literary agent

What Does Agenting/Publishing Look Like During Covid-19?

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Agents are definitely still taking on clients right now! This is a crazy, strange time we’re living in, but agents are carrying on business as (almost) usual. Of course, some agents are closed to queries right now. Check agency websites as well as agents’ social media to be sure they’re still open to submissions. Many – including me! – are. Keep in mind that many agents are adjusting to this new time, so response times may be slower than before, but we’re doing the best we can!

On the publishing side of things, a lot of editors have emailed to assure me and other agents that things are carrying on the same as before. Acquisitions meetings are being held over video chat, but that’s the only difference. Many editors and publishing houses are eager to continue buying books. The reason for this is likely because of how far ahead publishing looks. If they don’t buy books now, then they won’t have new releases in 2022/2023, which would cause a domino effect of issues. 

I will say that some smaller publishers (and even some of the bigger ones!) are slowing down, furloughing or letting go employees, reducing advances, and doing other things to adapt to the current climate. However, as I mentioned, the books acquired now are going to come out two to three years from now. If publishers don’t acquire, then they’re setting up for issues down the road. They’re doing their best to keep the acquisitions going, and making the necessary adjustments as they go. 

This post was recommended by @bethfehlbaum. Thank you for the recommendation, and keep sending suggestions on Twitter!

xoxo Tia

If you like what I talk about on my blog, consider buying me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tiarosemele

Negotiating Manuscript Changes

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When it comes to changes to your manuscript, it’s ultimately your decision to make them or not. I’m a very editorial agent, so I’m going to make extensive recommendations. I usually do this when I offer representation so the author knows what my expectations are for a revision.

However, revisions are a conversation. If an agent says that x needs to be changed but you think that would hurt the integrity of your story, you can explain why. We’ll try to work with you to enhance that point so you can keep it in. I’m always open to discussing potential revisions. 

I think the only real red flags agents will have are racist/sexist/offensive issues. If there is something that needs to be changed because it will alienate or offend a group of people, I expect that change to be made, and I won’t budge on it. Of course, getting sensitivity reads is important, and any recommendations they make have to be followed as well.

Other than that, agents know that the book is yours. We don’t want to change your vision for the book, but we want to make it the best book it can be. If you don’t like an agent’s editorial vision, then they likely aren’t the right agent for you. That’s why it’s important to talk about revisions before you sign with an agent!

This post was recommended by @leslie_goodreid. Thanks for the recommendation, and please keep sending me blog post ideas on Twitter!

xoxo Tia

If you like what I talk about on my blog, consider buying me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tiarosemele

Is A Non-Form Rejection Better Than a Form Rejection?

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I wouldn’t say one is better than the other, but I think one can be more helpful. A rejection that is personalized with feedback will give you something to consider as you continue to revise and tune your project. Of course, take that feedback with a grain of salt, because it might be personal to the agent. This means that what the agent said might not be an inherent flaw in the manuscript, but just something they personally didn’t like. Agenting is extremely subjective, so that is something to always consider when looking at feedback in a rejection.

That being said, a form rejection isn’t a knock on your writing. Remember that agents are (in general) not paid for reading and responding to queries. We’re doing this on our own time in hopes that we find projects we can sell and earn money in the future. Some of us can’t spend the time to give personal feedback on every single query we receive. It would take up hours of our time that we can’t afford to give up without pay. I know form rejections can be discouraging, but sometimes they are necessary from our side. We don’t like using form rejections, but we have to in order to keep focus on our clients and working to build ourselves as agents.

This post was recommended by @chaddurling. Thank you for the recommendation and keep suggesting blog ideas on Twitter!

xoxo Tia

If you like what I talk about on my blog, consider buying me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tiarosemele

Query Resubmissions

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After submitting your query and getting a few rounds of rejections, you may revise your work. It’s probably tempting to resubmit that query to agents who saw it and passed on it.

My immediate recommendation: don’t.

Some agents are fine with resubmissions. I’ll take a second look at a query and sample I have already passed on. A few times, I have read full manuscripts after I have rejected a query/manuscript in the past. I have never signed a resubmission. 

The thing is, if I pass, it’s because I don’t think it’s something I can work with. I often pass because I’m not interested in the subject or because the voice isn’t working for me. The first issue is impossible to fix – if I’m not interested in the plot/subject/etc., a revision isn’t going to change that. The second isn’t impossible, but it’s difficult. An author’s voice is their voice, and sometimes I just don’t connect with it. That doesn’t mean there’s anything inherently wrong with the writing. The project just isn’t right for me.

