tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001434439078518468.post5178568552760926655..comments2024-01-08T13:43:58.220-05:00Comments on Brillig: Why?The Brillig Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07886394602447693115noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001434439078518468.post-63537474908555749552010-08-17T23:33:07.789-04:002010-08-17T23:33:07.789-04:00Kudos to you for expressing such a courteous and o...Kudos to you for expressing such a courteous and open-minded response to what have certainly been some extremely frank and negative comments on Dean's blog (many of them made by me) on the subject of literary agents and agenting. I hope that I would be as gracious if a literary agent commented about what made him quit working with novelists, as I comment about what made me quit working with literary agents. (Mostly likely, I'd just look the other way and say, "He couldn't possibly be talking about ME." (wg)) I hope you and Dean do indeed find an appropriate forum at some point for a dialogue.Laura Resnickhttp://www.LauraResnick.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001434439078518468.post-69619908196793957812010-08-16T11:42:17.686-04:002010-08-16T11:42:17.686-04:00"Would the world be better if we all did our ..."Would the world be better if we all did our own appliance repairs, hemming, and taxes? Of course not."<br /><br />For the record, YES the world would be better. Sure, some handymen and H&R Block guys would be out of a job, but I believe in self-reliance. <br /><br />That said, I can definitely see the value in a good lit agent to act as guide in the shadowy, twisted world of publishing. Both Dean's ideas and yours are very much appreciated. Thank the internet for opening a lot of these issues up to the light of day.Scott Bairdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02975290873686060155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001434439078518468.post-83597186031203611262010-08-16T10:13:25.847-04:002010-08-16T10:13:25.847-04:00As an author who has worked with agents for 25 yea...As an author who has worked with agents for 25 years, I have my own take on this. <br /><br />It's true that some agents might not make great partners for you, but with that nod to Dean, the truth is that a good agent doesn't just bring his own literary expertise and contract-negotiating skills to the table. He or she also comes along with a network of relationships to editors, foreign agents, book buyers, movie producers, and other authors who might champion your work, and so on. That network of relationships in itself is probably worth your agent's commission. <br /><br />Certainly, both of my agents (Virginia Kidd and Russell Galen) have earned far more than they cost me in agenting fees, and that's the bottom line.<br /><br />So if you're a new author, I'd highly recommend that you buck the trend of going agent-less. Instead, look for a competent agent who shares your literary tastes and consider making that person a partner in your business, treating them with the respect and grace that a partner deserves.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13316027636077784971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001434439078518468.post-91816316443091920012010-08-15T20:55:28.902-04:002010-08-15T20:55:28.902-04:00Oh duh. I wondered why your name was familiar. You...Oh duh. I wondered why your name was familiar. You're the agent for 2 of my friends--Tobias Buckell and Jim Hines.Mark Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09410424046477699059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001434439078518468.post-25858565191159815542010-08-15T20:45:51.640-04:002010-08-15T20:45:51.640-04:00I've read Dean's posts with a great deal o...I've read Dean's posts with a great deal of interest--and skepticism. Why not? He's telling us to look at all of publishing dogma with skepticism and I think we should apply that to his statements as well. I'm a multi-published novelist, author, and freelance writing--and my agent often drives me crazy and it may be time to move on. But go without one? Well, let's put it this way. As an experiment, after reading one of Dean's posts on going it alone, I sent out polite, professional query letters to several well-respected editors and queried them. I provided my publication history, several good reviews and blurbs from bestselling name-brand authors and waited to see what kind of response I would get.<br /><br />What I got: none.<br /><br />Zip.<br />Zero.<br />Nada.<br /><br />In the past I've at least interacted with big 6 editors who at least would respond with "we do not respond to unagented queries." I thought I might get at least that, but didn't. And I do have a track record. That isn't to say that I couldn't have tried another 100 queries to editors on my own, but the fact is, one of the key functions of my agent is to open doors that are otherwise apparently closed to me.