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Talcott Notch Literary Services

Julie Worth

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She rejected me a few weeks ago (after keeping the ms for six months) saying that she was moving away from fiction.
 

Christine N.

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Well, I think I'm pulling my sub from her. She's had the partial for four months, and I recently e-mailed her to say that I've had an offer on the ms from the publisher of my last book. I asked her to look it over and let me know if she thinks she could sell it to a bigger house - I don't need an agent to stay with LBF - I've got a great working relationship with them, their contract is straightforward. She said she'd get back to me in a 'few days'

That was two weeks ago. I guess my time isn't as valuable as hers.
 

Branwyn

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Fiction

Yes Ron, she replied that she read my query with great interest and would be happy to consider my work. She then asked for the first 50 pages, and a full synopsis.
So we shall see.
 

RonFranscell

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Persist

Good news, Baywitch. I'm keeping fingers crossed, but keep submitting. Don't let your eggs rest in one basket too long.

Christine, you're probably wise to pull up stakes since you haven't had a satisfying encounter with Talcott Notch. I think TN's site says it considers very limited types of fiction, which yours don't appear to be, so it's not a good bet for you anyway. Add the timing issues and you have every reason to seek your fortune elsewhere.

A writer's life is too short (and oversubscribed) to waste a lot of emotional energy on disappointments. Yeah, yeah, easier said than done, I know. But I've wasted enough energy on disappointment to be an expert witness. Do what you can to pour all that attention, passion and energy into storytelling.
 
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Branwyn

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Thanks Ron...I've got fingers and toes crossed. I am submitting more via email at this moment...There are others that are interested as well so I've got a few baskets;) .
 

AgentGina

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sorry, Christine!

Hi, Christine, I'm sorry you were unhappy. Your email to me indicated you had the work with a number of agents and you were contacting all of us to ask us to look at the work quickly and get back to you if we felt we could bring it successfully to a larger house, and I did look at it over that weekend. One follow-up email to you was bounced back as undeliverable (but from what I have been hearing, AOL's been having some issues), but I definitely would have tracked you down by phone or snail mail had I had good news for you. With other agents in the picture, I felt sure you'd have received a positive reply from you at least one of those, and that would be, no doubt, the reply you wanted most. Again, sorry, and I certainly wish you every success!
 

Christine N.

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It's ok, Gina, when you finally got through you said AOL had been giving you static. That happens, and it's not your fault, and I apologize. Thank you for taking the time to track me down!

And thanks for the honesty about the manuscript :) You're all right.
 

Branwyn

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:cry: She passed on the ms. But she is very nice and I got the response quickly, albeit the wrong response...
 

RonFranscell

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Sorry. Rejection sucks, under the best of circumstances. But don't git yer dawber down. Every published writer can tell you how many rejections he endured before he finally found the right home for his work. It's sobering. But everybody told you it was a holy terror to get published, right?

Persist. Keeping hunting and you'll find.
 

Jenk

Gina's had my MS for about a year, and whenever I can talk to her about it, she's very excited and has all kinds of things that she needs me to do to be able to take the next step, but it is very difficult to get into communication with her. She stopped emailing, and for 3 months, I heard nothing. I finally called, and she said that there had been a problem with email, and she thought I had dropped out. I wondered why she hadn't called me, but didn't think much more about it. I gave her an alternate email address, and told her to call if she didn't hear from me, and we exchanged emails on the new address and then it stopped again. It has now been another 3 months since last I heard, despite my emailing to and from several different addresses, snail mail, and phone calls. I even had my partner call, in case her phone was blocking my number for some reason. ANyhow, I have now emailed her using this forum. If all of you would cross your fingers and say a mantra for me, and for her, I'd appreciate it.
 

Sassenach

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Jenk, you may be too patient for your own good. Why would you want to deal with someone who's generally ignored you and made questionable [to me, at least] excuses?
 

Vomaxx

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Jenk said:
Gina's had my MS for about a year, and whenever I can talk to her about it, she's very excited and has all kinds of things that she needs me to do to be able to take the next step, but it is very difficult to get into communication with her.

Are you very young? I hope so, at this rate. If for over a year you have not be able to do "all kinds of things that she needs me to do" because she's out of touch, how long are you willing to wait? A year is enough time to write a novel, let alone spruce it up.
 

waylander

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I hope you've been keeping this work in circulation, querying other agents
 

Aconite

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Jenk, it sounds like it's time to concentrate on a new agent. Best wishes to you, and good luck with your book.
 

