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[Agency] Quill & Vision (Linda Christas)

Eussie

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I wrote to this company and asked for their submission guidelines and some more info as I thought they sounded a little suspect.

Immediately alarm bells went off. Their reply email had grammar errors and they invited me to download their submission guidelines as an .rtf file which CAN contain a virus.

Just wanted to warn y'all....

Cheers
Eussie
 

James D. Macdonald

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Grammatical (or spelling) errors are always a bad sign, but a download from someone's website is probably okay. (While any file can contain a virus, an .rtf file is just a text file -- that's generally pretty safe. It isn't like a .doc file, which is an invitation to Please Infect Me.)

I assume you have a good, updated anti-virus on your computer, an anti-spyware program, and a firewall?
 

Julie Worth

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You are being overly suspicious, although this agency is a bit unusual. It’s associated with a college fund co-chaired by Pat Boone and Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
 

victoriastrauss

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Someone in another thread asked about this person. Her service looks to me like one of those middlemen services that are becoming more and more common. Services like this often claim not to be literary agencies--they say they're more like matchmakers, linking authors up with publishers and agents. Often the people who run them don't have much industry experience, and may not know how to distinguish between reputable and questionable; or they may approach people you could approach just as (or more) effectively on your own--as with the smaller publishers Ms. Quill says she focuses on.

Plus, middlemen services don't have any recognized place in the industry. If you're approaching a publisher, you do it either on your own or through a real literary agent; if you're approaching an agent, you don't need an intermediary. Since these services usually entail a fee, and at their best do no more than you could accomplish on your own with a bit of time and effort (and at their worst, may hook you up with bad publishers and/or agents), they're best avoided, IMO.

- Victoria
 

Eussie

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James D. Macdonald said:
Grammatical (or spelling) errors are always a bad sign, but a download from someone's website is probably okay. (While any file can contain a virus, an .rtf file is just a text file -- that's generally pretty safe. It isn't like a .doc file, which is an invitation to Please Infect Me.)

I assume you have a good, updated anti-virus on your computer, an anti-spyware program, and a firewall?

While an .rtf file itself can't contain a virus, some *nasty* people out there are renaming macro files as .rtf files.

Julie...agreed, I may be overly suspicious indeed.
 

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Eussie is quite correct. Unless you have a recent patch that adds such files to what must be examined within your virus scanning software, it's best to be certain of the source.
 

Eussie

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OK, I downloaded the file from a public computer (didn't want to take the chance with my laptop). In order to even SUBMIT anything to this agency you have to sign an agreement. Would anyone sign this? What do you all think?

MATERIAL SUBMISSION AGREEMENT



Gentlemen:

1) I am submitting to you herewith the following material (hereinafter referred to as "said material"):

Title:_______________________________________

Form of Material: (e.g., screenplay, treatment, novel, play): _________________

Principal Characters: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Brief summary of Theme or Plot: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

WGA Registration No:_________________ (Not mandatory)

Number of Pages:____________

2) I request that you read and evaluate said material, and you hereby agree to do so, and if I subsequently make a written request, you agree to advise me of your decision with respect to the material. All requests for evaluation will be sent to Otto Benchley, Assistant Public Relations Director, Linda Christas Quill and Vision at [email protected]. I agree to maintain all copies of Otto Benchley's responses for my personal record.

3) I warrant that I am the sole owner and author of said material, that I have the exclusive right and authority to submit the same to Linda Christas Quill and Vision upon the terms and conditions stated herein, and that all of the important features of said material are summarized herein. I will indemnify Linda Christas Quill and Vision of and from any and all claims, loss or liability (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that may be asserted against you, or incurred by you, at any time in connection with said material, or any use thereof.

4)I agree that any part of said material which does not in itself constitute protectible literary property may be used by you without any liability to me, and that nothing in this agreement nor the fact of my submission of said material to you shall be deemed to place you in any different position that anyone else to whom I have not submitted said material with respect to any portion of said material which does not constitute protectible literary property.