<br /><br />Sure, I stay educated on the market. Suggest editors and publishing houses. I read every word of my contracts and ask questions and even read the copies to make sure no changes have been made inadvertently. But really, my time is better spent being the writer, not the agent.Mark Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09410424046477699059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001434439078518468.post-16876172601649821242010-08-15T05:19:28.264-04:002010-08-15T05:19:28.264-04:00I see Dean's posts as on the slightly extreme ...I see Dean's posts as on the slightly extreme side as a way to wake up unthinking writers. I agree with everything you say in this post and also with everything he says in the Sacred Cows posts.<br /><br />Having run my own business for years, I plan on taking full control of my writing career and if and when I need an agent I'll be following his advice as well as yours.<br /><br />After all, the more one knows the better "armed" one is...Alex F. Faylehttp://alexffayle.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001434439078518468.post-40764498389006471292010-08-15T04:26:08.757-04:002010-08-15T04:26:08.757-04:00Mr. Bilmes,
My compliments on your having supplie...Mr. Bilmes,<br /><br />My compliments on your having supplied an urbane rejoinder to Dean Smith's posts on agents. I've been rather outspoken in Dean's comments, and am a Dean Smith enthusiast, mostly because Dean gives voice to much of what I've been feeling and thinking for years, even before Killing The Sacred Cows debuted.<br /><br />I'm a recently professionally-sold short fiction writer, and while the business of peddling and selling short fiction is rather straightforward, peddling books is another matter entirely. Mostly because, for as long as I've been working at selling my fiction, there have been so many question marks about the agent issue.<br /><br />How to find an agent? How to know if that agent is any good? What to do if the agent wants re-writes? What to do if the agent won't send the book to more than a small handful of houses? How to know if the agent is handling the money properly? And so on, and so forth.<br /><br />Because most novels sold these days pass along the avenue of agent-to-editor, almost nobody who is trying to sell novels (especially down at entry level) can afford to not ask these questions.<br /><br />Your name is spoken of rather highly in the Utah science fiction writing community, especially since Brandon Sanderson has been gaining publicity, having taken over the (late) Robert Jordan's famous Wheel of Time series. I've therefore got your name on my very short, short list of possible agents I'd be interested in. Precisely because there seems to be no viable filter method, other than word of mouth. And your name comes up too often in conversation in my local circle, as being one of the rare "good guys," not to put you on the list.<br /><br />Problem remains, however: what does a new author offer to attract the services of Bilmes and Co? Moreover, what do Bilmes and Co. offer to attract new authors?<br /><br />Because I've more or less decided that it's better to work without an agent, and do the hard chore of learning the business myself, than have to struggle with a middle-of-the-road or poor agent. And the stories of middling and poor agents are too numerous and too frightening to assume they will only ever happen to someone else.<br /><br />I'm not a huge fan of changing my own oil, to use your metaphor, but I'm also not the kind of guy who can blissfully assume someone else is going to just take care of me all the time, either. When I bought my house, the closing took hours because I parsed the documentation and asked loads of questions -- because I was dealing with years of commitment and hundreds of thousands of dollars, and I was doing it with more or less total strangers.<br /><br />Sort of like book deals.<br /><br />Anyway, this reply is too long and my time is too short. Again, thanks for giving us a thoughtful reply to Dean's posts. Brandon thinks you're quite good, and he's not alone. It's just too bad every author in my shoes can't have a clone of you to help us work the novel biz.Brad R. Torgersenhttp://home.comcast.net/~brad.r.torgersen/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001434439078518468.post-9117546957035242722010-08-14T15:50:48.230-04:002010-08-14T15:50:48.230-04:00Thanks, Joshua. I love Dean's advice simply be...Thanks, Joshua. I love Dean's advice simply because he's not afraid of making enemies simply by having opinions, and, true, the value of advice varies depending upon one's place in the orbit.<br /><br />I'd like to see more agents taking leadership in digital matters--especially in the era of self-publishing when an agent can be more of a liability than an aid. Progressive agents will be a great help, but all those "bad ones" are going to help kill some careers.<br /><br />I know writers who are signing for ebook royalties of between 4 and 10 percent--and these are people with agents. Or maybe that should be "agents." I appreciate your comments.<br /><br />Scott Nicholson<br />http://www.hauntedcomputer.comAuthor Scott Nicholsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09778999586794284457noreply@blogger.com