Lying To Editors and Agents Is Not The Right Approach

I was scrolling through TikTok this weekend and an author was talking about the ultimate way to make sure editors and agents not only pay attention to you, but sign you. In this case, here is what she recommended.

Send in your submission and then follow it up with an email saying that there are a ton of other people wanting to read the project. She claims that agents immediately drop what they are doing, read your project and want to buy it.

Ummmm, no.

We know you send out simultaneous submissions. Sorry, but this common. But if you start claiming other people are begging for your project, and that is not true, that lie is going to come back and bite you in the butt.

Understand this. If I like your project, I am going to call and talk to you about the project. Your lie WILL come out in that discussion. To add to this, remember that an author-agent relationship is built on a big word TRUST.

If you are someone who lies, I cannot trust you.

There are far too many people out there claiming all of these tricks to get us to read your project and sign you. These are gimmicks. In the end, we want those stories that are quality. And we don't want lying and manipulative authors. 

Agent-Author Relationship Is A Team Affair

This might seem like an obvious statement, but having an agent really means that you are adding a member to your writing team. This "team" does more than simply negotiate contracts, but really works with you through the entire writing process. But, when I mention "team" here, I am really talking about how every member of the team brings something to the table.

I think there is a huge misconception that once you have an agent, all you have to do as a writer is to create your stories. As someone who really does promote that team attitude here at Greyhaus, I have to say, I really count on my authors for bringing a lot more to the table.

I bring this up because just recently, I am glad my authors were part of the team. We were discussing contracts and working through issues on one "in the works." Between myself and the editor, it really looked as if we had gotten all of the pieces. Even talking with the author, it really looked like we had it all. But, we missed something. Fortunately, it was this team approach that added another pair of eyes to the process to discover that missing piece. No, this wasn't a huge issue, but it was nice to know the author was part of the equation.

Along the same lines, it was nice to know the author felt as if she was a part of the team. She brought the issue forward without a fear of being pushy. This confidence comes from that team approach.

As you look for an agent, I cannot stress enough the need to know what you bring to the table, as well as what you want from an agent. Aligning those elements will certainly make that relationship, if and when it comes, work so much smoother.

Scott

Changing Agents? Was the problem REALLY with the agent?

I was thinking about this idea over the weekend. We hear all of the time of situations when writers are leaving agents because things didn't work out well. That's fine. I want to see a writer be successful and sometimes that author agent relationship just doesn't work out. But here is the twist I want to consider today. Maybe the problem wasn't the agent at all?

It takes two to tango here and to be fair, we have to look at all elements of the equation. In this case, a writer has to also examine his or her role in the relationship. If that writer is the one who was at fault, that there was something in the way that writer approached the business, then changing agents will simply not fix anything. The problem will indeed travel with that writer.

I have heard a lot of writers on their 3rd and up to 5th agent. These are those obvious cases that stand out of someone likely being the problem. It won't matter how many agents they have. It won't matter which agent they work with, the problem will still be there.

As a writer, when we examine anything that doesn't work well, we have to look at all elements. Sometimes, unfortunately, it is the thing you like the most. That character, you created. That plot you thought was so amazing. And yes, you.

Just running away from a situation without carefully examining all of the elements will not remedy the situation.

Have  a great week everyone!

Scott

I was just reading recently in an article (and I've seen the same thing in queries) about authors that are in search for a new agent because theirs just quit. In other words, they suddenly receive and email or letter out of the blue, or more often than not, they attempt to contact their agent and find out the agency is no longer there. What happened?

First of all, I want to let you all know that my heart goes out to you. It is far from a great feeling to find out that your support system is not there... but there is a twist to this.

Sure, the agent should let you know they are considering this type of move. It isn't as if one day they wake up and close everything immediatly. There had to have been some thought about this. That agent really should let their people know as soon as possible to insure a smoother transition.

But here is the twist...

The author should make sure to stay in touch with their agent a bit more. This goes back to some things I have said in the past about the author and agent relationship. You as an author have to stay in the radar of the agent. You have to insure you are getting the attention you deserve. Just sitting back waiting for something to happen is simply not going to work for you.

When ever I read those letters or here those authors talking about the mysterious disappearing agent, I am always wondering when the last time was the author contacted the agent. Sending them new projects, showing them complete works, attending conferences. All of these are ways to stay in the radar and keep you in contact with the agent.

Please note that I am not saying to be annoying. I am simply saying to be visable. If you do this, there is a likelyhood that you might be in on that conversation with the agent about closing shop and who knows, they may even gracefully get you hooked up with someone else.

Just a thought.

Do Agents Talk To Each Other?

Yes, Yes, Yes.

Each agency has a connection of other agents they like to "hang with." These might be people they have worked with in the past, or simply those that have similar thoughts on how to approach the business. We don't talk to everyone though. Not that we aren't friends, but that connection is simply not there.

So, what do we talk about? Business, good shopping, food, manuscripts? Actually all of these fall into discussions, but many times, we will pass on recommendations to other agents if we feel that the story is simply not right for us. If someone (although I really don't know why they would do this) would pitch me an inspirational, I might look at it first and if the story sounded really good, I'd pick up the phone and call a colleague of mine that is working in that area with the story idea. Simple as that.

