Drew S. Maser and Associates, Literary Agents

HapiSofi · Jun 21, 2005

Okay, it's my turn to ask. Has anyone heard of Drew S. Maser and Associates, Literary Agents?

Thanks.

Roger J Carlson · Jun 21, 2005

I don't see anything in WritersMarket or PublishersMarketplace. In fact, when I Google "Drew Maser Literary agency", I don't get anything. Shoot, if he'd even posted on a board like this, there'd be something. This guy is keeping a low profile!

Vomaxx · Jun 21, 2005

Where did you find this shy agent??

victoriastrauss · Jun 21, 2005

Nope.

- Victoria

James D. Macdonald · Jun 21, 2005

I'm not saying this is what's going on in this case, but sometimes writers make up literary agencies to get around "no unagented" restrictions.

Aconite · Jun 22, 2005

James D. Macdonald said:
I'm not saying this is what's going on in this case, but sometimes writers make up literary agencies to get around "no unagented" restrictions.

I vaguely remember one source that suggested using your aunt, best friend, or writing buddy as your supposed agent, but I can't cite it.

batgirl · Jun 22, 2005

he's very social, if it's him.

There's a picture of a Drew Maser (no initial) at a flea market here: http://www.cesop.org/tcfpics.html
(CESOP is the Computer Education Society of Philadelphia.)
And possibly the same Drew Maser in the Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers, the Philadelphia Toshiba Users Group and the Mustang Club of Central Pennsylvania.
No literary matches, though.

trebuchet · Jun 22, 2005

James D. Macdonald said:
I'm not saying this is what's going on in this case, but sometimes writers make up literary agencies to get around "no unagented" restrictions.

Wow, that's weird. Wouldn't an editor be able to see through that?

DaveKuzminski · Jun 22, 2005

trebuchet said:
Wouldn't an editor be able to see through that?

Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes they even write to resources such as P&E to ask for an opinion on the agency. I don't doubt for an instant that they might also write to other resources to ask their opinion about new agents on occasion.

Julie Worth · Jun 22, 2005

DaveKuzminski said:
Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes they even write to resources such as P&E to ask for an opinion on the agency. I don't doubt for an instant that they might also write to other resources to ask their opinion about new agents on occasion.

It's amazing the trouble people will go through to avoid reading a submission!

victoriastrauss · Jun 22, 2005

Julie Worth said:
It's amazing the trouble people will go through to avoid reading a submission!

I'd draw the opposite conclusion. It's amazing what people will do to get around clearly stated guidelines.

- Victoria

Aconite · Jun 23, 2005

Julie Worth said:
It's amazing the trouble people will go through to avoid reading a submission!

It's no trouble at all. You just toss the thing to the side, or in the return envelope, or whatever. Editors don't need excuses not to read a sub; they already have plenty of reasons.

If an editor is checking out my supposed agent, it's probably for one of three reasons:
1) My manuscript is good enough that the editor is considering it.
2) My ms is so bad that the editor boggled, "She has an agent?! Who the hell--?"
3) The editor said, "I don't recognize that agent's name. I wonder what's up with that?"

I can't imagine that, in any of the above cases, finding out I lied would dispose the editor towards me, or inspire confidence that I'm a good risk for publication.

AnneMarble · Jun 23, 2005

James D. Macdonald said:
I'm not saying this is what's going on in this case, but sometimes writers make up literary agencies to get around "no unagented" restrictions.

At a writing conference several years ago, I heard about the members of a small localized romance writing group doing this. One of them was picked to be the agent representing all her fellow authors. They actually made it work -- but I can't imagine this working in today's marketplace. Also, I wonder what their contracts were like as she probably had no experience in negotiating contracts. (One of the most important reasons, if not the most, to have an agent.)

HapiSofi · Jun 23, 2005

Julie Worth said:
It's amazing the trouble people will go through to avoid reading a submission!

Julie, how do you manage to grab hold of the wrong ends of that many sticks at once?

Batgirl, I'm impressed with your find. It never occurred to me to look for an image when I got no hits from text. I'll remember that in the future.

Aconite said:
It's no trouble at all. You just toss the thing to the side, or in the return envelope, or whatever. Editors don't need excuses not to read a sub; they already have plenty of reasons.

You got it.

The main reason an editor would be checking out an agent is a simple one: we don't recognize the name. If it's a legit agent we haven't dealt with before, we need to know that. If it's a self-proclaimed agent nobody's heard of before, we need to know that too. And if it's one of the bad guys, we definitely want to know.

And what's the main reason we want to know? So we can send the right rejection letter. It wouldn't do to send a form rejection letter to an established agent.

Dave, Victoria, Jim: what you said. There's no such thing as an invisible agent. I'll tag this one as a friend of the author acting as his agent. There's no penalty on the play. Besides, he wrote an admirably correct and businesslike cover letter: exactly the sort of thing you'd expect from an established agency that was submitting to you for the first time. You have to give the man points for that.

Aconite · Jun 23, 2005

HapiSofi said:
And what's the main reason we want to know? So we can send the right rejection letter. It wouldn't do to send a form rejection letter to an established agent.

*gasp* But...but...that means it's not about the author at all! Oh, woe! Oh, misery previously untold, which I shall now tell! Oh, damn. Another cherished illusion gone.

MacAllister · Jun 23, 2005

Oh, damn. Another cherished illusion gone.

Don't believe a word of it, Aconite. This is really all about you. You and your writing.

Or else it's all about me and MY writing.

I'm certain of it.

Aconite · Jun 23, 2005

Oh, good. I feel better now. Editors must just say stuff like that so we don't realize we can demand bigger advances and more respect.

Yeah.

MacAllister · Jun 23, 2005

Damn straight.

Birol · Jun 23, 2005

Ha! You're both wrong. It's all about me. Me, me, me, me. And my writing.

Julie Worth · Jun 23, 2005

HapiSofi said:
Julie, how do you manage to grab hold of the wrong ends of that many sticks at once?

Hell, I was joking! Anyway, I have no idea what this means. How many sticks is it?

HapiSofi · Jun 23, 2005

You guys.

CaoPaux · Jun 23, 2005

*snerk*

Alrighty then, how shall I index this? Agent? Misc. questions? How editors work?

Aconite · Jun 23, 2005

CaoPaux said:
Alrighty then, how shall I index this? Agent? Misc. questions? How editors work?

D) All of the above

CaoPaux · Jun 23, 2005

Your wish is my command.

Aconite · Jun 23, 2005

CaoPaux said:
Your wish is my command.

Really? *squinches eyes shut* I wish for a million dollars. No, wait. A million dollars, and Spike. And a pony. Okay, I think that's good. Go to it. I'll wait here.

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