Hands-On Agents

[Lindzy1954]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice. I am currently querying my first YA novel ARRIVED. It seems that so many agents sign many of their authors through referrals rather than the dreaded slush pile, though that's obviously where my work ends up. Does anyone have any suggestions for agents that they have queried (or that they signed with) that gave feedback or connected with you on a more personal level? I realize that agents don't have the time to do this with every author and that this varies by project, but if you had a good experience (even if it ultimately ended in rejection), I would love to hear about it. Thanks in advance!

[suki]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice. I am an unpublished author who is querying my first YA novel ARRIVED currently. I'm looking to query agents who have a history of championing first-time authors. It seems that so many agents sign most of their authors through referrals rather than the dreaded slush pile, though that's obviously where my work ends up. Does anyone have any suggestions for agents that they have queried (or that they signed with) that either gave excellent feedback (or any feedback for that matter) or is known to request revisions if they like the concept? Thanks for any advice!

No specific advice, but I will say that I don't agree with the bolded language. I know too many authors plucked by their agents from the query pile with no referral or previous contact (in fact, the majority of agented authors I know).

Also, I think very few agents have any generalized tendencies to offer specific comments or request revisions in general. Most only do that when they connect with the specific project, not as a more often than others in general, policy. IME, newer agents, with more time and more hunger for projects might offer more revsions & resubmits, but that's across the board pretty much. Few experienced agents with full or near full lists will have that kind of time. So, maybe newer agents may be a good target - but then you are actively targetting less experienced agents.

And, even folks who offer up names, it's going to be hard to know if those agents are more likely to offer specific comments in general, or just connected more with that person's specific project.

Focus on agents who might connect with your project, ie, their tastes and how full their list is.

What concerns me about the question is that it seems to imply that you doubt that your project is really ready, if you are looking to target agents more likely to offer revision notes. if you doubt the project is ready, take the time to get it ready. That's my advice. :)

~suki

[Lindzy1954]

Suki -

Thanks for the advice, but I think perhaps I didn't make my intentions clear enough. I am comfortable with submitting my work and am not looking to target less experienced agents, but really am looking to submit to agents who are empathetic to the writing experience. For example, a few agents I have queried are also writers themselves and I honestly feel that they have a different approach to their job as an agent because of that. We all know that more often than not, agents need to use form rejections to save time. I completely understand this and certainly do not fault them. However, occasionally an agent comes along that manages to deviate and either offer up personalized feedback or connect with the writer on a more personal level. Really, I'm just hoping that others have had some good experiences with agents (even if it was ultimately a rejection they received) that they might pass on to those of us who are still in the purgatory of querying.

[kaitlin008]

Also, I think very few agents have any generalized tendencies to offer specific comments or request revisions in general. Most only do that when they connect with the specific project, not as a more often than others in general, policy. IME, newer agents, with more time and more hunger for projects might offer more revsions & resubmits, but that's across the board pretty much. Few experienced agents with full or near full lists will have that kind of time. So, maybe newer agents may be a good target - but then you are actively targetting less experienced agents.

And, even folks who offer up names, it's going to be hard to know if those agents are more likely to offer specific comments in general, or just connected more with that person's specific project.

Focus on agents who might connect with your project, ie, their tastes and how full their list is.


I agree with this.

It's best to just query the agents who seem best suited to your project, like Suki said, and hopefully your results will be good!

[escritora]

For example, a few agents I have queried are also writers themselves and I honestly feel that they have a different approach to their job as an agent because of that.

I let go of my agent this past month. The agent is also a writer. There are no absolutes. I'm sure you know that, but I'm throwing it out there.

[Lindzy1954]

Thanks guys, I think I'm targeting them correctly but we'll see. YA is such a wide genre and my book could be considered both paranormal or thriller/suspense so it's tricky to query it.

[Lindzy1954]

I let go of my agent this past month. The agent is also a writer. There are no absolutes. I'm sure you know that, but I'm throwing it out there.


So sorry to hear that. You are absolutely correct, just because an agent is a writer will certainly not make them good agent material. You are fortunate though, you found an agent the first time and I am sure that you will be able to find one that will better represent your book this time - good luck.

[Shady Lane]

So sorry to hear that. You are absolutely correct, just because an agent is a writer will certainly not make them good agent material. You are fortunate though, you found an agent the first time and I am sure that you will be able to find one that will better represent your book this time - good luck.


Yeah, my first agent was a writer, and we didn't work out. Honestly? As a general rule, I'm more comfortable with an agent who isn't a writer. Writing's my job--selling my writing is theirs.

[Lindzy1954]

Yeah, my first agent was a writer, and we didn't work out. Honestly? As a general rule, I'm more comfortable with an agent who isn't a writer. Writing's my job--selling my writing is theirs.

