at low cost. And for a print edition, you can use CreateSpace or Lightning Source, again with virtually no fees--and control all the right yourself and have your book up instantly.

Whether your book needs editorial work is an entirely different conversation. But again, in general, I would be wary of telling you to hire an editor, as I am always wary of those who might try to take advantage. Continually improve your writing on your own as best you can, and have those close to you whom you trust as impartial readers. And always keep writing--and write more books. Each book will teach you something new.

Bookbub interview

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 17:19:00 +0000

I recently answered some questions for Bookbub regarding ebooks and self-publishing, and in case you find any of the information helpful, here is the interview:

http://unbound.bookbub.com/post/77952060977/bookbub-highlights-noah-lukeman

Best colleges for publishing?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 03:15:00 +0000

Hello! I am a junior in high school and I am starting to look at colleges that I might want to apply to. My hope is to become a literary agent or an editor for a publishing company. Do you have any advice on how I should pick the right college for this? on YA or adult?

This is an excellent question, and you are clearly way ahead of the curve to ask this. I am sure that, given how determined you are, and how early you are starting your search, you will have no problem finding a job.

That said, there is not one particular college that agents or editors recruit from. The best thing you can do to set the stage for a job, possibly even more important than the college you attend, is to have as many internships as you can before you graduate. I would advise lining up internships every year during college (typically during the summer, though could be anytime). Keep in mind, some of these internships may require your applying many months early, for example in the fall for a summer spot. In this regard, it would obviously be helpful if your college was in or close to New York City--unless you are willing and able to travel back and forth to NYC for interviews and internships.

How long should I wait to hear back from an agent?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 03:02:00 +0000

Hello!

So when I first heard back from an agent at a respected NY agency she requested the rest of my manuscript, but told me very clearly that she never officially represented a novel until it had been written three times. She gave me great advice on the first draft I sent her, providing excellent line editing and assistance with plot and character. The book got better. She worked with me on the second draft and we went even deeper, sometimes working together in person. She even told me it might take years to get the draft just right. She even told me she had spoken to publishers about the concept and they had asked to be kept informed about the development of my book over the months and possibly years to come. About a year and a half later I resubmitted what I hoped was a pristine (or close to pristine) draft, but now it's been 6th months and she still hasn't read it. I know this business takes time, but should I be seeking representation elsewhere, or is this wait time normal? I know I'm not required to stick with her, but I feel bad looking elsewhere because she put so much work into it with me. Thoughts? I don't like feeling like I'm waiting for just one possibility to work out, especially with the weeks flying by. But as I said, we HAVE put a good chunk of work into this manuscript together, so this long wait seems odd. I just feel like if you're really interested, and you've got publishers interested, wouldn't you want to push that particular manuscript closer to the top of the pile? Maybe I'm wrong. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

First, I address this very topic at length in my FREE ebook HOW TO LAND A LITERARY AGENT. I also address this topic in my FREE ebook ASK A LITERARY AGENT. Both are available for download here on this blog. I suggest you read them both.

That said, I will repeat again that one should never wait this long to hear back from an agent. It's absurd for any agent (or editor) to make an absolute statement like "I never represent a novel until it's written three times." Every novel is different. Some may need to be re-written more than three times, and some may be perfect the first time you read them. How can one possibly apply an arbitrary number like 3 to all novels? That would be a major red flag to me.

Additionally, no agent should take so long in working on revising a novel, and/or in waiting to read your book. An agent telling that you it will "take years" to get it right is another major red flag. I know of no legitimate agents who would do this. Most agents tend to either want books that are ready to submit and/or to want to take on books that can be revised relatively easily and quickly.

I would move on. Query many agents at once. Agents should reply to a query letter within 2-4 weeks. To a manuscript within 10 weeks. It's your career. Do not put it on hold.

Publisher copies of book returns?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 02:53:00 +0000

Can an author purchase book returns from the publisher? (I'm thinking of trade paperbacks.) What percentage of the original price would the author expect to pay? Could the author sell the books? Use books as door prizes? Give books to people doing reviews, to people winning contests and other promotional uses? It seems like this would help both the publisher and the author and make it easier to promote the book.

Typically, there is a clause in your contract with a publisher stating that you can buy copies of your own book at a discount of 40 or 50%. You can do this at any time, from day one.

