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Talcott Notch Literary Services

Stace001

I have recently received a promising response from Talcott Notch Literary. I was curious if anyone has had any dealings with them. Any info would be great
 

emeraldcite

Re: Does anyone know anything about Talcott Notch Literary

I haven't had any dealings with them, but here are some resources and some facts you can dig up with a little research:

check: Preditors & Editors

You'll find that they list Talcott as having an excellent newsletter.

After searching their site, I found only one mention of a sale (this isn't a sinker, just looking for the facts). This sale is to Genesis Press, a privately owned african-american publisher that does not require an agent to submit.

The site states that the "President and Executive Editor" of this agency

has successfully placed manuscripts with such major publishers as Dell, Avon, Bantam, Berkley, Kensington, Walker and Harlequin Books.


The next site to check would be Agent Verification

This agency is not listed as one of their experienced agents.

Finally, search to see if they are a member of the AAR

Talcott is not a member.

Also, check Writer's Beware

I didn't see anything on there, but you may want to give a closer look.

Of course, what can you get from all this info? I'm not sure; i'm not making the decision. But, as the GI Joe cartoon of my youth always said, knowing is half the battle. With a little research, you can be a little more informed. Toss the name of the agency and the agents into Google with various permutations, and you might find more info. Hopefully, Dave or Victoria comes along with more info.

Good luck with your submission. Hopefully things work out.
 

vstrauss

Re: Does anyone know anything about Talcott Notch Literary

I've been told by reliable sources, including a former client, that Ms. Panettieri ran a different agency a number of years ago, and made a number of commercial sales. However, there apparently were problems with financial management, and authors weren't receiving the payments due them (I was told the police were involved in one case). Ms. Panettieri eventually went out of business. She started up again a couple of years ago with Talcott Notch.

I'm aware of only about five or six sales for her in the two or so years since she started Talcott Notch, all apparently to independent publishers that accept submissions direct from authors. There's nothing wrong with placing books with good small publishers, but the real test of an agent is getting in where the author can't--i.e., to large commercial houses. Also, six sales in two years isn't a strong track record. A new agent should begin making regular sales to a variety of publishers within six months to a year of starting up. Any longer suggests that the agent lacks contacts.

- Victoria
 

Stace001

Re: Does anyone know anything about Talcott Notch Literary

Thank you for the information. I have done a little research on them myself, but I thought here would be a good place to get the 'hands on' info. Thanks to both replies. The information was really helpful.
 

Sahzee7

Talcott Notch:14 "all" rights listings.What does t

Gina Panettieri of Talcott Notch has expressed interest in reading my manuscript. In Publishers Markets: Rights and News Offerings, she has 14 offerings. What does this mean since she's not a publisher? Is she offering all rights to unpublished manuscripts because they haven't been placed with a publisher? I'm new to message boards, so I don't know where this is going to appear!
 

vstrauss

Re: Talcott Notch:14 "all" rights listings.What do

>>In Publishers Markets: Rights and News Offerings, she has 14 offerings. What does this mean since she's not a publisher? Is she offering all rights to unpublished manuscripts because they haven't been placed with a publisher?<<

Yes. The listings on Publishers Marketplace are for unsold rights. If she's offering all rights to these mss., it means no rights have yet been sold.

For her recent publisher placements, you can check here: www.publishersmarketplace...nterwood/. As you can see, recent sales are few, and all to publishers that accept submissions direct from authors--as opposed to the large houses that put out the series listed under "Best-Known Projects". I believe that all of those projects are from her previous agency, and involve books placed a number of years ago before that agency went out of business (there's an earlier thread here about that).

- Victoria
 

Stace001

Re: Talcott Notch:14 "all" rights listings.What do

I too received word that Gina was interested in my manuscript, however after some research I discovered she has no record of ever making a sale. I would advise you to keep looking for an agent and bypass this one. She has been in business for quite some time, so not having made a sale is not a good sign.
 

James D Macdonald

Re: Talcott Notch:14 "all" rights listings.What do

Gina's made sales. It's just that her impressive ones are not recent, and her recent ones are not impressive.
 

Kyrah Malan

Talcott Notch Literary

Here's another one who requested a proposal in response to my query. I can't find anything on them; Preditors and Editors only says, "excellent newsletter." Has anyone had experience with them? Thank you.
 

Kyrah Malan

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

Oops. Sorry, I just figured out how to do a search. NM!
 

Kempo Kid

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

Gina has posted on another writing forum, and she strikes me as being level-headed and sensible. She requested my full manuscript on the basis of a query letter, so admittedly I'm biased.

But get this. I sent the ms. to her priority mail, and two days after it got there, her office sent me an e-mail confirming receipt. I have NEVER had that happen before. Half the agents I queried this goaround never even bothered to acknowledge my queries, even with a SASE.

