Global Lion Intellectual Pty. Mgmt. (formerly PMA Literary & Film Management)

MidnightMuse · Jul 13, 2006

Well - if I could offer any positive twist on this for you - I DO know that PMA is very legit . . . so you could assume they're saying you're not terrible, you had good ideas, but they'd like to see something improve ? Perhaps they see potential in you - as opposed to the vanilla rejection they give the rest of us?

Look at it this way - they did request a full from you. Coming from PMA, that's a big step in the proper direction, regardless of how short the trip was.

Birol · Jul 13, 2006

Non-legit agents typically recommend everyone see a professional editor and then they promise to rep you if you go to the editor they select. PMA does not do that.

waylander · Jul 14, 2006

Got a rejection of my partial from Adrienne Rosado today. Took about 3 weeks from when she received it.

RoccoMom · Jul 14, 2006

waylander said:
Got a rejection of my partial from Adrienne Rosado today. Took about 3 weeks from when she received it.

Me Too! Exactly the same. Adrienne requested a partial on June 13th and I received a snail mail rejection letter in the mail on July 13th.

popmuze · Jul 14, 2006

I'll definitely put them back on my short list of people to get back to once I have something new (or sufficiently rewritten).

jkorzenko · Jul 28, 2006

Submissions Assistants????

Hi!

Anyone heard of Ray Prince? His title is submissions assistant. I received a request from him at PMA but the email had the word "Interns" on the response. Just curious whether or not he is a summer intern.

Thanks.

J.

MarkEsq · Jul 28, 2006

jkorzenko said:
Hi!

Anyone heard of Ray Prince? His title is submissions assistant. I received a request from him at PMA but the email had the word "Interns" on the response. Just curious whether or not he is a summer intern.

Thanks.

J.

Yes! I have swapped emails with him, he requested my non-fiction proposal after seeing my query letter. I sent him the proposal and sample chapter and then he asked to see the complete manuscript. I posted about this in the non-fiction section because in the non-fiction world, there is no complete manuscript -- projects are almost always sold based on proposals. I wrote and politely explained that to him a couple of weeks ago, and have not heard back. I'm still hopeful, though.

jkorzenko · Jul 28, 2006

Thanks, Mark. How fast was your response? I sent him a partial about six weeks ago.

I hope you receive a positive response soon.

Writer4Life · Aug 1, 2006

Just to add my two cent's worth about PMA: I'd advise against signing with this agency.

I was signed with Peter Miller for a year, and it wasn't a good experience. He was quite nice and enthusiastic in the beginning, but after I signed that wretched contract (the worst I've seen in the business, quite frankly) he pushed me off on an assistant and barely lifted a finger to sell my book. He was much too busy traveling around on speaking engagements, promoting the new edition of his own book on getting published.

There was great feedback on the book, but no takers from the first few publishers he pitched. There were several that he never bothered to follow up with. Communication with him (which was sporadic and infrequent) became increasingly more curt and, eventually, he was downright rude.

I've since heard from others that my experience with him is not unique. He is one of those agents that has a good reputation amongst writers who've never dealt with him, but people in the industry (editors, in particular) don't think very highly of him. His contract also demands 20% of domestic receipts and 25% of overseas earnings....much higher than any other agent.

I recently signed with someone else, and the difference is amazing. The agent I have now is motivated, loves the book, has a great track record, and most importantly, treats his clients with professionalism. He has sold many more books than PMA, plenty of them bestsellers, and yet his contract only asks for the standard 15% domestic/20% overseas split.

I'm glad that you have an agent who is interested in seeing your work, but don't stop sending out your stuff while you wait to hear back from PMA. Keep on looking, and if the opportunity presents itself to sign with anyone other than this agency....take it!

MarkEsq · Aug 1, 2006

jkorzenko said:
Thanks, Mark. How fast was your response? I sent him a partial about six weeks ago.

I hope you receive a positive response soon.

The response to my query email was very quick, about a week. But as of today, I'm still waiting to see if they want more or not.

Good luck with yours!