There is no standard clause for buying returned copies. It can be complicated. Some publishers may choose to destroy returns--it might be cheaper. In other cases, publishers may want to keep them on hand and see if they sell down the road. You may get most of your books returned, but then sell them all (and go back to press) a year later. So I don't see publishers rushing to sell these at an even deeper discount.

That said, you can indeed buy books at a very deep discount if they are REMAINDERED by the publisher. Sometimes, thousands of them, for as little as $1 or $2 a book. Once you own them, you can do anything you wish with them.

How to land a job in publishing?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 02:47:00 +0000

Hello. My question is about getting your foot in the door of the publishing industry without a college degree. I left college after a year to travel & after completing two novels while living in Australia, I decided I didn't want to go back to school. I consider myself very knowledgable about writing, publishing, & the industry. While considering both the traditional publishing, and self-publishing route for my novels, I spent years doing extensive research. In addition, I'm extremely passionate about all things literary & I would love to be surrounded by it all on the daily basis. I've applied to everything from internships to secretary positions at agencies & publishing houses, but I quickly learned that not having a degree makes it wayyy harder.

My question is, is it impossible? I don't mind difficult, as I'm extremely determined. I just want to learn more about the industry I plan to make a living in & be able to submerge myself in something that I love SO much. I have the skills & I know I'm completely capable of handling whatever is thrown at me, all I need is for someone to give me a chance to prove myself. But what are the chances of that happening without a formal education?

Thank you for your question.

Usually, the best way to land a job in publishing is to do an internship--or several of them, if need be. It is not always easy. When I was starting out, I'd already had 3 summer-long internships at great publishers, and even then, it took me many months of interviewing (and rejections) to land an assistant job.

It is hard for me to answer about whether not having a B.A. would prevent your landing an internship. On the one hand, it is true that most other interns will have a B.A. or equivalent--but that said, I don't see why not having one should make it impossible. I would imagine that if you tried hard enough and long enough, you should encounter at least one person smart enough to take you on for an internship, especially if you are so determined and passionate.

In your case, since you are serious about your writing, another possibility is that if you, as an author, land an agent or publisher and establish a good relationship with your agent/editor, then possibly they might be more open to hiring you as well. It can't hurt to try everything.

No matter what, if it's your dream, don't give up, and somehow the door will open.

Novel length

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 02:37:00 +0000

Mr. Lukeman, I've been reading your blog for over a year and have learned a college degrees worth. What I appreciate most is your willingness to give examples of the principles discussed in your free e-book How to Land (and Keep) a Literary Agent. You must get frustrated repeating that which is free for the reading but for this middle aged writer...the duplication is greatly appreciated. I do find it sad though that authors may end up writing shorter and shorter novels not because the content is best covered that way but because so few people have the attention span to finish an average sized book. on How long is a novel?

Thank you for your post, and I am glad this blog has been helpful.

While your comment is not a question, I will address your point on novel length. Yes, I agree that there is something sad about our society's inevitable drift towards a shorter attention span, towards sound bytes and text messages and 140 character means of communication. That said, keep in mind that there have always been successful short novels, all throughout history, and that numerous long novels are still being published today, every year, and some doing quite well. I think the longer novel will always survive--indeed, one can argue that readers may end up turning to books precisely for that longer hit that other forms of media won't give them. As a writer, I would not advise setting out by paying attention to length; just focus on writing a great novel, and that is all that matters, whether it ends up at 120 pages or 1,020.

To use italics?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 02:32:00 +0000

Hello, Mr. Lukeman,

Thank you so much for "The First Five Pages".

I have a question regarding italics, and I feel that I really cannot continue editing until I know more.

My novel is a historical fantasy with elements of time travel and telepathic communication. There are conversations between characters that occur both telepathically and vocally. There are also many POV portions that focus on characters' thoughts. In both situations, I use italics extensively; in the dialogue, especially, this is an issue, as there are places where the only way that the reader can discern telepathic from vocal communication is font change (italics).

Removing the italics is possible, but it will make much of the text difficult to understand, and when I change things in POV from italics to regular font, it will change the tone entirely.

