Is this normal behavior for an agent?

[Ashleythewriter]

Hi all,

I would greatly appreciate help! I am a newbie writer and wrote a novella. I sent out query letters to no avail, but was then personally referred to an agent who works with the major publishing houses and even Disney. I pitched the story to him, he loved it and asked for the manuscript, and back in September he met with one of the major publishing houses in NYC.

Sounds great, right? Well, since September I have not been able to talk to him--his assistant sets up time for us to talk (even at his direction) but he NOT ONCE has honored the time or taken my call. Every month or so his assistant will set up time for us time to talk, but he never follows through. I don't know if he is still interested. I know he is working on a few big projects, but I would think that if he was interested he'd want to connect right away. I call every few weeks to get an update or try to connect, but I don't want to be annoying.

Any suggestions on what his behavior means? Is he still interested, or is his lack of response an obvious sign that he is not going to take on the project? What is a normal kind of timeline for this stuff? As I mentioned, I am new at this, and I have no idea what to think. I am getting disillusioned...especially since he presented my work to a publishing house and I don't know what the outcome/feedback was, and he won't get back to me. Should I give up on him, or keep pushing?

Thanks!

[Katrina S. Forest]

I'm a bit confused, maybe some more information would help.

Who referred you, exactly? A personal friend? A fellow author who enjoyed your work? Or some other agent or publisher who rejected you?

Edited to add: Not asking for money doesn't automatically mean you're working with a legit agency. Plenty of companies that are still out to take advantage of writers don't ask for money directly. Instead, they work by pressuring authors to purchase things they don't actually need. (Overpriced editing, lots of copies of your own book, ect.)

[kaitie]

It's unusual to present your work to an editor if he's not actually agreed to be your agent. I've seen a couple of legit agents who do so, but that doesn't really make it okay.

To ask the obvious question, have you checked the agency here in the B&BC area to make sure he's legit? You haven't had to pay any money, have you?

If he is legit, I'd personally be tempted send an email basically saying that you would like to know if he's still interested and if not you'll be taking the manuscript elsewhere. That's just what I'd do, though.

[Cyia]

Hi Ashley.

Welcome to the Cooler.

Originally Posted by Ashleythewriter

Hi all,

I would greatly appreciate help! I am a newbie writer and wrote a novella. I sent out query letters to no avail, <--- this is because it's near impossible to get an agent interested in a novella. There's not enough of a profit margin to make it worth the work for an agent. The possible places to sell it will be few and far between (in print), but there are some e-publishers who take novellas. but was then personally referred to an agent who works with the major publishing houses and even Disney.<--- Disney isn't a publishing house. Hyperion, which is a division of Disney, is, and any legit agent with YA, MG and children's publishing contacts will have one there. When you see things "published by Disney", it's generally going to be merchandise tied to one of their existing brands, or something about to become a brand. I pitched the story to him, he loved it and asked for the manuscript, and back in September he met with one of the major publishing houses in NYC. Without signing you as a client? That's not right. Also, it's highly unlikely that he "met with" anyone. Agents pitch books via email. They might meet with editors over lunch or drinks, but the business part is done via email -- FOR CLIENTS.

Even assuming he's hoping to expand your novella into a novel (which will make it more marketable), without a signed contract, he's burning your bridges before you even get to them. Assume he gets you an offer and you don't like it, he's got no guarantee that you'll take it or that you won't take the offer, tell another agent that you've got interest from this publisher and have the other agent scoop the deal. (That is, of course, not ethical, and I doubt you'd do it, but those contracts protect both sides.)

You can resub to any publisher he shows your work to, even if you sign with another agent, and you might not like the terms of the deal he makes. You don't even know if he's expecting a standard commission.

Sounds great, right? No. Honestly, it doesn't sound good at all. Well, since September I have not been able to talk to him--his assistant sets up time for us to talk (even at his direction) but he NOT ONCE has honored the time or taken my call. Not good. Every month or so his assistant will set up time for us time to talk, but he never follows through. Really not good. I don't know if he is still interested. I know he is working on a few big projects, but I would think that if he was interested he'd want to connect right away. Are you sure he's working on something, or has he only told you he is? I call every few weeks to get an update or try to connect, but I don't want to be annoying. At this point, I want to know this guy's name. I understand you not wanting to post it on an open forum, but I suggest you check to see if there's a thread in the Bewares area for him or his agency. Also, I'd suggest you contact VictoriaStrauss, a member here who runs Writer Beware. She's confidential with information and can tell you if she's heard any grumblings about this person from others.

