Where are all the agents? - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T07:31:43Zhttps://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/where-are-all-the-agents?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A356389&xg_source=activity&feed=yes&xn_auth=noWhy not go with some of the s…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-10-01:537324:Comment:3562882012-10-01T02:16:33.668ZJohn Michael Brantinghamhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JohnMichaelBrantingham
<p>Why not go with some of the smaller presses? So many people are getting a lot of success this way. At least pitch to them and see how it goes.</p>
<p>Why not go with some of the smaller presses? So many people are getting a lot of success this way. At least pitch to them and see how it goes.</p> Well, leaving aside the time…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-09-29:537324:Comment:3564712012-09-29T14:17:29.577ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
<p>Well, leaving aside the time it takes to get the book written (as much as a year for me), the rest is a great deal faster when you self-publish. Publishers take at least a year to get the book into print, Sometimes they take longer if they decide to give your slot to another author. If you have no agent yet, the agent hunt takes time. Agents rarely respond quickly and must be given deadlines. A time span for a proposal is at least a month for each agent. After the agent accepts you, you…</p>
<p>Well, leaving aside the time it takes to get the book written (as much as a year for me), the rest is a great deal faster when you self-publish. Publishers take at least a year to get the book into print, Sometimes they take longer if they decide to give your slot to another author. If you have no agent yet, the agent hunt takes time. Agents rarely respond quickly and must be given deadlines. A time span for a proposal is at least a month for each agent. After the agent accepts you, you wait again as they send out to editors (who don't always respond quickly). Also, the entire publishing industry takes month-long breaks during the summer and again at the end of the year. Nothing gets done then.</p>
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<p>As for the time it takes to self-publish: a) you may want to go over yoyur book one more time, since you won't have an editor. (Though publishers do not, as a rule, supply editing any longer). Hiring an editor is a dubious undertaking and costs money. I can edit my book in under a month. If you are computer savvy, you can format your own book in a day, I would guess. I pay for formatting and sometimes have a month's wait. I make my own covers because I don't like what I've seen from professional cover artists. This may take a week or more, depending on how soon I find a suitable image. Uploading the book is done in a few hours. All in all, this process is much, much shorter, plus you control all the steps yourself. Waiting for someone else and having no control over your book are not good options.</p> And self-publishing is not f…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-09-28:537324:Comment:3561982012-09-28T21:54:19.543ZStacyhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/StacyDeanne
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<p>And self-publishing is not fast if you intend on doing it <strong>right</strong>. It can take up to a year or more to get a book out unless you just throw anything out there. Contrary to popular belief GOOD self-publishing takes hard work and effort and it is not as fast as folks make it seem. It's only fast if you throw up first drafts and think that's all it takes. With self-publishing you have to do as much or even more research first. That takes time. You have to get your book…</p>
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<p>And self-publishing is not fast if you intend on doing it <strong>right</strong>. It can take up to a year or more to get a book out unless you just throw anything out there. Contrary to popular belief GOOD self-publishing takes hard work and effort and it is not as fast as folks make it seem. It's only fast if you throw up first drafts and think that's all it takes. With self-publishing you have to do as much or even more research first. That takes time. You have to get your book edited and you will most likely have to use different types of editors because editors do different things. You will then spend months and months going over your edits and changing things if need be. If you plan to send out to beta readers this will take a lot of time because you gotta wait for their feedback then you gotta go back and fix up your manuscript, etc. You have to get a book designer or at least I'd recommend it for your cover. The Photoshop special doesn't work anymore. Searching for a good book designer takes time. A lot goes into self-publishing and the most successful SP authors treat it like a business.</p>
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<p>There is NO fast track in this industry if you want to do it right. I don't care what method you choose. So my advice is it's best not to focus on time. There is no rush. Whenever it happens, it happens. Keep writing new things and time goes fast, believe me.</p> The book industry is the slow…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-09-28:537324:Comment:3563892012-09-28T21:40:55.682ZStacyhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/StacyDeanne
<p>The book industry is the slowest industry ever. You'll be lucky to find an agent within months, years is the norm. It takes a long time to connect with an agent if you connect at all.</p>
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<p>Is it wise to obtain an agent? Sure it is if you want a shot at the big dogs. A great agent is worth their weight in gold. That's why they are so hard to get. Agents are still the ones selling the big books and getting the best deals if you plan on commercial publishing.</p>
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<p>It's all…</p>
<p>The book industry is the slowest industry ever. You'll be lucky to find an agent within months, years is the norm. It takes a long time to connect with an agent if you connect at all.</p>
