tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post2378376431175659600..comments2023-11-02T06:57:11.400-04:00Comments on BookEnds Literary Agency: An Agent's TasteBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-2757743805600246112011-10-06T21:45:54.144-04:002011-10-06T21:45:54.144-04:00A little late here, but a great post. 'Nobody ...A little late here, but a great post. 'Nobody knows nuthin' of course.'<br /><br />I'm just starting the query round-a-bout and I must admit I'm shocked at what actually gets taken up (and published) by certain agents. Small books with hardly a chance of selling more that a few tens of thousands. <br /><br />The real high-concept manuscripts with a difference seem to be somewhat too daunting for some agents -- and publishers I suspect.<br /><br />Twilight and Harry are bound to be repeated.<br /><br />And the other frustrating thing is agent 'annoyances.' Why would an agent possibly worry about whether someone read an agent's blog, or researched their bio, or put a word count in or not, or started a query with a question? Or even thanked them ;-), or not. And so on.<br /><br />Just check out the darn work for goodness sake. No wonder great things get missed. (No, not queried you.)Larsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-4054455001614301332011-06-02T03:41:12.822-04:002011-06-02T03:41:12.822-04:00If the system works than why is there such a lack ...If the system works than why is there such a lack of diversity. How many romance novels featuring black characters get a chance in the literary mainstream? So much of minority fiction is about their history of oppression (ie slave narratives) and it seems to me it's because that's what our culture (predominantly white) wants from them.<br /><br />You could argue that black writers just aren't writing the stuff, but I don't need statistics to say that's short-sighted. So many minority writers end up in very small publishers with no agent if though there work is just a good as the books published by major publishers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-20018392194774433882009-04-10T03:09:00.000-04:002009-04-10T03:09:00.000-04:00I'm sure the William Goldman quote applies just as...I'm sure the William Goldman quote applies just as well to books.<BR/><BR/>From *Adventures in the Screen Trade* -- "the single most important fact, perhaps, of the entire movie industry is that 'nobody knows anything'. If there is a Roman numeral I to this book, that's it.... Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work. Every time out it's a guess and, if you're lucky, an educated one."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-69653899241527011852009-01-12T14:33:00.000-05:002009-01-12T14:33:00.000-05:00I'm not sure that I know of any competent writers ...I'm not sure that I know of any competent writers who <I>don't</I> do market research. But in writing it's generally referred to as "crit groups" or "beta readers". And a smart writer makes sure that s/he includes beta readers who are avid <I>readers</I>, not writers.<BR/><BR/>Anon 11:33 Regarding "Twilight", I didn't see any "dissing". I saw several people politely stating that the books didn't work for them, which is a fair comment.<BR/><BR/>Anon 1:05 Any writer who wants to be successful should study as many successful works as s/he can. You assess which techniques the blockbuster writer uses, decode any new techniques if possible, and add them to your toolbox. Never stop learning.Dal Jeanishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03652296391869599080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-84717515842278899672009-01-10T20:03:00.000-05:002009-01-10T20:03:00.000-05:00Nathan Bransford's blog has this to say about mark...Nathan Bransford's blog has this to say about market research and publishing:<BR/><BR/>..."So sure, some more market research would probably be nice -- information is always good. Publishers might be able to respond more quickly to trends, and readers might have their tastes more accurately responded to. They might be able to more effectively focus marketing campaigns and take some of the guesswork out of which books get a big push.<BR/><BR/>But let's not forget this is art we're talking about. It's subjective. An industry that markets a subjective product is always going to be based on hunches and guesses. Market research could tell you that people want a dog memoir, but it's not going to give you MARLEY AND ME. It could tell you that people like fantasy, but it's not going to give you HARRY POTTER. At the end of the day, science might make publishers more efficient, but the formula that makes a book a bestseller will always be a mystery." <BR/><BR/>http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2009/01/holiday-cheer-secret-formula-of.htmllucidkimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03900089908992985561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-57798870873790743072009-01-09T12:38:00.000-05:002009-01-09T12:38:00.000-05:00This was my question, and thank you very much for ...This was my question, and thank you very much for answering. Since you mentioned it was a great question...have I earned a partial or even query critique by chance? :)<BR/><BR/>Back to reality...<BR/><BR/>The statistics about who rejected what were taken from interviews with the authors and related articles. The statistics about reader demographics, which were specific to Romance novels, came from a study by one of the major publishers done in 2003.