[Agent] Zack Company / Endpapers Press (Andy Zack)

I'm team Andy here. He went out of his way to critique my outline and proposal, and although he said the idea was superb, he did point out a weakness in my platform, which I'd completely overlooked. Other agents hit that topic dead-on too, proving him 100% correct in his evaluation. The guy is smart as paint, and I'd trade the two-and-a-half offers I have right now for him any day.

Now, I do have a military espionage, and I'm currently racking my brain and wondering why I haven't sent it to him! I'll have to check my records.

Figured I'd chime in - I submitted via his online form and received a form rejection via email about a day later. Didn't pay the "expedite" fee (though I don't really have a problem with the concept).

I submitted via the online form as well on 12/15 and got a request for 25 pages on 12/31. I did not pay any fees whatsoever.

The online form linked from his FAQ page? The one that says "Don't submit queries in this form" in red? That one?

Edit: I realize that sounded snarky. Sorry, I just wanted to be certain before I did something stupid.

Under "Submission" you hit the "how to query us" and that takes you to a tutor page, then scroll all the way down to find the form. I missed it the first time too.

Tri

Thank you! Wow, that's tricky.

I submitted the partial he requested on 9/21, and still haven't received a response yea or nay. I went to his blog where his query count is supposed to let us know how fast he's going through things, and it seems like she should have read the partial months ago at that rate.

I have no way to contact him to see if he got it. There's no phone or email anywhere. i commented on the blog post with the question and still have not heard.

If he hasn't read it yet, I'm a very patient person. It's cool. (even though that's a long wait for a partial) But if he hasn't gotten it I need a way to find that out so I can send it again (if they're still interested).

Anyone ever encountered this before?

Should I just call it a pass and move on?

He posted a rant on his blog a while ago about people following up, so I'd probably just give it a bit more time. Good luck!

Shows you how long it has been since I came to his thread. I didn't know he even had an online form now....I'll have to give him a shot....

Does he have an auto-responder for receipt of submissions? Would it cut down on his follow-up requests if he did?

If I received an auto-responce saying an agaent received a submission I certainly wouldn't email to ask if the agent had gotten a submission. I would assume no response after 3 -4 months meant not interested.

My partial was requested via snail mail, so there was no easy way for him to auto respond.

I really would object to follow-ups to unsolicited queries, but when someone asks for something, I'd hope they'd a be a little more responsive. Anyway, really doesn't matter. It's all a learning experience.

I'm calling it a pass. Moving along....thanks for the input!

Reading Times

Hello folks:

I saw the discussion here about my response times and thought I would comment.

I didn't find an intern last fall, so from the end of the summer until January, there was no one to do first reads. I admit it, I read very, very few full manuscripts first. I let my interns read them and they write reader's reports. This is the way many editors in-house work also. When my intern is over-the-moon about a manuscript, I read it also. If the intern finds ten reasons to fault it, I generally pass and let them write the author their thoughts on what worked or didn't work.

Now HOLD ON! I know that ten of you want to hit reply and rant and rave about how I shouldn't allow my interns to make representation decisions. Get over it. All agents and editors working with assistants and interns do the same. Where do you think the next generation of editors and agents comes from? And the truth is, while they may not have the same instincts or experience, an intern's opinion on whether or not it's a "good book," are as valid as yours or mine.

So, no intern and the reading slows way, way, way down.

I admit it, I've been a bit slow in the reading. I do still publish a monthly round-up and I will actually be getting to January's today. But I have partials and proposals going back several months. Normally I can squeeze in a day waiting for the car to be serviced and knock off five or ten while I wait, but the cars have (mostly) been behaving. Good news for you is that I own a Camry, so I'm going to have to go get my gas pedal fixed, which I'm sure guarantees me several hours of reading time.

All that said, I have two words for everyone sending in a chapter or proposal for my review: DELIVERY CONFIRMATION. It isn't expensive and it tells you I got the material. I RESPOND TO EVERYTHING, as long as you include an SASE, thumbs up or thumbs down. If I'm passing, that response is usually a form reject, but at least you won't be left hanging. If I want more, I'll ask for it. If it's a full MS, likely my intern will do the first read. Interns are required to read an MS per week, though sometimes they are by current clients and sometimes by potential clients.