There are many instances where I think a project is interesting and I like the voice, but there are fixable issues that mean I’m not ready to sign but am willing to see the project again. In these cases, I specify in my rejection that I’m happy to take another look upon extensive revisions.

My reason for saying not to resubmit (unless an agent asked to see it again!) is because there are tons more agents you can query who haven’t already passed. These agents don’t have the initial wariness while reading, because they’ve never seen the project before.

If you do resubmit, you have to tell an agent that it’s a resubmission. This is going to make me immediately hesitant, because I know I’ve already passed on the project. Again, you don’t get this hesitation with agents who have never rejected the project.

Also keep in mind that, if you are resubmitting, the revisions have to be beyond extensive. The project has to be vastly improved. I recommend taking at least a full year before you consider resubmitting. You should set the manuscript aside for a few months and then look at it with fresh eyes. I also recommend writing groups and critique partners to help with revisions. 

You should definitely check and see if an agent even accepts resubmissions. Many do not. I do, and I always consider the projects that are resent, but I go into them thinking that there was a reason I passed in the first place, and it is unlikely that reason has changed. 

I’m not saying you absolutely can’t resubmit. Err on the side of caution. Keep in mind you might be starting from a hard place because the agent has already passed before, and you might have a better chance with an agent who has never seen the project before. 

I realize this sounds very negative, but I promise I’m not meaning it to be! For every agent who passed, there are plenty more who haven’t. Your post-revision list should include these agents. It may make a huge difference!

Xoxo Tia

This blog post was requested by @SincerelySincl1! Thanks for the recommendation. Feel free to hit me up on Twitter with blog recommendations!

If you like what I talk about on my blog, consider buying me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tiarosemele

My Submission Process

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So, you’re looking for an agent. You know that an agent helps you to get your book in the hands of editors, but what does that process look like?

Different agents handle submissions differently, but this is my process.

After I sign a client, we usually do at least one round of revisions on the book. While my author is revising, I’m looking through my list of editorial contacts and creating a sub list. I’ll also be looking at Publisher’s Marketplace to see if any new deals have similar themes to my client’s book. If I’m not already in touch with those editors, I’ll make the connection so that I can sub to them in the future.

I try to add about thirty editors to a sub list before we go out on submission with a project. I’m not sending the book to every single one of these editors in the first round! I usually break them up into tiers of ten editors. Some agents send to fewer editors, some send to more. For me, ten is a good, even number that makes me happy. I also think ten is a strong number for feedback, which I talk about later.

Once revisions are done and we’re both satisfied with the book, I’ll write a pitch letter. I usually share the pitch with my client as well as another agent at my agency to get feedback before I start sending it to editors. I want to make sure it’s strong, and that I’m representing the author and their book well!

The pitch letter then goes out to the first tier editors. Sometimes, I’ll get a response almost immediately from an editor either passing or requesting to see the manuscript. To the passes, I thank them and usually ask for an updated MSWL if I haven’t spoken with them in a while. To the requests, I send along the manuscript with a quick thank you.

On pitches, I follow up with editors who haven’t responded every two weeks. If the editor requested the manuscript, I’ll follow up every six weeks. 

Now, the hope is always that one of these first ten editors will take the book to acquisitions, get permission to buy the book, and the process of selling the book will begin. That doesn’t always happen. As editors pass, they often give feedback as to why they decided to pass. If the feedback is actionable, I’ll talk with my author about doing another revision. As mentioned, my ten editor tiers are set up in the hopes that if the book doesn’t sell to one of them, we’ll get some actionable feedback before we move on to the next tier. If the passes are all “this just isn’t right for me,” then we’ll keep submitting to editors until we find the perfect home.

What if the book has gone out to a ton of editors and they’re all passes? Well, as soon as we go on sub, I encourage my authors to start working on their next book. If the book I signed them on isn’t selling, we’ll go on sub with another and keep our fingers crossed that it sells. I don’t sign books I don’t believe in, and I of course want to sell the book I signed my authors on, but sometimes it takes time and other books to get there. 

As I said, agents have their own processes. I’m sure I’ll continue to tweak it as I learn and sell my clients’ works, but for now, it’s a process that works best for me!

xoxo Tia

If you like what I talk about on my blog, consider buying me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tiarosemele