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<p>Is it wise to obtain an agent? Sure it is if you want a shot at the big dogs. A great agent is worth their weight in gold. That's why they are so hard to get. Agents are still the ones selling the big books and getting the best deals if you plan on commercial publishing.</p>
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<p>It's all about your goals and what you want. If you want an agent then keep pushing and stay determined and believe it will happen. If you want a big house then you will have to get used to the slow agent search.</p>
<p><br/>If you decide it's not for you then you don't have to self-publish. There are options before that. There are small presses that are very good and reputable and there are also epublishers.</p>
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<p>But go for what you want. Don't let time be the reason because even if you get an agent tomorrow you still will have to wait. Why? Because there is no guarantee they will sell your work and if they do it could take years for that. And guess what? If you get a contract with a big house it's gonna take at least a year sometimes a year and a half before the book is out.</p>
<p><br/>This industry is all about waiting and patience. No matter how you slice it. But if you wanna go a certain route and want it bad enough then all you can do is deal with it. Just make up your own mind with what you want. No one can do that but you.</p>
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<p>Best Wishes!</p> do persevere James. My friend…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-09-27:537324:Comment:3563522012-09-27T11:15:55.157ZSammy Evanshttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/SammyEvans
<p>do persevere James. My friend tried many agents and I'm sure someone will get back to you... but the delays can be very frustrating. Have you tried The Marsh Agency?...</p>
<p>do persevere James. My friend tried many agents and I'm sure someone will get back to you... but the delays can be very frustrating. Have you tried The Marsh Agency?...</p> The best thing is you have op…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-09-27:537324:Comment:3563462012-09-27T02:45:06.318ZBenjamin Sobieckhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/BenjaminSobieck
<p>The best thing is you have options. There's no longer any shame in self-pubbing, especially if you've exhausted your queries. If it really is suitable for an international audience, you might find it easier to reach those markets by keeping all your rights and publishing through Amazon KDP. Or finding a small publisher without a lot of strings attached.</p>
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<p>We've all been right where you are now. Don't bet on one thing to happen. You never know where you'll end up.</p>
<p>The best thing is you have options. There's no longer any shame in self-pubbing, especially if you've exhausted your queries. If it really is suitable for an international audience, you might find it easier to reach those markets by keeping all your rights and publishing through Amazon KDP. Or finding a small publisher without a lot of strings attached.</p>
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<p>We've all been right where you are now. Don't bet on one thing to happen. You never know where you'll end up.</p> James - I'm REALLY curious a…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-09-26:537324:Comment:3561522012-09-26T00:07:47.628ZKaren Dionnehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/KarenDionne
<p>James - I'm REALLY curious about that blurb from People Magazine about your work on your website. That's a huge coup that I would think agents would really be interested in. How did that come about?</p>
<p>James - I'm REALLY curious about that blurb from People Magazine about your work on your website. That's a huge coup that I would think agents would really be interested in. How did that come about?</p> Thanks for the heads-up. Funn…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-09-25:537324:Comment:3560392012-09-25T20:19:45.390ZJames Fouchehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JamesFouche
Thanks for the heads-up. Funny how mean publishers can be. As an author I struggle to close the book after finishing it. It's not easy to distance yourself from the project. I can't just turn off the passion.
Thanks for the heads-up. Funny how mean publishers can be. As an author I struggle to close the book after finishing it. It's not easy to distance yourself from the project. I can't just turn off the passion. Thanks for the advice about l…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-09-25:537324:Comment:3560362012-09-25T20:15:45.667ZJames Fouchehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JamesFouche
Thanks for the advice about literary agents. Don't know of any writer's conferences in SA, but I'll keep my eyes open just in case. Will have to wait it out, then submit some more to other agents. Whoever said writing was easy?
Thanks for the advice about literary agents. Don't know of any writer's conferences in SA, but I'll keep my eyes open just in case. Will have to wait it out, then submit some more to other agents. Whoever said writing was easy? I'm inherently suspicious any…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2012-09-25:537324:Comment:3559202012-09-25T16:58:27.500ZW.a. Warnerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/WaWarner
<p>I'm inherently suspicious anytime someone tries to sell me something, so I was resistant to overpriced writers conferences. However, at the urging of a close friend, I went to one. It was surprisingly easy to get agents to read a few pages. Agent responses were honest and critical. If they liked the writing, though, they requested additional pages or completed manuscripts. Just something to consider...</p>
<p>I'm inherently suspicious anytime someone tries to sell me something, so I was resistant to overpriced writers conferences. However, at the urging of a close friend, I went to one. It was surprisingly easy to get agents to read a few pages. Agent responses were honest and critical. If they liked the writing, though, they requested additional pages or completed manuscripts. Just something to consider...</p>