Meet Agents & Editors

 

These days it’s common knowledge that it’s hard to meet an agent or an editor through an unsolicited mailing. They are more likely to pay attention to a submission coming from someone they have met in person. To that end, writers flock to conferences so they can get some face time with real live agents and editors. And that’s great. I believe writers should get out and network. But those conferences can be pricey. It’s best to combine attending conferences with a few other strategies that are easier on your wallet. Here are 3 you may find useful.

1.) Attend Author Readings

Make a point of keeping track of writers who do work similar to yours. When they’re in the vicinity go hear them read. Sometimes–not all the time–but sometimes the author’s agent and editor will be in the audience. If they aren’t, see if you can steal a few moments with the writer and ask with whom he or she works and whether they have been pleased with the experience. You can either ask for an introduction or contact the people on your own. If you’re going to do the former, first develop a rapport with the writer and stay in touch. They may not feel comfortable referring you to their agent or editor right off the bat, but in time as they get to know you and your work, an introduction may be a possibility.

2.) Attend Classes Offered by Continuing Education Groups Such As The Learning Annex

Agents and editors are in the business of looking for the next hot writer and making a name for themselves in the publishing world. That’s why you’ll often find agents and editors teaching classes related to their work at places such as The Learning Annex, which has locations in New York City, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta and Boston (http://www.learningannex.com). Recent instructors include literary agent Katharine Sands, editor Marcela Landres (formerly of Simon & Schuster) and Vickie M. Stringer, founder and CEO of Triple Crown Publications. The courses can cost as little as $30 or $40 and last about three hours so you have some time to find out if the instructor can help you or point you in the direction of someone who can.

Remember the agent or editor probably has aspiring authors handing them manuscripts all the time, so make sure you stand out from the pack. Have a killer query letter and synopsis (if your book is a novel) or book proposal (for non-fiction works) at the ready. You’ll make a great impression simply because you’re not making them lug a 500-page behemoth home in their briefcase!

3.) Look for Agents and Editors Who Have Their Own Personal Websites

When you come across the name of an agent or editor who may be appropriate for you, Google them to see if they have their own websites with email addresses that may be different from their corporate mailboxes. Some are authors themselves (like literary agent Donald Maass, author of Writing the Breakout Novel) and have books of their own to promote. Email them and, again, try to develop a rapport and get a sense of what they’re working on and what they’re looking for. It’s best to know as specifically as possible before going through the trouble of making a submission. I recently heard about a writer who submitted to an agent looking for African American authors, but in fact the agent was looking for African American authors who wrote urban romance–which was not the writer’s genre at all.

One Last Note: These ideas should get you started and I hope they’ll inspire you to try other creative routes. It does get easier because you will find that as you go to more events and tell more people what you’re doing, the more likely you will be to find the connector that will build the path between you and your future agent or editor.

© 2005 Sophfronia Scott

About The Author

Author and Writing Coach Sophfronia Scott is “The Book Sistah” TM. Get her FREE REPORT, “The 5 Big Mistakes Most Writers Make When Trying to Get Published” and her FREE online writing and publishing tips at http://www.TheBookSistah.com  The Book Sistah, 230 South Main St. Ste. 319, Newtown, CT 06470 203-426-2036, Info@TheBookSistah.com  

Help, I Think I’ve Been Scammed

Help, I Think I’ve Been Scammed
(When a good author finds a bad agent)

By Rachel Carrington

Greenery doesn’t just apply to trees. When I started writing years ago, I could have given the Hulk a run for his money. I knew nothing about the art of writing, much less the business of writing. I only knew I wanted to write, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. So excited and eager, I began my journey toward a career as an author.

I wish I could say the travel has been smooth sailing, that I’ve never encountered any troubles or difficulties, but you’d know I was lying, and the last thing I want to do is lie to you. What I do want to do is give you the benefit of the wisdom I’ve gained through the school of hard knocks. I hope it’ll help you and maybe even prevent you from taking the same path I took years ago.

“I love your book and I’d love to represent you.” Those words sent a thrill through my body and I remember dancing from foot to foot and maybe even doing a few jumping jacks as I read the letter over and over. An agent actually liked my manuscript and wanted to represent me. I couldn’t be more thrilled. I called everyone who would listen and some of my friends got to hear the story more than once.