5) I understand that you do not purchase literary properties as a general rule, and that if you were to do so, you would purchase said material through the established channels in the industry and not through a submission such as this. I recognize that you have access to and/or may create or have created literary materials and ideas which may be similar or identical to said materials in theme, idea, plot, format or other respects. I agree that I will not be entitled to any compensation because of the use by you of any such similar or identical material which may have been independently created by you or may have come to you from any other independent source. I understand that no confidential relationship is established by my submitting the material to you hereunder.

6) I understand that you have adopted the policy, with respect to the unsolicited submission of material, of refusing to accept, consider or evaluate unsolicited material unless the person(s) submitting such material has/have signed an agreement in a form substantially the same as this agreement. I specifically acknowledged that you would refuse to accept, consider, or otherwise evaluate my material in the absence of my acceptance of each and all of the provisions hereof. I shall retain all right to submit this or similar material to persons other than you.

7) Linda Christas Quill and Vision agrees that if it wishes to represent any legally protectible portion of said material, provided it has not been obtained by Linda Christas Quill and Vision from another source, or independently created by Linda Christas Quill and Vision, you will pay me an amount to be negotiated should Linda Christas Quill and Vision offer me and I accept an agency contract with the terms of payment(s) to me stipulated therein.

If we are unable to agree as to said amount, or in the event of any dispute concerning any alleged use of said material (e.g., whether you have used legally protectible portions thereof, or any other dispute arising out of or in connection with said material or with reference to this agreement, its validity, construction, performance, nonperformance, operation ,breach, continuance or termination, such dispute shall be submitted to arbitration. Each party hereby waives any and all rights and benefits which he or it might otherwise have or be entitled to under the laws of the State of California to litigate any such dispute in court, it being the intention of the parties to arbitrate, according to the provisions hereof, all such disputes. Either party (either I or Linda Christas Quill and Vision) may commence arbitration proceedings by giving the other party written notice thereof and in such notices designating one arbitrator. Within twenty (20) days after receipt of such notice, the other party shall designate in writing another arbitrator. If the other party shall fail or refuse, for whatever reason to select a second arbitrator, within twenty (20) days, as aforesaid, then the first arbitrator appointed shall serve as the sole arbitrator and shall promptly determine the controversy. The two arbitrators (if two are appointed) shall promptly select a third arbitrator, and if they cannot agree on a third arbitrator within ten (10) days after the appointment of the second arbitrator, either party may secure appointment of the third arbitrator, by application to the American Arbitration Association. Each of the arbitrators shall be a person experienced and knowledgeable in the entertainment industry. The arbitrators, when appointed, shall promptly determine the controversy by majority vote and such determination shall be final and each of the parties shall be bound thereby. The arbitration shall be conducted in the County of Sacramento, State of California,and, except as herein expressly provided otherwise, the arbitration shall be governed by and subject to the laws of the State of California, and the then prevailing rules of the American Arbitration Association. The arbitrators' decision shall be controlled by the terms of this agreement.

If either party shall fail to appear at the hearing on the date designated in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association, or shall otherwise fail to participate in the arbitration proceedings, then the arbitrator(s), as the case may be, are empowered to proceed ex parte.

8) Either party to this agreement may assign or license its or his rights hereunder, but such assignment or license shall not relieve such party of its or his obligations hereunder. It is agreed that this agreement shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their heirs, successors, representatives, assigns and licensee, and that any such heir, successor, representative, assign or licensee shall be deemed a third party beneficiary under this agreement.

9) I have retained at least one copy of said material, and I hereby release Linda Christas Quill and Vision of any and all liability for loss of, or damage to, the copies of said material submitted to you hereunder.

10) I enter into this agreement with the express understanding that you agree to read and evaluate said material in reliance upon this agreement and the covenants, representations and warranties contained herein, and that in the absence of such an agreement, you will not read or evaluate said material.

11) I hereby state that I have read and understand this agreement and that no oral representations of any kind have been made to me, and that this agreement states our entire understanding with reference to the subject matter hereof. Any modification or waiver of any of the provisions of this agreement must be in writing and signed by both of us.