<BR/><BR/>According to her interview, Stephenie Meyer sent out 15 query letters, 14 of which were rejected. People here mentioned that having read Twilight they would have passed on it, but judging by guidelines, most of those 14 agents did not read a word of it. In my opinion, that is the biggest problem with the process. I don't like Twilight, and no query letter would have aroused my interest in it, but after reading the first few pages (which took all of five minutes) I can see how brilliantly the novel is engineered to appeal to teens. Ditto Harry Potter, which I also can't stand. I would have snapped these books up despite not liking them. It's a business, after all.<BR/><BR/>The other aspect of the question was about changing tastes. As I am trying to get published, I've been reading with a much more critical eye lately. I picked up a book I read--and loved--two years ago and read it again. I found many problems with it, such as juvenile dialogue, unrealistic plot elements, etc. I didn't like it at all--a book I loved the first time I read it. My tastes changed, because I was no longer reading for enjoyment. Yet the readers, the end users of this business, do read for fun. That book had a tremendous impact on my life, and it would have been a shame if I had not read it because of these perceived “problems”.<BR/><BR/>Writers get frustrated, I believe, not only because the materialization of our hopes and dreams are left to the whims of so few, but because those few read with different eyes than our prospective readers, and because those few rarely actually read our writing before deciding to reject us. As evidenced by the fact that most if not all writers have to work so hard to write a good pitch, assuming they ever can, writing pitches and writing novels are two different skill sets.<BR/><BR/>You asked me if I wanted a chiropractor to operate on my child’s tonsils. The answer is no, but I don’t want my performance evaluation at work to be judged based on my juggling skills either. <BR/><BR/>Thank you for answering my question, it was a joy to see at least some of my “writing” finally published by an agent. :)Michael Edelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18216140037851779457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-58560338706919862552009-01-09T11:33:00.000-05:002009-01-09T11:33:00.000-05:00I'm laughing at the dissing the Twilight books are...I'm laughing at the dissing the Twilight books are getting here. Please remember they weren't written for adults...the market is and was YA teen girls. And Ms. Meyer hit that target dead on with the series. I am a sixty-plus male who writes thrillers. I enjoyed sci-fi as a youth as well so my tastes don't necessarily run along YA teen girl novels. But my daughter (14 at the time and not much of a reader) devoured them. She insisted I drop what I was reading and read the first book. Reluctantly, I did. I think it was slow, and all the angst, etc. that Bella dwells on, and especially the sacharine infatuation with Edward was off-putting for me, but the narrative drive was compelling. The characterization was interesting and the story arc held my interest despite (in my mind) its shortcomings. By the time I read the last book (yep, I read'em all) I think Ms. Meyer produced a solidly well-written and entertaining series. Millions give or take bought the series. At the end of the day that's a pretty impressive recommendation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-17550277382118368692009-01-09T07:22:00.000-05:002009-01-09T07:22:00.000-05:00Thank you for this - it has made a very interestin...Thank you for this - it has made a very interesting lunch time read!Nayuleskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08693548526829437580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-72313245800917446672009-01-09T01:05:00.000-05:002009-01-09T01:05:00.000-05:00I've noticed that now that Twilight and its sister...I've noticed that now that Twilight and its sister novels are mega-hits with editors and readers, that many agents, especially those who blog, have mentioned that they are now reading them. I find this interesting and weirdly disengenous. And I wonder if they would have read the manuscripts had they come across their desks. Probably not. <BR/><BR/>So why bother reading them now?<BR/> <BR/>It's not like there aren't fresh manuscripts with unique premises to read. WHY do agents read the latest hot tomes, then say they want something different? Aren't agents looking for something other than Twilight-look-alikes? Personally, I doubt it. I think very many want Twilight, Harry Potter, Inkheart, etc. and that's okay, but I wish agents were honest about this part of the business and what they're really looking for from new authors.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-44182653344194451782009-01-08T21:39:00.000-05:002009-01-08T21:39:00.000-05:00Reply to Chris Redding's post. I'm the market res...Reply to Chris Redding's post. I'm the market research analyst. (FYI: I work for a Fortune 500 computer MFR, but I started out in consumer research). A few years ago, I asked a publicist whether or not romance publishers do research. She told me that most of them have shoe-string budgets, although I believe Harlequin does/has done research. Since your husband is knowledgeable about firms doing testing panels for fragrances, he may be aware that primary research is expensive. Depending on the type of methodology and geographies (costs increase substantially with translations), the costs can vary. Costs can range from $40K to well over half a million. There are some unusual new methodologies that try to delve deeper into a consumer's *experience* with products and services that might work for books. The idea is to capture a respondent's experience with a brand. Think of those iPOD commercials with the silhouette of someone dancing while rocking out with their iPOD (BTW, I don't work for Apple). Very effective. But, I imagine many publishers find the cost of research prohibitive (especially in this economic climate).