Ouch!

[j_cheney]

Well, curious to see what the outside people might say about yesterday's question, I posted the same thing over at the literary agent community (people on LJ who are looking for agents).

Got a resounding...you idiot!

They all say you should never send anything to a publisher until you have exhausted every single agent out there. There might be a slight pro-agent bias since they're admittedly all looking for agents themselves....

*Heavy sigh*
Where exactly is that How to Get Published book that has all the right answers in it? I've misplaced it....

Comments

[jimhines.livejournal.com]

Gosh. I sure hope I get to join a club where I get all the right answers someday.

I'll be sure to let some of my novelist friends with DAW and Baen and such know that they did it all wrong. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear it.

Like I said, I'd go the agent route myself if I was starting over, but anyone who tells you there's one and only one right way to do this is someone who doesn't know a heck of a lot about publishing.

Dreaming.....

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Well, thanks for not joining in the the "you're an idiot" chorus.

I attended James Gunn's workshop at the UKansas and he's really big on the slush-pile version of sending novels out, so I think that's where I get it from. I have actually spoken with an agent who told me he has no problem taking queries on books that are currently "shopped out".

Anyway, I'm going to a con this week-end, where I'll hopefully meet a dozen agents, all of them eager to look over my work!

Re: Dreaming.....

[jimhines.livejournal.com]

Good luck!

If it makes you feel better, following "The Rules" and doing what every published author was screaming at me to do actually cost me a potentially big book deal. (I was fortunate to get another chance on that one, but still...)

Re: Dreaming.....

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm grateful that you're willing to tkat the time to reassure nervous fledgling authors.

Even if it is a publishing sin, Book one hasn't accrued a single refusal yet, and book two has gotten two, but one was very warm and fuzzy, so it can't be all that deleterious to their chances...

[keesa-renee.livejournal.com]

Well, keeping in mind that I've never tried to sell a novel, much less sold one, I don't think you've ruined your chances of ever selling the book by submitting it to publishers who are willing to look at unagented material. If they like the book, they like the book, and if they don't, they don't.

But, again, what do I know?

Ideally, the ones to ask would be, not agents, not people looking for agents, and not people like me who know nothing about it, but publishers themselves. You aren't going to meet any of those at your con, are you?

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Likely not. I met Shelly Sharpiro of Del-Rey last year, but they're agented only and have a reputation of taking their time with manuscripts...