For example, the very first sentences (which use italics in this way, although I cannot use italics on the blog post and have indicated them by asterisks before and after):

"*Bloody good time for Angela to die*, Daniel thought as he navigated his rented Mercedes out of the crowded airport parking lot. The sedan had been Arwein’s single concession to Daniel’s comfort after they had gotten the call. The cream-colored leather driver’s seat smelled of cheap polish, somewhat diminishing the effect Daniel sought as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Glancing with annoyance at something flickering in his vision, Daniel noted a ridiculous pine-tree air freshener hanging from the rear-view mirror, which he promptly yanked down.

*Stupid thing.*"

I could change it so that it reads:

'Daniel thought sarcastically that it was a bloody good time for Angela to die. He navigated his...'

'Daniel considered the poor timing of Angela's death as he navigated....'

But that really changes the flavor of the text such that the reader is a bit more removed from Daniel's thought processes... and Daniel's thought processes form the backbone of the book. And what to do about "stupid thing" eludes me entirely.

And then, for the telepathy, consider:

“My Lady, this is a most gracious offer, but I must decline. I have been given a charge, and I must submit; I cannot well protect Her Grace from halfway down the hall, though I am certain that I would be well-fed and well-attended. Please extend my thanks to His Grace.” *I can protect you both here; I can keep Thomas in his place. Leave me.*

In this passage, Daniel is injecting subconscious thoughts into Catherine's mind. How to do that without saying something awkward and clunky like, '...Leave me, Daniel projected' for every instance will make the text unwieldy, especially if I have to do it in paragraph after paragraph.

And then for dialogue (this example comes from the second book, which I am currently writing):

'“Lie down, Daniel,” Arwein said, rather more gruffly than he intended. Stepping to the boy’s bedside, he pressed Daniel back into the mattress.

“What are you doing?”

“Staying with you for a few days, while you get better.” Arwein arranged his documents neatly before turning back to Daniel. *“Would you like to practice?”*

Daniel looked a bit startled, but responded after a few moments, *“With you?”*

Arwein felt a sharp pang of regret at the boy’s surprise. *Ah, what a mistake it was to let this go*, Arwein thought. “*Yes, Daniel; with me.”'*

I really am at a loss about what to do. The first book is over 400 pages; the second is at 250 and is about 2/3 done. Obviously, it doesn't matter at all what the content is if nobody reads it, but... the content will be drastically changed by removing the italics.

Please, I could really use your input. And (she chuckled ruefully), if you should see in the above that there are significantly greater issues than italicizing, don't hold back.

Thank you again. I know you are tremendously busy, but... I really want to get this right.

Take care;

Julie Hoover

Julie:

Thank you for your question.

The mission of this blog is to answer general questions about writing and publishing, not to address specific editing and revision issues. Thus I will not be able to comment on your piece of writing.

That said, to answer your general question about the use of italics: there is no absolute right or wrong. It is not a science. However, personally, I always prefer to err on the side of caution: if you fear you may be overusing italics, you probably are. In most cases (not all) I find that a heavy use of italics tends to be distracting. The main point here--and this applies to many aspects of writing, not just italics--is that you never want to yank a reader out of a text, to call attention to your writing, to do anything that might make her have to re-read for clarity and/or put down a book. Your goal as a writer is to make your writing invisible, to allow the reader to settle into a read, deeper and deeper, so they never want to put a book down. If you are using some device that may counteract that effect, then I'd err on the side of caution and do away with it.

Negative reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 00:44:00 +0000

I noticed another literary agent knocking your book, The First Five Pages, which has always been inspirational to me and got me multiple publishing contracts and several good book deals. I thought I would let you know because much of the blog post by this literary agent is taken out of context. Here's a link where you can read it for yourself. http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2013/12/question-will-italics-consign-me-to.html

Thank you for pointing this out, and I appreciate your support and am glad to hear the book has been so helpful to you.

While this is not a question, it is good to know for writers: once you are published, your book may find much praise and, no matter how good or helpful it is, it may also meet much criticism. It is a perpetual lesson for us writers to steel ourselves, daily, from criticism, and to stay focused on our work. In some cases, criticism will be warranted, and we can learn from it. In other cases, such as this, where the critic takes something out of context and clearly has not even bothered to read the book, it will be unwarranted criticism--which, in my view, does not even merit a response. Better to focus on replying to the people who actually take time to read a book and who have something intelligent to say (positive or negative), than those who are too lazy to do so and have nothing intelligent to add.

