Wow! Just checked and I know him! This is the same Mathew Ferguson who was a member of YouWriteOn until last year. He gave a lot of great advice and help to people on that site and I bet he'll make a fantastic agent.
Good on you, Mat! Best of luck with it!
Are people allowed to reply on threads about themselves?
You can google me and you'll find some of the books I've written and edited.
The sales I've made have been for myself! Otherwise my experience comes from in-house work creating and pitching projects and then taking them through to publication. I started up paid agent work this year and haven't taken on any writers. I do represent two illustrators - Erin Hunting and Kelly Abbott. The illustration/licensing business is called On The Wall (www.onthewall.com.au).
I do other stuff apart from being an agent. Some websites of mine: www.twosentencestories.com ; www.chaoticempire.com.au ; www.mybookshelfreview.com (got to update that one! eeep) ; www.twitter.com/mathewferguson
cheers,
Mat
Just an idea...Love Mathew's sense of humor on his website. His personality really shines through in his tale of "The origin story". If you haven't read it yet- I'd highly suggest it.
On another note- if you get signed by him- can you take going to Australia to meet him off your taxes as a business expense?
Am I laying it on thick? I don't think my taxman would go for that either. If Mathew's still in here- maybe he has some ideas on this? I'm sure he doesn't want everyone packing their bags and jetting 15 hours to his front door step.I'm sure our accountants would love that.
I don't know a trip to the Outback would be a nice reprieve from the murky depths of my book.Awww... come now, that HAS to be tax deductable? Right? I mean it's FOR business afterall and the love of the craft.
I sent mine with an attachment, it went through. Haven't heard anything from him though.
Maybe if he's still around he let us know what his stand is on attachments.
What kind of evidence would you like to see to know that I have established relationships with editors or can even get the job done?
Are you a UK resident perhaps? Next time you step on a British Airways flight have a look at the book they hand out to the children - I wrote that. They've printed a million copies for distribution on every international flight BA makes.
If you come to Australia and fly Qantas you'll also get a book for the children that I wrote. We're a bit smaller than the EU so that one is only 300,000 copies per year.
You could do a bit of web-searching and you'll find my name as author and editor on quite a few books also.
Apart from that, I'm not sure what else you would like to see. I haven't taken on any writers yet because I haven't found a submission that I like. Through On The Wall (an agency focussed on illustrators and licensed properties www.onthewall.com.au) I represent two illustrators, if that carries any weight at all.
Most of the times I suppose it comes down to a conversation and how you feel about me from what you read on the website (and on my various websites, twitter, etc). As there is no formal training or accreditation process for agents, most of them are somewhat like me. Former editors who changed careers. Former freelance writers looking to expand their service offerings.
The core of my decision to start agent work was based around two factors:
1) I've worked with a lot of agents and honestly, the job of being an agent isn't that difficult;
2) I was giving out free advice on contracts, who to contact, how to pitch, editing concept documents, referring work to writers, editors, illustrators and graphic designers, getting my freelance friends work ... and all for free. I referred a $10,000 job to a fellow writer and only later on realised that I should have charged a commission.
As for being far away ... I'm a Melbourne writer who got his work on British Airways and Jet Airways (India). Is that a long enough reach?
cheers,
Mat
It's lovely that you've had some great writing successes, and I hope that continues. I go to agents' websites looking for their sales history and client list. If they have authors I've heard of and have some great sales under their belt, this tells me they have the chops to get the job done.
Yes, this is my point. Your website is filled with some nice things that reveal you to have a wonderful sense of humor. But that doesn't sell books. When I'm researching an agent who has queried me, I look at their website's content. If it contains little red meat, then I draw opinions based on what I see (or don't see).
WHAT? Not that difficult? Wow, where do you get that idea? All the agents I know work as many horrible hours as I do; almost 24/7. There is absolutely NOTHING easy about being an agent, and frankly, this comment disturbs me a great deal.
Contract advice requires experience and a healthy knowledge of literary law. My beagle can give great contractual advice as well; it just wouldn't be sound advice. What I'm saying here is that your website should contain your qualifications for giving out contractual legal advice and other specifics that solidify your reputation and experience that qualifies you as a successful agent.
Thank you so much for hanging out in Absolute Write and providing answers to questions! When I fly to Melbourne to visit your shop I'll make sure and ask for one of your booklets so you can autograph it for me! (I've decided to visit Australia and try to take it as a tax write off.) I'm sure Phil (my taxman) will love me in 2010 for that.
In all honesty though, does it matter that an agent is in another country/state/etc from you? Most work is done over the phone, fax, email or mail now.
So, I'm quiet efficient with a fax machine. I even remember to push *9* most of the time. The time zones can make it hard. The business is very early morning calls and very late evening calls. In either case people aren't really awake!
Do people still use fax? Even paper post is on its way out.
I agree; let's not go there because it's just too easy a mark.Hi Priceless.
Let me ask you - what do you think sells books if not a sense of humour?
Oh dear, you really aren't helping yourself, are you? As one who works with agents almost every day, I consider a number of them friends. We're way past trying to impress each other because we don't have the time or energy. Maybe things work differently in Aussie, but here in the US and the UK, agents work achingly hard. Since you're new and have yet to make a real sale, perhaps your opinions are slightly premature.
I'm sorry, but your comment is breathtakingly misguided, and I'm happy your opinions are coming into the open. I don't know of a single successful agent who doesn't work very hard to establish relationships with editors. On the flip side, I've met agents who feel as you do - and their actions and sales mirror that mindset. Agents make calls to editors all the time - to introduce themselves and talk about what they represent - in the hope that their query will move toward the top of the pile rather than at the bottom. That is how sales are made. That, and consistently choosing great projects to represent.
Conversations with WHAT people? Being an indie editor is easy enough, but you need to have a solid reputation in order to get your name around. This means your clients have gone on to secure great book deals.
Perhaps agenting isn't that hard for you. Then again, how many solid sales have you made? How long have you been an agent? I think it's folly to make sweeping statements about an industry when you are only starting out. You don't have the credibility yet.
But how does this qualify you to sell manuscripts to publishing houses? As an editor, I would be far more impressed if you had worked with a major literary agency for a few years. Managing books and writing contracts doesn't equal selling to editors.
Good grief, is this a comment you actually want potential clients to read? It's like the first year intern who says he really hates the medical profession. Given that attitude, what kind of doctor will he be? Conversely, why would an author seek you out given your disdain for the profession? How effective will you be? What agenting experience do you bring to the party? Authors work very hard on their books, and your cavalier attitude is dismissive and demeaning.