AAAAHHH! I had no idea so many of us on this board had bad writer/agent experiences. Well, this answers my question. Clearly, I need to simply query the agents who seem like a good fit for my material and suck it up when I get a form response. Who knows, this whole process seems just excruciating to me right now.

[Shady Lane]

You're gonna be awesome. Trust me.

(I will tell you that my current agent, Suzie Townsend, does sometimes give feedback on fulls she reads, even if she rejects them.)

[Sage]

I agree with everyone here, but here are some agents who have given me detailed feedback (on fulls or partials, except for one) while passing on my mss.

Suzie Townsend
Diana Fox
Rosemary Stimola
Mandy Hubbard

Colleen Lindsay told me why she was rejecting a query and said I could requery her if I fixed the issue. I know one other person she's done the same thing for, but I've also been form rejected by her.

[Lindzy1954]

you guys are awesome. I did get some valuable feedback from Lina Sion (Global Literary). Though she rejected me, she gave me two lines of helpful advice about the book - she has no idea how much it helped me.

[Rachel]

I've got to recommend my fab agent, here. I've only heard wonderful things about her. I believe she works through snail mail but it is worth it. Natalie Fischer of Sandra Dijkstra.

[bobcat22]

you guys are awesome. I did get some valuable feedback from Lina Sion (Global Literary). Though she rejected me, she gave me two lines of helpful advice about the book - she has no idea how much it helped me.

Awww...Lindzy, I'm sorry she rejected you! But that's good she gave you helpful advice! I'll keep my fingers crossed that you find the perfect match. :)

[Lindzy1954]

Awww...Lindzy, I'm sorry she rejected you! But that's good she gave you helpful advice! I'll keep my fingers crossed that you find the perfect match. :)

Thanks Rachele - I was super bummed when I got that rejection but her e-mail hit the nail on the head in terms of what I need to fix. I have been working on it since then. I would have loved the chance to work with her but am grateful to have at least gotten such great feedback.

[Lindzy1954]

I've got to recommend my fab agent, here. I've only heard wonderful things about her. I believe she works through snail mail but it is worth it. Natalie Fischer of Sandra Dijkstra.


Hey Rachel, you are the second person in the past few weeks that has mentioned Natalie - she must be amazing. I will definitely put her on my list to query, thanks for the heads-up!

[downtherabbithole]

I ended up signing with someone else, but Emily Gref at Serendipity Literary Agency gave me a critique as they rejected my MS. I don't know if it is standard, though, as they had specially requested my novel.

[inkspatters]

Seconding Natalie Fischer.

[Blind Writer]

Yeah, my first agent was a writer, and we didn't work out. Honestly? As a general rule, I'm more comfortable with an agent who isn't a writer. Writing's my job--selling my writing is theirs.

Dude, Hannah, don't say that! I'm aspirting to be an agent/writer.

Mandy Hubbard is an agent/writer and I'm told she is amazing.

Also, I was a complete slushpile author. My agent, Joanna Stampfel-Volpe, is super hands on and I know she gets A LOT from slush. Plus, I <3 her. She's awesome.

[downtherabbithole]

Oh, I'm thirding the slush pile? I was a total slush pile as well and got agented after querying this novel for less than 3 months. It doesn't always depend on who you know. It's about how good your book is and whether or not is has commercial appeal.

[inkspatters]

Dude, Hannah, don't say that! I'm aspirting to be an agent/writer.

Mandy Hubbard is an agent/writer and I'm told she is amazing.


*is also aspiring to be an agent/writer* Hopefully I don't do a bad job of it.

Also, d'oh, how could I forget to mention Mandy? She didn't quite give me critiques on my full -- she liked it, it was one of those annoying just-not-in-love rejections -- but she did take the time to say what she liked about the project and offer to refer me to her editor at Flux.

[Shady Lane]

there's nothing *wrong* with agents who are also writers, they just...don't tend to be my cup of tea. i don't know. creative people annoy me, lol. i feel like i have fifteen writers living in my head already. i don't need one working for me!

[Shady Lane]

While I was querying, I also got fantastic feedback from Michelle Andelman.

[Danthia]

Take into consideration that a lot of agents blog these days, and they offer advice all the time to authors who are querying them. It's not "on your manuscript" advice, but it's time they're taking to help writers.

[Lindzy1954]

Wow, I never expected to get so much amazing feedback on this. Thanks so much guys - I wrote down the names of everyone you suggested and will start researching them asap. Hey Shady Lane - BREAK looks awesome. Just read the info on it. Congrats! Just for everyone else's benefit, I have also had a wonderful experience with Jessica Sinsheimer from the Sarah Jane Freymann agency and Roger Wiliams from Publish or Perish Agency. Both are relatively new on the scene but have some pretty stellar qualities from what I can tell. Jessica is young, bright and very responsive while Roger has been in publishing for years, though on the sales side. I did an interview with him on my blog and found him to be very polite and professional.

