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The Wylie Agency / Odyssey Editions

CaoPaux

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Current thinking is that it was a way for Wylie to improve his authors' e-book royalties with the big presses. It certainly seems to have boosted them, but how much hasn't been made public.
 

richcapo

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Random House requested my full the other day. I called Wylie after that, told them about Random House, they congratulated me and asked me to submit my full to them, as well. Same thing happened with G Agency. Both agencies were surprised that I'd managed to garner Random House's interest in my book, and both were very quick and enthusiastic to solicit my novel. Jeff Gerecke, the proprietor of G Agency, wrote back to tell me that he'd be reading my story immediately, even. I'm very excited about this and very nervous about it, too.

I'll keep you guys posted.

_Richard
 
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richcapo

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Wylie let me bypass their no solicitation policy because my manuscript is being reviewed by Random House. Random House has my manuscript because I found an editor who went to my alma mater and was willing to talk to me for the five or so minutes it took to sell him my idea.

A similar thing happened at St. Martin's, though it didn't involve an alumnus of my university: I cold emailed an editor who previously worked as an agent and solicited his interest the way he, when he was an agent, told Jeff Herman's Guide he prefers it to be solicited. Hours later, he wrote back, asking for my full. From there, it was easy to get my manuscript/excerpts in the hands of literary agents simply by calling them. The two most enthusiastic agents to review it were from ICM and the Friedrich agency, both of whom later passed, but not without giving me some great advice on how to fix problem areas they identified in my novel.

It's been a great experience so far. Hopefully, representation and publication will come of it sooner or later.

_Richard
 
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Martina

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Questions regarding literary agents?

Hi,

I have finished an MA in Creative Writing in UK and I am trying to get my novel published. While I was still a postgraduate student, an agent who had read one of my stories, approached me. He said that he would like to read more by me. He works for a rather prestigious agency in London. As soon as I finished the third draft I sent him an extract and he immediately replied. He said that he would read it and reply as soon as possible. The problem is a month has passed and I am still waiting for his reply. I do not mind if he rejects me, I just want an answer. Usually, when he doesn't like a book, he sents a very encouraging rejection letter. I must also mention that one of his clients, a successful writer, has also graduated from the same MA as I did. I already sent him another email, kindly reminding my submission. Still no answer...
So, instead of waiting I decided to approach other agents. I was told that it is wise to approach agencies who represent authors that you like. I happen to like Panos Karnezis, he is Greek, writing in english and successful. The problem is that he is represented by Wylie Agency. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. I can only request an interview, at least according to their website. Is this an interview for a job? I found their website to be rather cryptic, as informative as a cryptogram. Can anyone provide me with more information regarding that agency? Has anyone else tried to approach them?
Thanks in advance
 

Momento Mori

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Latian:
The problem is that he is represented by Wylie Agency. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. I can only request an interview, at least according to their website. Is this an interview for a job? I found their website to be rather cryptic, as informative as a cryptogram. Can anyone provide me with more information regarding that agency? Has anyone else tried to approach them?

Wylie won't take a look at your manuscript unless you've already sold something and are successful and/or being talked about in literary circles as being successful. His business model is based on letting other agents do all the hard work and then swooping in and cherry picking big name authors.

I did an MA in Creative Writing in London and a mate of mine tried Wylie on a 'don't try/don't get' basis and got rejected out of hand. If you check out the thread on Wylie's agency it looks like the newbies who've been taken on by him have already had deals in the pipework with big publishers: ,link snipped>

Latian:
The problem is a month has passed and I am still waiting for his reply.

A month is nothing. You need to give it around 3 months before chasing.

In the meantime, you should definitely be looking at other agents in the UK. The Artist's & Writers' Year Book has a good list of agents in the UK (although you should still check them via this website and Preditors & Editors). You should also research the agencies themselves to see which represent the type of fiction you're currently writing and what you want to write in future.

Latian:
I was told that it is wise to approach agencies who represent authors that you like.

That can be as good a starting point as any, but if you don't write in a style similar to those writers you like then it can be a disadvantage.

Your best bet is to take a look at agencies as a whole, look at the individual agents and their preferences and see if any have junior agents as they are more likely to be taking on new clients than the established ones - e.g. a friend of mine got taken on by Aitken Alexander because his manuscript hit the desk of a brand new agent there who was looking to build his list.

If you write in a particular genre (e.g. historical, crime or fantasy) then it can be worth while investing some money and time in conventions to speak/hear agents and editors and their preferences. Networking can be a real advantage because it gives you names and access points (that's not to say it's a substitute for having a good manuscript because that's still key but whatever you can do to help yourself get over the threshold is a worthwhile investment).

If your MA class did an anthology that went out to agents or had an agent's party then it's worth while checking out with your course tutors who got the book or asked to come to the party because it gives you a name to address a query to.

MM
 
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Martina

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Thank you for your prompt reply!
Actually the agent approached me after he read my story in the anthology.
I have already asked my tutor for advice but he provided me with a list of agents who visited the university during my studies, but I already had that list anyway.
Will agents be impressed by my degree? Will the fact that I have an MA in Creative Writing save my manuscript from the slush pile?
 

Momento Mori

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Latian:
Will agents be impressed by my degree? Will the fact that I have an MA in Creative Writing save my manuscript from the slush pile?

It depends on where your degree's from. A Creative Writing degree from the University of East Anglia carries a lot of cache. Other Creative Writing degrees differ from institution from institution.

It is definitely something that you should mention in your query because it shows that you're serious about your craft but ultimately your manuscript stands or falls on its own. You should concentrate on polishing that to the best of your abilities before sending it out and do your research on agents.

MM