AgentGina

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update to author

Jen, you're totally right, and I sincerely apologize. I should definitely have been more attentive in recent weeks. I am attempting to rectify the work overload situation by reducing new incoming submissions to a trickle and taking on additional staff to help handle what we already have. Replies on new queries, I'm afraid, will be taking lowest priority, so I'm sure some will complain on that issue, but client materials have got to come first, and submissions already in-house are second. When things have been brought up to speed fully, we can consider other issues.

However, I do want to clarify that I did give Jen feedback and recommendations for revisions and expansion of her proposal on several occasions, and that Jen herself was away and unable to start on that work or communicate with me for several months during this period when she had other professional commitments.

The work is now in marketable form and is in circulation and Jen has been made aware of what comments the project has garnered thus far.
 

arkady

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Jenk said:
Gina's had my MS for about a year, and whenever I can talk to her about it, she's very excited and has all kinds of things that she needs me to do to be able to take the next step, but it is very difficult to get into communication with her. She stopped emailing, and for 3 months, I heard nothing. I finally called, and she said that there had been a problem with email, and she thought I had dropped out. I wondered why she hadn't called me, but didn't think much more about it. I gave her an alternate email address, and told her to call if she didn't hear from me, and we exchanged emails on the new address and then it stopped again. It has now been another 3 months since last I heard, despite my emailing to and from several different addresses, snail mail, and phone calls. I even had my partner call, in case her phone was blocking my number for some reason. ANyhow, I have now emailed her using this forum. If all of you would cross your fingers and say a mantra for me, and for her, I'd appreciate it.

I submitted to Talcott Notch early last year. In April, I got back a form rejection ending with a suggestion that I resubmit in six weeks if the manuscript was still available.

The general consensus on this forum was that it meant exactly what it said, so I resubmitted in June.

I received the identical form letter once again, suggesting that I resubmit in six weeks. I did so, and received the same form rejection for a third time.

By now, I was pretty well convinced that, contrary to the advice I'd been given here on these pages, "submit again in six weeks" was just another polite rephrasing of "no."

But if you're going to be a writer, the first thing you learn is tenacity. So in early September, I resubmitted again, this time including a polite note mentioning that the last rejection slip had requested that I resubmit after a six-week interval.

I haven't heard a word from Talcott Notch since then, nor seen any trace of my query and sample chapters. And yes, since someone is sure to ask, I included a SSAE for return, as I always do.

I should probably add that I'm not so naive as to be sitting on my hands since that time. I'm still sending out queries for that book, and in the meantime I've finished a second, for which I've also begun querying.
 

AgentGina

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Cao, if you notice, I specifically do not request exclusive submissions (in fact, I have actively discouraged them on writing forums), and have often made public notice of the fact we're backlogged. This is no secret. It's always why we're agreeing to consider very, very little new material.

Query rejection letters from us no longer contain a suggestion to query again at a later date, and have not for at least six months. They simply state we're not taking on much new work. So, we're not encouraging people falsely.
 

PattiTheWicked

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I sent a query via email to Talcott Notch last year in March, and within a couple of days Gina requested the first fifty pages. I sent those out, and within about four months I got a response saying they were going to pass. She also pointed out a couple of specific reasons as to why she was turning me down.

While it was a bit of a disappointment, I can honestly say that I thought they were pretty timely in responding, and I appreciated the constructive criticism.
 

aarthurco

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My thoughts on Gina and Talcott - A good effort

Hi guys,

I am new here but not new to writing. I just wanted to comment on Talcott Notch and Gina. I recently sent two works to Gina for review. Both are nonfiction, one on freelancing/home business ops (the one I plan to expand, my heart’s desire book) and the other on an alternative health subject (one personal to me). I have worked with many different agents, publishers, editors and the like on many subjects since I often ghostwrite for people.

So far I think Gina has been very professional in all her responses via e-mail. I find it impressive she takes the time to review this board and provide comments and sensible feedback without aggression to all that post even negative comments. Writing is a tough industry. So is being an agent. It’s just as hard to find an agent or publisher as it is for an agent or publisher to pick a winning project. Most of the agents I know/have worked with are swamped with projects, so the idea that one would spend time providing detailed critiques is wonderful and helpful (JMO). Many get 100 manuscripts and more a week. Wew! What a lot of work.