12) If more than one party signs this agreement as submittor, then references to "I" or "me" throughout this agreement shall apply to each such party, jointly or severally. (References to "his" in this agreement is generic and does not designate the specific sex of the submittor(s))

13) Should any provision or part of any provision be void or unenforceable, such provision or part thereof shall be deemed omitted and this agreement with such provision or part thereof omitted shall remain in full force and effect.

This agreement shall at all times be construed so as to carry out the purposes thereof.

14) This agreement may be terminated at any time with written notice to the other party.

15) For the purposes of this agreement all ongoing communication between the submittor and Linda Christas Quill and Vision will take place via e-mail at the addresses stipulated herein.

DATED:_____________________ Very truly yours,

Signature:______________________________________________

Print Name:_____________________________________________

Address:________________________________________________

City and State:___________________________________________

E-mail Address:__________________________________________

Telephone number:________________________________________



 

victoriastrauss

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This is the kind of release form that's commonly used by production companies and screenplay agencies. It's rarely used by book agents.

It's not meant to enable the agent or production company to rip off your material, but to protect the agent/prodco from frivolous infringement suits. However, since Ms. Quill doesn't claim to be either an agent or a production company, it seems to me that it's overkill.

I know that some screenplay writers aren't comfortable with these releases, and cross out various clauses, but I don't know which ones.

- Victoria
 

JennaGlatzer

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The biggie that most screenwriters cross out is "identical," as in...

I recognize that you have access to and/or may create or have created literary materials and ideas which may be similar or identical to said materials in theme, idea, plot, format or other respects. I agree that I will not be entitled to any compensation because of the use by you of any such similar or identical material which may have been independently created by you or may have come to you from any other independent source.
 

Eussie

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JennaGlatzer said:
The biggie that most screenwriters cross out is "identical," as in...

I recognize that you have access to and/or may create or have created literary materials and ideas which may be similar or identical to said materials in theme, idea, plot, format or other respects. I agree that I will not be entitled to any compensation because of the use by you of any such similar or identical material which may have been independently created by you or may have come to you from any other independent source.

Thank you for the tip. However, as a novice to this, the thought of signing something just to submit my work makes me a little wary. I've got interest from three other legit agencies so I will see where that takes me.

Cheers,
Eussie
 

Brad

Reply to Suspicious

I know from personal experience that Linda Christas never asks a dime from any new writer who is out there attempting to find representation. (They have accepted my manuscript, and I am in negotiation for a contract at the moment thanks to them. Linda Christas is asking exactly zero dollars for their effort on my behalf. The contract is going to be small because of the nature of the book. Therefore, Linda Christas has agreed to forego any commission on this one. They are betting on me for the future. Frankly, I don't think I have another book in me. I told them that, and they said it was OK. They are really a class act.)

Happy to hear that you all type e-mails without error. Bravo!

Perhaps some people here don't understand how many law suits are filed every day by so called authors who have submitted stories with hackneyed plots and then sued a publisher if they publish someone else's work that contains a plot that she, the rejected artist, thinks she recognizes.

The person who is registering "suspicious" is slamming something he or she knows virtually nothing about.

Most publishers today won't even read the first page of a manuscript unless they have a full release. Many won't even open the package if they don't have a release in advance. I know. I just went through the process of getting dozens of rejection slips, until I happened upon Quill and Vision.

I think we need to give Linda Christas a break.

Personally, as one writer told me, a new artist ought to be willing to pay for someone in the publishing industry to steal his first effort.

Linda Christas Quill and Vision has been great to me.

Brad Cummings
Soon to be Published Author
Represented by Linda Christas
 

aka eraser

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Brad, there's a lot of misinformation in your post but I'm too darn tired to address all of it.

You seem to assume your manuscript was rejected umpteen times because it wasn't "released." I have a hunch there were other reasons.

I somehow doubt there are all sorts of lawsuits filed "every day" by "so called authors" either.

I do wish you and your book well though.
 

Eussie

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I did a bit of further research on LCQ. If you do a search for

"linda christas" scam

on google you'll see what I mean :/

That many people screaming 'scam' makes me want to run...
 

Richard

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Personally, as one writer told me, a new artist ought to be willing to pay for someone in the publishing industry to steal his first effort.

