Newbie question about agents (from B&BC)

writingfan · Nov 20, 2009

I'm a newbie here and not sure if this is the right area in the forum - I have 3 questions that I've been thinking about:

a friend of mine who is not in the writing world said she would be nervous if I send a full MS to an agent. Hinting, as if, what if they steal your MS? It was unsettling that she suggested that, but I assume you guys aren't too worried about people "stealing" ideas etc? I sent a full MS via email. That's what sparked our conversation.

The agent asked me for an "mss" I assume that meant entire MS. I thought MS was manuscript...

lastly, doing research online i read somewhere about an author writing about getting fired by her agent. How would that ever occur? I assume one would have a contract with an agent and when it comes up, then you both reconsider.
I would assume that is awkward to be let go by one's agent.

any thoughts would be appreciated!

bclement412 · Nov 20, 2009

I suggest you check out the agency on Predators and Editors. They'll tell you if an agency/agent is legit or not. Also browse though the Bewares and Backround Check section to hear about other authors stories with an agency.

writingfan · Nov 20, 2009

Thanks! They are legit agents, with big deals, etc.

Also, I forgot to mention that one agent, the last one who requested a partial, asked for an exclusive time to read it, even though when I queried I said I have a full MS out already...

So now I have to stop querying in my tracks, I suppose and let her read my partial.

DeadlyAccurate · Nov 20, 2009

writingfan said:
So now I have to stop querying in my tracks, I suppose and let her read my partial.

Just tell her you can't grant exclusivity because another agent is reading the full, but that you'll let her know if you receive an offer. (And don't accept the offer right away; give yourself a week or two so you can inform anyone else with fulls/partials and give them a chance, too).

And no, agents don't steal manuscripts (mss or MS, they mean the same). Even scam agents don't steal them. They wouldn't know how to sell them if they did.

Congrats and good luck!

writingfan · Nov 20, 2009

DeadlyAccurate said:
Just tell her you can't grant exclusivity because another agent is reading the full, but that you'll let her know if you receive an offer. (And don't accept the offer right away; give yourself a week or two so you can inform anyone else with fulls/partials and give them a chance, too).

And no, agents don't steal manuscripts (mss or MS, they mean the same). Even scam agents don't steal them. They wouldn't know how to sell them if they did.

Congrats and good luck!

Thanks! yeah, in my query, I told her I had a full out. And then her email - to ask for partial, it must've been a form. I replied and said, I would stop from this point on (till I hear from her)...

so if an agent offers representation, I would imagine telling another agent that there is an offer to rep, would be a bit awkward to say..but I that's a nice predicament to be in!

James D. Macdonald · Nov 21, 2009

When you grant an exclusive be certain you know what the exclusive period is to be.

No one is going to steal your manuscript. What would they do with it? A legitimate publisher will want to work with the writer (and will want the writer's next book too); a vanity publisher's goal is to sell the book back to its own author at an inflated price, which they could hardly do with a stolen manuscript.

Legitimate agents won't steal a manuscript; they rely on their reputations in order to do business. Scam agents won't steal a manuscript; they couldn't sell a book if you held a gun to their heads. Scammers make their money by charging fees of the writer.

I did hear an amusing story from one agent. A newbie writer had heard that agents steal manuscripts, so when he asked for ten pages, rather than sending pages 1-10, the author sent pages 3, 9, 22, 31 ....

Ideas can't be copyrighted. And that's okay, because ideas are cheap. If you can't come up with a dozen ideas in as many seconds, you aren't trying.

writingfan · Nov 21, 2009

James D. Macdonald said:
When you grant an exclusive be certain you know what the exclusive period is to be.

No one is going to steal your manuscript. What would they do with it? A legitimate publisher will want to work with the writer (and will want the writer's next book too); a vanity publisher's goal is to sell the book back to its own author at an inflated price, which they could hardly do with a stolen manuscript.

Legitimate agents won't steal a manuscript; they rely on their reputations in order to do business. Scam agents won't steal a manuscript; they couldn't sell a book if you held a gun to their heads. Scammers make their money by charging fees of the writer.

I did hear an amusing story from one agent. A newbie writer had heard that agents steal manuscripts, so when he asked for ten pages, rather than sending pages 1-10, the author sent pages 3, 9, 22, 31 ....

Ideas can't be copyrighted. And that's okay, because ideas are cheap. If you can't come up with a dozen ideas in as many seconds, you aren't trying.

thanks so much for the advice!

Newbie question about agents (from B&BC)

writingfan

bclement412

writingfan

DeadlyAccurate

Absolutely Fazed

writingfan

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle

writingfan