[Agency] Objective Entertainment

Her blog was updated today with a post that says she is off to Argentina till April 2nd. So you may not hear for a bit.

I just got a request for a full nearly six months after I queried Yvonne Woon with the first three chapters.

Fortunately, my ms is a little tied up to honor her request.

I got a request for first three chapters from Brendan Deneen. Will keep you posted.

Good for you, Saundra! Got em crossed for ya.

Tri

Thank you, Chris!

I'm confused about how this agency wants you to query them. The AgentQuery website indicated that you should only send a query letter if you email. Snail mail would require query, synopsis and the first 3 chapters.

Then, I checked the website, and they said that you should read their managers' profiles to see which one to query by EMAIL. So, does that mean I should just send a query by email or should I send the query, synopsis and first 3 chapters by email?

I'm inclined to do the latter because their website requested an email and I thought that they might want as much material as possible to decide if they're interested.

I only sent a query by email and got a request for the three chapters. Then sent them via email too...hope that helps.

I sent the first 3 pages (in the body of the email) with the query and got (my first) request for a full. Maybe paste a few pages in the email? Just to give a taste of your voice or whatever.

It was about 5 minutes after I sent, and only 5 minutes ago.

"My computer had to be resurrected last night and subsequently some things are GONE. Sigh. Clients, please resend you manuscripts and contact info. That also goes for those of you whom I requested works from. Queries are safe ,so no need to resend."
- Elizabeth Jote, May 8th

source: http://elizabethjote.wordpress.com/

I really enjoyed Elizabeth's blog so I decided to query my YA urban fantasy to her, even though she didn't say if she was interested in that sort of thing or not. I sent it with three the three chapters, took a shower, and when I got out she had already gotten back to me asking for the full. About two hours after I sent that, she sent a very polite email back letting me know she'd get back to me as soon as possible. Very professional and I'm really impressed. I hope it works out!

Hello all,
My very first post. For anyone who is still wondering about Yvonne Woon, I found her on Agent Query under an Objective Entertainment listing, but she's not on Objective Entertainment's own website, so I mentioned it to Agent Query, they checked and found she had left there last December. It could be why Vandal waited so long for her to get back to them.

Cheers!

FYI-

Yvonne Woon is no longer working at Objective Entertainment.

I am represented by Elizabeth Jote of Objective Entertainment for my YA paranormal. She is sharp and witty. If you want to learn about Ms. Jote and how she works, I recommend going to her blog called Glorious Paper Cuts.

We will be submitting my manuscript to editors soon. Her agency is busy, which is good.

Jacob Israel's debut novel, THE CALLING, will be coming out in November of 2009. Jacob is not a celebrity, to my knowledge, and is represented by Ian.

I love this forum. You guys are so well-researched and supportive of one another.

GingerGirl, you are so wise to do your research.

I've read in several places that the odds of getting a publishing contract, even with an agent is only 60%. Some agents have a higher success rates because they only take safe bets. In my dealings with Ms. Jote, it has become apparent to me that she represents what she loves. Her enthusiasm is impressive, and I believe she will do a fabulous job pitching my novel.

As for the viability of the agency, they recently sold a YA series for a significant deal in the high six figures among other sales.

Naturally, I'll feel much better when we have subbed my manuscript out, and even better when I receive a publishing contract, but at this stage I am happy with Ms. Jote and anticipate a long, happy relationship.

I love meeting other writers. Please feel free to contact me at any of the links below if you have any questions. Good luck to everybody.

Mary

http://www.marylindsey.com
http://www.myspace.com/mary_t_lindsey
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1312369256
http://marylindsey.livejournal.com/

Respectfully, Mary:

Jacob Israel is a psuedonmyn. So we don't really know whether the author is a celebrity or not.

Bookmark that thought and stay tuned.

Oh, and by the way: Every good wish for the purchase of your novel.

Thanks, Gingergurl. I contacted you via PM.

Best wishes to everyone. I look forward to reading about your successes!

Mary


Oh, I love writer friends on MySpace and Facebook. Come and friend me if you have profiles.

I queried I.K. at Objective. Immediately got back an invitation to sample their editing service. Too baffled to respond to THAT one. I guess he was saying my query sucked.

Put down the pitchforks

Whoa, whoa, whoa there guys. Don't take up your pitchforks for the witch hunt just yet.

I don't know Ian at all, but I know Elizabeth Jote personally, and would hate to see her or her clients (namely ME) get burned at the stake for what appears to be a well-intentioned bad idea.

Realize when you make incendiary comments about an agency in general, you could potentially affect the reputation of many people. And I'm sure you know this, but agents read these posts. I've seen them pop on several times on other threads.

It appears the policy of referring editors has been discontinued because of the misunderstandings arising from it. Ms. Jote blogged about it today.

http://elizabethjote.wordpress.com/

I'm glad that Objective Entertainment has stopped referring clients to specific editorial services. That is inappropriate and unprofessional, and reflects poorly on the agency.

Here's the thing that Elizabeth Jote either doesn't get or is finessing in her blog post: Telling a querier they might benefit from professional editorial help can be construed as "doing a favor." Telling them that they might benefit from professional editorial help from Business X is over the line.

I still have a full MS with OE, and my research indicates they're entirely on the up-and-up. I've found sales for the agents, including the one I've queried.