Any suggestions on what his behavior means? Assuming he's legit, I'd say he's not interested. Is he still interested, or is his lack of response an obvious sign that he is not going to take on the project? What is a normal kind of timeline for this stuff?The timeline isn't the problem, and there isn't actually a baseline for it at all. The concern is his behavior. THAT is highly questionable. As I mentioned, I am new at this, and I have no idea what to think. I am getting disillusioned...especially since he presented my work to a publishing house and I don't know what the outcome/feedback was, and he won't get back to me. Should I give up on him, or keep pushing? Assuming he actually did that, there may not be any feedback to give. Not all editors will give feedback with a rejection - but he should have told you it was a pass.

No, actually he shouldn't have presented a non-client's work in the first place.

Thanks!

I have some questions, if you can answer them without giving details you don't want to divulge.

What's his name?

Who referred you to this person?

Have you checked him out on line?

Has he made sales to publishers you've heard of?

Does he have clients you've heard of?

Is he part of an agency? If so, what's its reputation.

[Ashleythewriter]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your replies!!! I truly appreciate it :-D

A bit more info-- I was referred by an agency that initially turned down my manuscript (they don't publish that genre), but when the lady read it she fell in love with it and referred me to three others.

The agency is most definitely reputable, they published very famous/successful books and even produced a few very well-known films (that's the Disney part). That is part of the reason I want the agent to take on my project so badly. He definitely is legit, and he is not asking me for any money. I know he is working on a few major projects and other films (I googled it, he didn't tell me) so I am not sure if his ignoring me is actually being busy or simple disinterest :-(.

PS: As for "novella"-- it is more of a short story, large enough to be a short book but fewer than 100 pages.

[Cyia]

Originally Posted by Ashleythewriter

The agency is most definitely reputable, they published very famous/successful books and even produced a few very well-known films (that's the Disney part). I hate to keep harping on this, but AGENCIES DO NOT DO THIS. They DONT publish and they DONT produce - anything. Agencies sell your work to the people who do those things. Are you sure this is an agency and not a publisher or book packager? That is part of the reason I want the agent to take on my project so badly. He definitely is legit, and he is not asking me for any money. I know he is working on a few major projects and other films (I googled it, he didn't tell me) so I am not sure if his ignoring me is actually being busy or simple disinterest :-(.AGAIN, agents DO NOT "work on films." They just don't. They can sell media rights for their clients, but they don't work for production companies.

PS: As for "novella"-- it is more of a short story, large enough to be a short book but fewer than 100 pages. And again, I hate to burst your bubble, but that is in no way a book. I'm not even sure it's a novelette without knowing the word count.

Would you mind using the tiny scale to the left of this post (which is the "rep" button) and sending me the name of the agency? I don't even want to know the agent's name, but something isn't adding up here. I'd almost bet you're dealing with a packager, which isn't an agent at all. They're the folks behind series like The Luxe, Pretty Little Liars and the Vampire Diaries. You can lose ownership of your material easily with some packagers, which is why LJ Smith no longer has creative control or input into The Vampire Diaries.

ETA: I'm not shouting at you, btw. Those all caps are meant for emphasis and nothing more.

[Old Hack]

I'm concerned about this agent as well: something doesn't sound right here. If you feel able to, do let me know the name of the agent, in confidence of course, and I'll see what I can find out about him.

[quicklime]

ashley,

as a side note, Hack is in the pubbing business, ciya is "just an author" but one who has done a level of research I can only envy. Meaning she may not be an agent, but she appears to really know her stuff.

The two of them have some hard truths for you, perhaps, but better to hear them now, and I just wanted to point out they are well informed.

[Susan Littlefield]

Ashley

Oh man, listen to the people who have posted before me. They are right on with their concerns. Something is not adding up.

