Actually I was talking about a letter to pocket books or Simon and Schuster. I don't even know that yet. They get a cover letter too, right? and I was thinking of cold calling agents. Good idea, yes or no? and e-mailing them my submission? I once talked to I think the Star Trek editor and he said eh just send it in without an agent, just remind him of our conversation. He must have been overwhelmed.
Concerning the novel guidelines
- Thread starter Rush Limborg
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^ Well, more than likely, "he" doesn't work there anymore. The current editor for Trek fiction at Pocket is Jaime Costas, and yes...she's rather overworked 
If you send in an unsolicited submission without an agent, it will be returned unread, or simply thrown away. Pretty much every big-house publisher won't accept an unagented submission these days. Yes, it's a bit of a firewall, but that's the point...to keep editors from drowning in stuff. If you can convince an agent that your book's worth an editor's attention, they'll see to it that it gets to the right people at whatever publisher you're targeting.
If you send in an unsolicited submission without an agent, it will be returned unread, or simply thrown away. Pretty much every big-house publisher won't accept an unagented submission these days. Yes, it's a bit of a firewall, but that's the point...to keep editors from drowning in stuff. If you can convince an agent that your book's worth an editor's attention, they'll see to it that it gets to the right people at whatever publisher you're targeting.
Makes sense. You have to "sell yourself" in every business--and a big part of that is being professional.
Still...there's an old joke that you can't get an agent without "previous experience"--but you can get published without an agent.
I sincerely hope that's just that--a joke.
Still...there's an old joke that you can't get an agent without "previous experience"--but you can get published without an agent.
I sincerely hope that's just that--a joke.
I didn't think you were supposed to use a form letter. I've seen this one before.
Unless you have an absolutely killer manuscript.
No agent is gonna turn down representing an excellent, salable piece of work. The trick is making that connection with an agent where they are willing to sample your piece. My agent gets most of her new clients from her existing clients (or her personal trainer, or her hairdresser, etc) telling her, "I have this friend and their work/proposal is incredible..." She's no longer even listed in the phone book. You have to know someone, who knows someone, to get to her - but she manages to get new clients and new success stories all the time!
Get some "previous credits". Enter some writing competitions. Sell some controversial articles to local newspapers, or professional journals in your regular field of employment. Write some for free.
I think he ripped it off from one my former writing groups
We had to do cover-letter exercises every so often and there were always a handful or so that look something like that. Plus that one guy that (was never sure if he was joking) that would always threaten to kill himself if they didn't buy his book.
You can get published without an agent. Short story markets don't (typically) require agents, which is why we're always telling people to submit original fiction to any of the numerous markets out there. Sell some stuff, build up a few credits, and so on. Selling a novel without an agent is a tougher road to travel, and it's made harder because a lot of the big-name publishing houses require agent representation before they'll look at a manuscript. As I said, it's a firewall of sorts. Smaller press publishers often will look at unagented manuscripts, so those are avenues for selling your original works, as well.
Media tie-ins are - again, generally - a whole other world entirely. I hate to bust people's bubbles here, but the harsh truth is that the odds of you selling a media tie-in novel on your first go are not at all in your favor. Given the time demands, the need (in the case of properties like Star Trek, Star Wars, etc) to coordinate multiple projects with varying degrees of connectivity, the sometimes unpredictable pickiness of the licensors, and so on, editors generally want to work with authors they know or who come recommended from other editors.
That said, you never know, particularly if you wow them with a standalone novel that they can slot without having to coordinate with other projects, or you just impress them enough with your writing AND your professionalism to convince them to give you a shot with something else.
Just my $.02.
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So many good questions and issues. Let me take a stab at some of them:
Agents: All aspiring authors should check out writerbeware.com for good tips on how to avoid phony agents and publishers. Sadly, you don't need a license or any sort of qualifications to call yourself an agent. And all agents are not the same. Ideally, you want somebody with experience, connections, and a good reputation.
True story: there was an agent years ago who used to proudly advertise herself as "serving the new and unpublished author for over fifteen years!" Which sounds good until you think about it. Who wants an agent whose main claim to fame is that she represents unpublished authors. No! You want an agent who has many successful clients! (But not so many that they have no time for you. It can be a trade-off sometimes.)
Cover letters: Don't get me started! I have a two-hour rant on what NOT to put in your cover letter, based on years of reading through slush piles. What it all boils down to is: Keep it short, sane, and professional. Think of it as a job interview: you don't want to sound like a nut or an amateur. Mention any relevant credits, but do not ramble on at length about your life story, your artistic philosophy, or who should play the main character in the movie.
Note emphasis on relevant credits. This does not just apply to writing credits, but be careful about flaunting any other credentials. If you're writing a legal thriller, by all means mention that you're also a practicing lawyer. If you're writing a fantasy epic, on the other hand, the fact that you have a degree in neurosurgery doesn't really matter. Ditto for the fact that you raise prize-winning poodles. Save that stuff for your author bio, after you've already sold the book.