MarkEsq · Aug 1, 2006

Writer4Life said:
Just to add my two cent's worth about PMA: I'd advise against signing with this agency.

....

His contract also demands 20% of domestic receipts and 25% of overseas earnings....much higher than any other agent.

....

I'm glad that you have an agent who is interested in seeing your work, but don't stop sending out your stuff while you wait to hear back from PMA. Keep on looking, and if the opportunity presents itself to sign with anyone other than this agency....take it!

Thanks, interesting to hear your experience. I wonder if that 20% figure is negotiable?!

ixchel · Aug 1, 2006

My experience with PMA was a year ago. I e-mailed my query and that same day received a request for a partial, even through they 'doubted' the commercial viability of my novel. Then a month and half later I received a request for a full. Less than a week later I got a rejection. But they did give me some reasons why they decided to pass on my novel, more than most agents. They recommended that I get an editor to go over my manuscript too but didn't give me any names. I took their suggestions and worked them into my manuscript.

jkorzenko · Aug 1, 2006

The response to my query was fast, too. I still haven't heard a peep on my partial. That 20% bothers me as it is not industry standard. I wonder what the agency believes determines their right to a 5% higher commission?

J.

Writer4Life · Aug 1, 2006

I flat out asked him why it was that high before I signed the contract, and he said, "Because our industry contracts, particularly abroad, are excellent and well worth it."

I was a newbie to this whole process, so I signed. Stupid me. I've since asked around to as many writers as I can (those with agents) and so far, he's the only agent I know of who asks for that much.

victoriastrauss · Aug 1, 2006

There are a few other established agencies that charge 20%, such as the Zack Company and Rights Unlimited. Often the higher commission is charged only to new writers. It's true, though, that 20% isn't typical.

A 25% commission for co-agented sales isn't terribly unusual.

- Victoria

blackbird · Aug 1, 2006

The take was 15% when I signed with the agency a year ago. I had not heard of any increase. But perhaps, like everything else in the world, agent commissions are subject to inflation. The cost of everything is rising, and it won't surprise me if, in a couple of years, 20% will be the standard.

However, this brings up a really good question, and probably one I need to broach to them. If your contract specifically states 15%, are agents obligated to hold to that figure, or can they legally enforce the new rate if it increases?

In response to Writer4life's experience with PMA and comments about Peter Miller, I can vouch for this: Peter often can (and does) come across as gruff, but underneath that tough-cookie exterior I have found him to be a very sweet and generous man who really cares about his clients.

Training Day · Aug 2, 2006

Mark, please check your Private Messages

victoriastrauss · Aug 2, 2006

blackbird said:
However, this brings up a really good question, and probably one I need to broach to them. If your contract specifically states 15%, are agents obligated to hold to that figure, or can they legally enforce the new rate if it increases?

In the 1980's, the standard commission rate went from 10% to 15% (this happened over a number of years--even in the late 1990's there were a few 10% holdouts). When my agent switched to 15%, it was across the board for all her clients. Some agencies making the switch grandfathered in their older clients at 10%.

There's no legal enforcement for this--agenting is an unlicensed and unregulated business, so they can do what they want. They do tend to stick to the prevailing standard, though. I don't know exactly what drives a change in that standard, but if there were movement toward a change, I expect you'd see debate about it. Despite the few agents charging 20% (again, this is often a two-tier system that penalizes new writers), I don't see signs that large numbers of agents are moving in that direction, at least not at the moment.

- Victoria

Writer4Life · Aug 2, 2006

My experience with PMA occurred over a year ago, and I'd be surprised if they changed their contract to lower their commission. Perhaps they offer different contracts to different authors, depending upon their experience level. Two other authors I know who signed with him (both over three years ago) also got the 20% rate.

Sonny Palermo · Aug 3, 2006

He's done well with Liam and others.

Quoted from a poster above - "People in the industry (editors, in particular) don't think very highly of him."

Reply - Interviewed all of them, have ya?

aruna · Aug 3, 2006

victoriastrauss said:
There are a few other established agencies that charge 20%, such as the Zack Company and Rights Unlimited. Often the higher commission is charged only to new writers. It's true, though, that 20% isn't typical.

