Literary marketplace question...

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  • Literary marketplace question...

    does this book give some type of guidance as to which literary agents are reputable? I'm wondering what good a list of book agents would do me as I have no idea which are wortwhile etc, other than the ones in NY/LA. thank you for any advice or guidance...

    theturnaround

  • #2
    Iassume when you say "literary agents" you mean ones who handle fiction and nonfiction, as opposed to screenwriters' agents. In that case, Jeff Herman's Writers' Guide is excellent and very accurate. Check it out here: www.amazon.com/exec/obido...81-1977763

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    • #3
      Jake-

      Thanks - that's very much what I'm talking about and looking into... I've been hip pocketed with a management group, and they want to look at my book, but I was thinking about looking into the literary (novels) agent side of things, and I didn't know if this book would differentiate between the various agents or if I would have to do some detective work outside of the reference material therein. I have a good idea which screenwriting outfits are good, but I have no idea when it comes to books, and it seems like a pretty big undertaking.

      thanks again for your help and any further insight you might have.

      theturnaround

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      • #4
        Some years ago I was in the process of dealing with a reputable NY publisher in bringing out my sixth novel. A few days earlier I happened upon an edition of Herman's book at a Barnes & Noble. I looked up my editor, then told her what the book said. She was amazed at how accurate it was.

        Older editions always had full-page interviews with a lot of reputable agents, telling their preferences, their dislikes, how best to contact them. It always also listed what their most recent sales were. Pretty valuable stuff.

        One question, though. Why would you want a manager for your fiction? An agent is sufficient.

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        • #5
          Jake-

          thanks for the heads up... I'm not sure if the manager has the savvy on the book side of things or not... I would prefer an agent, but at this point, I'm really trying to find the ideal advocate for the material...

          I'm going to ask this question somewhere else, but you might know the answer... A book I very much enjoyed, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggerinng Genius, sold the movie rights. The agent for the book ended up taking the writer to court to get her percentage of the movie rights... Is that how it works? For someone with a manager and a lit agent, you'd end up paying both on the movie rights? It's not like the lit agent is working too hard on that sale...

          thanks again,

          theturnaround

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          • #6
            Typically, your lit agent is associated with a film rights agent in H'wood. When I first started out in London, I had both in the same town, and once a film deal was pending (and eventually, of course, fell through) my lit agent had zero to do with it.

            My current lit agent in NY is associated with AMG/The Firm, though now that I'm managed (strictly for film work), I would have to decide how best to juggle this. My lit agent takes 15% from me, with an additional 5% on film rights. Though he has a number of clients with some solid film rights sales, he knows virtually nothing about the movie business. Which is why, should I publish another book, I'd probably put everything in the hands of my manager and settle on a percentage with my lit agent.

            The legality issue is one that's probably addressed in the contract you signed with your manager. He or she is in your pocket with any earnings from the entertainment business. As one usually doesn't sign a contract with a lit agent, it's understood from the outset that he or she takes so much on the various subsidiary rights sales (i.e. foreign rights, film adaptations, etc.). It's something you need to make sure both you and your agent have defined very clearly before you proceed. This is usually covered in the letter the agent will send offering to rep you.

            I think in Eggers' case (and this is only conjecture), he went off and negotiated the film sale on his own. When his agent got wind of it she went berserk (and rightly so) and asked for her 5%. The fact that she had nothing at all to do with the film rights sale doesn't cut her out of the loop. Because without her selling the book rights in the first place, there would have been no book.

            As regards paying a manager and a lit agent both for a book sale, I'm still not clear as to why you'd hire a (I assume) West-Coast manager for what's essentially an East-Coast business. Publishing is based in NYC; film in LA. Getting a book placed through an agent is a considerably easier task than getting a spec sold in H'wood. Ideally, your lit agent sends out four or five copies of the typescript to editors he knows, and eventually, if you've written something good and original, someone comes in with an offer. If it's a nice buzzy offer, there could be an auction; otherwise, you either take it or leave it.

            My manager has absolutely zip to do with my lit agent; it's two different businesses for me.

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            • #7
              Jake -

              great insight... I started out on the script side of writing, placed in some contests, and rather than market myself, I've just been churning out more material. As I have a couple LA managers in contact with me, and I know nothing about literary agents, it's just a more immediate avenue. BUT i wrote this book that a friend of mine, a magazine editor, loves, so I feel ready to pursue a lit agent. I'm just new to the process and figuring it out.

              You've been most helpful...

              theturnaround

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              • #8
                Sounds like you're involved with some interesting projects. Is the editor friend affiliated with a name publication? If so (or even if not), ask him if he could suggest an agent for you to contact.

                I think what's key for you to do is to keep both sides of your work separate. Let the managers see the scripts and let the agents see the typescript. Obviously, it's important to let both know that you're work encompasses more than they see.

                When I was querying managers and agents, one thing the manager who signed me said was the fact that I'd published a number of novels with reputable houses was a strong indication that I was a serious and hard-working writer. In a way, it established my credentials, even though in the past I'd had film representation abroad and good reactions from producers, though no sales. The follow-through from this is that when my manager and his development exec give me notes, they get a rewrite fairly quickly. And I'm able to write a--I hope--coherent and solid twenty-page treatment for them to okay before I turn it into script.

                I'm curious which managers you're dealing with at the moment. If you want to discuss any of this further, why not PM me through my profile.

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                • #9
                  Jake -

                  Your PM function is disabled... Please feel free to PM me or turn the function on and I'll drop you a line.

                  theturnaround

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                  • #10
                    I'm not actually able to find where I turn the PM function on. Any clues?

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                    • #11
                      Jeff Herman

                      I recommend Jeff Herman's book, "Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents, 2003-2004: Who They Are! What They Want! and How to Win Them over."

                      The LMP (literary market place) is a yellow pages. Anybody and everybody is listed and you have no way of knowing who is reputable.

                      Jeff Herman is an agent himself, and his book is "invitation only." Fly-by-nights won't be in there.

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                      • #12
                        JakeSchuster

                        To turn on the PM feature:

                        First login, the go to account prefrence. Under the section of Privacy & Security, select "accept private messages. Then save changes. This will allow you to receive private messages.

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                        • #13
                          Re: JakeSchuster

                          Jake-
                          Scryptonite has it right, I just thought I'd give you a little extra guidance if you needed it...
                          1. Make sure you're signed in.
                          2. go to your control center, upper left hand side of the main message board page. [pub130.ezboard.com/bdonedeal]
                          3. then go to account preferences (under your name, upper middle left again)
                          4. then go to privacy and security (toward the bottom of the page)
                          5. put a check mark in the PM box, then make sure to SAVE changes at the bottom.

                          that should work for you.
                          theturnaround

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                          • #14
                            Re: JakeSchuster

                            Thanks, guys, I'm all set. Turnaround, why not send me your list of managers and I'll let you know what I know of them. (Why my PM was turned off is beyond me, by the way. It used to be on.

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