Ask Nathan Bransford! Guest agent from 02/07 - 12/09!

Nathan Bransford · Feb 15, 2007

TaliaMana said:
Thanks for your help. With regard to about.com: being a guide isn't writing a single article. You are hired as the resident expert in a subject and required to write at least 3 blog posts per week on your subject plus a full length article every fortnight. About.com has high page rank in google. If you type any subject in google that is covered by about.com then the about.com results will usually be in the first page and often in the first five.

A guide to non-fiction proposals would be great. Jenna has done one in the non-fiction thread that's pretty comprehensive but it's always good to get an agent's perspective.

Often in nonfiction it's not about being an expert, but the expert. The threshold is usually extremely high. But again, I can't say for sure if that's enough platform without knowing the specific project, and a lot of it still depends on the idea and the writing.

Talia · Feb 15, 2007

Thanks Nathan, I guess I'll have to make up a new field so I can be THE expert.

Saundra Julian · Feb 15, 2007

Nathan,
Thank you for your time in considering our book. The rejection was no surprise. I think we'll have a hard time placing this book because of the first rights issue...
Saundra

Talia · Feb 16, 2007

Good morning

There is a publisher I plan to submit to but I wasn't entirely clear what they require:

If you are submitting a book proposal (rather than a complete manuscript), write a complete sample chapter to accompany the proposal, together with your introduction to the book.

It's the introduction part I don't understand. It's a non-fiction book but I haven't written an introductory chapter or foreword per se (because no one ever reads them). What would you understand by the request for "your introduction to the book"? FYI The proposal guidelines also include requests for a chapter breakdown, my qualifications, market analysis,and point of difference for the book.

Do they mean that I should write a foreword and include it with the proposal? My approach in the past has been to get someone else to pen the foreword. For example, I had a psychiatrist write the foreword to my stress management book.

Raphee · Feb 17, 2007

Hi Nathan, Your answers and the courtesy with which you have replied is truly impressive.
My question is:how do authors based in countries other than the US find representation in US?
To be more specific I am from Pakistan and my WIP is based on a story in Pakistan. How do I find agents interested in representing foreign writers? Or is this a situation where US agents would generally not be interested?

Have books like The Kite Runner or The innocence of Loss by Kiran Desai increased the marketability of books from this part of the world?

My novel is for a Mainstream/literary [I hate the word, since no one agrees on the definition]audience. Would you care to define it and do you represent literary work?
Thanks.

Nathan Bransford · Feb 17, 2007

TaliaMana said:
Good morning

There is a publisher I plan to submit to but I wasn't entirely clear what they require:

If you are submitting a book proposal (rather than a complete manuscript), write a complete sample chapter to accompany the proposal, together with your introduction to the book.

It's the introduction part I don't understand. It's a non-fiction book but I haven't written an introductory chapter or foreword per se (because no one ever reads them). What would you understand by the request for "your introduction to the book"? FYI The proposal guidelines also include requests for a chapter breakdown, my qualifications, market analysis,and point of difference for the book.

Do they mean that I should write a foreword and include it with the proposal? My approach in the past has been to get someone else to pen the foreword. For example, I had a psychiatrist write the foreword to my stress management book.

I think by foreword they mean the overview, which is basically a pitch of the project. I discuss the overview more in depth in Thursday's blog post: http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2007/02/how-to-write-nonfiction-book-proposal.html

Nathan Bransford · Feb 17, 2007

Raphee said:
Hi Nathan, Your answers and the courtesy with which you have replied is truly impressive.
My question is:how do authors based in countries other than the US find representation in US?
To be more specific I am from Pakistan and my WIP is based on a story in Pakistan. How do I find agents interested in representing foreign writers? Or is this a situation where US agents would generally not be interested?

Have books like The Kite Runner or The innocence of Loss by Kiran Desai increased the marketability of books from this part of the world?

My novel is for a Mainstream/literary [I hate the word, since no one agrees on the definition]audience. Would you care to define it and do you represent literary work?
Thanks.

I have clients from around the world, so I don't think it's a hindrance at all. The process is the same for international writers as it is for US writers: write a great book and start querying agents.