A 25% commission for co-agented sales isn't terribly unusual.

- Victoria

In the UK several agents still have 10%, but it's mostly 15%, 20% for foreign sales. I've never heard of 25% in the UK.
10% sounds like a dream, and it's still possible over here!

Ben Salmon · Aug 4, 2006

victoriastrauss said:
There are a few other established agencies that charge 20%, such as the Zack Company and Rights Unlimited. Often the higher commission is charged only to new writers. It's true, though, that 20% isn't typical.

A 25% commission for co-agented sales isn't terribly unusual.

- Victoria

Um... Quickly stopping over here from my post in "Ask An Agent." Just wanted to say that Rights Unlimited does, actually, charge standard commission: 15% on domestic and 20% on foreign (often we use a subagent and get 10% for ourselves and 10% for the subagent, which is totally standard). Standard, standard! Don't want folks getting the wrong idea...

OK, now I should get back to answering questions. I might get in trouble!

Sam Adams · Aug 9, 2006

Peter Miller has been my agent since December 2005. He accepted my proposal on a True Crime within two hours of the time I sent an e-mail, and he had a publishing contract for it within two weeks.

A just completed the manuscript and PRECIOUS BLOOD will be out in May 2007 from Pinnacle Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing Corp. For those of you who don't know, Kensington is the largest independent publisher in the United States. It publishes about 600 books a year.

So Yes, PMA is a legitimate agency. Peter is also an author and a film producer, so he is extremely busy. I think there are other agents in the firm, but I haven't dealt with them. If you've gotten a bite from him, be grateful.

Some said they were surprised by the fact that he included plugs for his book and for one of his client's books in his email rejections. If you'll notice, the name of the company is PMA Literary and Film MANAGEMENT. It's not just an agency that sells your book and forgets it. It actively promotes it. There are pages on the web site, pmalitfilm.com, that will give you a list of credits. You can also check Preditors and Editors, which verifies that he has sales.

aruna · Aug 9, 2006

Sam Adams said:
Peter Miller has been my agent since December 2005. He accepted my proposal on a True Crime within two hours of the time I sent an e-mail, and he had a publishing contract for it within two weeks.

.

He accepted your PROPOSAL without reading the manuscript, and before you had even written the book? That is amazing, if true; must have been some killer proposal... congratulations!

I got the impression from reading their guidelines that they take months and months to read mss. I recently sent them a requested partial.

And by the way, welcome!

Sam Adams · Aug 9, 2006

aruna said:
He accepted your PROPOSAL without reading the manuscript, and before you had even written the book? That is amazing, if true; must have been some killer proposal... congratulations!

I got the impression from reading their guidelines that they take months and months to read mss. I recently sent them a requested partial.

And by the way, welcome!

Nonfiction is usually submitted as a proposal rather than a completed work. With fiction, you need a complete manuscript.

I don't want to give the impression that the initial query is all it took to get a publisher. Peter accepted me on the basis of about a three paragraph e-mail, but it took a lot more than that for the publisher. Peter worked with me through a week of preparing a full proposal, passing along questions from Kensington and other interested publishers as they came up. I think the final proposal was something like 8 pages long and included a two-page synopsis; a market section listing competing books and an analysis of who would buy mine; and an author bio. The next week was all negotiations between Peter and the publishers. Kensington ended up being the one that made an offer.

Thanks for the welcome.

Global Lion Intellectual Pty. Mgmt. (formerly PMA Literary & Film Management)

MidnightMuse

Midnight Reading

Birol

Around and About

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

RoccoMom

popmuze

Last of a Dying Breed

jkorzenko

MarkEsq

Clever title pending.

jkorzenko

Writer4Life

MarkEsq

Clever title pending.

MarkEsq

Clever title pending.

ixchel

jkorzenko

Writer4Life

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess

blackbird

Training Day

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess

Writer4Life

Sonny Palermo

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

Ben Salmon

Sam Adams

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

Sam Adams