Finding Agents to Represent Video Games/Modern Current event fiction novels

lovenest3 · Nov 9, 2010

Is there any agents out there specialising in Modern fiction and Video Game novels. This is a issue that I am haven with my new book the ProGammer which is getting no love from anyone. I dont understand this in a Era where one video game Franchies is worth more than 3 nfl teams combined and 30 something generation has embrassed it with full force. Anyone know agents who represent this type of work or want to talk about the issues they personaly have encountered.

People think the literary industry should be cutting edge and up to date on current events but I have found that the literary industry is harder to change than any other industry in the world.

lovenest3 · Nov 9, 2010

Finding Agents to Represent Video Game novels/Modern Current event fiction novels

Why does agents turn there nose up to books about a world of Professional Video Gammers or Video Game novels in general. Also is there a agent out there representing these books.

Cathy C · Nov 9, 2010

If you're talking about novels based on existing video games, there's a reason why agents aren't interested. It's a violation of copyright law for anyone to write a novel based on an existing world without the express, written permission of the person/company who created the reality. It's called a "derivative right" and is discussed on the U.S. Copyright Office's website, here.

Now, if you're looking for an agent to take on a new video game that you've written, that's a whole different thing. There is an emerging class of agents who are looking at marketing games. Unfortunately, I don't know much about them. But I'm sure someone with more expertise in that will wander by. We have a few tech gurus here who probably know about that sort of thing.

Good luck.

Susan Coffin · Nov 9, 2010

Welcome, Lovenest.

Cathy is right- it is violation of copyright law to publish a novel based on existing video games. I think it would be considered sort of like fan fiction, but I'm not sure. Is the novel based on you own video game?

For your novel, I would suggest just going to querytracker.com and searching there. It's free, you can put in a search term, and go from there.

suki · Nov 9, 2010

Cathy's deadon regarding novelizations based on existing game worlds. But if you are looking for representation for an original game world you have created, then I think you may not want a literary agent, even if you are looking to market books based on the games.

I'd guess most agents repping video games (and the marketing tie ins and accompanying novels, etc) are not really listed as literary agents. I'd bet they come from some other aspect of entertainment representation. So...you might be looking in the wrong place.

Where would you find such agents? I have no idea, but I would doubt they would call themselves literary agents.

lovenest3 · Nov 9, 2010

NO thats not what I meant

I meant books that talk about the Gammer of video games and there life style. As in the MLG or Major league gaming. See in the Book the ProGammer it talks about a professional video gamer life and what happens when he is out casted from the pro series. It all works out in the end with him working for a elite game developing company and rejoining the pro video Gaming circuit. Also I recently gotten a closed status from the Copyright office so I know my work is lugitamently all mine by law.

Cathy C · Nov 9, 2010

So are you thinking more along the lines of a memoir of an existing professional gamer who has made it to the top and was featured in an article, or a how-to (self-help) book on becoming a pro gamer like the person featured in the magazine? They're two different kinds of agents because they would be in different parts of a bookstore.

lovenest3 · Nov 9, 2010

I only found one person who is highly intrested in the novel but has yet to send me a reply back on the book and her name is Holly McGhee. I checked her website out and only found out that she was into children books and dont know as of right now why she wanted to read my book. Holly is a literary agent and I am not going to argue with anyone that likes my work.

Still I worry about my second book that I want mention due to its not copyrighted yet. This book is also based in modern fiction current events.

suki · Nov 9, 2010

You don't have to copyright novels. And if it's a novel, it's a novel. It shouldn't matter that the characters are gamers. Query agents looking for contemporary fiction.

I've seen novels with aspects of gaming in them.

~suki

lovenest3 · Nov 9, 2010

The book is a fiction novel loosely based on a story I read from a ESPN magazine article of professional video gamer life style. I just used the article as a base and then built a fictional story around it.

lovenest3 · Nov 9, 2010

Suki there is now due to someone took the premis from me and its snow balling from there. I had Copyright put in over a year ago and have yet to read one book with story based characters of video gamers.

suki · Nov 9, 2010

If it is fiction, then query agents representing commercial fiction. There should be a lot of them.

Now, if you only changed a few bits here and there, you could have an issue. But if it's really fiction, then it's fiction. And you won't find agents who list "gaming novels." You'll have to look for agents who rep commercial fiction, or mainstream fiction, etc.

But, if you're striking out, it might be the query, or the writing, rather than the subject matter. So...get some critique on the query and the manuscript to be sure.

~suki

suki · Nov 9, 2010

lovenest3 said:
Suki there is now due to someone took the premis from me and its snow balling from there. I had Copyright put in over a year ago and have yet to read one book with story based characters of video gamers.

I've seen novels with gamers as caracters. Look harder, they're there.

And you can't copyright the concept of gamers as characters.

And no, you don't need to copyright a work of fiction until it is published,

Do more research, and read more widely.

~suki

Kitty Pryde · Nov 9, 2010

For The Win and Little Brother by cory doctorow are about video gamers. So is tad williams' Otherland series. And vernor vinge's last novel. There are plenty of others too.

