Alive Communications

Judg · Jan 25, 2009

Is anybody represented by this agency? Man, they set the bar so high just to be allowed to query.

Alive Communications works primarily with established, successful career authors who write in a variety of genres. If you are an author who:

has at least one book commercially published (not self-published), and/or

are referred by an Alive Communications client or close contact,

Then you may submit a query letter that includes:

your brief author biography (including recent speaking engagements, media appearances, and publishing and sales histories of your books);

the name of the Alive Communications client or contact referring you, if applicable; and

a synopsis of the work for which you are seeking agency representation (including the target audience, and sales and marketing hooks).

The sample fiction proposal they give is about 7 pages long BEFORE it gets to the sample pages.

Again.

Norman D Gutter · Jan 26, 2009

Judg:

If I'm not mistaken, Alive Communications was the agency that first represented and sold the Left Behind series. Even though the authors eventually moved to another agency, since the contract had the phrase "all derivative works", Alive continued to get a cut of the books they didn't represent.

So, it would seem they are financially sound and are able to be very selective in the clients they pick and choose. Their agents attend Christian writers conferences, and will consider new manuscripts and new authors from those.

NDG

JustDave · Jan 26, 2009

Seems like most Christian Agents are like this. Like a bank loan where you have to not need the money to get a loan. If you were able to have all this, what would you need them for? Just hire a manager or publicist. Sounds like they want to ride the coat tails of your established career.

I find this appalling.

Deb Kinnard · Jan 26, 2009

I looked at this agency when I was agent-hunting. If I'm not mistaken, they're the ones who recommend you spend mega-$ on having your MS professionally edited before you waste their time.

No, thanks. Good stewardship demands my moolah be spent elsewhere. The agent I am with now did not assume I was clueless about novel-writing.

Judg · Jan 31, 2009

Deb, I didn't see any sign of that on their website. But if they did pull that one on me, I'd run in the other direction.

Right now, as far as I can tell, they don't even want me to ask...

Judg · Jan 31, 2009

Norman, I really don't think I want all the expense of a convention, just to perhaps have the right to query. If I were going to the convention anyway, it would be a different matter.

Anybody represented by Alive who would consider referring me?

Deb Kinnard · Feb 1, 2009

Judg said:
Deb, I didn't see any sign of that on their website.

I may have mixed Alive up with Steve Laube. I do recall snorting a couple of times when I first read this on whatever website...it's as though they assume everyone who queries them is doing so with their first attempt at putting story down on page.

If it was another, I stand corrected. I'm quite happy with the agent I have.

Judg · Feb 3, 2009

Who are you with, Deb?

ABekah · Mar 18, 2009

I really would like to know more about Alive Communications, too. I'm torn between being a "rules follower" who wouldn't dare query an agency that didn't want someone new, and a "bold challenger" who wants to query just to see what happens.

I'll resist for now, and stick to querying agents that are accepting new clients.

But then there's the word primarily in the opening statement that makes me wonder.

Roger J Carlson · Mar 18, 2009

ABekah said:
I really would like to know more about Alive Communications, too. I'm torn between being a "rules follower" who wouldn't dare query an agency that didn't want someone new, and a "bold challenger" who wants to query just to see what happens.

I'll resist for now, and stick to querying agents that are accepting new clients.

But then there's the word primarily in the opening statement that makes me wonder.

Other than an agent who is trying to "retire" out of the business, I can't imagine that an agency wouldn't want a new, salable client. I don't think it can hurt too much to query an agent even if they aren't currently looking for new clients. At worst they'll ignore you or say no, and you'll be in no worse position than you are now.

Juneluv12 · Mar 18, 2009

Abekah,
I feel your dilemma. I also feel very frustrated that a lot of the "Christian" agencies are shunners to the non-published or non-conferenced of us out there! To me that's not a very Christian thing to do!

So, I took Roger's advice and decided to break the rules. I just queried Beth Justino with my Christian YA. I'll keep you guys posted!!

Judg · Mar 18, 2009

June, do keep us posted.

On the other hand, Christian publishers seem to be quite open to queries. Maybe that's the way to go. But I'll try a number of agents first.

Deb Kinnard · Mar 21, 2009

I'm with Tamela Murray of Hartline. We're getting along very, very well, and at no time did she ask me for a list of my prior speaking engagements or my sales figures.