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-70901592949021035792009-01-08T18:59:00.000-05:002009-01-08T18:59:00.000-05:00This post was amazingly informative. I read "Twili...This post was amazingly informative. I read "Twilight" and I think that I honestly would have been one of the agents who passed on it. I can see both viewpoints and, not being very savvy about the business, don't know exactly where I stand. But I believe that every book, given the perseverance of its author, has a niche somewhere in the world. It sounds to me like it all boils down to luck - will your manuscript be the one that gets published after being passed on 10 times or 100 times? What if you stop trying after 10 times and the 11th try would have been successful?Julie Daohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13814052162359300933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-376339275965010092009-01-08T18:41:00.000-05:002009-01-08T18:41:00.000-05:00The fascinating thing I find about publishing is t...The fascinating thing I find about publishing is that there is no market research.<BR/>My husband is in the fragrance business. If Bath and Body Works wants a new fragrance, they will test panel several fragrances before they market anything.<BR/>I would imagine market research would bump up the cost of a book, so maybe I'm not advocating it, but how can you put out a product whose success or failure is based on the consumer's taste without asking the consumer's advice?Chris Reddinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00429148293004912993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-7103030407085121892009-01-08T18:19:00.000-05:002009-01-08T18:19:00.000-05:00Isn't the fact that those books got published afte...Isn't the fact that those books got published after all proof that the system isn't that bad, though? <BR/><BR/>It may not be perfect but nothing is.Staciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07969399927758009095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-75462842704822794252009-01-08T17:14:00.000-05:002009-01-08T17:14:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.The Son of Christ: The New Millenniumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14719747574418631459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-48764577468131468742009-01-08T13:54:00.000-05:002009-01-08T13:54:00.000-05:00The writing industry is a wide and varied as the h...The writing industry is a wide and varied as the human race. And it's all subjective....to the tastes of agents, editor, publishing houses and finally the buying public. That's what makes it so incredibly fascinating and frustrating. When I originally queried agents, one responded almost immediately and said something along the lines of "to sell to NY you need to write damn fine prose and it's not here. this won't sell." Ouch. Two days later I had requests for representation from two agents and this ms that "would not sell to NY"...sold to NY three months later.<BR/>See? totally subjective...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-61605851780401719012009-01-08T13:37:00.000-05:002009-01-08T13:37:00.000-05:00Interesting post, and comments. Also enjoyed the T...Interesting post, and comments. Also enjoyed the Talking With Tim interview. Thanks.Robena Granthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18389730409379890816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-91080407633554473312009-01-08T13:32:00.000-05:002009-01-08T13:32:00.000-05:00Let's say genres = human body partsNow let's for e...Let's say genres = human body parts<BR/>Now let's for every human body part there is a doctor that specializes in it. (There wouldn't be very many doctors available for each part, but that's beside the point.) Now let's say humans start evolving we gain new body parts, and lose others. Some of the doctors would need to evolove also or be left without a job. Some doctors wouldn't evolve they would stick with what they knew (that is assuming their body part wasn't one human's didn't have any more, but the few that evolved would be in higher demand than the ones who did not. Now back to books, agents, and publishers; evolution is continuous. Someone has to recognize the change, and take on the new and different stuff. Kimbre/Ann maybe it's time to stop classifying and setting categories, limiting ourselves by sticking to one thing. Maybe the next genre will revolve about what you've written. And the agent that evolves will be the one that took the chance of a lifetime and won!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-49714689590456703572009-01-08T13:29:00.000-05:002009-01-08T13:29:00.000-05:00Wow, Jessica, great post and answer. Thanks for p...Wow, Jessica, great post and answer. Thanks for putting it in perspective.