tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post7253613287321528239..comments2024-03-18T05:45:58.680-05:00Comments on Agent in the Middle: Stop Waiting by the PhoneRavenous Romancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11671397588069818557noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-78915265790541827422007-10-30T14:12:00.000-05:002007-10-30T14:12:00.000-05:00I concur with much of the above. My agent has had ...I concur with much of the above. My agent has had my ms for 2 months and I've been getting progressively more anxious about whether he's interested. Thanks for this blog, which has made me chill out (for a few weeks at least...)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-42665480748582050872007-02-06T10:47:00.000-05:002007-02-06T10:47:00.000-05:00Thanks so much for the post. I've struggled with ...Thanks so much for the post. I've struggled with response times from my agent, and it helps to be reminded of the realities of the profession.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-41669642996589849712007-02-05T14:45:00.000-05:002007-02-05T14:45:00.000-05:00Thanks for the shot of perspective. I've been won...Thanks for the shot of perspective. I've been wondering how long I should wait before contacting an agency who had been considering my full ms for the last couple of months. Now I know the best thing I can do is take a deep breath and give it a little more time.Cathy in AKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08667978358875270260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-8620171962050408862007-02-05T09:09:00.000-05:002007-02-05T09:09:00.000-05:00Lori,
Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea. I wo...Lori,<br />Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea. I work for the state, and everything is due last year! So thanks for clearing this up. No one has ever explained it this way! :*)Tyhitia Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14070000168178880911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-14065375812150894472007-02-04T19:47:00.000-05:002007-02-04T19:47:00.000-05:00After reading a few posts just wanted to say I thi...After reading a few posts just wanted to say I think this is going to be a great blog with a smart voice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-30668265767002808162007-02-04T12:02:00.000-05:002007-02-04T12:02:00.000-05:00Hi lori, nice blog, very informative. I especially...Hi lori, nice blog, very informative. I especially liked your posts about promotions and publicists.<br /><br />Regarding this post, I think that for new authors, it's not always that we <i>can't</i> wait. It's that we don't understand how things work, and we don't know that we <i>need</i> to wait. My agent was terrific when we first signed up to work together -- he told me from the beginning that the publishing industry works on a different clock from many other professions. He gave me information up front -- that it could be days, or it could be months before we got feedback from our submissions. And he assured me that I was free to email or call at any time.<br /><br />Knowing that I was free to contact him at any time did not make me want to contact him all the time. In fact, it had the opposite effect.<br /><br />It's the 'not knowing' or 'not understanding' the process that I think causes the anxiety for many writers. <br /><br />If agents don't tell us what is going on, how are we to know that you didn't put us on a shelf for six months, or that you lost your enthusiasm for our work? There are plenty of horror stories out there in writers' circles about that situation. And how are we to know that you have 77 clients and read for 10 hours a week unless you explain that (as you did here)? <br /><br />I'm afraid my questions above could be interpreted as defensive or accusing. I don't mean them that way. I hope you (lori) don't see this comment as harsh criticism on you -- it's not. In many professions, it becomes easy to assume that new clients understand things that seem logical or obvious to us.<br /><br />My background is in real estate, and as an agent for anxious home sellers and buyers, I understand your side of things very much. <br /><br />I also understand what it's like to be new and clueless in the writing industry -- and it doesn't feel very good sometimes. It's a vulnerable place to be. There is also a lot of misinformation floating around the Internet, which doesn't help. What does help tremendously are agent blogs and websites like yours. <br /><br />Many writers want to do things right. We don't want to bug you. If agents make it clear up front what the expectations are and what the procedure is, as well as what the agent's idea of reasonable communication is, I think that would relieve much of the anxiety that causes writers to feel compelled to contact their agents more often than is welcomed or necessary.<br /><br />*looks up* Wow, that was way more than my two cents. :)Lisa McMannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03079642578284968215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-41927217072091391822007-02-04T07:12:00.000-05:002007-02-04T07:12:00.000-05:00You're NOT superwoman? Sorry we writers give you s...You're NOT superwoman? Sorry we writers give you such a hard time. We're an evil bunch. ;-)Babe Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12699902314663057918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-40102528110592821612007-02-03T21:17:00.000-05:002007-02-03T21:17:00.000-05:00Thanks for the post! I tend to think the worst ......Thanks for the post! I tend to think the worst ... guess it's sort of like when your husband or kid is late coming home and doesn't call ... your imagination can get the best of you.<br /><br />I just recently signed with an agent. Three weeks ago, I sent her my full package, i.e., my ms revised per her suggestions, a brief bio, promo blurbs on the next two books planned for my series. In my email, I wrote, "Let me know if you need anything further. When you are ready to send it out, I would love a heads up on who you are sending it to."<br /><br />I haven't heard anything, but I guess three weeks isn't that long. Asking to know who she sends it to isn't unusual, is it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-60343906865773618502007-02-03T20:18:00.000-05:002007-02-03T20:18:00.000-05:00I think the problem is when most people (writers) ...I think the problem is when most people (writers) come into the publishing world they have no concept of the timeframe of a book cycle. I didn’t. At this point, I had to explain to numerous amounts of people that a writer doesn’t merely send a manuscript in, get an agent, get a book deal, and get the book on the shelf in less than a year (with preferred placement, of course). Or at least it’s rare, but almost never with first-time authors. Since I started this foray into this world, I’ve had to learn to take a breath, relax, and release my expectations and preconceived notions. <br /><br />The book that needs to be written is <i>Zen and the Art of the Publishing Industry</i>. :-)Nicole Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06899018369184674127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-82776101041836074522007-02-03T15:06:00.000-05:002007-02-03T15:06:00.000-05:00Yes, but you can't force someone to validate you o...Yes, but you can't force someone to validate you on your schedule either.Ravenous Romancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11671397588069818557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-73976723639814220042007-02-03T14:35:00.000-05:002007-02-03T14:35:00.000-05:00We are all anxious to be validated, lol.We are all anxious to be validated, lol.writtenwyrddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02280711822302493122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-72700961852937380612007-02-03T11:23:00.000-05:002007-02-03T11:23:00.000-05:00That's brilliant. I think I'll borrow that phrase...That's brilliant. I think I'll borrow that phrase when I take on a new client.<br /><br />I used to say "I'm not a doctor," meaning don't even try to call me on nights and weekends, but this is better.Ravenous Romancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11671397588069818557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1852708580253469865.post-34864670189036652642007-02-02T22:34:00.000-05:002007-02-02T22:34:00.000-05:00When I signed with my agent, she told me, "There a...When I signed with my agent, she told me, "There are no emergencies in publishing."<br /><br />The thing is, a lot of industries are all about speed. I work in advertising, where everything is due yesterday. We (writers) don't know what an agent or editor's day is like unless someone tells us. Understanding that I must be patient has helped me be patient.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com