I sailed through the next few days while I waited for the agent’s contract to arrive in the mail. Feeling important and more than a little proud of myself, I didn’t just walk around the office where I worked, I strutted. After all, an agent liked my work and it was only a matter of time before I hit the big time.

Then the contract arrived. I ripped into it with the glow of any starry-eyed writer. I skimmed the contents of the contract and then my eyes skidded to a halt. Surely I hadn’t read that last line correctly. The agency charged a $250 administrative fee payable upon the signing of the contract. I gulped and shared the information with my best friend who was just as green as I was. After much conversation, we convinced each other that it was a small price to pay for the fame which would surely come in the future. Needless to say, I paid the money and hurriedly sent the contract back to the agent.

She made plenty of promises, assured me the book was beyond good, that she’d have a buyer within weeks. Well, weeks turned into months and no buyer. Oh, we had plenty of bites. In fact, my agent contacted me shortly after she began representing the book to tell me a big name publisher was reviewing my book. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. After all, I’d sent them the manuscript myself before I’d gotten an agent.

But this time was different. Now, my agent had gotten a letter from the big name publisher who indicated a contract would be forthcoming. They loved the book and wanted to make an offer. I was dancing in the aisles. The $250 had been worth it. I had hit the big time at last. My feet didn’t touch the ground for days.

I waited impatiently for the contract to reach my agent’s office, but as the weeks passed and no contract arrived, I began to wonder what was going on. I e-mailed my agent and she told me the publisher was still considering my book. That confused me a little, but I trusted her. In the meantime, my agent, herself a writer, received acceptance on one of her books. While I was happy for her, I was more than a little frustrated at the time it was taking for the big name publisher to send a contract as it had indicated a few months back.

As the months passed, my excitement waned and then finally, my agent called me to tell me she had some bad news, that the publisher had decided not to go with my book after all. I didn’t understand. Deflated and heartsick, I retreated to my bed and huddled beneath the comforter while I cried tears of sorrow and disenchantment, but amazingly, I still hadn’t learned my lesson. I continued to believe in my agent.

As my agent shipped my book off to other publishers, I, in turn, sent her another book to represent. She, as before, loved it and agreed to market it immediately. My excitement wasn’t as high this time around.

More months passed until I realized it had been a year since I’d sent my first manuscript to my agent. I asked her if she wanted to sign another contract, but she said we didn’t need one, that she would continue to send my book out. Still trusting, I agreed and forwarded yet another manuscript to her, thinking she was doing her best for me.

Finally, another publisher showed interest in my first book, only it required a rewrite. I eagerly complied and with high anticipation, I sent the manuscript back to my agent and held my breath, waiting and waiting for the final word. I called my agent after four months and she reassured me by telling me she’d just contacted the publisher and they were still reviewing the book. I should know something any day.

Eight months later, I contacted the publisher myself. Imagine my surprise when the editor informed me they’d never gotten the revisions to my book. Shaken and unsure, I contacted my agent who declared she’d sent the manuscript, that it must have gotten lost in the mail. But surely the publisher would have told my agent they’d never received it when she’d called them. This time, I wasn’t surprised to learn that my agent had never contacted the publisher at all. What she had done was send that same publisher her own work. Meanwhile, my work sat on her desk, untouched.

The horror of being scammed by an agent is an unfortunate possibility in our line of work, especially with new authors. We go into this business with wide eyes and high hopes, never once thinking that anyone would take advantage of our dreams. They do and they will. That was my first introduction to agents and needless to say, I got rid of her shortly after the incident I described above. But it doesn’t change the fact that I was scammed and I’m writing this article to hopefully, prevent it from happening to you.

When you begin your search for an agent, you might want to employ the following tips before you sign any contract or send any money. Here’s hoping you won’t join the ranks of the scammed.

Check his or her credentials. By this, I mean go online and do some research. Had I done that, I would have discovered that my agent had no sales to her credit and in fact, wasn’t recommended as an agent.

If you’re asked to send money up front, don’t sign the contract. In fact, say a polite “thanks, but no thanks.”

Feel free to ask the agent about his or her sales. I didn’t have the forethought to even call my agent before I signed the contract. Had I done so, I might have discovered her lack of sales.