And best of all just to stay focused on your work, and to focus on the people who appreciate your work, and to keep writing every day, no matter what. There will always be people who try to keep you down--don't let them! As James Patterson said: "There are thousands of people who don't like what I do. Fortunately, there are millions who do."

How long is a novel?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 22:02:00 +0000

QUESTION/COMMENT:

GONE WITH THE WIND is 423,575 words. A novella is about 50K words.

ANSWER:

This is an inaccurate comment. 423,000 words is not a typical novel length. The typical novel length is 75,000--100,000 words. But I have sold novels as short as 40,000 words for major advances. And there are many great works of literature--like THE STRANGER--that fall far short of 50,000 words, and yet are still considered novels. There is no absolute word count or line in the sand that demarcates a novel from a novella.

Typically, if a writer asks me how long a novel must be (minimum), I'd say to aim for at 60,000 words, though at least 70,000 would be idea, and if it's even longer, that's great--though if it exceeds 100,000 words then I might start to worry (unless it's in the hands of a master).

However, do keep in mind--and this is the important point I want to make here--that with the ebook revolution, many self published authors are discovering that many readers are just fine with reading shorter novels, especially if they are priced at $2.99 or less. Thus if an author of commercial fiction came to me with a 100,000 word manuscript that could easily and naturally be divided into two books of 50,000 words each, and he asked me if 50k words was too short for each novel, I would say no, and in most cases suggest he split them into two. For me to tell him not to do it, and that 50k words is just a novella, would be bad advice.

Should I use a pseudonym?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 21:53:00 +0000

QUESTION:

I self-published 2 books under a pseudonym. They did not do well. How do I tell if they did not do well because I failed to market or because no one is interested? I'm trying to decide whether to invest a lot of money in marketing. I did get one nice review from a professional in the field that the fiction was written about. Also, the books were previously only available as trade paperbacks, which were over $20. I recently got e-book format available, and the price for that is only $2, so it might be a good time to launch some marketing. Or to go back and edit the things and repackage them, but, since I wrote them a long time ago, I'm not sure my heart is still in them enough to re-write them. I now have a third book that I am trying to market to agents. Should I use this same pseudonym, or should I concoct another?

ANSWER;

If you've written two books with a particular pseudonym and they did not sell well, then there is not advantage to you to approach agents using that pen name. If anything, there is a disadvantage. So I would advise to choose a different name.

You ask if your two books didn't sell well due to your failure to market them or because no one is interested. It would be simplistic to answer that it was definitely due to one of these two reasons. There are dozens of reasons why a book might not sell well. First, of course, one has to look at the concept, the writing, the execution, etc. But assuming the writing is excellent, there are still many reasons a book might not sell, including the competition, the jacket, the synopsis, the categories, the pricing, the keywords, the timing, etc. etc. Even with excellent marketing, if a book is priced too high, or has a terrible jacket, or title, etc. it might still not sell well. There is no black and white answer, and it is not a science. But in my view, lack of marketing is usually the last reason a book does not sell well. Usually it's something else. I've seen many great books have paid advertising and not sell. And many books with no marketing take off on their own. $20 for a trade paperback is typically too high. And if your heart is not in your books enough to rewrite them, then that might be the most telling sign there. If you don't care enough about them to revise them, then it may be your readers don't care enough either. Writers must be completely devoted to their works, and willing to revise them countless times to get them to be as great as they can be.

Why would I want a literary agent if I'm already published?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 21:39:00 +0000

QUESTION:

The problem with literary agents and publishers is they now look for well established authors. No one wants to take a risk anymore on an unknown. I recently wrote a novel and tried to get a literary agent to represent. 90% of them wanted to know if I had previous published works. Correct me if I'm wrong but if I had previously published works why in the world would I be looking for a literary agent? Wouldn't I have one already? I have found in this field especially with literary agents themselves they want to do little to no work. They want to represent authors who have already established themselves and that these authors are shopping for a new agent. They are actually the ones who have created a countless number of self publishers because an unknown can't get representation anymore. Publisher's like Tate publishing is quite different from a self publishers. First off Tate publishing puts up 26k of their own money if they choose your work. The fee they ask for is to pay for the promotion of the book. They do this for one reason, they are a small company. Everything from print to cover of your book is done in the same place, because of this they can't take the influx of submissions that your traditional publisher like Random House could take. They want a smaller amount of submissions and one way of doing that is by charging a fee, and that is why if you sell a thousand copies they refund you your 4k