Eh? I know all these words, but this sentence makes no sense...
 

dragonjax

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Brad said:
I know from personal experience that Linda Christas never asks a dime from any new writer who is out there attempting to find representation.
Good. Any agent charging upfront fees = BAD.

Brad said:
(They have accepted my manuscript, and I am in negotiation for a contract at the moment thanks to them. Linda Christas is asking exactly zero dollars for their effort on my behalf. The contract is going to be small because of the nature of the book. Therefore, Linda Christas has agreed to forego any commission on this one. They are betting on me for the future. Frankly, I don't think I have another book in me. I told them that, and they said it was OK. They are really a class act.)
Okay, just to be sure I'm clear on this: Out of the goodness of her heart, Linda is not going to collect the standard commission for her work involved in selling your manuscript to a publisher (assuming that's what you're referring to above) because she is "betting" on you "for the future"--even though you've plainly told her that you're not planning on writing another book. Hmmm.

Brad said:
Happy to hear that you all type e-mails without error. Bravo!
Of course people make mistakes. But when someone who is supposed to represent an author's best interests doesn't come across professionally -- and sending an e-mail message with grammatical errors undermines this perception -- that can make an author's brow arch in surprise.

Brad said:
Perhaps some people here don't understand how many law suits are filed every day by so called authors who have submitted stories with hackneyed plots and then sued a publisher if they publish someone else's work that contains a plot that she, the rejected artist, thinks she recognizes.
Some of us do. As I believe it was Victoria said, the agreement is fairly standard -- I've seen it used with at least one other agency and one publisher.

Brad said:
The person who is registering "suspicious" is slamming something he or she knows virtually nothing about.
How do you come to this conclusion? Eussie wasn't slamming anyone, simply sharing what could have been a scam alert.

Brad said:
Most publishers today won't even read the first page of a manuscript unless they have a full release. Many won't even open the package if they don't have a release in advance. I know. I just went through the process of getting dozens of rejection slips, until I happened upon Quill and Vision.
I would love to see your stats on this to back up your claim. And how does your "dozens of rejection slips" tie into your statement about a release form? Are you saying that your book was getting that many rejections solely because you didn't sign a release form?

Brad said:
I think we need to give Linda Christas a break.
I didn't think she was getting trounced on this thread, but okay, let's give her a break.

Brad said:
Personally, as one writer told me, a new artist ought to be willing to pay for someone in the publishing industry to steal his first effort.
Huh. So I suppose you'd be perfectly okay with having your book stolen. Okay. That's you. Me, I'd be livid. But this has nothing to do with the release forms used by agents and some publishers. Those are to protect those companies against frivilous law suits.

Brad said:
Linda Christas Quill and Vision has been great to me.
Best of luck to you.

Brad said:
Brad Cummings
Soon to be Published Author
Represented by Linda Christas
When you get signed with a publisher, do let us know.
 

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Like it or not, these so-called intermediaries are behaving like literary agents. A number of them use semantics to make it appear that they're not agents even though the services they offer are precisely what an agent does. Furthermore, many such intermediaries want payment up front for their services.

P&E considers them to be agencies and labels them as such. If you know of any such intermediaries that are not listed in P&E, please contact me by email at [email protected] with information about them so they can be listed and given an appropriate recommendation.
 

Eussie

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Comments in bold...

Brad said:
Happy to hear that you all type e-mails without error. Bravo!LCQ is supposed to be a professional company. I am not. Someone who wants to represent me and edit/sell my book should be spell/grammar checking the emails that go out. Furthermore, I think we should restrict sarcasm to the 'flames' board.


The person who is registering "suspicious" is slamming something he or she knows virtually nothing about. The 'person' is me, Eussie, and of course I know nothing about it or I wouldn't have been posing the question. Did you even read my original post? It was an invitation to clarify the legitimacy of LCQ.


Soon to be Published Author
Represented by Linda Christas
 

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Allow me to attempt a rewrite of that earlier note:
------------------------------------------------

Hi,

I've never posted here before, but I just happened to run across this thread because I was using Google to learn more about a company that has already done for me what they promised. At this point, I have no real reason to care what others may say about them, because my role with them is nearly finished. Why was I looking them up after the fact if this is the case? I'm just a crazy cat that way.

