Short Story agent?

elindsen · Jun 16, 2010

Does an agent represent just one short story or do they need a collection of s.s. to sell? I'm new to the market and just wondering how all of that works.

waylander · Jun 17, 2010

Agents don't represent short stories.
They are only likely to sell collections where the author is already a client for longer works.
If you hope to sell a collection then the majority of the stories need to have been published in good short fiction venues (= pro-rate paying) before anyone might be interested.

Maryn · Jun 17, 2010

^----- Yeah, that's what I was gonna say.

Maryn, in agreement

Shadow_Ferret · Jun 17, 2010

Just for grins, I Googled "short story agents" and came up with this thread right here. It doesn't offer much more information, but I thought it was interesting it was one of the top hits.

Ken · Jun 17, 2010

... agentquery.com lists dozens of agents that handle short story collections such as:

NAME
Eileen Cope

AGENCY
Trident Media Group, LLC
41 Madison Avenue, 36th floor
New York, NY 10010

EMAIL
[email protected]

FICTION GENRES
Literary Fiction | Short Stories | Multi-Cultural

NONFICTION GENRES
History | Biography | Food & Lifestyle | Science | Memoirs | Art | Spirituality | Pop Culture | Narrative | Psychology | Health & Fitness

This agent accepts queries

You do have to have a collection though. So you'd better get to writing some more ;-)

Jamesaritchie · Jun 17, 2010

If you write and sell novels, your agent will almost always also represent your short stories, if you want them to do so, both as individual stories, and as collections. It's usually more courtesy than business, but there are a few high end markets where it's as tough, or tougher, to sell a short story without an agent than it is to sell a novel without an agent.

Unless you have an agent who handles and sells your novels, there just isn't enough money in short stories to justify an agent's time. Fifteen percent of a few bucks just won't pay the bills.

Katrina S. Forest · Jun 18, 2010

You don't need an agent to sell single short stories - you submit to the magazines directly. When you make sales, you mention those sales on your cover letter when you try to sell other short stories. If you must, think of the cover letter like a little paper cheerleader who shouts, "Look what else my author did!" Or don't. That image is creepy.

augusto · Jun 18, 2010

Just read about a Christine Mervart of Anderson Literary Mgmt, who comes right out and says she's looking for short story collections. You don't see that often...

elindsen · Jun 18, 2010

Katrina although the image is creepy I get what your saying. Does your cover letter need to be like a query?

johnnysannie · Jun 18, 2010

elindson said:
Katrina although the image is creepy I get what your saying. Does your cover letter need to be like a query?

No, not in most cases. A cover letter is simply that; a short, to the point letter along the lines of this:

Dear Editor:

Thank you for the opportunity to submit my short fiction, "Blank" (about 3000 words), to (Name of publication or zine).

My short fiction has previously appeared in blank, blank, and blank. I am also a member of the blankety-boo writer's organization (NOTE: I WOULD ONLY DO THIS IF IT"S A MAJOR OR PROFESSIONAL ONE, NOT A SMALL LOCAL CRIT GROUP).

I have enclosed SASE for your reply (Snail mail) or
I have attached the document in MS Word format (or whatever) or
I have pasted the story within this message as per the submission guidelines.,

With thanks,

Me the writer

elindsen · Jun 18, 2010

you dont describe your story at all?

Bubastes · Jun 18, 2010

elindson said:
you dont describe your story at all?

Nope. Just a short "here it is" cover letter is all you need.

Jamesaritchie · Jun 18, 2010

elindson said:
you dont describe your story at all?

Why describe the story? The editor is holding the story in his hands, or has it on his computer. Let him read the story for himself.

Ken · Jun 18, 2010

... and it's pretty cool that writers don't have to say anything about the story they're sub'ing. Makes life easier. Having to summarize a story each time one sent it out somewhere would be a labor. So let's keep things the way they are and not be giving editors any ideas about changes in policy ;-)

johnnysannie · Jun 18, 2010

elindson said:
you dont describe your story at all?

No. The story stands or falls on its own.

elindsen · Jun 18, 2010

oh my goodness a load of my shoulders.

pdr · Jun 18, 2010

May I just...

add that you must read the submission guidelines of the magazine/zine/journal you are submitting to carefully, because some editors DO want you to describe your story in a couple of sentences. They say so!

Katrina S. Forest · Jun 19, 2010

One more thing you can mention in a cover letter is education, but only if it's something major. (For example, you have a master's degree in English, or you attended a well-known professional writing workshop.) If you just took a couple creative writing classes at your local college, probably not worth bringing up.

johnnysannie · Jun 19, 2010

pdr said:
add that you must read the submission guidelines of the magazine/zine/journal you are submitting to carefully, because some editors DO want you to describe your story in a couple of sentences. They say so!

Reading the guidelines before submitting anything should go without saying.

A few ask for a brief description but in decades of selling short fiction, I have done this so few times I could count it on the fingers of one hand and have fingers remaining.

Professional level - and professionally operated - publications don't do that as a rule.

elindsen · Jun 19, 2010

So what should I put in my cover. Ive never had anything published and have no writing classes to my cred. I have a degree but nothing to do with writing.

Kateness · Jun 19, 2010

Just what was posted above.

Dear Editor:

Thank you for the opportunity to submit my short fiction, "Blank" (about x thousand words) to [name of publication].

I have enclosed SASE for your reply (Snail mail) or
I have attached the document in MS Word format (or whatever) or
I have pasted the story within this message as per the submission guidelines.,

With thanks,

Your name goes here

It doesn't have to be complicated.

johnnysannie · Jun 19, 2010

Kateness said:
Just what was posted above.

Dear Editor:

Thank you for the opportunity to submit my short fiction, "Blank" (about x thousand words) to [name of publication].

I have enclosed SASE for your reply (Snail mail) or
I have attached the document in MS Word format (or whatever) or
I have pasted the story within this message as per the submission guidelines.,

With thanks,

Your name goes here

It doesn't have to be complicated.

Right. Do what she says!

Mishell · Jun 20, 2010

Yup. Basically they only thing they care about is word count and title. To the point where I wonder why they ask for a cover letter at all! Maybe so if it says anything like "I've won 4,363 awards for my short fiction" they can pass it on out of the slush pile to the main editor. Heh.

Jamesaritchie · Jun 20, 2010

pdr said:
add that you must read the submission guidelines of the magazine/zine/journal you are submitting to carefully, because some editors DO want you to describe your story in a couple of sentences. They say so!

Mayne, but in thrity years I've never had to do so. And it's always a bad idea. That's a lazy editor's way of rejecting stories without having to read them

elindsen · Jun 20, 2010

Wow thats so much easier than a query.

Short Story agent?

elindsen

Zombie lovin'

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

Maryn

I Tried

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

Ken

Jamesaritchie

Katrina S. Forest

augusto

elindsen

Zombie lovin'

johnnysannie

elindsen

Zombie lovin'

Bubastes

bananaed

Jamesaritchie

Ken

johnnysannie

elindsen

Zombie lovin'

pdr

Katrina S. Forest

johnnysannie

elindsen

Zombie lovin'

Kateness

johnnysannie

Mishell

That Clarion chick!

Jamesaritchie

elindsen

Zombie lovin'