The latter looks sort of hinky to me, anyway. My income is my own business, and yeah, once we're agent-and-client, I may share these data with you...but not to a stranger. No. Uh-uh.

Robin Bayne · Mar 22, 2009

Deb Kinnard said:
I'm with Tamela Murray of Hartline. We're getting along very, very well, and at no time did she ask me for a list of my prior speaking engagements or my sales figures.

The latter looks sort of hinky to me, anyway. My income is my own business, and yeah, once we're agent-and-client, I may share these data with you...but not to a stranger. No. Uh-uh.

Ditto for me.

Judg · Mar 22, 2009

Well, to be fair, they were asking for sales histories, not income.

In any event, I haven't sold anything, so that part's easy. ;o)

Deb Kinnard · Mar 25, 2009

If, in asking for sales histories, they were not de facto asking about income...what WERE they asking for? Prior novels sold? That's easy, and in fact should go into a query letter. If this is a "not applicable" item, I'd try to put something in there anyway about how many contests my work has won, how many articles I've sold, anything that qualifies as a publishing history.

Failing that, I'd talk about how I'm qualified to write this particular book - research, credentials, etc.

Now, if I did have prior novels published, and they were asking HOW those novels sold...it's not calculus for them to figure out what I've made. That's mine to me, for the time being, until we've signed an agreement to do business together.

ABekah · Mar 27, 2009

I went ahead and queried them.

Deb Kinnard · Mar 27, 2009

Good for you! Let us know how it goes, eh?

Judg · Mar 27, 2009

ABekah, did you have a referral or prior publications? Or did you just query them anyway?

ABekah · Mar 30, 2009

I just queried them cold. I am typically very diligent about following instructions, but sometimes I just feel like chewing gum in class.

Juneluv12 · Mar 30, 2009

I was also a bad girl and queried. The night I queried I got a reply that said: Out of office Reply, and then the folllowing:

Dear Author,

Thank you for your interest in Alive Communications. We have received your submission and will forward it to an agent for review, if it meets our current needs. Regretfully, we are unable to respond to the rising volume of unsolicited proposals due to limited staffing resources. While we would love to personally answer each submission, we must, unfortunately, limit our responses to those who are referred from a current Alive client and established writers who have successfully published books.

Our recommendation to unpublished authors wondering where to start is to network with publishing professionals by making contacts, joining critique groups, and attending writers' conferences in order to make personal connections in publishing and to get feedback for your work.

I don't know if this is the filter they use, or if I'll hear anything else. We'll see!!

Deb Kinnard · Apr 1, 2009

Juneluv12 said:
...Our recommendation to unpublished authors wondering where to start is to network with publishing professionals by making contacts, joining critique groups, and attending writers' conferences in order to make personal connections in publishing and to get feedback for your work[/I].

Interestingly, they give no hints on what to do if you've already done all these things and you remain unpubbed... :Shrug:

I hope you hear something one way or the other about your project.

ABekah · Apr 7, 2009

I just got back from a little vacation and saw the Alive rejection slip in the email box. 'Twas expected, but at least I tried.

Deb Kinnard · Apr 11, 2009

ABekah, at least you heard from them promptly. Go forth now & conquer your remaining agent list! And blessings on your efforts.

Juneluv12 · Apr 18, 2009

Sorry on the rejection, Abekah.

Hmm, I've had nothing back from them, and I queried before you. I wonder if that means anything? Eh, I'm probably reading too much into it. I may go ahead and query them with my Christian adult novel just for kicks to see how it goes!!!

Alive Communications

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon

Norman D Gutter

Engineer Sonneteer

JustDave

Deb Kinnard

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon

Deb Kinnard

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon

ABekah

Roger J Carlson

Moderator In Name Only

Juneluv12

Steel Magnolia & Snarky Pants

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon

Deb Kinnard

Robin Bayne

~writes for Him~

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon

Deb Kinnard

ABekah

Deb Kinnard

Judg

DISENCHANTED coming soon

ABekah

Juneluv12

Steel Magnolia & Snarky Pants

Deb Kinnard

ABekah

Deb Kinnard

Juneluv12

Steel Magnolia & Snarky Pants