[Ashleythewriter]

Hi all, I really do appreciate your feedback! I am probably not being too clear about the agent or even my story... in a nutshell, he is 100% legit but I just want to know if he is still interested in my project, but based on his lack of action, I feel like I already know my answer :-(. Your messages confirmed it too! I am going to keep looking.

[Bufty]

100% legit but for six months treats you like you don't exist - yeah, sure.

And when posting questions on a site for aspiring writers, clarity does help.

Glad you found the responses helpful, and welcome to the real world.

Originally Posted by Ashleythewriter

Hi all, I really do appreciate your feedback! I am probably not being too clear about the agent or even my story... in a nutshell, he is 100% legit but I just want to know if he is still interested in my project, but based on his lack of action, I feel like I already know my answer :-(. Your messages confirmed it too! I am going to keep looking.

[quicklime]

Originally Posted by Ashleythewriter

Hi all, I really do appreciate your feedback! I am probably not being too clear about the agent or even my story... in a nutshell, he is 100% legit but I just want to know if he is still interested in my project, but based on his lack of action, I feel like I already know my answer :-(. Your messages confirmed it too! I am going to keep looking.

I think the problem is "100% Legit" is not like 100% beef. It is like "fresh"....without anything more, the word means nothing because there's no universal metric...and considering what you said already I suspect many of us are fairly confident we define "legit" in a somewhat differing manner.

Did you check the guy out at P&E or send a note to Victoria? Because you seem reluctant to address this head on......and some of the things Ciya has been correcting leave me with the suspicion you are at a very common spot for new writers, where the road to hell is paved with all the things you believe you know and do not. Including what an agent does or does not do, and what makes a good one versus a shady one versus a person who perhaps doesn't deserve the title at all, and is a scammer.

[Old Hack]

Originally Posted by Ashleythewriter

in a nutshell, he is 100% legit

He doesn't sound it to me, based on what you've told us here.

Originally Posted by Ashleythewriter

The agency is most definitely reputable, they published very famous/successful books and even produced a few very well-known films (that's the Disney part).

Agents don't produce films: film companies or production companies do.

If he's told you that his company has produced films, you should be wary.

PS: As for "novella"-- it is more of a short story, large enough to be a short book but fewer than 100 pages.

This worries me too: agents are interested in books they can sell to publishers. A book of fewer than 100 pages is very unlikely to have enough commercial potential to interest many good publishers.

but I just want to know if he is still interested in my project, but based on his lack of action, I feel like I already know my answer :-(. Your messages confirmed it too! I am going to keep looking

I think you'd be very wise to keep looking, based on what you've written here.

[Katrina S. Forest]

Originally Posted by Ashleythewriter

Hi guys,

Thanks for your replies!!! I truly appreciate it :-D

A bit more info-- I was referred by an agency that initially turned down my manuscript (they don't publish that genre), but when the lady read it she fell in love with it and referred me to three others.

The agency is most definitely reputable, they published very famous/successful books and even produced a few very well-known films (that's the Disney part). That is part of the reason I want the agent to take on my project so badly. He definitely is legit, and he is not asking me for any money. I know he is working on a few major projects and other films (I googled it, he didn't tell me) so I am not sure if his ignoring me is actually being busy or simple disinterest :-(.

PS: As for "novella"-- it is more of a short story, large enough to be a short book but fewer than 100 pages.

This too is a red flag. When you submit a manuscript in a genre the agent doesn't represent, a reputable agent sends you a form rejection, nothing more. They don't read manuscripts they can't possibly represent because it wastes both their time and yours.

What some morally gray agents will do is "recommend" authors they reject to companies that give them kick backs for sending customers their way.

Did the agent who said she fell in love with your book give you very specific feedback that could only apply to your ms and no other? Because generic praise (with or without your title inserted in it) is another thing to watch out for.

[Theo81]

Originally Posted by Ashleythewriter

Hi all,

I would greatly appreciate help! I am a newbie writer and wrote a novella. I sent out query letters to no avail, but was then personally referred to an agent who works with the major publishing houses and even Disney. I pitched the story to him, he loved it and asked for the manuscript, and back in September he met with one of the major publishing houses in NYC.