Make sure your agent has knowledge of the genre for which you write. After I terminated the agency relationship with my agent, I discovered she’d been sending my manuscript to children’s publishers, self-help publishers and Inspirational publishers. I write romance, plain and simple. Not something either of those publishers would be interested in.

Listen to your instincts. If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, I’m sure you know the rest. My agent made grandiose statements about how soon she would be able to sell my book and how it would make a perfect screenplay. My blinders kept me from seeing the flashing red lights.

Lastly, before you sign any contract, unless you have a law degree, are married to a lawyer or have signed enough contracts to know the language front and back, please have an attorney inspect the language. The last thing you want to do is end up tied to a shady agent with no credentials. You’ve lost your manuscript for a year and if you’ve sent any money, this agent has the benefit of your bucks.

Since all this has happened, I haven’t obtained another agent. To be honest, the thought scares me, but I imagine I’ll have to eventually. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against reputable agents, but much as a horrible first date leaves a bad impression, so has my first experience with agents. I do know that with the search for a new agent, I’ll have the benefit of my own wisdom and this time around, you can bet I’ll check and recheck before I sign another contract. I hope you do the same. Good luck to you in your writing career and may you never be the victim of a scam agent.
 

Dawn Rachel Carrington is the editor-in-chief for Vintage Romance Publishing. A multi-published author of fantasy and paranormal romance herself, she currently writes for Ellora’s Cave, Red Sage Publishing, and Samhain Publishing. She has created and taught courses for Suite 101 and University for Writers. Additionally, she is a promotional and business consultant and non-fiction writer for several online e-zines as well as print magazines and lectures frequently on the business of writing.

To learn more about Dawn or Vintage Romance Publishing, please visit www.dawnrachel.com  or www.vrpublishing.com. 

Can We Critique You?

Can We Critique You?
Assistance from Rejection to Acceptance

Rachel Carrington

You’ve finished your manuscript, edited it with a fine-tooth comb, prepared and sent query after query, synopsis after synopsis and while the editors will look at your manuscript, in the end, it keeps getting rejected. So where do you go from here? (Now would be a really good time to go to www.authormania.com  and read the article entitled “Life After Rejections.” Trust me. It helps.)

While a lot of authors will shy away from critique groups, I find them to be a saving grace. I’ve been blessed with a wonderful critique partner who, while telling it like it is, doesn’t feel the need to rip my writing to shreds. If you find yourself receiving countless rejections, I have a few suggestions that go hand in hand with critique groups.

First, a critique group will commiserate with you when you do receive a rejection. Most of the writers in the group have been there and have been wearing the t-shirt for quite some time.

You can submit your writing at all hours of the night and odds are good, you’ll have a response by the very next day. Previously, I had a critique partner who lived in a different time zone with a three hour difference, so my bedtime was when she was just getting started on her computer.

Critique partners will help keep you up-to-date on the current market and any changes in the industry of which you might not be aware. I have a critique partner who is always e-mailing me contest information as well as current publishing houses which are accepting the genre of manuscripts which I write. This is especially helpful if you haven’t found out this information any other way or possibly couldn’t have found it out on your own, I.e., your critique partner is a member of a group which you are not.

In case you’re still wondering if I’m a big fan of critique groups, let me say a reserved yes. I prefer one-on-one partnership rather than a group as I’ve been involved in the large groups. Unless you have very thick skin and can take harsh criticism, then stay away. Unfortunately, in every large critique group, there is a self-appointed expert who feels the need to trash the work of others. For an experienced writer, this is merely annoying. For an inexperienced writer, this can be devastating. I don’t want that to happen to you.

Now, I’ve said all that to say this. If you’ve been getting rejection after rejection and it’s difficult for you to look at your book with a critical, unbiased eye (which, let’s face it, is always), you should consider signing on with a critique group. However, like researching for an agent, you should go slowly.

Take the steps necessary to make your book a success, but much like marriage don’t rush into a partnership you’ll soon regret.

Rachel Carrington is a multi-published author of fantasy and paranormal romances and currently writes for Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, Five Star/Gale, and Red Sage Publishing. Rachel has also written extensively for magazines, e-zines, and newspapers. Readers can visit her on the web at www.dawnrachel.com  or www.moongladeeliteauthors.com. 