Now here is why I bring this up for you writers. If one agent liked your work enough to read it and make the connection with another agent, you are a fool not to follow up on that lead. When I write that rejection letter, I will tell the person to contact the other agency and use my name. I'm not just passing you on because I don't like your writing, I just feel you would do better with someone else and I found that person.

Got it? So go and contact that person!

I am amazed though, how many times people will blow off that other connection and go with some other agency. I am sorry to say that is sheer stupidity. This business is about networking and you need to take advantage of it.

Hmmmmm, how many times have I said to really listen to to those rejection letters and do something about it?

So, do you help with career building?

We hear this all the time coming from agents. We see this on their blogs and websites and we hear them say this at conferences. But what does this mean?

Unfortunately, I think many writers really get the wrong message when they hear that an agent does career building.

Career building is guidance of your writing career. Career building is not making your plans and setting your goals. I am afraid this is still something you have to do.

Too often, I see writers discuss their careers as writers. For many, these are not goals with plans, but dreams. This is wishful thinking. Our job as an agent is to work with you to take a more realistic look at where you want to go with your writing and the best place you can be.

There is an issue with this though. Many writers interpret this is an agent "telling them what to do" and "not really working with where they want to go with their writing." Sorry to break this to you, this is career building.

So, what is expected of you as a writer? You need to have a realistic goal as a writer and a plan to get there. You also have to have the drive and the motivation to put things aside that will get in your way of achieving that goal.

Think Yoda from Star Wars. There is no try, only do. This is the attitude you need to have.

But Scott, what about the role of the agent? I thought you said they do career building. Yes, we do. We'll discuss with you where you want to go with your writing, make suggestions, shape your writing to best fit the direction you want to go, and more importantly, steer you away from a direction that will not work.

The key to making all of this work though, is trust. When you sign with an agent, you need to be able to listen to them and trust their decisions.

An Additional Thought on the Radar Theme

I knew I would end up wanting to add more to this and sure enough, here it is.

This really goes along with the idea of knowing if you are ready for an agent or not.

The successful writers out there are constantly producing. I hinted at this in the last post but I think it is important enough to put this in its own little section.
Those writers that are making it out there always have several projects in the works, and writing at many different phases. Let me give you a couple of examples from two writers in particular. You will notice a trend.

Writer A divides her time between 3 publishing houses. Each has different demands and focus. One is a bigger house that really only wants one story each year. This story is unique and the editor really likes to work through the process with the writer extensively. This house demands a lot of time but does so in blocks throughout the year. The second house she works with is a category house. This one is looking at fast turn arounds and roughly 3 a year. Finally, she has an electronic press that she does smaller works with.

Writer B divides her time between 2 publishing houses. Like Writer A, the demands are different. At one house, the push for completion is not so severe. When the stories get done, they get done. She is also at a Category house and is on the 3-4 book a year process.

Now, what you see with both is that they always have a project going. Writer A has one in the middle of a critique, 1 in a drafting phase and several on proposals. She also has a large stack of potential future projects for when the need arises.
Writer B has worked out a schedule (which we just finished yesterday) where she blocks out 3 month blocks for each publisher throughout the year to meet the needs of each editor. AND...like Writer A, she also has many projects that are "waiting the chance to be written."

I bring this up because these writers stay on the radar. There is always some element of their writing that I am working on with them.

Keep that in mind if you want to move to the professional realm of this business.

And by the way, if you want to read a great blog article on the role of an agent as a publicist, check out the Bookends Blog for today. (Great article Jessica!)

Scott

How to stay on your agent's radar

O.K. I'm putting this one out the night before, but I had some time and figured this was as good a time as any to type.

Whether you are working for a large agency or a small agency, you want to make sure you are getting the best attention from your agent. I hear a lot of people tell me that "they never hear from their agent." Now, before you start defending the writer here (and before I start saying anything about the agents) you need to remember that there are two sides to this discussion. We have to see it from both angles.

Let's begin with the writer. Whenever I hear that comment, I often ask myself (but never ask them personally) "So what have you done about it?" I honestly believe that many of these writers sent in their manuscript and as the agent sends things out, they do nothing. They don't work on new projects, they don't discuss issues with their agent. They just wait.

On the agent side, we see this as a personal decision the writer has taken. We have sent out manuscripts for consideration, but until we hear from someone, then guess what, we aren't going to be picking up the phone and call "just to check in."

Now, I will say that there are some agents that just don't check in with their clients until something happens. Sometimes it is only through quarterly reports. In this case, the writer should have know that before they even started looking at that agent.

O.K. So with all of this said, what do you do to stay on the radar of the agent.

Keep writing and keep new projects coming their way. If we have a lot of projects to send out for you, then we will likely be talking more. This is also a great way to insure that your projects are more in line with what the editors are looking for. Even if you are a person that writes one story a year, the more contact you can have with the agent, the better the chance they can assist you in tailoring that story to the right target audience.

If you are an established writer, keep sending the agent the reviews you get. If you are doing a book signing, send them the information. Keep them on your mailing list. The more we stay in touch, the more we know what you are doing.

Don't harrass though. Remember that the agent is a busy person. This means that calling just because you are struggling with the hair color of a character is far from necessary. Contact them with concerns but don't be a pest.

The end result of staying on the radar will not only be better working relations with the agent, but also the chance that when unique projects come up, we will think of you first. I should stress this is even more important for those larger houses.

Scott