Information on Barron's Literary Management
victoriastrauss said:
Since my last post, I've seen some of this agency's materials. Ms. Barron-Brooks doesn't appear to have had any relevant professional experience before setting up her agency. A new agent really needs to have worked professionally in the publishing industry, or for another reputable agency; it's the only reliable way of acquiring the specialized knowledge and industry contacts that are essential to success. People who come to agenting from non-publishing-related fields rarely manage to make a go of it.
I'm not aware of any sales for Ms. Barron-Brooks, though she has been in business now for at least a year. As a general rule of thumb, a successful new agency will start making regular sales within six months to a year of starting up.
- Victoria
---------------------------------
Comment from
Adele Barron-Brooks, President of Barron's Literary Management
Just to clear up misconceptions about this literary agency: I do have 25 years writing, editing and publishing experience in medical journals, newpapers,
trade magazines, advertising copy, layout/design creation and more recently three years experience in the marketing of mass end intellectual property including novels, non-fiction, children's stories and short story collections. This is a new agency with only a few sales so far, but good contacts with prominent editors at major publishers in NYC and London.
Another misconception is that new agents might take less than
technically flawless writing. All agents are charged with the responsibility
to send well written books in if they want to stay in business. The
hardest part of starting up an agency is wading through hundreds of
submissions to find a few gems worth reading. I advise everyone to pay
very close attention to your writing before submission. It is discouraging
to see so many common writing errors and weak stories. Platform is a huge issue even on fiction. If you have anything at all published be sure to mention that to the agent or publisher. It pays to tell about your background including
degrees. Publishers are impressed with an educated person and are more
willing to invest in a new author with one or more degrees.
I look for multidegreed professionals here because of the competitive nature
of the publishing business and my areas of interest which are science fiction,
medical thrillers, forensic science thrillers, paranormal romance and numerous
others categories listed on various internet sites.
I am also mutidegreed with ungrad in chemistry from the University of Texas
and an MBA from the University of Dallas. Before starting the agency, I was
a Senior Research Scientist for a global consumer products company back east. Friends, all marketing and scientific work requires high powered writing skills and excellent attention to detail. I wrote my first short story at 22 and
am still writing professionally as a post menopausal crone.
I'm originally from New York and go back frequently to look after client business. This year, I've had three books go to editorial board before
being rejected and countless other full manuscript reads that were
not accepted for publication. In all cases, the editors rejected the books
for not liking either the writing, story or book concept and not my agenting capability. Friends, the competition from best selling authors and more competent writers with English PHDs is awesome. Let that guide you in your work. Beyond finding a agent, the hard part is getting Editorial board approval and actually getting a contract issued.
My advice to all on searching for an agent: If you have a well written powerful story or non-fiction book concept, start at the top of the
stratosphere of agents in NYC or London. There are tiers to every
business, but you need to determine first who among the top tier
could have interest. If rejected, try to get anyone to read and comment.
All the agent scam comments on the site are known to me from working with folks who've been scammed. I've been scamed for a $5.00 reading fee and have been offered contracts for my novels from worthless publishers as well. Don't pay for reading fees ever as outlined in many places on the site.
And never go the self publishing route. It is just like throwing your book in the trash can. Also, agents are not keen on seeing self published books that
have not sold well.
Lately, I've been meeting most new clients at writing conferences, trade
shows, writing worshops and seminars held by regional Universities. We all
work very hard here to get all books in excellent shape to be submitted.
About 99.9% of all submissions across the internet have not been
suitable for this agency which has held me back no end from having
something to even sell. Best of luck to all,
Adele Barron-Brooks
President, Barron's Literary Management
4615 Rockland Drive
Arlington, TX 76016
[email protected]