ANSWER:

I am not sure if your comment is a question or just a rant. But I will address it as if it were a legitimate question:

First, I will not get into a conversation about Tate publishing. The scope of this blog is to address general questions about publishing, and I don't want to comment on specific houses or agents, especially since I am no expert on Tate publishing's practices, and can only go from what I hear. That said, I will say in general that, regardless of who the publisher is, I always advise authors to never pay a fee (of any sort) to have their work published, since there exist too many vanity publishers who prey on unsuspecting writers by charging fees--and since there are many legitimate publishers who will charge no fee--and pay you an advance.

If authors are unable to land a deal with a legitimate house and are contemplating self-publishing, I would be much more inclined to recommend they self publish in ebook format via KDP, B&N, Google Play, Kobo, Apple, etc.--where there are no upfront fees, and authors control all rights, and there is absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I have been a literary agent for 20 years, and you are inaccurate to say that the problem NOW with literary agents is that they only want established authors. Literary agents have ALWAYS been more inclined to represent established authors. Nothing has changed in that regard. That said, you must keep in mind that there are also agents who pride themselves on discovering unknown authors. There are thousands of agents out there, and one cannot make sweeping generalizations.

It is standard operating procedure for an agent to want to know if you've been previously published--that does not necessarily mean the agent is biased against you. Indeed, if you've published with a major house and your sales tanked, then an agent would be LESS likely to want you. So sometimes being unpublished is an advantage. That said, any good agent will want to know your complete publishing history upfront, and you should already know that and include it in your author bio.

You are completely wrong to say that if you've been published, then you don't need an agent. That is absurd. I could rattle off a dozen reasons you'd need an agent even if you were a bestselling author (from contract negotiations, to subsidiary rights, to legal issues, etc. etc.) but I have already done this in my free ebook HOW TO LAND A LITERARY AGENT. The link is on this blog. Read the entire book. It's free. In fact, I give away over 500 pages of information in these books, and it amazes me how many people ask questions who have never even bothered to read the books--which answer all these questions and more, and in greater depth.

I don't agree that (legitimate) agents want to do little or no work. Most agents work tremendously hard and for salaries that are not great. I'd put it 12 hours a day at my desk, then come home and read for 3 hours--then read all weekend. Many agents do the same. Again, one cannot make generalizations. The key is choosing agents who are excellent at what they do. There are lazy people in every profession, and also hard-working people who take price in what they do. You have to choose the right people.

The only thing you say in your post that is somewhat accurate, and that I would somewhat agree with, is that agents are the ones who have created many self-published authors, due to the difficulty of landing an agent. There is some truth to this. It can be very difficult to land an agent. Many years, I'd receive 10,000 queries, and take on 1. The numbers are overwhelming, and an agent can't represent everyone. But the solution isn't to rant against the industry--that won't get you anywhere. The solution is to become better at researching the appropriate agents for you, and at improving your query letters, proposals and manuscripts. (Again, I teach you how in my free ebooks.) And, of course, perseverance. Not just for a few months, but for many years. And if you still can't land an agent, that might just end up for the best--many self published authors on Amazon and elsewhere have found their ebooks are earning them more than a traditional publisher might.

Is it OK if English is not my native lanuage?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 21:08:00 +0000

Mr Lukeman, I am not a native English speaker but I write in English for various reasons. I live in the USA and finding classes/writing groups in my native language would be impossible. Furthermore, the market for science fiction is much bigger in English than French. My question is: should I mention I am not a native speaker in my query letter? Would that scare away agents? I have to say my accent gives me away over the phone. I don’t have the typical French accent -it’s less pronounced- but still you can tell. Thank you very much for your thoughts on the topic. Merci beaucoup!

It is fine if English is not your native language. There is certainly no requirement that English be one's native language in order to pen a great book in English, and there are many authors throughout history who have proved they can be masters of the English language without its being their native tongue (i.e. Joseph Conrad). The issue is not whether it's your native language: the issue, really, is how strong of a writer you are, whether in your native language or in English. The other issue is whether you are as proficient in English as in your native language. Even if you master the English language, it still won't make you a great writer. So continue to improve your writing skills, no matter what, and also continue to work on your English. In the end, you might actually have an advantage, as you may work harder and longer to perfect your English, whereas a native speaker might become lazy over time.