I would suggest you post your query letter in the share your work section, and maybe your first chapter as well. From your posts, it seems like you might have some writing mechanics issues (such as spelling gamer as 'gammer'), which would mean an automatic rejection from an agent no matter how thrilling your story. Good luck!

lovenest3 · Nov 9, 2010

Ok on the subject of the title ProGammer. This is no diffrent than that of your local Gamme stop where you buy video games. Titles of books and stores have always been manipulated to give it more of a distinguished look. Whats next the literary nazi police is going to make Toys R us invert the R correctly. Another thing the greatest of all authors get this made up words due to there wasnt words to describe certain events or actions. FYI there is no rules in literary and if you base your reading material off of this espically when it comes to reading poetry you will never read a true one off enjoyable piece of literature.

lovenest3 · Nov 9, 2010

I ask the question was anyone confused when they saw the title ProGammer. NO but you did get a good dose of personality and orginality.

lovenest3 · Nov 9, 2010

I kinda granted a One month exclusive with a agent at pippen properties and not till I get some word back will I Post anything online. If it werent for that then I would be more than glad to.

CaroGirl · Nov 9, 2010

lovenest3 said:
I ask the question was anyone confused when they sall the title ProGammer as to what it meant in any ways. NO but you did get a good dose of personality and orginality.

YES! I thought it was either supposed to be ProGamer, as in a professional gamer, or ProGrammer, as in a video game programmer. The way you have it spelled is confusing because it isn't either.

suki · Nov 9, 2010

I assumed it was a careless spelling error.

lovenest3 · Nov 9, 2010

I disagree with not copyrighting your material due to people will write over your work all day long. I feel that my work has already been over written due to simply watchen tv etc. There is no laws against writing over someones work so all the more reason to copyright. I dont trust a single human in the literary industry and please let me give examples. Every movie out there is done by one major film company then you get a exact movie release at almost the exact time about the same subject that is nothing more than slight deviations. We accept this with in society and its ok but come on give a man a dollar for his work for crying out loud.

lovenest3 · Nov 9, 2010

Why dont you people argue with the people at GAMMESTOP about this issue realy come on now. LET IT GO!

Calla Lily · Nov 9, 2010

"Gammestop" appears to be the Franch translation of "Gamestop" in English.

suki · Nov 9, 2010

lovenest3 said:
Why dont you people argue with the people at GAMMESTOP about this issue realy come on now. LET IT GO!

Um, lovenest, you're the one who asked?

I ask the question was anyone confused when they saw the title ProGammer. NO but you did get a good dose of personality and orginality.

If you don't want to hear people's opinions, don't ask.

Now, you are new here, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. But, I suggest that (1) you spend some time here reading various threads (for example, there are some great ones on copyright), and (2) you don't ask questions or post statements if you aren't ready for people to disagree with you.

And welcome to AW. No one here is attacking you - we are attempting to respond to your questions and statements. And so far, what we seem to be saying is:

- stories about gamers (however you spell it) are not new.
- you query them like every other kind of novel.
- if this exclusive doesn't work out, you might want to get some critique on your query (in Query letter hell, in Share Your Work).

And good luck to you.

~suki

rainsmom · Nov 9, 2010

Um, I just googled Gammestop and didn't find it anywhere. I found GameStop (which I use myself).

So I googled Gamme, and this is what I found:

* French word meaning range, variety, line of products, musical scale
* GAMME as an acronym: Gaming, Anime, Music, and Manga Exhibition
* GAMME as an acronym for a lab in the Computer Science department in a college in Montreal

What I did not find was anyplace where gamme is a correct (or even alternative) spelling of game.

All that said -- we're just trying to help. You joined a board where people give advice on writing, and you've made statements that we've identified as not being correct. For example, you had an idea and now someone else is running with it. Unless you gave that person a detailed outline, chances are that story will be COMPLETELY different from yours. TWILIGHT and the Charlaine Harris "Sookie Stackhouse" novels are both about women who fell in love with vampires, and discovered their world is filled with more supernatural types than they ever dreamed... but LITTLE else is even remotely similar. Copyrighting your story will not stop someone from taking the premise and running with it in a different direction. It will stop them only from using your words.

Are you planning to submit to publishers in the US or in France?

Cathy C · Nov 9, 2010

There is no laws against writing over someones work so all the more reason to copyright

Actually, there is. The whole of copyright law in the United States is based on not allowing an author to steal the written word of another author. Now, what's NOT protected is "ideas." You can't copyright an idea, even if you write it down. All you can protect is the dialogue and narrative on the page, in the order the words are written. If that's what you mean by "writing over someone's work" then even copyrighting it won't help.

However, if you're located in a different country (such as France) then the rules are entirely different. So it might help to know where you're located before we offer any more advice.

Finding Agents to Represent Video Games/Modern Current event fiction novels

lovenest3

lovenest3

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

Susan Coffin

Tell it like it Is

suki

Opinionated

lovenest3

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

lovenest3

suki

Opinionated

lovenest3

lovenest3

suki

Opinionated

suki

Opinionated

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

lovenest3

lovenest3

lovenest3

CaroGirl

Living the dream

suki

Opinionated

lovenest3

lovenest3

Calla Lily

On hiatus

suki

Opinionated

rainsmom

Feeling like an old timer

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!