And yes, I think there is a strong market for international fiction right now.

As for categorization, you could call it commercial literary fiction if it's not squarely one or the other. And yes, I represent both commercial fiction and literary fiction.

Talia · Feb 17, 2007

Thanks for the link Nathan. I've bookmarked it as a favorite.

And as always, thanks for your prompt and helpful response.

I have a question on your blog post:
"reviews of past nonfiction books you've published (not self-published)"

Does this mean positive reviews for self-published books are worthless? Surely it is the quality of the reviewer that is most important?

Chumplet · Feb 17, 2007

Hi Nathan,

Thanks for your priceless advice on this forum.

My question is this: Let's say that an author manages to find a small, respected electronic/print publisher who offers a contract. The author's peers encourage her to seek an agent to look over the contract. The manuscript had already been extensively submitted, but in spite of encouraging feedback, hadn't yet received representation.

How does the author proceed? Is the query process to start all over again, with the news that the book is accepted, although by a small publisher that offers little or no advance? Does the author contact agents who rejected the novel, or look for new ones?

Is it a crapshoot, finding an agent who is charitable enough to have a look at a contract that offers little potential compensation, other than a publishing credit? (Then again, who knows, maybe it'll sell!)

In my case, my father offered to look over the contract (if I receive an offer). I don't want to hurt his feelings when I tell him that a publishing contract will probably differ greatly from the power plant building contracts he's accustomed to!

popmuze · Feb 18, 2007

The Royal We

Nathan,
I know you do your own first reading, but several times I've had my manuscript requested by the assistant of the agent I originally addressed it to. In a couple of cases I've gotten rejections that read, "While the characters and story are great, in the end we felt we couldn't represent this."

My question involves the use of "we" in this context. Does it mean the assistant and the top agent both read the ms and conferred about it? Or is the assistant simply speaking for the agency as a whole?

If the agent never read it, and the assistant were to leave for another job, or if the agent were to switch assistants, if I sent the ms. back to the same agent, do you think he'd remember and act as if he'd already rejected it?

Nathan Bransford · Feb 18, 2007

TaliaMana said:
Thanks for the link Nathan. I've bookmarked it as a favorite.

And as always, thanks for your prompt and helpful response.

I have a question on your blog post:
"reviews of past nonfiction books you've published (not self-published)"

Does this mean positive reviews for self-published books are worthless? Surely it is the quality of the reviewer that is most important?

Yes, I suppose you're right, if a self-published book has generated a particularly good review from a very reputable source then that may be something to include.

Nathan Bransford · Feb 18, 2007

Chumplet said:
Hi Nathan,

Thanks for your priceless advice on this forum.

My question is this: Let's say that an author manages to find a small, respected electronic/print publisher who offers a contract. The author's peers encourage her to seek an agent to look over the contract. The manuscript had already been extensively submitted, but in spite of encouraging feedback, hadn't yet received representation.

How does the author proceed? Is the query process to start all over again, with the news that the book is accepted, although by a small publisher that offers little or no advance? Does the author contact agents who rejected the novel, or look for new ones?

Is it a crapshoot, finding an agent who is charitable enough to have a look at a contract that offers little potential compensation, other than a publishing credit? (Then again, who knows, maybe it'll sell!)

In my case, my father offered to look over the contract (if I receive an offer). I don't want to hurt his feelings when I tell him that a publishing contract will probably differ greatly from the power plant building contracts he's accustomed to!

This is a good -- but tough -- question. An offer from a publisher, big or small, might not necessarily result in an offer of representation from an agent. Oftentimes agents will want to be the one submitting, and don't want to jump in late in the process. At the same time, perhaps this will spark some interest from someone. So it's tough to say.

If you are worried about signing a bad contract and don't want to wait to hear from more agents, you might search for a publishing attorney, and you could pay them a fee to have them look it over.

Nathan Bransford · Feb 18, 2007

popmuze said:
Nathan,
I know you do your own first reading, but several times I've had my manuscript requested by the assistant of the agent I originally addressed it to. In a couple of cases I've gotten rejections that read, "While the characters and story are great, in the end we felt we couldn't represent this."