Either way, do not mention this in your query. It won't help, and it may hurt. Besides, it's irrelevant: the writing must speak for itself, regardless of where you are from.

YA or adult?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:46:00 +0000

hi, my question is about genre. yikes!! but anyway, i'm having trouble with this. all of my stories naturally open up to me with the main characters as young adults. i say naturally meaning i don't purposely make the main characters young, the stories always unfold that way. so young adult fiction right? not so fast. my stories are not necessarily geared to the issues that 13 to 21 year olds face and thats the only reason why i cant simply call them young adult fiction. so i dont know where my stories fit (genre wise). young mc's but not young adult issues. its like they are written for adults but with young mc's. any thoughts? thanks.

Typically, if a protagonist is 13 to 21, then it will naturally draw (mostly) a YA audience. There of course are examples with crossover, such as the Hunger Games or Twilight, and of course it is great if your novel can crossover and reach all ages. But in my view you must appeal to your core audience first and foremost, especially if you want word of mouth to spread, and that tends to mean touching on issues that are important to them. So if you are drawn to write in that age range, then it would be ideal if you can touch on issues that are natural to them. If you cannot, then perhaps you should ask yourself why you are choosing that age range, and perhaps change the age. YA is a very strong market, so if you can appeal to that market, it is a plus.

Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule and a multitude of classical adult literary works that feature younger protagonists. So I cannot speak in absolutes. But as a rule of thumb, it is ideal to appeal to the core audience you are drawn to writing for.

Indemnity clauses

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:42:00 +0000

Hi Noah, What's the current state of the industry in regards to indemnity clauses in publishing contracts? In particular how often are these clauses "fair" (i.e. for breach of warranties only, indemnities only become active on final sustained judgment) and how often are these clauses "unfair" (i.e. indemnify for ALL claims, even frivolous ones). I ask because I've received a publishing contract with an indemnity clause which is, in my estimation, unfair. My agent says that's just the way it is now, but I'd like to be sure.

I don't want to get into specifics in giving legal advice, but I will say this: if you are dealing with a major, reputable publisher, then in my experience, most of the time, boilerplate legal clauses such as the indemnity clause, tend to be boilerplate and major houses rarely modify them. So if you have a reputable agent and a major, reputable house, I wouldn't worry too much. The concern tends to escalate when you go with smaller or unknown houses or agents.

Is there a role for the agent in self publishing?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:39:00 +0000

What role does your agent take on if you published your first book (with the agent;s help), but are choosing to self publish your second book?

This is an excellent question, and you have touched on what is probably THE question of our time.

As always, it depends on many factors. It depends primarily on who your agent is, and on the nature of your book. If your agent did well by you the first time around, and if your agent is well versed in the ebook world and will actively help you self publish and guide you through issues like tech issues, jacket art, title, synopsis, pricing, etailers, etc., and if he only wants to charge you the same standard 15% commission, then I would advise you stay with your agent. As a compromise, you might want to limit the term on the agreement to 1 or 2 or 3 years, since ebooks technically never go out of print--at which point you can mutually renew if he is doing well.

If your agent did a lousy job the first time and/or if your agent is out of touch with the ebook world and has nothing to offer you that you cannot do yourself, then there is no reason to use him. There is a broad spectrum of expertise among agents and ebooks: some can bring a tremendous amount to the table, and others will only get in your way. Ask him on what specifically he will give you that you cannot do yourself. Good ebook agents can make a big difference by guiding you through issues like title, length, plot, pricing, jacket art, etc. Bad agents cannot and may take a fee they don't deserve. Some authors will really need a lot more help, and others will not. Each case will be different.

Should I break up my long novel into several shorter novels?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:32:00 +0000

I have completed and polished a 277,000 word manuscript of mature adult fiction. It is obviously large for one book, but I am unsure if I should break it into two or three smaller novels. Would I be wrong to offer it as one large submission to a literary agent and let their expertise determine the best way to handle the manuscript?

A tough question to answer without actually reading the book. Of course, one can point to many longer novels throughout the course of history that needed to be as long as they were. But those tend to be the exception.