Also, I've had agents refer specific editors or other agents. I don't believe it comes from a bad place; sometimes an agent might know of a service which can benefit you... It doesn't mean the suggestion should insult you, or that you need to follow it.

Maybe my bias stems from the fact that this particular agency seems perfect for my book, so keep that in mind when reading this

Just want to say that my dealings with Elizabeth Jote were great. My writing partner and I sent her our query and first three chapters. She ended up passing, but her rejection was personal and VERY nice, letting us know she had let the other agents at Objective look at it also for a second opinion. She was very encouraging! She even apologized for taking too long when in fact it had only been a few weeks. It was so nice that I kept the email and re-read it when I'm feeling hopeless about finding an agent.

She never offered us any sort of editing service and all the research I had done on her before querying made me feel as if we would be lucky to have her as our agent.

Barber said:

Also, I've had agents refer specific editors or other agents. I don't believe it comes from a bad place; sometimes an agent might know of a service which can benefit you...

Click to expand...

It's not appropriate for an agent to refer a querier to one specific for-pay editorial service. Full stop.

Referring a querier to another literary agency is quite different.

Saying "This MS needs professional editorial help" might certainly be of great benefit to a querier. Recommending one specific for-pay editorial company has the potential of looking like a conflict of interest, so it's not considered professional.

I'm not sure what the industry's take on, say, sharing a short list of editorial services that clients have used and found helpful might be. But saying "Your MS needs tightening up; we recommend Company X" is definitely not considered appropriate practice.

AEI, a highly respected multimedia and literary agency (Objective Entertainment is multimedia and not just a literary agency, by the way, which is why this applies) posts the following on the submissions page of the AEI website:

Your work must be finished and properly edited before seeking our representation (meaning proofread, spell-checked, and rewritten until it's up to professional standards). If it's NOT in that condition, and you require professional editorial or rewrite assistance (on a fee for service basis) before seeking representation, you may direct your work to the attention of Writer's Lifeline, Inc., a separate service established by AEI's founders to help promising writers create a bridge to professional success.

Writer's Lifeline, Inc., an AEI-affiliate charges fees for editorial coaching and publishing consulting services requested by writers in need of honing their story-telling or presentation skills. Please note that working with Writer's Lifeline, Inc. does not guarantee representation by AEI, although AEI's founders help shape the projects and gets "first look" at them.

Writer's Lifeline clients have accounted for approximately 70% of AEI sales.


So, I'm wondering why it is okay for AEI to offer editorial and rewrite assistance on a fee for service basis, but it's not okay for Objective Entertainment to do something less dramatic? I'm not saying I'm in favor of the policy, necessarily, but it certainly hasn't hurt AEI's success or reputation. Thought I'd throw that out there for grins.

Objective Entertainment is a multimedia management company, not just a literary agency. That is why I chose to query them -- they are not like the other guys.

By the way, Ms. Jote announced on her blog yesterday that the work of one of her clients, a debut author named Nana Brew-Hammond, was placed with Simon and Schuster.

Congrats to Ms. Jote, Objective Entertainment and Ms. Brew-Hammond.

MaryL said:

So, I'm wondering why it is okay for AEI to offer editorial and rewrite assistance on a fee for service basis, but it's not okay for Objective Entertainment to do something less dramatic? I'm not saying I'm in favor of the policy, necessarily, but it certainly hasn't hurt AEI's success or reputation. Thought I'd throw that out there for grins.

Click to expand...

Actually, AEI is not recommended by P&E for just that reason. No double standard. http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/peala.htm

And AEI is not as highly regarded as you seem to think. Here is the link here about that agency. http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=550

Looking to intent.

Hi Soccer mom. Thanks for the links. Point well-made.

In part, I'm only playing devil's advocate here. Please don't misunderstand me. I donated money to P&E (which all of us as writers should do if we possibly can), and I love what they do. Thank goodness they are out there identifying the scammers.

Atchity's success has survived the ire of querying writers and P&E. The publishers seem to be more forgiving, which is the reputation to which I was referring in my previous post. He makes sales and lots of them.

What I am trying to say is that perhaps this is a more complex issue than I used to believe it to be when I was querying my first project.

I learned in law school that someone is innocent until proven guilty. Even when someone is found guilty, extenuating circumstances and intent are considered before judgment is rendered. Intent goes toward proving a malfeasance. I don't believe Objective Entertainment intended to scam or fleece writers. I'm basing my opinion on this matter from insider information: Mine. I am a client of this agency.

Ms. Jote has an educational bent. Many of her blog posts are aimed at giving writers information to help them have greater success with their projects. Look at her posts on the query process.

Here is why I believe writers can query OE with confidence: Ms. Jote gave me a brief revision suggestion for an added thread that more fully-developed one of my characters to prepare my manuscript for submission to publishers. She left the revisions entirely up to me. Never once has there been mention of a freelance editor for my project. It seems to me that if OE were out to make money this way off of authors, I would have been the perfect candidate. Yet, I have never been asked to spend any money. My dealings with Objective Entertainment to date have been professional and absolutely on the up-and-up.

Okay. I've said all I can possibly say on this topic. I'm moving on. It's time to do something productive--like get back to writing!

Love your blog, by the way, Soccer Mom.

Wishing everyone a fabulous weekend!

Mary

http://www.marylindsey.com