OnyxHawke Agency (Mike Kabongo)

Link: http://www.onyxhawke.com/index.php

http://people.tribe.net/onyxhawke

The OnyxHawke Agency has successfully concluded negotiations with Baen, and received payment for the sale of Dave Freer's fantasy novel "Dragon's Ring".

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Other than Dave Freer, though, I can't find a list of any other clients or sales.

Another writer, Jenna Waterford, links to him in her blog, but I'm not clear if she's a client. I also saw a comment he made in one of Jonathan Lyon's blog posts, and he links to SFWA and Writer Beware.

Other than that, I got nothin'.

The FAQ doesn't sound very professional, and the "About Me" section doesn't list any prior publishing experience. I'd tread carefully.

He rejected me once, and did comment on why he passed. Maybe he's not a bigshot, but I'd still be willing to take the chance with him, if only he didn't think my writing sucked. He seemed pretty decent to me, and I think he gets around to conventions and stuff like that quite a bit. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Dave Freer was already a Baen author. So OnyxHawke may have negotiated the contract, but I suspect it wasn't responsible for the sale.

- Victoria

one of their agents,
Mike Kabongo: $ A literary agent with The OnyxHawke Agency.
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealm.htm
---------------------------------
Strangely on the agency itself, no $
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealo.htm
Specializes in science fiction and fantasy

His FAQs don't sound very professional. Granted, he may be being sarcastic in some of his answers but I expect a professional to be professional. I don't want to see something like sarcasm on what is essentially your 'business card' online.

I just stumbled on this agency. After some searching I found an interview he did... http://michaelaventrella.wordpress.com/2009/07/12/interview-with-agent-mike-kabongo/

I found this requirement for submissions (from agency website) to be puzzling:

List the minimum length for consideration of any major publisher as listed on the SFWA "Qualifying Novel Venues" at the bottom of your cover letter, with the name of the publisher. For example "Forsaken Future Books 95,000 words".

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Huh?

Really? Afraid I'm too old to jump through trick hoops. I've got enough legit hoops to get through.

Well, I just submitted because I figured why the hell not? Worse he could do was say no, or I don't like the terms and vamoose, right?

So, I get an automated thank you email. Something about it made me scoff.

Thank you for submitting to the OnyxHawke Agency. If you've followed
the submission guidelines I'll be delighted to read your submission. I
work as fast or faster than most other agents in the business and will
get back to you as soon as possible. I have no desire to contact
someone who's work I like only to find out they have already signed
with someone else. To help me get to your work faster please do not
email or call about your submission until it has been over a year, or
you've seen me post on my blog that I am reading submissions from a
later date.

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"I'm fast! Please wait a year."

One of his clients, James Enge, has a book nominated for the World Fantasy Award this year. I'll try a little more research before I submit anything to Mike.

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it all seems very hit or miss and get lucky and maybes if you play your cards right... I prefer to take the simple, literal guidelines with a straightforward easily explained approach and plan of action... but that just me.

Mike's livejournal is here: http://onyxhawke.livejournal.com/

I'm warming to him.

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Sold James Enge to Pyr

waylander said:

Sold James Enge to Pyr

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Pyr publishes lovely books. However, they're a smallish imprint of a smallish publisher that accepts unagented manuscripts.

The question here is what value Mr. Kabongo added to Mr. Enge's submission--I would suggest that we can't actually estimate that. When Mr. Kabongo sells a new author to a large publisher that only considers agented manuscripts, that will be a more reliable test.

Does anyone know if PM has any sales for this agency in the past two years (aside from the two already mentioned here)?

His website doesn't have any client information.

Jamiekswriter said:

Does anyone know if PM has any sales for this agency in the past two years (aside from the two already mentioned here)?

His website doesn't have any client information.

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There are no sales listed for either the agency or Mike on PM.

Thanks Erin

Does Mike have more than four clients? Between the dearth of information and the snark on his site, I'm not sure whether to submit anything to him. Sure, he's the one agent in hundreds who won't bother with a query letter -- but can he sell books to big markets?

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