In this, my first post, I will take your legitimate question as a slam against a company I am happy with. I will then proceed to become indignant and lash out with sarcasm about the original poster's ability to write a grammatically correct e-mail. This, I hope, will raise my credibility in your eyes.

I will then imply that the original poster is ignorant of the industry. This will make you trust me.

I only have one book in me, and my single manuscript has been rejected dozens of times. This makes me an expert which, in turn, makes me feel good about myself.

Though this is my first post, and though you've never heard of me, and though I've already become borderline insulting in my note to you, and though I've made both generalizations and statements of fact without offering to back them up, please don't suspect me of being affiliated with the company in question. My role with them is nearly over and they have done for me what they promised. Becoming indignant and defensive about this company, at this stage of the game, is only natural. Don't you think?

Yours truly,

- He who doth protest too much
 

victoriastrauss

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Brad said:
(They have accepted my manuscript, and I am in negotiation for a contract at the moment thanks to them. Linda Christas is asking exactly zero dollars for their effort on my behalf. The contract is going to be small because of the nature of the book.
Can you tell us who the publisher is?

Perhaps some people here don't understand how many law suits are filed every day by so called authors who have submitted stories with hackneyed plots and then sued a publisher if they publish someone else's work that contains a plot that she, the rejected artist, thinks she recognizes.
You may have heard this (it's a persistent rumor) but it really isn't true.

Most publishers today won't even read the first page of a manuscript unless they have a full release. Many won't even open the package if they don't have a release in advance.
This is true of studios, producers, and film agents. It's not true of book publishers. I don't know of a single reputable publisher that uses or requires a release.

Personally, as one writer told me, a new artist ought to be willing to pay for someone in the publishing industry to steal his first effort.
Since the above makes no sense, I'm going to assume you meant "a new artist ought to be willing to pay to prevent someone in the publishing industry from stealing his first effort".

But you're wrong. You don't need to pay to prevent theft of your first effort, because your first effort won't be stolen. If your book is good enough to publish, it's a whole lot less trouble for a publisher just to work with you than to steal your manuscript and go to all the effort of pretending that someone else wrote it.

On the list of problems new writers may run into, theft is just about last on the list to worry about.

- Victoria
 

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victoriastrauss said:
This is true of studios, producers, and film agents. It's not true of book publishers. I don't know of a single reputable publisher that uses or requires a release.

This doesn't invalidate your comments, but Wizards of the Coast requires a release. They are the exception rather than the rule, though.
 

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A release for the WOTC contest is different from a release for a standard manuscript submission, I believe. After all, in a contest of this scope, thousands of MSes will come in. However, publishers don't normally request anywhere near that many manuscripts based on the many queries they receive. (Or does WOTC always request a release form?)

As well, Baen accepts full manuscripts without a query, but they don't have a release form. Not a single publisher I've ever submitted to has ever asked me to sign a release form.
 

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DeadlyAccurate said:
This doesn't invalidate your comments, but Wizards of the Coast requires a release. They are the exception rather than the rule, though.
I'm assuming that's because they are a media company, and their book contracts are work for hire.

- Victoria
 

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Side Note About WotC

Actually, the latest open call from Wizards of the Coast is not a work-for-hire situation in that the authors keep their copyrights. (This is a first for Wizards.) Also, White Wolf used to require such a waiver whenever writers submitted, but I don't know if that publisher still requires it. ((shrug))
 

Brad

Linda Christas and Homey Home Theater

I wanted to update all the good people on this site as promised regarding my book, Homey Home Theater.

Linda Christas gave me a chance when everyone else, the big boys: Random House, Simon and Schuster et al grinned and asked me to bear it.

We are now in the final stages of editing. I have a guaranteed advance upon submitting the manuscript which will take care of this struggling writer's rent for the rest of the year.

Linda Christas, as I mentioned before, has passed on any royalties from my book. And, they didn't charge me anything at all for their review or any other service.

They have treated me as if I were Dick Francis or some other top selling author.

Thanks to Linda Christas, I've got a grip!

Brad Cummings
Author