Zeno Agency (John Parker, John Berlyne)

[Anne Lyle]

On the positive side, one agent has asked for the full, and another for the first three. Scooby snacks all round!

Nice one! You're obviously doing something right

 

[Brindle MacWuff]

Nice one! You're obviously doing something right

Ta very much! Zeno though it was very competently written, but not different enough. Mayeb needs a unique selling point. Pretty standard international thriller.

Therefore, I shall bring on the Ninja Otters!

 

[Anne Lyle]

Ta very much! Zeno though it was very competently written, but not different enough.

It's a fine line to tread. Too similar to stuff out there and it's hard to drum up interest, too innovative and agents struggle to envisage a market.

Mayeb needs a unique selling point. Pretty standard international thriller.

Therefore, I shall bring on the Ninja Otters!

Ninja otters sound good

 

[Brindle MacWuff]

Aye, it's a tough one. I'm thinking of turning my CIA agent into a thief..... I can salvage about 75% of the book, and make my character a lot more interesting.

For interesting, read 'naughty'. The current stabs at a re-write has him involved in hochmagandy in the first chapter! Och, well, sex sells.

 

[tbrosz]

Zeno is open for submissions under very specific limitations:

Authors who will be attending the Worldcon in Reno, Nevada from the 17th to the 21st of August.

If I'm reading the rules right, if you purchase a membership (almost $200 this late in the game) you'll get a number and be eligible, even if you don't actually go to Nevada. But don't quote me on that.

I don't know how often the convention site updates their membership list, so if you register, wait until your name shows up before firing off a submission.

 

[CourtneyC]

This agency is currently open for queries. Here's what they are looking for right now, from the submission guidelines:

"We are currently looking for commercial genre fiction – that means Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (and all the permutations thereof) that we can sell to trade publishers. We are also looking for high-concept thrillers with a mass market appeal, exceptional historical fiction, YA and ‘New Adult’ fiction.

Please don’t send in your work if it falls outside this brief. It will not be considered."

 

[Matthew Hughes]

I'm coming late to this thread. John Berlyne at Zeno is my agent. I've had a few over the years. John's a good one.

 

[Treehouseman]

Well, answered myself. It's 12 weeks. Also they have an oversupply of angel manuscripts, so angel-based stories may be rejected out of hand.

(I didn't have angels)

 

[onesecondglance]

This agency is currently open for queries. Here's what they are looking for right now, from the submission guidelines:

"We are currently looking for commercial genre fiction – that means Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (and all the permutations thereof) that we can sell to trade publishers. We are also looking for high-concept thrillers with a mass market appeal, exceptional historical fiction, YA and ‘New Adult’ fiction.

Please don’t send in your work if it falls outside this brief. It will not be considered."

Just to update that they're closed right now - not sure exactly when it changed over.

 

[Treehouseman]

Just to update that they're closed right now - not sure exactly when it changed over.

That might have been the end of October, when they closed shop to go through the subs?

 

[dlparker]

I'm coming late to this thread. John Berlyne at Zeno is my agent. I've had a few over the years. John's a good one.

Off topic a bit, but I just have to tell you, Mr. Hughes, I am a big fan of your Henghis Hapthorn series. I review books for a zine called Bewildering Stories (by now one of the longest-lived on the net) and reviewed your enjoyable series back in Issue 571:

http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue571/hapthorn_rev.html

Coincidentally I just sent Zeno my submission today (I have two unpublished scifi series I am looking to have rep'd). And thought I'd read AW's entry like a good girl, after the fact, and here you are!

Just wanted to tell you, you have a fan, and more Henghis Hapthorn, please.

- Danielle.

 

[onesecondglance]

http://zenoagency.com/submission-guidelines/

Open for submissions as of yesterday for a short period:

We will be open for submissions from Thursday 26 June for a limited time.

[...]


At the moment we are only looking for completed works of fiction over 75,000 words in the following categories:

• Crossover fiction – especially thrillers with a sci-fi, fantasy or horror twist.
• Horror – both adult and YA – so long as it’s about the characters
• Accessible science fiction – no tech-heavy, military or hard SF
• Thrillers
• Epic fantasy

 

[dlparker]

Yes indeed. Should hopefully fit mine. What a roster this agency boasts. I'd be thrilled to meet msny of these authors at a con--my autographable copy in hand.

 

[Hip-Hop-a-potamus]

Well, that explains why my R & R came back with no comments, no nothing except a big fat R, and orders not to engage in any dialogue about why several months ago.

Their assistant really liked my historical fiction, but evidently Berlyne didn't (if he even looked at it). And they're not asking for historical anymore.