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09164722533380825843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-18352540298889070492009-01-08T13:10:00.000-05:002009-01-08T13:10:00.000-05:00Driving my niece around the unplowed, unsalted str...Driving my niece around the unplowed, unsalted streets of northeast Ohio (an MD with two years surgical experience, she's in town to look for a new residency) I asked her the best way to choose a surgeon if you needed a procedure.<BR/><BR/>Her answer: The surgeon who does the most procedures like the one you're contemplating is, hands down, the one you want.<BR/><BR/>She did qualify that statement. If the surgeon is inflexible about learning new techniques (niece contends all surgery will be robotic within a few years), then choose the doc who does the next largest number of procedures.<BR/><BR/>Assuming you have a choice, does that philosophy apply to literary agents as well? Hmm. Good question.Lorrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10002093220393559848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-68019367868279523752009-01-08T12:54:00.000-05:002009-01-08T12:54:00.000-05:00As a book reviewer, I'll agree that a person's tas...As a book reviewer, I'll agree that a person's taste plays a large role that you just can't get around. I've been given books to review that other reviewers have loved, but I honestly can't find anything nice to say about. Like agents, I'll stop reading a book if I don't like a book after the first 50-60 pages. I've learned things won't get better if they aren't improving by then.<BR/><BR/>Knowing how I feel when reading a book I don't like (even if the writing is technically competent), I don't see that anything good can come from forcing an agent to take on something that may become popular but she doesn't enjoy reading.<BR/><BR/>I also don't think it's fair to assume a certain demographic will automatically like or dislike certain books. True, I don't like all books in every genre and I like certain genres better than others, but I've enjoyed books from pretty much every genre. Just because two agents share certain physical statistics doesn't mean both will like the same genre or series within a genre.Debbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13898393424567867155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-588624888407956002009-01-08T12:41:00.000-05:002009-01-08T12:41:00.000-05:00I think this is the best answer I have read as to ...I think this is the best answer I have read as to why agents don't necessarily kick themselves when they pass on a book that later sells well. <BR/><BR/>I've seen friends get agents on a good story with good writing, and through the guidance of that agents turn those manuscripts into outstanding writing. Another agent might not have done that.Heidi Willishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18420802651029097379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-50924396546601624382009-01-08T12:33:00.000-05:002009-01-08T12:33:00.000-05:00Twilight is totally NOT my cup of tea either, but ...Twilight is totally NOT my cup of tea either, but I can see why it had such wide appeal. I'm a blogging book reviewer. I interact with readers all the time. I'm not sure I could repeat the same magic as a writer though. I can't write within the confines of genre/subgenre to save my life.Kimber Lihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03982239712083114488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-48884997690844606642009-01-08T12:09:00.000-05:002009-01-08T12:09:00.000-05:00Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series is always mentio...Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series is always mentioned as the epitome of YA romance, and everyone wonders how any agent or editor could possibly pass on it. Well, I know I'm in the minority, but Twilight was a DNF, for me. I found it dull and repetitive--and that is in its finished state. I can easily see how carefully an agent must select the book s/he represents. I know I would've missed the boat on this one!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-44153556320457144782009-01-08T12:02:00.000-05:002009-01-08T12:02:00.000-05:00Vicky, actually, you're doing exactly what I sugge...Vicky, actually, you're doing exactly what I suggest. You're figuring it out because you're in there with your daughter and you're picking the books up yourself for your own pleasure. <BR/><BR/>Instead of just looking at sales numbers.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the good work! The world needs you!Kimber Lihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03982239712083114488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-66608611911203027142009-01-08T12:00:00.000-05:002009-01-08T12:00:00.000-05:00Superwench?The Harry Potter books were much longer...Superwench?<BR/><BR/>The Harry Potter books were much longer than an normal book aimed at it's age group. No one would touch them for a long time because of it. Someone finally gave it a shot.<BR/><BR/>The gallbladder was used mainly because it was Jessica's comparison. There are instances where not having a gallbladder removed can be fatal. Your's is not one. A bursting gallbladder is similiar to a bursting appendix.<BR/><BR/>While a dentist does not have the same medical training as a doctor they do have similiar, and I would much rather have a dentist take out my gullbladder than let's say an taxi driver. <BR/>Let's face it, book agents can change their minds about what they represent, and no one is going to die because of it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com