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Joined: 1/7/2012
Posts: 6
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Joined: 11/20/2011
Posts: 24
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The sods generally don't give one any input except to say one isn't a fit LOL
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Joined: 8/21/2011
Posts: 394
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Other than generic thanks, but no thanks form letters (often filled with typos and including one that was addressed to someone else!), the only personalized response I ever got from an agent (although it was in a rejection letter) was "interesting premise" - so at least I knew she had read the actual query letter and attached chapters. But that's been about it.
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Joined: 1/7/2012
Posts: 6
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I've queried 8 agents with "Leverage". Six of them never read or responded. Two read, asked for partials and then full manuscripts and both sent lengthy responses. One said the book was too noir for her lists and the other asked me to make a few changes and wanted to look at it again after I made them--that's were we are right now, but it's been about 2 months since I heard anything. What do you make of it? Maybe somebody could review Leverage for me and let me know what they think the hold up might be.
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Joined: 4/3/2011
Posts: 66
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Form letters but never anything saying what catches or does not catch the eyes of the agents.
Good luck George!
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Joined: 3/14/2011
Posts: 44
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The positive points I see repeated time and again are: solid writing (yes, even in a short query), novel hook (no pun intended), a clear story (who is this about, what choices do they make/have to make), and voice.
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Joined: 2/9/2012
Posts: 427
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Great thread idea! Considering some time has elapsed since this thread was active, did any of you guys have any luck, or got any great/constructive feedback?
- Nevena from BC
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Joined: 1/7/2012
Posts: 6
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I've had two near misses out of about 12 queries sent...in one, the agent said "great voice", "very strong characters", but their list was filled at the time. (I've since learned they had a client with a book coming out that was somewhat like mine, though the characters weren't as radical). The other was a split decision within the agency. Got a long letter back on that one, telling me the underlings wanted to run with it, but the boss man didn't think mine fit a market big enough to justify the infusion of time and cash. These kinds of things tell me two things: 1) the agents are selling to a data-set, much like a focus group tells politicians what the public will buy. Something diff? No go. 2) Maybe the more efficient way to go is the e-book self pub route. Since, in the end, word of mouth moves books, it would seem to me one should be able to generate enough in e-books to make the publishers take note based on no more than an investment return analysis model. It is, afterall, a business.
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Joined: 8/21/2011
Posts: 394
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I think 2 near misses out of 12 queries is a pretty good sign. You must be doing something right if you're getting lengthy, personalized responses. I wouldn't go the self-publishing route just yet. Query some more agents.
The more I read about agents and the fiction publishing business, the more I think it's basically a crap shoot. But, you're not placing any money down on each query letter you send out, so you really aren't losing anything by playing the game.
Good luck!
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Joined: 8/22/2012
Posts: 9
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There is a great sense of pleasure to be found when writing just for the joy of it. I have long given up any hope of enticing an agent to take even the slightest interest in anything I have to write.
Now I write for the sake of creating something that fills me with pleasure, of putting another book together and self-publishing - just because I can.
Is it any wonder that many good writers find themselves adopting this route, gaining some sense of satisfaction from seeing their work reach an audience, no matter how small.
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