[Shady Lane]

thanks, darlin!

[aoliver]

I got some nice feedback on a RJ from Emily Greff.

[Casper]

Hi everyone,

It seems that so many agents sign many of their authors through referrals rather than the dreaded slush pile, though that's obviously where my work ends up. Does anyone have any suggestions for agents that they have queried (or that they signed with) that gave feedback or connected with you on a more personal level?

Don't dread the slushpile! It worked for me :)

I've never had any feedback on a rejection I'm afraid, but I'm a firm believer that you don't need a referral.

[lauralam]

There are so many different ways to have an agent. I went in the slush, though I did get her name referred to me from another agent who rejected me, but it wasn't a referral, per se. Confusing.

I had an agent approach me via Twitter. Rejection. I had a client referral. Very detailed rejection and offer of a R/R if I didn't click with another agent. I had some form rejections, some nice rejections, but they were rejections. You just need to find one agent who loves your work, and it doesn't matter if it's via slush, referral, whatever.

Query smartly and widely, and best of luck!

[jennifer williams]

There are a lot of agents that I love and it doesn't matter if they're a writer or not. It's just their personalities I watch out for. Of all the agents I've queried though, there were two that gave me great feedback: Louise Fury and Mandy Hubbard.

Louise gave me an overall critique on why she's rejecting as well as a critique on the first page or so of my manuscript so I could see what she meant. She's done this for at least two of my works.

Mandy also gave me an overall critique about what worked and what didn't in my manuscript, but for my most recent one, she went beyond that. Not only did she point out specific elements of the manuscript, but she also suggested ways that she would fix it. Although I'm already querying a new novel, I will definitely will incorporate her advice when I go back to revise.

Oh, and all of this came from the slush pile except for the latest one from Mandy that she gave an honorable mention to in a contest :)

[MrsBrommers]

*waves hand* Slush pile find!

Honestly, most agents will want to do a round or two of revisions with any client before they take the MS on sub. I would say it is far more important to find an agent who connects with your writing and then worry about the feedback. This industry is so subjective, and of course, you want to know why the book does/doesn't work. But what one agent tells you may be the exact opposite of another agent's opinion.

A word of caution on taking the agent's feedback as the, "Yes, I have to do this to sign with him/her." I had one very desirable agent I queried who gave me an incredibly detailed letter on why she was passing and wanted me to R&R, and I was so hungry for an agent I followed her critique. Her advice broke the book. Seriously. Everything she wanted me to do was exactly the wrong thing for the book, and I wound up pulling it from querying and putting it away for over a year. It was very hard for me. After I signed with my agent, I was explaining that situation to her. She told me to go back and fix it to be the book I wanted it to be. When I did that, she loved it.

[lauralam]

Yeah, my one R&R was very nice and detailed, but the agent basically wanted me to delete half of the book and include more action. Plenty happens, but it's not a wham-bam action book and focuses a lot on character interactions, which is what I like to read and write. She said it was all set up with some extraneous scenes, which hurt quite a bit as she was the first one I had feedback from. But I found an agent who absolutely adored it as is (though she had some editorial critiques as well). It's SO subjective.

[Erin Latimer]

I'm 100% slushpile as well. Woohoo! Apparently there are lots of us.

When I was agent hunting I got some nice/helpful feedback from Elizabeth Griffin, and Victoria Marini to name just two. Actually I got quite a bit of helpful advice and quite a few of the agents who said, "no thanks" also had very nice (and helpful) things to say. Just start querying and you'll get advice back from people that connect (even a little bit) with your story.

I also agree with the people that said they aren't sure about an agent who is also a writer. That always made me wonder, wouldn't they be too busy writing and advertising their own books to give their clients books their full attention? I dunno, could be wrong about that one. But it seems like agents are pretty much swamped already, without adding a writing career on top of that!

[melanieconklin]

It's so interesting to read all of your experiences, thanks for taking the time to share them! I've only dabbled at querying my first novel, and so far have seen only form rejections. They're sweet, but I'd still like to light them on fire. It's very challenging to be in this position--you send out your work, you wait, you end up with little to go on. And perhaps the work will just sit in a folder for the rest of it's life--which for me, is quite alright. If I knew that for sure. Yet this process makes a task-oriented person a bit nuts. Even if you're fairly sure why your MS isn't striking the right chord, boy is it tough to have zero closure. I dread ending up there. So I'm throwing myself into a new project and pretending the first one is inconsequential. Who knows, maybe it is? Best of luck everyone! Glad to see I'm not alone in the weird waffley slush pile feelings.

Melanie
www.melanieconklin.com