Sounds great, right? Well, since September I have not been able to talk to him--his assistant sets up time for us to talk (even at his direction) but he NOT ONCE has honored the time or taken my call. Every month or so his assistant will set up time for us time to talk, but he never follows through. I don't know if he is still interested. I know he is working on a few big projects, but I would think that if he was interested he'd want to connect right away. I call every few weeks to get an update or try to connect, but I don't want to be annoying.

Any suggestions on what his behavior means? Is he still interested, or is his lack of response an obvious sign that he is not going to take on the project? What is a normal kind of timeline for this stuff? As I mentioned, I am new at this, and I have no idea what to think. I am getting disillusioned...especially since he presented my work to a publishing house and I don't know what the outcome/feedback was, and he won't get back to me. Should I give up on him, or keep pushing?

Thanks!

Ashley, you need to find out what he's been doing with your work. You need to know who he's pitched it to, if anybody, because when you find a new agent to take the work on they cannot then pitch it to the same people.

Yes, I think you should look for a new agent, but you also need to get this information from him.

I also strongly echo the advice to give his name to Old Hack (who knows her stuff), or Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware, or post in the appropriate thread in the Bewares forum.

An agent should not be pitching work they don't represent. This has shonky written all over it, and I don't say that because I'm a ratchet-faced auld harridan, I say it because I'm a ratchet-faced auld harridan who hates to see this kind of thing happening.

Here is a useful thread you may find useful.

[Undercover]

Yeah, definitely shady stuff here. Like Cyia said, novellas are nearly impossible to sell. Him not responding to you might be a good thing. I would move on and look elsewhere.

[kaitie]

I've heard of several instances when agents recommend a query to another agent if it sounds particularly promising. I'm not sure that in and of itself is a red flag.

ETA: This isn't Diforio is it? I know he's pitched a few people's manuscripts without signing them in the past and there was a big to do about it over in the B&BC section (D4EO).

[Little Ming]

Sometimes agents only appear to be "100% legit" because no one comes forward to report "not legit" behavior.

Originally Posted by kaitie

I've heard of several instances when agents recommend a query to another agent if it sounds particularly promising. I'm not sure that in and of itself is a red flag.

Originally Posted by Ashleythewriter

A bit more info-- I was referred by an agency that initially turned down my manuscript (they don't publish that genre), but when the lady read it she fell in love with it and referred me to three others.

I think the red flags are that the first agency doesn't even represent the correct genre, and yet someone still read the entire MS and then referred the author to others. Not saying that this is completely impossible, but it is highly unlikely.

Also, agents don't "publish" books.

[kaitie]

Ah. I took it that they referred the query without reading the MS. Oops! I must have misread.

[Little Ming]

Originally Posted by kaitie

Ah. I took it that they referred the query without reading the MS. Oops! I must have misread.

To be fair, the OP is a bit unclear/vague on some of the details... so I'm not exactly sure either...

[Katrina S. Forest]

Originally Posted by Little Ming

I think the red flags are that the first agency doesn't even represent the correct genre, and yet someone still read the entire MS and then referred the author to others. Not saying that this is completely impossible, but it is highly unlikely.

Yeah, that's what I was trying to say, just didn't come out as well. ^_^;; (New baby waking me up every four hours, brain doesn't always function.)

[victoriastrauss]

Ashley, feel free to PM me or email me (beware [at] sfwa.org); I'll tell you if Writer Beware has gotten any negative (or positive) reports about the agent and the agency.

Some agencies do have film production arms or divisions, so that's not so odd.

I agree that his actions suggest a lack of interest. What may have happened here is that he had a brain flash about your book, and then, when editors didn't sign on (or maybe he talked to other people at his agency) he just lost interest.

This strikes me as very odd:

As for "novella"-- it is more of a short story, large enough to be a short book but fewer than 100 pages.

Unless it's a chapter book, or something that could be packaged as a novelty, I find the agent's initial interest really strange. There's just no general market for a book this size from a non-established author--at least, not in the world of Big 6 (or is it Big 4 now?) publishing.

You might consider approaching smaller publishers and epublishers, which are often more flexible about length, and saving the agent search for a longer book.

- Victoria