My question involves the use of "we" in this context. Does it mean the assistant and the top agent both read the ms and conferred about it? Or is the assistant simply speaking for the agency as a whole?

If the agent never read it, and the assistant were to leave for another job, or if the agent were to switch assistants, if I sent the ms. back to the same agent, do you think he'd remember and act as if he'd already rejected it?

I think in this instance the royal we applies to the agent and the assistant. I'd say the most likely situation is that the assistant read it and wrote a report for the agent, the agent read it to see if they agree, and then the agent made the final decision. The "we" reflects the assistant's role in the process.

And no, if an agent has passed on it you shouldn't resubmit it just because he/she has a new assistant. That would be unprofessional.

Raphee · Feb 18, 2007

Many thanks for the reply. And you have a great blog.

jebedi · Feb 19, 2007

Hi Nathan,

I've had several of my other questions answered just by following the thread. Returning to nonfiction proposals, I understand that having a strong platform, like being the expert in a field, is key. I am writing a proposal right now for a book geared to help new college students do well in their classes.

First of all, I do not have a Ph.D or any other degree in education, and do not teach. However, I do have a BA and I have attended 2 graduate schools and a law school. If there is one thing I know, it is how to do well in an academic setting.

Second, my intended audience isn't overachievers. I aim to offer practical and real advice that is advantageous to anyone, not just valedictorian hopefuls.

I see my perspective from outside the educational paradigm as a plus and easily relatable by students.

I guess my question is, if I market myself well enough in my proposal and write well enough, can this trump my lack of a degree or experience in education?

I appreciate your taking the time to answer everyone here.

Outlaw · Feb 19, 2007

Nathan Bransford said:
I think it's up to you on what to call it -- if you're uncomfortable calling it either just a thriller or just a supernatural thriller you might think about calling it a "thriller with supernatural elements." That's how to straddle the fence on that one.

56,000 words is short for that genre, but that wouldn't bother me as long as it reads well.

And a serial character is fine, although don't get too attached to that character because you never know how many books in that series your agent/editor is going to want you to write.

Wow, I finally received a response on one of these threads. Thank you for taking the time to answer, Nathan.

Since 56,000 words comes across as short, what would be an ideal number? I figure after reworking it and adding a few things in here and there (it’s just the way I work), I have a feeling it will round out in the 65,000-word area…but that’s going by MS word’s counter. If I submit it like the standard calls for, the story is 275 pages, which at 250 words per page equates to 68,750 right now, and it will likely come in around 300 pages, which at 250 words per page comes in at 75,000. Does that seem more realistic? Are my calculations off?

Thanks again for your time.

Outlaw

Nathan Bransford · Feb 19, 2007

jebedi said:
Hi Nathan,

I've had several of my other questions answered just by following the thread. Returning to nonfiction proposals, I understand that having a strong platform, like being the expert in a field, is key. I am writing a proposal right now for a book geared to help new college students do well in their classes.

First of all, I do not have a Ph.D or any other degree in education, and do not teach. However, I do have a BA and I have attended 2 graduate schools and a law school. If there is one thing I know, it is how to do well in an academic setting.

Second, my intended audience isn't overachievers. I aim to offer practical and real advice that is advantageous to anyone, not just valedictorian hopefuls.

I see my perspective from outside the educational paradigm as a plus and easily relatable by students.

I guess my question is, if I market myself well enough in my proposal and write well enough, can this trump my lack of a degree or experience in education?

I appreciate your taking the time to answer everyone here.

Well, if you want to write a book about how to do well in classes, you have to imagine that you're hypothetically up against actual academics and possibly, say, a nationally recognized college counselor. You're also up against brands, like Princeton Review, etc. I honestly don't know that you would be able to overcome the platform issue unless you were able to successfully bring something else to the table, like if it were extremely funny.

How-tos and prescriptive books are precisely the type of books that require the most platform. So unless your book is really super-duper incredibly amazing and out of the box, or unless you're able to burnish your credentials, I just don't know how you'd attract an agent or editor.