Bottom line, they certainly strike me as being on the up and up.
 

vstrauss

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

There's question about this agency, though, including the agent's troubled past history and her apparent difficulty, so far at least with this new venture, in making sales. Talcott Notch has been in business at least since the spring of 2002, and to date it appears to have placed only six or seven books, all with smaller publishers that don't require authors to be agented. There's nothing wrong with selling manuscripts to solid independent publishers, but the real test of an agent is getting in where the author can't: i.e., to the large houses. So far, there's no evidence of this with Talcott Notch.

- Victoria
 

Kyrah Malan

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

Thank you Victoria. That was my concern as well. I've already queried the appropriate small- to mid-sized publishers myself; I want an agent who will get in where I can't!
 

Kempo Kid

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

What troubled past history? She doesn't have a warning on P&E next to her name. Expand, please?
 

Kempo Kid

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

According to her web site, she's sold books to Dell, Harlequin, Avon, Bantum, etc. Those are big publishers. I'd be perfectly happy to have my novel published by Avon.
 

Kyrah Malan

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

Yes, but apparently that was in "the old days" when she was operating a different agency. Seems none of the big publishers will touch her now, even though her new agency is above-board.
 

Kempo Kid

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

I'm totally confused here. What "old days"? What are you talking about? Why won't the publishers touch her now? Should I not sign with her? So far she's the only one who's requested a full, and I'm waiting for her response.

What did she do wrong?

If you have information on why writers shouldn't sign with her, this is the section to list it in.
 

Kempo Kid

Re: Does anyone know anything about Talcott Notch Literary

Stace, did you ever sign up with Talcott Notch? They are interested in my manuscript--in fact, they're the only ones who are--and I'm unsure what to do at this point.

Has anyone here ever actually had Gina as their agent?
 

Kyrah Malan

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

Rather than re-tell the whole story, I suggest you do a Search, as I did. There's a whole thread on it. Best of luck.
 

Kyrah Malan

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

Here's part of what was previously posted:

"I've been told by reliable sources, including a former client, that Ms. Panettieri ran a different agency a number of years ago, and made a number of commercial sales. However, there apparently were problems with financial management, and authors weren't receiving the payments due them (I was told the police were involved in one case). Ms. Panettieri eventually went out of business. She started up again a couple of years ago with Talcott Notch.

I'm aware of only about five or six sales for her in the two or so years since she started Talcott Notch, all apparently to independent publishers that accept submissions direct from authors. There's nothing wrong with placing books with good small publishers, but the real test of an agent is getting in where the author can't--i.e., to large commercial houses. Also, six sales in two years isn't a strong track record. A new agent should begin making regular sales to a variety of publishers within six months to a year of starting up. Any longer suggests that the agent lacks contacts.

- Victoria "
 

DaveKuzminski

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

In all fairness, this background information is quite true. P&E is aware of it.

P&E has removed a previous negative recommendation for her and her agency because she now arranges for author payments to be paid directly from the publisher to the author. P&E is still closely monitoring their activities.

I must admit that I have not heard of any restitution as yet to those authors she formerly represented. I can hope only that it was or that it is in the process of being rectified as those are the only circumstances that will warrant P&E's continued current neutral stance concerning that agency.
 

Kempo Kid

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

This is depressing. It's said that it's better to have no agent than a bad agent, so I guess it's back to square one for me.

Thanks everyone for the information. I guess it's best to know now.

:head
 

Stace001

Re: Does anyone know anything about Talcott Notch Literary

No Kempo, I never did sign up with them. I've since had some futher promising replies from other agents, so I've decided to wait to hear from them.

I have tried to contact Gina regarding my partial ms, however she never has replied to my emails, and I didn't take this as a good sign. Good luck.
 

spywriter

Talcott Notch

I sent her my query and Gina told me "NO THANKS". Funny, but Al Zuckerman was interested though.
 

gpanettieri

Re: Talcott Notch Literary

I must respond to some of the comments made on this forum.

Dave, I've emailed you privately, but I need to address these issues here, to refute any impression you may have left. As much as I respect you, I have to say I certainly do not owe restitution to anyone, and I admonish anyone for making comments of this nature without first checking the facts. I run a thoroughly professional agency, and as you yourself have stated, I work on split payments directly at the publishers, so I do not even handle clients' funds. Clients are paid at the exact same time as I am, and each party receives identical statements so I can check and verify the information and statements.

I have worked successfully in the publishing industry for a very long time. I am solicited daily by editors at major publishing houses for projects I represent. And though I do at times work with indie and smaller publishers for projects appropriate to them due to the untraditional or ground-breaking types of material, I also work just as well as larger publishers, and the emphasis of this agency has been shifting as the types of work we're taking on also shifts and grows.

If anyone can point to a single instance where there's been any issue with Talcott Notch, I'd be happy to discuss it. Certainly, having been active for more than a year, if there were anything to complain about, you'd be hearing about it. A more thorough search will reveal a lot list of positive comments made by dozens of writers.