Getting Published, Continued

"Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing."- Margaret Chittenden.

Getting published is one thing, getting an agent so that your work gets shown to the “right people” is quite another if you’re a newbie. “But I’m published now,” you say. So, you’ve gotten a story published. Time to get ready for those calls coming in from agents wanting to represent you, right! WRONG!!

Time for a reality check. Did you know that agents get a commission of about 15 percent of your book sales? A first timer, such as you, may have gotten as much as a two or three thousand dollar advance. Surely 15 percent of that will make agents sit up and take notice, wont it?

Let’s do the math:
Say your advance was three thousand dollars U.S. Okay, $3,000. divided by 15% equals $ 200.00. That’s not even a down payment on the agents next business lunch, much less a motive for him to pick up the phone or email you. Now lets look at the author who commands a whopping $50,000. advance. Again the math. $25K divided by 15% comes out to $3,333.00. Who do you think the agent is going to call?

Of course, one can always find an agent that will charge a minimal fee to represent you (Read as writer beware).

All is not lost however. There are those agents, few and far between, who will take a chance on a newbie author. Your job is to find them. Good luck! I’ve recently run into another option, one that looks interesting and one that I might try. Mr. Fred Grayson recently contacted me to introduce me to E-Literary Agent, Inc. It is a totally on-line literary agency (NOT a vanity publisher). They will post your (partial) manuscript on-line and contact editors who are interested, who will be able to read and evaluate your work right there on our site. They, E-Literary Agent, will be your agent, and will offer your manuscript around the world (the power of the Internet), and negotiate your contract. Although they charge a nominal fee, it's for listing your manuscript for a year--and the fee, $195--pays for computer services, not to be your agent. For more information go to their site @ http://www.e-literaryagent.net I have also added a link to their site in the Sites to see, place to go section of this blog at the bottom of this page.

As with any venture, which is what getting an agent is, please remember to DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Thoroughly check the agent, who they are, who they represent and how successful they are. If possible check with some of the authors they represent. Be very very suspicious of an agent that requires a fee. Agents make their money by commission, not from fees.

Did I mention that my short story, Granny O-Toole’s Recipe, will be published online December 7th at A Long Story Short? Ha, I told you I wouldn’t let you forget. Their website is http://www.alongstoryshort.net/ . Well, enough for now, I’m working on a new children’s short story called The Good Deed Bug and am just about ready to send it out to publishers, but wait! What if I give it to e-literary agent? Hmmm. Aelf :D






Sites to see, places to go and groups to join

MyWriting Friend:mailto:writingfriend@yahoo.com

Nick Daws Writers Circle:Click link on this page.

Writing Workshop: http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/

Newbie Writers: http://www.newbiewriters.com/

Writers Prompts: http://writingfix.com/

Duotrope Digest: http://www.duotrope.com/digest.

Beginners Guide: http://www.beginnersguide.com/freelance-writing/

A Long Story Short: http://www.alongstoryshort.net/

E Literary Agent: http://www.e-literaryagent.net


I’ll be adding to the above list as time goes on and I find more newbie friendly sites.