Maybe there were some negative things that happened in the past. We all make mistakes, learn and grow as we go along. Maybe that was when the agency was in its infancy. It makes us better people, better writers, better representatives and even better agents. I know some agents are fast, and others less so. Some will respond generically, others in great detail. I have had the great fortune of getting almost no form letters when I get a rejection, but I try to take time to get to know who I am submitting to and send in a way that generates good feedback.

Yes, you can easily send to small houses without an agent. That is my preference since the advance if any is usually minimal and I’m greedy (just kidding). However, with an agent there is always the chance of getting a larger advance and working out a good deal even with a small pub. And yes, there are advantages to small and large presses as someone pointed out. If you haven’t been published yet, what is the harm in a small house even with representation if you haven’t been published yet? That said, of course I prefer and shoot for the biggies since I’ve been there done that with some smaller pubs. That’s actually why I’m on the market for an agent. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t select an agent simply because their work has been primarily sent to smaller houses.

I also think about who will best represent my work. They will understand what I am aiming for. A smaller house may have more time to help with publicity and marketing and ensure my name gets out there. A bigger house may have more money. I don’t know. So I don’t see a problem with it either way. As long as the agent is working to serve you in a way you feel happy with, then terrific! I am impatient, so I look for people who will respond to my needs quickly and are as enthusiastic about my work as I am.

Anyway, I am only just now coming up on 4 weeks since my first submission to Gina at Talcott (my writing guide ConsummateCash™; my health guide I submitted later so it may take longer. Besides, I am changing the title on that one. Anyway, can I get any more long winded? ;)

From my perspective, I say have faith in your work. I know both my books and the series I’m working on will sell extremely well, if for no other reason than my persistence and because of the ridiculous interest in them. Every time I talk to someone about my writing book they ask me for it. Heck, I’m now coaching people in my office with it. It’s just a matter of time. An agent, EVEN one working with smaller houses a lot, can also help you find the right publisher if you are shooting big, something I am not always adept at. I know both will do great. So, while I cross my fingers for both books, especially my CC series, I am patient. I am working on refining my proposal (which is getting really good feedback) and providing more details about how I am plan to market my work and make it a success. Think of your agent as a partner, not a lifeline. I plan to do a lot of work making things happen. I don’t expect my agent to do it all. But the fact that Gina is willing to respond so quickly, provide such great feedback at least from what I hear from people on this board, (even it seems when people get rejections) suggests to me she is committed to her people. That is something.

My suggestion? Take your time. If you aren’t comfortable with someone, go somewhere else. I don’t see anything that is a screaming red warning flag at all.

And of course, I’ll get back to you about my progress with Talcott. I have a couple of things in the hopper right now, so someone will say yes. I’m sure I’ll hear something soon, so far all the feedback I’m getting is positive, positive and more positive. One of my newsletter subscribers asked if I would just print the book out and give it to him (laugh) so I know it will get out there eventually. Oh heck, the guy that did my site for the CC book wants to buy it. That can’t be bad, right? (smile again).

Anyway. So with the good and bad, I say follow your gut. You can always find a way out if you aren’t happy with the results. And do your homework. I think Gina and Talcott seems pretty up front with people. It seems if you inquire you get a response most times. Remember, things get crazy too, for all of us. And to those of you working on getting published, chin up! Remember, we work and develop and grow as we go along. I know I made some mistakes when I started my business, but at least I won’t make them again. And work on marketing yourself when waiting for your response. I know I am… even though I secretly cross my fingers every night for my yes and my fat contract (laugh). Warm wishes and publishing dust to you all!
 

ixchel

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I've tried to e-mail Gina not once but three times about the status of my full. It's been almost one year since I sent it to her. I'm worried that my manuscript got lost. It would be nice to hear what had happened or if she did send me a rejection and the mailmail lost it.
 

Roger J Carlson

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ixchel said:
I've tried to e-mail Gina not once but three times about the status of my full. It's been almost one year since I sent it to her. I'm worried that my manuscript got lost. It would be nice to hear what had happened or if she did send me a rejection and the mailmail lost it.
Have you tried snail mail?