Does debut/only credit genre affect Agent

Akria said:

Anyway I was wondering if that was true...
Will trying to publish a M/M romance series first affect my chances of getting a agent negatively? And if I do publish that series first should I wait to get an agent later when I try to publish the romantic suspense?

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An agent will take on a book they believe they can sell. I am not familiar with the m/m market (and who you would be submitting to, publisher-wise), but if you're talking about trying to get a deal with a major publisher, your best bet is to get an agent.

It is my opinion that you always, always, always want an agent on your side. If for no other reason then to help you avoid the contract pit-falls some publishers have in their contracts.
quan lot nu bon bon do lot nu dep khan ta so sinh cho be thoi trang cong so vay lien cong so album anh
What kind of publishing are you talking about for your M/M novel? ePublishing? Self publishing, going after a major publisher? I ask because it is my understanding that your status as a 'debut' author is not destroyed by some of those options.

I've read the OP's post three times and I'm still lost.

Find an agent, let them find a publisher. If that's what you're asking.

Jeff

Akria,



Your post is confusing because of run-on sentences and what looks like stream of conscious writing.

If you are finished with your book and have edited it to pristine condition, start looking for agents who represent the genre you write in.

Akria said:

Anyway I was wondering if that was true...

1) Will trying to publish a M/M romance series first affect my chances of getting a agent negatively? And

2)if I do publish that series first should I wait to get an agent later when I try to publish the romantic suspense?

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1) It is - in my experience - not true.

2) I'm sorry - I know you are knew here, and as a pretty new person myself, I would really like to be of help. However, this sentence is very difficult for me to put together. Let me just say this --- if you can get an agent, that's a good thing - don't put it off. AFAICT, nothing in the possible scenarios I imagine you're talking about here would adversely effect you getting in agent - in fact, some might help, like getting a major publisher to put your books to press.

best of luck

If you're looking at submitting to Samhain, you do not need an agent. They take unagented submissions. I know nothing about the m/m market outside of erotic epublishing, so can't say whether it would be a genre that interests an agent.

You start looking for an agent when your work is ready to submit. If you're looking at submitting to major (i.e. NY or larger agent-only indies) publishers for your romantic suspense, then you should start looking for an agent for it when it's ready. In your query you would then say that you have an m/m novel about to be published by ______, if it has found a publisher. If it has not, don't mention it; it will be something you'll discuss with the agent when and if they decide to offer representation.

Having an m/m published will not negatively affect your chances of securing representation.


Once you have 50 posts here--and so have gotten to know us all a bit, and vice versa--you can post your query in the Query Letter Hell section of Share Your Work, and/or you can post the first few pages of your mss, for critique. It's also always appreciated if you want to head for SYW and offer critique to others; you can do that without having 50 posts.

Akria said:

It seems like no one understood my post so I'll try to simplify...

[Question 1] Basically I have two book series that I want to try to publish. Will trying to get the Male/male contemporary novel series published first instead of the romantic suspense novel series affect my chances of getting a agent negatively?

[Question 2] If I decide to try and publish the M/M contemp novel first, should I wait to get an Agent?

I'm leaning towards Samhain publishing for my M/M series since it fits their guidelines the most.

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ao chip bon bon do lot nu khan so sinh ban buon vay cong so cho thue trang phuc bieu dien
1. Get an agent
2. Don't wait to try to get an agent. It can take months and months to get an agent (or even years in some cases). If you have the manuscripts done, start submitting. For both your manuscripts.

akria,

one problem with the internet is good advice and bad advice are not really indicated as such, and another is the timeframe isn't always clear. Ten or fifteen years ago, it was far easier to get a foot in the door without an agent, and the advice was to get your first offer from a house, THEN take that to an agent and let them work on it. It made sense; much easier to draw your dream agent when all you have to say is "I'm in; want your commission?"

Now it is far harder to get in without an agent, so rather than waiting three years in a slush pile, it is advantageous to get the agent first.


Note both of those apply to larger houses, mostly, and as mentioned, your m/m is probably niche enough the above is immaterial, but that is probably the source of your "conflicting" advice; the two strategies are the product of very different time periods.

Akria said:

It seems like no one understood my post so I'll try to simplify...

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Akira - an awesome anime movie btw - it isn't that I didn't understand the question; rather I couldn't understand the question. Several repliers remarked on also having this difficulty. I point out the difference not to be snarky, but to elucidate, to help you better frame your next posting.

Of course, as always, you gather more flies with honey. There is so much subjective about posting in forums, so I apologize in advance if this was not your intent, but you seem to be telling those gracious with their help that you'll be nice and give them an explanation that is within their ken. Which, given the confusion w/ur OP, could appear more like vinegar than honey.