A Heroine’s Paradise

A Heroine’s Paradise
An author’s insight into the women who make the romance

By Rachel Carrington

If you’ve written for any length of time then you know characterization is important to shape your characters so that the readers either love them or hate them. A character that leaves the reader feeling ambivalent can be disastrous to your book sales. You must create a heroine the readers will connect with, someone they can empathize with, sympathize with and root for time and again.

Many different types of heroines exist and which one you use will, of course, depend upon the kind of book you are writing. For the sake of simplification, I’ll be focusing on heroines for romance manuscripts only.

First, a heroine in a romantic novel is almost never a bitch unless she has a soft side. She can be tough, determined, and even difficult at times, but she has to have a side that makes the reader want her to succeed in her task which we all know is living happily ever after with her very own Prince Charming. If you present your readers with a heroine who is hard as ten-day-old bread, unyielding, and just plain irritating, they won=t be apt to want her to get anything but her comeuppance, and if they return, it will only be to read about her downfall.

Second, distressed heroines are no longer in vogue. While there is nothing wrong with the ‘hero saves the day’ stories, books where the heroine is always in peril (especially if she continually puts herself in ridiculous situations) can be tiresome. The last thing a reader wants is a heroine whose life is constantly in jeopardy because of her own unending stream of mistakes.

Constant complaining, whining, and moodiness aren’t appealing traits in a heroine, either. Readers are looking for a woman who can get the job done without rendering the hero useless, women who are strong, yet vulnerable, determined yet soft and while there is certainly nothing wrong with putting a Sydney Bristow (Alias-ABC) in an action-packed romance, there has to be room for a man in her life. And he has to feel needed, wanted and necessary.

So now that I’ve told you the types of heroines who generally make readers wince, how do you create this elusive character who is feminine, charming, and can elicit readers loyalty from page one?

Intelligence is a must. Making your heroine seem dim-witted can leave most female readers with a bad taste in their mouth. And yes, you can create a sharp lead woman without usurping the intelligence of her male counterpart. Think of some of the strongest leading ladies on television, in the movies, and even in your favorite books. Those characters have all been created with intelligence, passion, and a soft side which does not make them any less a strong, female lead.

Next comes that soft side I mentioned in the paragraph above. There is no such thing as a woman who does not cry or at the very least, succumb to the distress she is feeling at the time. And there is nothing wrong with allowing the reader to see through a heroine’s tough, exterior shell. In romances, the heroine isn’t flawless. She cries, screams, shouts, curses, and even throws things, sometimes. That doesn’t make her any less the heroine. It makes her human. The readers need to see that side of your heroine which they can relate to.

While some writers don’t feel it’s necessary to include a sense of humor in their heroine, especially if they’re writing romantic dramas, I simply cannot create a female lead without giving her a strong sense of humor and sharp wit. Is it required that your heroine laugh several times throughout your story? No, but page after page of morose drama can be tiresome and if you consider your own life, you probably don’t go a day without laughing even during the worst of times. The same should be said of your character. 

So putting the characteristics together, intelligence, softness, and wit, I have my female lead. Oh, there are some nuances that I throw in for each heroine to separate them from one another. One might be bookish, the other somewhat of a tom-boy. I’ve had romance heroines who can match the hero word for word and yet, melt beneath his touch. And let’s not forget the heroines who think they’re defeated only to find that inner strength necessary to succeed in life.

Many personalities exist and if you use the right combination, you=ll create a heroine which will have readers excited to follow her story. And when you think about it, as much as we write the stories for ourselves, we have to write them for our readers.

 Happy writing!

Dawn Rachel Carrington is the editor-in-chief for Vintage Romance Publishing. A multi-published author of fantasy and paranormal romance herself, she currently writes for Ellora’s Cave, Red Sage Publishing, and Samhain Publishing. She has created and taught courses for Suite 101 and University for Writers. Additionally, she is a promotional and business consultant and non-fiction writer for several online e-zines as well as print magazines and lectures frequently on the business of writing.

To learn more about Dawn or Vintage Romance Publishing, please visit www.dawnrachel.com or www.vrpublishing.com.