 

[dlparker]

That always makes for a bummer day, doesn't it. So sorry, Hip. Happens to us all at one time or another when we're after an agent/publisher but never a fun dsy.

 

[Hip-Hop-a-potamus]

Thanks, DL.

Queries I've gotten used to no response. But putting in all that work for a specific person to make the book better and then getting NOTHING back pissed me off.

Really? No reason, no explanation, nothing.

At least it made it a better book. That I can now query elsewhere. Good luck to you. Hope they like yours much better.

 

[dlparker]

I've improved my stories mostly under the goad of miserable experiences too (and often my own mistakes, I admit).

But at least you have a better story out of a frustrating episode. That's the way to look at it. Good luck.

 

[dlparker]

Well, whatever they're looking for, it's not my scifi. A prompt refusal.

- Danielle

 

[Hip-Hop-a-potamus]

Well, whatever they're looking for, it's not my scifi. A prompt refusal.

- Danielle

Damn. Sorry to hear it.

 

[dlparker]

You're a sweetie, Hip. Thank you.

I guess this is where I post my liberation manifesto. I have now been through A For Abel to Z for Zeno of agents, querying every traditional literary agency that might be a possible fit in between, and I am done with the most frustrating, useless and heartbreaking timewaster I ever had the misfortune to embark upon. The process has felt like trying to attract the favor of deaf godlets with useless genuflections and prayer ("Open for your pitch three minutes from the beep, and pay Us that conference fee first". "Dear Author, We're sorry for the form letter but We have no interest whatsoever in your work".). There's got to be a better way than this.

I'll probably get jumped on from the "Don't give up hope! Keep trying!" or the less kindly "It's all your fault. You should write better queries!" "Your story must suck" and "My agent is the best! How dare you!" camps, but no matter.

I wrote most of my queries as we're universally advised to do (although to be honest I was pretty tired of it all by the time I reached Z for Zeno, and they only got a half-hearted effort). My story is good. It won one credible national award for Best of the Year already. It's going to win more, because I'm not giving up. Up yours, Mr. and Ms. Agent. Even humble supplicants look for new gods when so many hours of entreaty fail to solicit favor.

Wish me luck, fellow writers. I am a liberated apostate as of today. And I will get published...

 

[Hip-Hop-a-potamus]

You're a sweetie, Hip. Thank you.

I guess this is where I post my liberation manifesto. I have now been through A For Abel to Z for Zeno of agents, querying every traditional literary agency that might be a possible fit in between, and I am done with the most frustrating, useless and heartbreaking timewaster I ever had the misfortune to embark upon. The process has felt like trying to attract the favor of deaf godlets with useless genuflections and prayer ("Open for your pitch three minutes from the beep, and pay Us that conference fee first". "Dear Author, We're sorry for the form letter but We have no interest whatsoever in your work".). There's got to be a better way than this.

I'll probably get jumped on from the "Don't give up hope! Keep trying!" or the less kindly "It's all your fault. You should write better queries!" "Your story must suck" and "My agent is the best! How dare you!" camps, but no matter.

I wrote most of my queries as we're universally advised to do (although to be honest I was pretty tired of it all by the time I reached Z for Zeno, and they only got a half-hearted effort). My story is good. It won one credible national award for Best of the Year already. It's going to win more, because I'm not giving up. Up yours, Mr. and Ms. Agent. Even humble supplicants look for new gods when so many hours of entreaty fail to solicit favor.

Wish me luck, fellow writers. I am a liberated apostate as of today. And I will get published...

Honey, believe me, I know.

After 25 rewrites, my baby is up to 178 rejections. I just keep plugging away because I don't know what to do otherwise. But everyone I talk to about the project (or everyone who hears excerpts) says it is really good, I write well, etc.

Good luck to you (to all of us). This isn't an activity for the squeamish, that's for sure.

HH

 

[Treehouseman]

I'm putting in another novel. Mine went through the wash to a full request last year, but yes, the dreaded rejection-minus-feedback on the last round, so, who knows?

There's a different minion this time, a John The Less, if you will.

 

[Xagarath]

I got a rejection that said they genuinely enjoyed reading it and thought it had some clear strengths. Does that sound form to anyone? I'm finding it hard to judge.

 

[Treehouseman]

I got a rejection that said they genuinely enjoyed reading it and thought it had some clear strengths. Does that sound form to anyone? I'm finding it hard to judge.

It's certainly not last year's form, which was brutal.

 

[Xagarath]

Yeah, I got a much more neutral one last year, too. Different agent within Zeno, though.