Best of luck to you!

Akria said:

@Profen4
Yeah thanks. I think that's best def since I can't take that time to also work on more novels.

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Yeah, as someone who has been burned (more than once), I can tell you that I wouldn't ever sign another publishing contract without an agent - a good agent. Like I said, I don't know about the m/m market, but I would look at publishers marketplace to see if there are agents who rep that kind of stuff. If there are, and your research on those agents reveals they're legit, I'd be querying them now.
ao nguc bon bon quan ao nu han quoc yem an cao cap cho be quan ao ban buon vest cong so cho thue trang phuc hoa trang
Good luck.

I learn something new here all the time. WHAT is the m/m market????

Just taking a guess that the genre is for gay males (correct me if I'm wrong), then it might be a good idea for you to publish those books under one name and straight romances under another, because publishers (and therefore agents) prefer genre writers to stick to one genre in order to build a following. That would be regardless of whether you self-publish, go with a small house, or try the agent--major Six route.

As for when to seek an agent, you're best off starting sooner rather than later. You need to target your list of potential agents carefully. Find out which agents rep. your genre or genres and focus on them. Agents who do genre books don't usually restrict their list to a single genre, so it's perfectly possible to find one agent for both your genres.

Good luck, and let me know what m/m means, please.

Akria said:

The problem wasn't so much as to when to get an agent but more is it harder to get an agent after pursuing M/M genre. I heard that publishing in a small niche first will scare away agents.

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I don't know where you heard this, but it isn't true.

retlaw said:

Akira - an awesome anime movie btw - it isn't that I didn't understand the question; rather I couldn't understand the question. Several repliers remarked on also having this difficulty. I point out the difference not to be snarky, but to elucidate, to help you better frame your next posting.

Of course, as always, you gather more flies with honey. There is so much subjective about posting in forums, so I apologize in advance if this was not your intent, but you seem to be telling those gracious with their help that you'll be nice and give them an explanation that is within their ken. Which, given the confusion w/ur OP, could appear more like vinegar than honey.

Best of luck to you!

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Akria said:

It's Akria....but I know of the anime a lot of people confuse the names and think I meant Akira. It's was awkward the first time someone tried to tell me I spelled it wrong....

Any way as you said, you didn't know my intent, so I guess the post was your way of expelling your feelings. The thing is I think it's best to take something as someone gives it def on the internet where it's hard to figure emotions. Something that was mentioned stepped on my toes cause its one of my weakness and as a writer its not a good thing, but i didn't jump and say/reply that the intent was outside the box because they were just telling the truth.

People said it was hard to understand so I changed it as simple as that. Someone mentioned run on lines and conscious writing. So I stripped it bare and identified each thing. Hoping that I could get exactly what I asked for....help.

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If either of you ever see a post you find rude, or inappropriate, or wrong, let a mod know. Use the "report post" button (it's that red triangle with the exclamation mark inside it, at the bottom left of the post), or send a room-mod a PM.

It's much more constructive than bickering in-thread, however mildly you bicker. It helps keep things friendly, and moving along nicely.

I'm not telling you off, so please don't think I am. Consider this a helpful pointer for everyone in-thread. Thank you!

Akria said:

Yeah thats why I want an agent. Some M/M writers say they don't see the worth in getting an agent (instead they get a small time lawyer) because pay out and the smallness of the genre. But I don't wanna just focus on one genre so I think it's better to have an agent--hopefully someone that is willing to cover me on both genres. I hear that usually that's not a problem though.

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I don't know what you mean by "small time lawyer," but unless you hire a lawyer who specializes in publishing, a general lawyer or a lawyer who specializes in felony DUI might not be the best person to handle a literary contract. And in the long run, if something does go wrong between the author and the publisher, it might cost the author more to use a lawyer than an agent.

Akria said:

It's Akria....but I know of the anime a lot of people confuse the names and think I meant Akira. It's was awkward the first time someone tried to tell me I spelled it wrong....

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HA! I promise to never do that, and to never get your name wrong again. My apologies for that & thanks for taking it in stride.

Thank you for your thoughtful post. It's great that you've found responses helpful. Best of luck to you and your future endeavors.

I was so relieved to read your post. Thank you, Akria! Good to know that good intentions can still make it through even in forums!!

Akria said:

I don't have a problem. I don't even define it as bickering. Retlaw had a certain emotional feeling towards my post (which may or may not be argued that advice was also offered) and I let it be known that the feeling or thought process was incorrect. Personally I feel that a difference can solved between two people before it turns into either a problem or something that has to be brought to others but that's just me.

Since I'm new and would prefer not to 'rock the boat' so to speak I'll keep that in mind tho. Thank you.

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