Nathan Bransford · Feb 19, 2007

Outlaw said:
Wow, I finally received a response on one of these threads. Thank you for taking the time to answer, Nathan.

Since 56,000 words comes across as short, what would be an ideal number? I figure after reworking it and adding a few things in here and there (it’s just the way I work), I have a feeling it will round out in the 65,000-word area…but that’s going by MS word’s counter. If I submit it like the standard calls for, the story is 275 pages, which at 250 words per page equates to 68,750 right now, and it will likely come in around 300 pages, which at 250 words per page comes in at 75,000. Does that seem more realistic? Are my calculations off?

Thanks again for your time.

Outlaw

If your manuscript is formatted with 1" margins Times New Roman, you can figure about a one to one ratio from page to finished book page, but that varies greatly depending on how the publisher formats the book.

And honestly, for ideal word count stuff I think you're asking the wrong person. I really don't think about word count very much -- I pretty much ignore it in letters unless it's under 40,000 words or over 150,000 words.

waylander · Feb 20, 2007

Hi Nathan. Thank you for your replies so far. It is really great to get the inside view on so many of these questions.
I wonder if you can offer a view on a question that has been bothering me.
I got a paid edit on my novel from a very well-known former editor over here (I'm in the UK). It was very useful and I use a highly positive quote from this editor in the query letter that I'm sending to US agents. Is this a sensible thing to do?
I had thought that this editor's prestige would extend across the Atlantic, but I may be wrong. I've also heard it suggested that some agents may doubt my ability to turn out high quality work without such assistance.

Nathan Bransford · Feb 20, 2007

waylander said:
Hi Nathan. Thank you for your replies so far. It is really great to get the inside view on so many of these questions.
I wonder if you can offer a view on a question that has been bothering me.
I got a paid edit on my novel from a very well-known former editor over here (I'm in the UK). It was very useful and I use a highly positive quote from this editor in the query letter that I'm sending to US agents. Is this a sensible thing to do?
I had thought that this editor's prestige would extend across the Atlantic, but I may be wrong. I've also heard it suggested that some agents may doubt my ability to turn out high quality work without such assistance.

No, I'm afraid I wouldn't recommend using a quote from someone whom you paid to edit your manuscript.

I don't put a great deal of stock in quotes in query letters (I need to be the one who comes away raving if I'm going to represent it) but at the same time, a quote from a reputable author will definitely catch my eye and make me more inclined to want to see something. So they can be helpful, but the quote should arise from someone reading your work and responding without a financial incentive.

popmuze · Feb 21, 2007

Two ideas

Nathan,
Let's say I have two proposals for non-fiction books in the field in which I already have a platform. In looking for a new agent, would it be better to present both ideas to the same agent or to send one to one agent and the other to another agent to see which idea catches on first?

Nathan Bransford · Feb 21, 2007

popmuze said:
Nathan,
Let's say I have two proposals for non-fiction books in the field in which I already have a platform. In looking for a new agent, would it be better to present both ideas to the same agent or to send one to one agent and the other to another agent to see which idea catches on first?

I would pick one idea and stick to that one. If that idea doesn't work try the other one.

Another · Feb 21, 2007

Small Correction

Nathan Bransford said:
I have clients from around the world, so I don't think it's a hindrance at all. The process is the same for international writers as it is for US writers: write a great book and start querying agents.

And yes, I think there is a strong market for international fiction right now.

As for categorization, you could call it commercial literary fiction if it's not squarely one or the other. And yes, I represent both commercial fiction and literary fiction.

Small, kindly correction: poster sparking this reply noted Innocence of Loss as book title. It is Inheritance of Loss. Sidebar: it is a mighty fine example of "literary" fiction (as discussed in Absolute threads) - strong, sympathetic characters, lyrical style, mind warping life lessons and light on plot (meaning movement and peaking of events).

Raphee · Feb 23, 2007

Thanks for the correction.

Susan B · Feb 23, 2007

Hello Nathan,

Thank you for answering all our questions!

So here is mine: So when does an agent give up? After a certain number of unsuccessful queries to editors? After a certain number of weeks or months?Do you ask the client for suggestions about how to proceed?

Thanks!

Susan

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