Hello everyone!
I have a question that's been turning in my mind for a while, and I thought this would be a good place to ask other writers.
I've had an agent trying to sell my novel for about two years. He's one of the most successful agents I've seen in the fantasy/scifi genre when I was researching agents to approach, and I felt I was extremely lucky to get him.
He's great to work with, friendly, responsive, professional, etc. and I have no problems with him, except one. He says that he's exhausted all his markets.
When he was marketing my book, he took it to all the big dogs, and I got several near misses from Tor and others. I also got real (non-form-letter) responses from editors, and their feedback helped me make it a better book. (I also found that some editors are ridiculously arrogant know-it-alls who don't know half as much about history and Asian cultures as they think they do, but that's another story.) But now, I have made it a better book, and he says there's no one left to submit it to. He says he's keeping it in reserve until editors change around.
So I'm just wondering if anyone else has had this kind of experience.
I feel my options are:
1. Leave the book with him, and let him continue.
2. Shop around for another agent, who has maybe different contacts and fresh enthusiasm.
3. Try to market the book myself to the major publishing houses and maybe it will hit the desk of a more receptive editor.
4. Self-publish.
5. Try some of the smaller houses that he might have avoided as being too small-time.
Anyone have advice to offer?
I have a question that's been turning in my mind for a while, and I thought this would be a good place to ask other writers.
I've had an agent trying to sell my novel for about two years. He's one of the most successful agents I've seen in the fantasy/scifi genre when I was researching agents to approach, and I felt I was extremely lucky to get him.
He's great to work with, friendly, responsive, professional, etc. and I have no problems with him, except one. He says that he's exhausted all his markets.
When he was marketing my book, he took it to all the big dogs, and I got several near misses from Tor and others. I also got real (non-form-letter) responses from editors, and their feedback helped me make it a better book. (I also found that some editors are ridiculously arrogant know-it-alls who don't know half as much about history and Asian cultures as they think they do, but that's another story.) But now, I have made it a better book, and he says there's no one left to submit it to. He says he's keeping it in reserve until editors change around.
So I'm just wondering if anyone else has had this kind of experience.
I feel my options are:
1. Leave the book with him, and let him continue.
2. Shop around for another agent, who has maybe different contacts and fresh enthusiasm.
3. Try to market the book myself to the major publishing houses and maybe it will hit the desk of a more receptive editor.
4. Self-publish.
5. Try some of the smaller houses that he might have avoided as being too small-time.
Anyone have advice to offer?
Last edited: