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The Swetky Agency (Faye Swetky)

Flint River 69

DOes anyone have any info on these guys?

They appear to be an electronic board with offerings posted.

Can't you do that at PublishersMarketplace?

Do they have any sales? Can't find any records.

thanks
 

James D Macdonald

Re: Swetky Agency ????

<a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/2002/12/prweb53526.htm" target="_new">www.prweb.com/releases/2002/12/prweb53526.htm</a>

<a href="http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2002/11/prweb50608.htm" target="_new">www.emediawire.com/releases/2002/11/prweb50608.htm</a>

<a href="http://ca.prweb.com/releases/2004/7/prweb139403.htm" target="_new">ca.prweb.com/releases/2004/7/prweb139403.htm</a>

<a href="http://amsaw.org/swetkyagency/meetourauthors-propertyindex-fiction-A-I.html" target="_new">amsaw.org/swetkyagency/meetourauthors-propertyindex-fiction-A-I.html</a>

You could always write to her and ask "what are some of your more recent sales?"
 

vstrauss

Re: Swetky Agency ????

Ms. Swetky doesn't appear to have had any professional publishing or agenting experience before she set up her agency, and has no track record that I can discover, though the agency has been around for at least a couple of years. She has one multi-published author, D.J. Herda, but most of his books (which are nonfiction--she appears to be repping him for novels) seem to have been published before the agency was established.

I've never gotten any complaints, though.

- Victoria
 

Flint River 69

Re: Swetky Agency ????

Thank you, Victoria

I couldn't locate any sales either. Guess I was more concerned this agency simply puts the synopsis on their web site and sees if anyone shows any interest. Can't imagine that very many editors are going to hunt through her site looking for books to acquire. Am I wrong?

James, Thank you for your input. I had found all those sites as well - but, if you read carefully, there are no known sales there at all. Not one.

also, she makes very clear in her web site that she doesn't answer the phone.
 

James D Macdonald

Re: Swetky Agency ????

... if you read carefully, there are no known sales there at all. Not one.

That was what I was trying to get across. Mr. Herda's books, for example, are still listed as being available, over a year after the press release.

One SFWA member lists Ms. Swetky as his agent; however, all of his sales have been short stories (not usually agented).
 

Vomaxx

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Swetky Agency?

Has anyone dealt with the Swetky Agency in (of all places) Utah? They have a $ at P&E, which is encouraging, and a website, but I can't recall anyone ever mentioning them here.
 

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Vomaxx said:
Has anyone dealt with the Swetky Agency in (of all places) Utah? They have a $ at P&E, which is encouraging, and a website, but I can't recall anyone ever mentioning them here.
Ms. Swetky is another of those people who doesn't appear to have had any previous professional publishing or agenting experience before setting up her agency. She has placed one of her clients with a pair of small, non-advance-paying publishers that don't require authors to be agented. Several other clients she has placed with an independent publisher that does require agents. However, though I've received no complaints, I'm dubious of this publisher--partly because my scamdar zings when I visit its site, partly because I know of several questionable agents who've placed clients with it.

- Victoria
 

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Any new news on this agency? I've looked at the site, and there's a decent sized list of authors on it now. I've also looked at the contract, but I honestly have no idea if this is a good, bad or typical contract. Anything new on them in the last year and a half?
 

Carmy

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I fired Swetky recently.

I wasn't able to get a list of where she submitted my novels. She said she sent out "mass mailings" electronically.

A mail from her said she made 12 sales last year.
 

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Carmy said:
A mail from her said she made 12 sales last year.
Really? There's no sign of this on her website. A few properties are listed as "sold", but nowhere near 12, and there's no info on publishers, etc., so it's impossible to verify.

- Victoria
 

Popeyesays

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Carmy said:
I fired Swetky recently.

I wasn't able to get a list of where she submitted my novels. She said she sent out "mass mailings" electronically.

A mail from her said she made 12 sales last year.

Mass mailings to publishers by an agent screams clueless.
Each submission by an agent to publishers should be carefully considered.

As to having no record, doesn't she file copies of e-mails sent on her own provider or computer? That's bad business, too.
 

Carmy

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Now you know why I fired her.

I should have done so earlier, but life has a way of interrupting our best laid plans.
 

Popeyesays

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I sent this e-mail to the agency and was answered by the owner:
Swetky Literary Agency

St. George , Utah



Dear Ms. Swetky,



I hope you might take a few moments to answer some general questions for me.



I note that P&E shows you with the $ sign in its listing. That's always nice to see. I was wondering what sales you might have made to Publishers who pay advances routinely, or require agents for submission. Titles and publisher would be most helpful to me.



Do you broadly submit by digital means to many pubishers at once, or do you tailor your submissions in small batches to publshers whom you know will be a good fit?



While no one needs a transmittal of standard rejections, do you provide the names of the publishers to whom you submit in a list to the author so he will know which publishers have seen the manuscript if later on the author decides to submit without representation? I'm sure you understand that most publishers have no desire to see a submission twice, unless it has been heavily revised, and I for one have no desire to irritate a publisher with anything to which my name might be attached. Usually they forget, but some of them have memories like mythical elephants.



I recently published a 'hard' science fiction novel with Capri Publishing a micro publisher here in Oklahoma . It comes out in mid-February and has a year contract to run. Mass Market and other subsidiary rights are still available for Sword of the Dajjal, and 85,000 word stand-alone that invites sequels. (http://www.capripublishing.net/page17.html ) scroll down til you see the title, the ISBN has not yet been assigned.



I am looking for representation for a paranormal erotic thriller titled The Jars of Doom at this time, and would be happy to submit for your appraisal. Five chapters and the synopsis are at Strebor Books at the moment, but they have not yet decided to ask for more. Should they actually choose to take the book, I would still need an agent for negotiating the contract and advance.



It is wonderful that modern technology provides the opportunity for you to work in this industry and still reside in such a beautiful spot as St. George. My wife and I lived for almost six years in Bisbee , Arizona (about 90 miles SE of Tucson) while she attended nursing school. She was offered an internship at the Bannock Regional Medical Center in Pocatello , Idaho and our move took us through St. George where we stayed the night back in 1981. Travelling back and forth to Arizona and Oklahoma always took us through St. George in one direction or the other and we always made it a point to stop there.



Our original trip took us through the area during trout fishing season and it was stupefying to see the huge numbers of fishermen casting flies and spinners into all the rivers and streams.



Anyway, thank you for your time and attention to my questions.



Regards,

Scott Saylors


Her answers to questions are below:
"We can’t really take the time to enumerate our sales. Suffice to say that we sell regularly both to film producers and publishers. Our clients are published with Sterling , Simon and Schuster, Franklin Watts Grolier, Kensington, and others. We have had several scripts produced, and several more are currently in production or under option, although none with a major studio…yet."

As to whether they rifle or shotgun their submissions, I was told they do both. This was added to the answer:
"We cannot provide a list of names of publishers to whom we submit because we submit to more than 2,000 editors monthly, and our list constantly changes. As some editors leave the industry or request to be removed from our lists, we remove them. Besides, re-visiting a proposal to an editor who has already passed on it is no shame; editors’ needs, tastes, and budgets change continually. What might have been passed up today could well be picked up by the same editor next month." That answer strikes me as disingenuous at least.

As to the idea I mentioned in the letter:
"While we do not currently represent any paranormal erotic thrillers, I do know of some editors looking for paranormal romances. “Erotic” is pretty much a curse of doom in the industry these days, what with erotica publishers folding nearly faster than we can keep up with trade news announcements. You might benefit from looking over other possible genres with which to label your work and move “erotic” to the back of the pack."

That might be good advice, it does ignore some up-coming successful publishers in that particular genre thought: Strebor Books and Ellora's Cave for starters.

Judge for yourself, I will.

Regards,
Scott
 

JeanneTGC

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Well, that does it for me! Particularly considering I was just at an RWA conference and almost all those publishers cannot get erotica and its related types into their offices fast enough.
 

Momento Mori

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We can’t really take the time to enumerate our sales.

Oh really?

Let's make it simple: are they in single figures, double figures, triple figures or more than triple figures? Remembering of course that zero is not a sales figure worth having.

I love the way she can rattle off the names of "Sterling , Simon and Schuster, Franklin Watts Grolier, Kensington" but not provide a corresponding author name or title. It's also gratifying to see that she's had scripts produced but again, can't provide titles or names.

Besides, re-visiting a proposal to an editor who has already passed on it is no shame; editors’ needs, tastes, and budgets change continually. What might have been passed up today could well be picked up by the same editor next month.

Translation: we hit the same editors with the same query every month.
 

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"We can’t really take the time to enumerate our sales.
But they can take the time to write a long email justifying their methods.
Our clients are published with Sterling , Simon and Schuster, Franklin Watts Grolier, Kensington, and others.
Note that she says "our clients are published with," not "our agency has sold books to." For instance, one of the agency's client, D.J. Herda, has a substantial list of nonfiction publication with several of the publishers mentioned above. However, the books were published well prior to the founding of Swetky's agency.
We cannot provide a list of names of publishers to whom we submit because we submit to more than 2,000 editors monthly, and our list constantly changes.
This definitely suggests shotgun or blitz submission techniques.

- Victoria
 

Carmy

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As I read Popeye's post, I was thinking exactly what you wrote, Victoria.

Note that she says "our clients are published with," not "our agency has sold books to."

It is possible that Ms. Swetky's association with D.J. Herda is of a more personal nature than just client-agent.
 

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I just received one of those mass emails from Swetsky this morning. This sort of thing riles me to no end because it's smarmy and cheap. What this tells me is that Faye Swetsky is too lazy to research publishers and match them up to her clients. I pity her clients because this is not the way to do business.
 

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Currently claims sales to Prometheus and Citadel (and another to Sterling for Mr. Herda). All non-fiction.
 

triceretops

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Cao, may I say what a tremendous job you perform on the Bewares thread. I'm here every day, and I never fail to see that you've updated or linked, or commented. I would just like to say that your attentiveness and zeal here does not go without notice. You be one damn wonderful Mod-God. Thanks for all you do, above and beyond the call.

Tri:Hug2:
 

CaoPaux

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Many thanks, Tri! Happy to be of service. :Sun:

(I'm not a Mod, though. (Which is a Good Thing, trust me. (If you think I micromanage now.... ;))))
 

victoriastrauss

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Cao, may I say what a tremendous job you perform on the Bewares thread.
Seconded, Tri. Cao does as much to maintain B&BC as Jim and I do, and we're extremely grateful.

Re: the Citadel Press sale--this is for Dr. Gerald Schoenewolf's Couples' Guide to Erotic Games. But according to Dr. Schoenewolf's website, that book was pubbed in 1997 by Carol Publishing, which went bankrupt in 1999. Citadel Press was an imprint of Carol (Amazon lists the original pub date as 1996 and the publisher as Citadel Press). Carol's assets were bought by Kensington Publishing, and Citadel Press is now a Kensington imprint. Dr. Schoenewolf's book is listed at Kenstington's website with a pub date of May 2006, but Amazon describes it as "Rev. Ed. edition," so I think it's safe to conclude that this is a re-issue, not a new sale.

So...two book sales, one to Sterling (verifiable--the book is listed on Amazon), one to Prometheus (which can't as yet be verified; the only reference to the sale is Swetky's website). There also seems to be a script sale, Jim O'Rear's The Demons 5 (again unverifiable, and there's no mention of the sale on Jim O'Rear's own website, unless the title of the script has changed) and a script option, Gerald Schoenewolf's Maid of the Mist, which I also couldn't verify.

Even assuming all these sales are solid, it's a poor track record for an agency that has been in business for several years.

- Victoria