Alex Y. Arnold’s email address?

crossword said:

Thanks for your advice, everyone. has anyone read Kris Rusch’s business musings posts? she’s said so much negative stuff about agents, it scared me.

She does a lot of anthology fiction and short stories / novelettes. Those are TINY markets when it comes to agents who represent them. No wonder she doesn't think you need an agent; most of her novels were media tie-ins done in the early-to-mid 90's. That's not today's marketplace. Things work differently.

All about how they’re on the publishers’ side since they have to keep the publishing industry afloat now that self publishing is so popular.

Not true. Agents work for their clients, not publishers, and for those who want to self-publish (or hybridize, by self-publishing a few things and selling others to publishers) many agencies have departments dedicated to helping their clients put out the best product possible.

And how agents get you bad deals that benefit publishers far more than they benefit writers because they want to keep on good terms with publishers.

That's flat out garbage. Agents only benefit from good deals. Their income is a fraction of what they make their clients, so they have nothing but motivation toward getting the best deals possible for those clients.

Kris has mentioned [not by name] bad agents she has had who didn't even bother to sell her foreign rights, etc.

All agents are not created equally, and not all books will sell in foreign markets. You have to check out the people you submit to, which is why this board is so valuable.

i’ve heard various people suggest we approach publishers directly and then hire an IP attorney to negotiate the contract with them if they offer one. What do you think of that idea?

I think these various people invariably know nothing about how publishing works. Up until fifteen years ago, this approach might have worked, but not anymore.
“crossword, it might be effective for you to research those Big 5 publishers and imprints which accept unsolicited submissions, and then researching the editors at those imprints/publishers before you submit.”



I researched a year or two ago but found that most who accept unsolicited submissions tend to be digital first imprints, which is not what I want.
Which is why you need an agent.

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Yes, there are bad agent and scam agents out there, but the real, legit ones only have their clients' best interests at heart. They'll work hard to get you the best deals because that's the best deal for them, too.

crossword said:

Thanks for your advice, everyone. has anyone read Kris Rusch’s business musings posts? she’s said so much negative stuff about agents, it scared me. All about how they’re on the publishers’ side since they have to keep the publishing industry afloat now that self publishing is so popular. And how agents get you bad deals that benefit publishers far more than they benefit writers because they want to keep on good terms with publishers.

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I've read her. She seems very bitter about trade publishing, very biased against it, and very ill-informed. I would ignore her if I were you.

Self publishing is not threatening trade publishing. That's a ridiculous thing to claim. And good agents--of which there are many--wouldn't dream of selling out in the way you describe.

Kris has mentioned [not by name] bad agents she has had who didn't even bother to sell her foreign rights, etc.

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Why would she sign with a bad agent?

When agents depend on the deals they make to generate the commission they earn, why would they make poor deals, or not bother trying to make as many deals as possible for their clients?

i’ve heard various people suggest we approach publishers directly and then hire an IP attorney to negotiate the contract with them if they offer one. What do you think of that idea?

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IP attorneys won't negotiate contracts on your behalf. They'll only point out legal issues with the contract you present to them, and tell you if it's legally enforceable. They won't point out if any clauses are going to work against you, either. Nor will they do all the many other things good agents do for their clients, like chase up payments when they're due, make sure payments are correct, make sure your publisher keeps to the contract, and so on.

crossword, it might be effective for you to research those Big 5 publishers and imprints which accept unsolicited submissions, and then researching the editors at those imprints/publishers before you submit.”

I researched a year or two ago but found that most who accept unsolicited submissions tend to be digital first imprints, which is not what I want.

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Then you need an agent.

Stop reading KRR's blog, and forget all you've heard there: it isn't good. Learn more about publishing before you go any further. Buy a copy of From Pitch To Publication, by the late, great, and very much missed Carole Blake. It will give you an idea of what agents do for their clients.

crossword said:

All about how they’re on the publishers’ side since they have to keep the publishing industry afloat now that self publishing is so popular.

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When POD became popular, it spelled the end of the publishing industry.

When self-publishing became popular, it spelled the end of the publishing industry.

What's the next deathblow to the publishing industry?

E-readers such as the nook and the Kindle are going to destroy publishing as we know it.

crossword said:

I researched a year or two ago but found that most who accept unsolicited submissions tend to be digital first imprints, which is not what I want.

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I know the process seems daunting, but especially if you want to go the traditional pub route (and especially if you want to get on the desk of the big 5), look into the query process. OH suggested a great book. Another is Your Novel Proposal: From Creation to Contract. It explains what agents do and don't do and how to approach the process. If you want to make sure your agent upholds a certain level of expectation, see if they are AAR certified : http://aaronline.org/MAgents . They won't charge reading fees (which are totally shady) and take the standard 15%-- which is more than fair for the negotiating they do.

Best of luck. I know it's hard to approach the query process-- it's daunting-- but you worked so hard on a book. If you want to see it traditionally published, try this route.

BenPanced said:

E-readers such as the nook and the Kindle are going to destroy publishing as we know it.

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Sorry, you missed the boat on that one. Now it's millennials are going to destroy publishing.