In general, the average novel is 75,000 words, so what you are proposing is nearly 4 times as long, with nearly 1,000 manuscript pages. This is sure to intimidate most agents so, especially given that it's a first novel and especially given it's genre (mature adult) I would indeed suggest breaking it into multiple works, each approximately 75,000 words, give or take. Of course you must find a natural place to break and begin each book. You may also find you need to add new chapters to end each book properly and/or to begin each new book properly.

Finally, because this is the mature adult genre, you may want to consider first trying to self publish as an ebook original and see how it performs. If the sales are astronomical, then you may decide not to find an agent. And if not, then you can always find an agent then. And if you break it into 4 books, then you will of course earn a far greater income.

How can I find an agent?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:27:00 +0000

Thank you for your efforts to educate the unexperienced such as myself. Since YOU are not taking any new clients, can you direct me to one who has the intelligence that you seem to possess. I have two non fiction books that HAVE been self published, and have and still are selling with my own ISBN#s through Amazon & B&N on special order. But I know they would do great if handled by an agent who could get them published under the publishers ISBN and distributed professionally. The reviews for these books are amazing, and exclusive,by well known leaders of both industries. Your advice would be most appreciated

As I have mentioned before, I have written several books on this topic which I give away for free: HOW TO WRITE A GREAT QUERY LETTER, and HOW TO LAND (AND KEEP) A LITERARY AGENT. Please visit www.landaliteraryagent.com and download the books for free, and you will find over 500 pages of information that will help you land an agent that is appropriate for your work.

Should I prod agents?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 23:24:00 +0000

Hi! My question is about receiving editorial feedback from a prospective agent. If you speak to an agent on the phone and they send you detailed notes and ask that you revise and re-submit, is it appropriate to contact the other agents who have your full manuscript and let them know that you are doing an R &R? Or just say nothing and hope that they get back to you. I want to use the best professional etiquette. I have three fulls out there and am about to begin a revision and wondered if I should prod these other agents again or let it go. The other fulls have been out from 6 months to 3 months. Thanks!

In general, an agent should respond to a query letter within 2-6 weeks, and to a 300 page manuscript within 8--12 weeks, or 16 at the most. If that time has come and gone, feel free to prod the agent.

In this specific case, I would not necessarily tell the other agents that you are revising, because, while it is hopeful, nothing has actually happened. The agent who likes it may still reject it. And if you force other agents hands with a tight deadline, and the original agent does not offer, then the other agents may think he didn't like your revision. Plus you don't want to bias them, to tell them that the work you first submitted needs, in one opinion, revision. Let them read and decide on their own--especially since hearing another agent wants a revision won't help land anyone else.

So just revise as requested, and continue to wait to hear from the others--unless the aforementioned time limit has passed, in which case prod them with a quick, general request for a response.

How long should I wait for my agent to respond?

noreply@blogger.com (Noah Lukeman) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:57:00 +0000

Dear Mr Lukeman, I have been offered (email) representation by a very prestigious agency. I really wanted to go with them, so I responded with an immediate acceptance. The agent emailed back that she was thrilled, and would be sending out an agency contract, and was looking forward immensely to speaking with me on the phone. Since then, (two weeks ago)nothing. I have sent two tiny, non-'prodding' messages, and received a brief response to each, to the effect that the agent is very busy, but will contact me soon. I asked briefly about the contract. No response. Is it likely she has changed her mind? Does that happen after an extremely enthusiastic and firm offer of representation. I am so bewildered. Please help.

To begin with, I covered this topic in depth in my free ebook. Please visit www.landaliteraryagent.com and download it for free and read it.

That said, in this case I would back off and give it 2 more weeks and see what happens. In the scheme of your career a few weeks is not a big deal, and if the agency is as great as you imagine then it may be worth it. It can take you a lot longer than that to find a new agent. Also, the fact that she said she would contact you and you, instead of waiting, emailed her twice in 2 weeks, might raise red flags for her. Not to excuse her behavior--she should have followed up if she said she would--but this might be her perspective. Agents are swamped and it was also a holiday week.

If nothing happens in two more weeks then you can be more alarmed and outright prod her. If she still doesn't respond then you may want to look elsewhere. As I say in my book, every agent and author have different styles of communicating, and if you two are not on the same page it might never work. The real question is whether her silence now means she will do a poor job with the submission--and one can never know the answer to that. An agent might be in touch always yet ruin a submission--while another might never call you but do a great job!