This may seem obvious, but, believe me, just keeping your cover letter short and business-like already gives you a huge edge over many other aspiring authors. There's really no reason why your cover letter needs to be more than three paragraphs long, tops.
Media tie-ins: Again, when it comes to tie-ins, most editors prefer to work with proven tie-in writers they know they can depend on. Dealing with Hollywood is tricky enough without throwing a new and untried writer into the mix. Best to make a name for yourself by selling short stories or whatever, then let it be known that you're interested in tie-in work . . . .
Hope this helps!
Agents: All aspiring authors should check out writerbeware.com for good tips on how to avoid phony agents and publishers. Sadly, you don't need a license or any sort of qualifications to call yourself an agent. And all agents are not the same. Ideally, you want somebody with experience, connections, and a good reputation.
True story: there was an agent years ago who used to proudly advertise herself as "serving the new and unpublished author for over fifteen years!" Which sounds good until you think about it. Who wants an agent whose main claim to fame is that she represents unpublished authors. No! You want an agent who has many successful clients! (But not so many that they have no time for you. It can be a trade-off sometimes.)
Cover letters: Don't get me started! I have a two-hour rant on what NOT to put in your cover letter, based on years of reading through slush piles. What it all boils down to is: Keep it short, sane, and professional. Think of it as a job interview: you don't want to sound like a nut or an amateur. Mention any relevant credits, but do not ramble on at length about your life story, your artistic philosophy, or who should play the main character in the movie.
Note emphasis on relevant credits. This does not just apply to writing credits, but be careful about flaunting any other credentials. If you're writing a legal thriller, by all means mention that you're also a practicing lawyer. If you're writing a fantasy epic, on the other hand, the fact that you have a degree in neurosurgery doesn't really matter. Ditto for the fact that you raise prize-winning poodles. Save that stuff for your author bio, after you've already sold the book.
This may seem obvious, but, believe me, just keeping your cover letter short and business-like already gives you a huge edge over many other aspiring authors. There's really no reason why your cover letter needs to be more than three paragraphs long, tops.
Media tie-ins: Again, when it comes to tie-ins, most editors prefer to work with proven tie-in writers they know they can depend on. Dealing with Hollywood is tricky enough without throwing a new and untried writer into the mix. Best to make a name for yourself by selling short stories or whatever, then let it be known that you're interested in tie-in work . . . .
Hope this helps!
I don't see how it can't help.
Going one step beyond that, most agents don't want anything do with short stories. Fifteen percent of, say, a $300 short story sale simply isn't worth their time.
Even authors who have agents tend to handle their short fiction on their own . . . .
Yep. I had something like that in my original response, but took it out as I didn't want to muddy the waters too much on the question being asked.
Yep. I had something like that in my original response, but took it out as I didn't want to muddy the waters too much on the question being asked.
Whereas I gladly leap to muddy . . . .
One more tip: bribes do not work. Enclosing money, a nice bottle of champagne, or a box of homemade chocolate chip cookies will not get your submission published . . . although it does help feed the interns.
(Believe it or not, people have tried all of the above.)
One of the most admirable moments - not on my part, I hasten to add! - from my time as a book section editor was when a reviewer rang me to say (roughly):
"This should never have been published. The book's awful and the company seems to be a vanity publisher who've probably charged him to print it. It's about a guy who's dying, and I suspect so is the author, who wants to get his book out, and it might have been a decent book if anyone had worked with him to edit it. But as printed, I can't give it a good review, I don't want to hit the author with a bad review if he is dying, and I don't want to encourage the publishers to exploit other people by claiming they got a review into the mag."
I should have spotted what the publisher was up to and not even put it on the review list. And thank god for a good reviewer who just said 'Don't cover this.'
About the reputation. It would be helpful to get an agent that Pocket already knows and "likes", no?
Also about the story, do good and experienced writers have an advantage on writers who say, have an excellent idea for an Enterprise episode if it were still running? I.e., the competition. I am a totally unexperienced writer. Did you guys pitch to the t.v. shows? and how many times? thanks.
You can see how much I need a good editor already.
You can see how much I need a good editor already.
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JarodRussell said:
Any reputable agency will already be known to the various big-house publishers, and the publishers don't post lists of preferred agencies or ones they avoid. So long as the agent/agency can be verified as being legit (client list, actual contact info rather than just a GMail address or PO Box, etc.), you'll be fine.
xortex said:
Don't tell an agent or editor how great your story is. Let them figure that out (or not) based on the strength of your ideas and your writing.
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Maybe, maybe not. The point is: Don't tell an agent or editor how great your ideas are. They'll make that decision for themselves.
In general, a 300-page novel needs to have more plot than a 50-minute episode. An idea for an episode is more like a short story . . . .
(True confession: my 20,000 word story in SEVEN DEADLY SINS is based on a old VOYAGER pitch the tv people rejected years and years ago. And I really had to expand it just to get to 20,000 words . . . .)
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