For the monthly round-up, see my blog at www.zackcompany.blogspot.com or become a fan of TZC via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/literaryagency. We publish it there also (when we remember).

Z

Speaking from experience, it's relatively easy for interns to review submissions and make initial rejections and requests for more without risking anything going wrong: the bulk of submissions are entirely wrong for the places they're submitted to (think non-fiction submitted to an agent who deals entirely with fiction, or horror sent to an agent who specialises in romance); or they're so badly written that they are nigh-on incomprehensible; or they're reliant on conspiracy theories and probably libellous to boot, etc.

It's entirely acceptable for interns to make that first sweep through the slush-pile, so long as they're well-briefed on what to look out for, and what to reject. As Mr Zack couldn't find an intern this summer, it's probably because he's so exacting (people queue up for intern positions: I doubt he had a lack of applicants).

I agree with you, Old Hack. I follow several interns on Twitter and IMO, they are just as knowledgeable as the agents. With respect to the waiting, I think people just get impatient and let their impatience get the better of them.

Actually, I did have a lack of applicants. San Diego is not New York, the center of the publishing world. Few students are thinking of publishing as a career, compared to NYU or Columbia, both of which have publishing programs.

Z

Not shocking and nothing to apologize for. I was an intern for a Hollywood agency and nothing went to the agent without getting read by me or my peers first. Even stuff by clients (the agent always read it of course, just after I/we did).

Here is the reason I wanted to know. I am not impatient (well, maybe a little - but I try hard not to take it out on other people).

I have only allow myself to be "out" to 10 agents at a time, and this includes unsolicited queries, partials and fulls. I wanted to fill that space up, or resend the partial if necessary.

I saw the roundup and was a little baffled at how to do the math. I didn't quite know what it meant for my partial because you may be asking for 20 and getting through 30 (for instance) but I don't know what the stack on the table looks like to begin with.

Anyway, I'm good. Thanks for the answer!

Oh - and DELIVERY CONFIRMATION.
Duh. Seems so simple, but I never thought of it.

Thanks!

X

Mr. Zack,

First off, thank you for your replies to this thread, as well as your other posts on this site. Your advice has been superb.

I have a question for you, assuming you're still reading this thread. You mention on the Zack Company website on this page that you can provide editorial services for authors. You also have the Author Coach website, where you mention that you do not share clients between the The Zack Company and Author Coach.

Is the editing service mentioned on the Zack Company website the same thing as Author Coach, or a different service provided through The Zack Company? If the editing service on the Zack Company is different, do you consider people you've edited for through that service valid clients for representation as an agent?

Salaris:

If a client comes to TZC in search of editorial services, they will be referred to the Author Coach site for an outline of services, available coaches, and pricing. If they become an AC client, they cannot be considered for representation by TZC.

If I receive a submission to TZC that I like but think needs work, then I will work with that client editorially at no charge to get the book into shape. If I work with a client via AC and they would like me to work with them to develop a submission list of agents, then I am happy to do so.

Z

Thank you for the clarification on that, Mr. Zack.

Offer for Charity

I am coming back to this post to correct some wrongful statement I have previously made on Mr. Zack's Offer for Charity. I have since donated to the cause and invite other people to do so.

OneWriter, I follow several agents on Twitter, and they get hundreds of queries a day, deal with their existing clients, and have lots of partials and fulls waiting to be read. It's not uncommon for an agent to post at midnight about reading queries, etc. They are busy, busy folks who work long hours. I think you can forgive them for a typo or two. Agents are human as well. I've sent out a story that was proofread and proofread again only to find a typo after it was sent.

I'm not trying to be snarky or mean, and I want to be clear, I'm not a client of the agency, so this isn't a defensive post based on that. I've gotten rejection letters with my name misspelled. Typos and mistakes happen.

I wasn't seeking representation. I paid $100 to have my first chapter critiqued.

Was your chapter critiqued in a way that was useful to you?

I discussed with Mr. Zack and resolved the issue. It was a misunderstanding on my part, and I apologize.