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Allred and Allred Literary Agents

Cheryll

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I didn't find any references to this agency on the agent search thread, so I thought I'd throw out my question here.

I found this agency listed in Sally Stuart's Christian Writers' Market Guide for 2005. It says they've been established since 1991, but I can't find anything on them with Google or anywhere else for any sales/authors they represent. They've also been listed before in the Writer's Market Guide (not sure which year). They supposedly take both secular and religious fiction/projects.

I queried them via snail mail a while back and they sent me a submissions guidelines letter. No fees, as far as I can see. They're wanting my first 25 pages of my manuscript. No website (not that important), but there's no email or phone number to contact. Here's an excerpt of their letter to me:

~ We have stopped listing our phone number because writers have called dozens of times just to talk about their project before we could even finish reading it. If we don't recognize a phone number on our call screening program we don't pick up the call. When we ask people to contact us we will answer their screened call, or use another phone line. ~

So the only way to contact them is via snail mail. Does this sound hokey to anyone else?

Also, P & E has them listed as "not recommended", but I don't know the reason why.

Any information that anyone might have would be greatly appreciated!

Cheryll
 

Aconite

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Cheryll, the way to think about an agent is not, "Is there enough evidence these people are bad that I should cross them off my list?" but rather, "Is there enough evidence these people are good that I should submit to them?" If they've been in business for 14 years and you can't find any of their books or authors, why assume it's going to be a good move for you to go with them? Save your time and postage and go with someone better.
 
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Cathy C

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Well, I couldn't find anything about Robert Allred, who seems to be the acquiring agent. No deals on Publishers Marketplace for the past five years. Now, that's not an indication of anything, but an awful lot of agents report their deals there. You might ask their credentials. Agents aren't afraid to list their most recent deals in the genre of your book. After all, they're selling themselves to YOU as much as you are to them. It's a meeting of equals, not a master/servant relationship!
 

JerseyGirl1962

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You might want to leave them off your list

Cheryll,

I just did a search on the Rumor Mill (www.speculations.com/rumormill), as I thought I remembered not seeing good things about them.

Turns out I was correct. According to one post, "Allred & Allred appears to refer virtually all customers to a 'book doctor' who does business as Victor West." And "No verifiable sales to advance & royalty paying publishers."

That particular post was in the Caveat Scrivener section, in the Ask Ann topic. Allred & Allred also turned up unfavorably in the Pacific Literary thread as well.

Do a search on that website, and you'll see they get the thumbs down every time.

~Nancy
 

victoriastrauss

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Writer Beware has gotten many complaints about Allred & Allred, which appears to refer all manuscripts submitted to Victor West, an unqualified "book doctor" and agent. West also receives referrals from the Robert Madsen Agency. Neither Allred & Allred nor Robert Madsen have ever made a commercial book sale that I'm aware of. They seem to exist solely as fronts for referring to West. They may even be run by him (though I have no evidence of this, it's not an uncommon scheme).

- Victoria
 

Cheryll

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Aconite said:
Cheryll, the way to think about an agent is not, "Is there enough evidence these people are bad that I should cross them off my list?" but rather, "Is there enough evidence these people are good that I should submit to them?"

Well said, Aconite. I shall remember that. :)

Thank you Cathy, Nancy, and Victoria for your input. Scratching this agency off my list right now.

Cheryll
 

Kiva Wolfe

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Cheryll:

I have no opinion either way about them, but for what it is worth, I submitted to Allred & Allred nearly two years ago and received a form reply printed on a 2 x 8-1/2 inch slip of paper, which I promptly filed away and gave no further thought.
 
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Cheryll

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Kiva Wolfe said:
Cheryll:

I have no opinion either way about them, but for what it is worth, I submitted to Allred & Allred nearly two years ago and received a form reply printed on a 2 x 8-1/2 inch slip of paper, which I promptly filed away and gave no further thought.

Sounds like a class act.

Cheryll
 

Maryn

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How cheap is that, cutting down a sheet of paper for rejection notices? They couldn't be bothered to write a brief, one-page, sorry-not-for-us-at-this-time rejection?

Besides, the small ones are much harder to use for wallpaper...

Maryn
 

dragonjax

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Maryn said:
How cheap is that, cutting down a sheet of paper for rejection notices? They couldn't be bothered to write a brief, one-page, sorry-not-for-us-at-this-time rejection?

Besides, the small ones are much harder to use for wallpaper...

Maryn

:ROFL:

Thanks for the laugh!
 

jparrish

Allred & Allred

I recently queried Allred & Allred and received a somewhat personalized response (signed "Robert Allred" with blue ink pen) telling me my work "needs the help of a good editor." The letter then gives contact information for Victor West of Pacific Literary Services in Richmond, CA and includes a phone number. I have not yet attempted further contact with Allred or this West person, and judging from the red flags raised in previous posts, maybe I shouldn't.
 

smallthunder

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Maybe?!

jparrish said:
. I have not yet attempted further contact with Allred or this West person, and judging from the red flags raised in previous posts, maybe I shouldn't.

MAYBE you shouldn't?
MAYBE?!

:Wha:

Sorry ... please ... I've got to go lie down ...
 

Sonarbabe

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I submitted to Allred & Allred a couple years back and I, too, received a response that my work needed the help of a good editor and he gave me Victor West's name. I was a complete novice then, but it still sounded fishy to me, so I gave that pretty little slip of paper to my kids to cut up for their arts & crafts. :)

~Sonarbabe~
 

CaoPaux

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Oh, good, WB notes A&A is "not currently active". One down ....