Writers Literary Agency / The Literary Agency Group / LAG /TLAG

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Aconite

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ADITDC said:
take a look at the last two letters of my user name
That implies an answer to the question, but doesn't actually answer the question. Are you Dario Castagno?
 

Roger J Carlson

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ADITDC said:
take a look at the last two letters of my user name
You're from the District of Columbia? You read DC comic books? You use Dublin Core citations? What?
 

LloydBrown

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ADITDC said:
The book was self published only in Italy, Robert Rodi's (a dear friend) agent tried for 3 years to find a publisher in the US without success.
Castagno tried himself, only Fletcher replied and got hold of GPP that contacted the author asking "How come the book has never been published in the US if it has been such a hit in English in Italy?"

The book was self published only in Italy. I don't think anybody disagrees so far. Nobody has claimed that it was self-published in the U.S.
Robert Rodi's agent tried for 3 years to find a publisher in the US without success. I'm dubious that an English-languge book with a respectable sales record couldn't find a home here for 3 years, but I suppose it's possible. Was this agent Robert Blake, a "literary agent" with no sales record that I can find?
Castagno tried himself Which publishers did he submit to?
only Fletcher replied If an agent is trying to sell a book to a publisher, why would he contact another agent? How did Fletcher enter the picture?
Fletcher...got hold of GPP Fletcher contacted Globe Pequot? Why couldn't Rodi have done that himself? Or Blake? Or even the author, since Globe Pequot doesn't require an agent? Or did Rodi's "trying" not include contacting publishers?
GPP...contacted the author asking "How come the book has never been published in the US if it has been such a hit in English in Italy?" So, did the publisher approach the author? I thought you just said that Fletcher contacted GPP?

Your explanation seems to open up more questions than it answers.
 

Aconite

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Roger J Carlson said:
I did too. We'll see.
I feel ridiculous asking this, but did anyone look up who the site's registered to? How much confidence should we have that anyone who answers from that site is the author? I know, I know, it sounds stupid and paranoid, but given the Fletcher and Co. activity here lately, I can't help but wonder.
 

James D. Macdonald

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I've heard back from Dario -- ADITDC is in fact him (and the IP numbers show Italy) -- and based on what he's telling me Fletcher may actually have sold this one.


More when I know more.
 

ADITDC

The friend that created the site for me also added the link exchange, I think that the only banners that appear publicize sites that are somewhat related with publishing,editing, reading or whatsoever and I have no control. Curious that today a Poet literary agency banner materialized on the site...I didn't see it though, now their is a Greenwich village gazzette ad.
 

Aconite

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ADITDC, I'm curious. Whyever didn't you simply say you were the author at any point in the discussion? Why build up such a mystery?
 

Roger J Carlson

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I also heard back from Dario. Apparently, he does not want to talk openly on the board. His choice.

However, while he said that Fletcher was very nice and he sold his book to GPP, he also says that Bobby acted as if Dario was his only client and he never asked for a % of sales.

I don't know what kind of agent has only one client and doesn't even ask for a % of sales. Still makes me wonder how Fletcher & Co. makes any money.
 

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Roger J Carlson said:
I also heard back from Dario. Apparently, he does not want to talk openly on the board. His choice.

Fine. I have no problem with that.

I still don't understand what Fletcher did that nobody else could do. The book had already shown great promise. Anybody capable of reading guidelines and writing a letter could have sold it.
 

Roger J Carlson

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ADITDC said:
What an incredible coincidence that Robert Rodi is a "dear friend" of yours and you just happen to post here.

Robert Rodi is a dear friend of Dario Castagno
I want to apologize here openly for statements I made up-thread. We get so many Fletcher sock-puppets that I assumed you were just another one.

However, since you admit that this thread and others I sent to you privately were an eye opening experience, you might want to consider what lending Fletcher the use of your good name means.

Based on my own experience with ST Literary and multiple anecdotal posts on this board, I conclude that Robert Fletcher is indeed a scam artist who has bilked hundreds (perhaps thousands) of authors out of hard-earned money while giving them nothing in return.

I'm still not certain in what sense Fletcher "sold" your work. You haven't explained that even in private. However the fact that he did not ask for a % of sales makes me wonder what was in it for him. The only thing I can think of is to have a "legitimate" sale on record by a legitimate author which will allow him to silence his critics and perpetuate his scam.

If I were you, I would certainly not want to lend my good name to such activities.
 

Aconite

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Roger, thanks for reminding me: Mr. Castagno, I apologize for assuming you were a sockpuppet, and I wish you continued success with your book.
 

victoriastrauss

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James D. Macdonald said:
I've heard back from Dario -- ADITDC is in fact him (and the IP numbers show Italy) -- and based on what he's telling me Fletcher may actually have sold this one.
This is contradicted by information that Ann and I obtained from a source closely connected with the publisher. We were told that the Italian version of the book was passed to an acquisitions editor at Globe by one of Globe's authors, who discovered the book while in Italy. The publisher then contacted the author directly with a contract offer. Sometime after that point, the author brought in Fletcher and ST. We were also told that Mr. Castagno is being paid directly by the publisher--the monies are not funneled through ST--which would explain why Fletcher isn't getting a %.

We don't see any reason to mistrust this information.

- Victoria
 

Roger J Carlson

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And another thing. If Poets' Literary Agency is an agency for poets, doesn't Children's Literary Agency imply they are an agency for children?
 

victoriastrauss

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James D. Macdonald said:
The Literary Agency Group misspelled "Literary" in the title bar of their own website!

Let's see how long it takes for them to see this note and correct it.
Assuming that they know what a title bar is. Probably not a safe assumption.

- Victoria
 
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