Comments on Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency: Something to Consider

Bob Gordon,Just a couple of comments on your post:...

2008-10-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

Bob Gordon,
Just a couple of comments on your post:
A 15% royalty for traditional publishing or even 50% without an advance is not a problem if the agent has a proven marketing program.

Sounds like you somehow have literary agents mixed up with publicists. A literary works with his or her client to find a suitable publisher, works with his or her client to secure a fair and equitable contract and helps manage his or her clients future writing career. However marketing a book after it's published is the responsibility of the writer either in conjunction with his or her publisher or publicist. Because many publishers these days don't efficiently fund the marketing the marketing first books, many writers are using part of their advance to hire their own publicist. But agents are not marketing experts, so I doubt that we'd take on that task.

As far as the ebook market goes, there may be a future there as e-readers become more popular. I'm sure that major publishers will begin trending in that direction if there's growth in this area. But the vast majority of readers still prefer print, so until this preference changes, growth in this area will be spotty at best.

This blog might be inappropriate for this site. If...

2008-10-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

This blog might be inappropriate for this site. If so, just delete and I will understand. I am a published author (two novels and a collection of short stories published by three separate Canadian small press publishers.) I am not agented and have two novels ready for submission but hesitate to submit the manuscripts for evaluation. I feel epublishing is an option with the right epublisher, but marketing becomes a problem similar to small press publishers agreeing to print the novel then expecting internet sales and author financed advertising to sell copies. The traditional publish/print scenario makes minimum profit for the printer/publisher and a cost factor for the author after arranging local book signings and limited media exposure. I am familiar with marketing and sales promotion after successfully building and publishing a community newspaper then selling the business. A major publishing group now publishing the newspaper mirrors its success.

Tradition indicates the most successful way for an author to sell his or her work is to find an agent that is keeping abreast of the latest innovations affecting the industry and working to have an author’s work widely read. With some good promotional work and well placed personal funding an author might be able to sell a sufficient number of copies through ebook sites and POD (print on demand) to break even. The same research indicates having a small press publisher accept your manuscript the book will probably sell, depending on size for $15 to $25. The printer will need to realize approximately 60% of the cost leaving 40% for the publisher and author to share. The author’s share will likely be 15% or $2.25 if the book or novel sells for $15. Using those figures, that appear to be accurate, 1000 copies would result in income of $2250 from which the author will have to pay shipping on promotional copies, transportation for travelling to book signings and promotion sessions. The author will usually need to guarantee bookstore sales with a return policy unless the publisher has a contact with one or more major bookstores and guarantees returns.

The numbers are not much of an incentive in a business sense and the time needed to promote a book is time away from writing. The dream of selling a manuscript for movie rights or even international distribution is not realistic since those odds are similar to winning a major lottery. A 15% royalty for traditional publishing or even 50% without an advance is not a problem if the agent has a proven marketing program.

I have a personal website at http://www.robertgordon.ca to promote my work and statistics indicate I have had more than 1000 hits over the past year resulting in sales for two of my novels through both my publishers’ webpage, bookstores, and bookselling web pages such as Amazon.

Has anyone had success with epublishing? Has the new technology such as Sony and Amazon’s handheld digital pocket sized readers affected the number of book downloads? If so, are literary agents promoting ebooks with any degree of success through internet sites?

I too have posted chapters on authonomy and have f...

2008-10-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

I too have posted chapters on authonomy and have found it to be a good experience--lots of quality feedback. My book is ranked 143 overall--doesn't look like I'll make the top 5, but if I can get under the top 100 I'll be happy.

I appreciate your taking the time to educate folks...

2008-10-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

I appreciate your taking the time to educate folks on the facts of the industry.

The strategy of writing continually is fine, and as a professional writer I understand that. But to repeat, some projects, mine being an example, are not one of many that can be cranked out on an ongoing basis.

My writing is primarily on the technical side, but I have a graduate degree in English and have been involved in various aspects of writing and publication since the late 70s. This is certainly not to pretend that I have a one-in-a-million talent, but by this point I do believe I at least have prepared myself to offer something for publication, as my earlier post attempted to say. And this is significant because I'm not unique. I know many highly talented writers with important messages who will not be saying it through the publishing industry that now exists. That loss is everyone's.

I figured I would stop by and give people an updat...

2008-10-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

I figured I would stop by and give people an update about my experience on Authonomy. I am there. My book (the first three chapters) is doing well! Last night I made it into the top five in my genre but today I slipped by one.

It is, mostly, a friendly atmosphere where people really do try to help people with editing, suggestions and more.

I have to say that I highly recommend the experience with the caveat that getting "to the editor's desk" seems to require some self-marketing as well as writing talent. Also, the forums can be very addictive.

Even so, if you don't post in the forums, you can get some valuable feedback, some exposure, and meet some nice people.

It's worth a look, for sure.

Good luck!

The whole point of the post was to say that if wri...

2008-10-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

The whole point of the post was to say that if writers think it's easy to get readers (this includes agents, editors, publishers) interested in a new writer's works then try it yourself by posting your work on the internet and driving readers to your site. When your site (and therefore your work) gets a million hits, publishing will flock to your door and you won't need an agent.

It's the writer's choice as to whether he posts and what he posts. The initial blog entry did mention, I believe, that professional writers have more than one project floating around because they are always writing. That's their job.

On that note, while it is hard sometimes to stomach the idea that many people have the same story to tell, but no one wants to hear it from someone whose name they don't recognize, it is human nature. If there's a book about Oprah's trials and tribulations, it is going to be of more interest to the average nonfiction reader than the exact same book from someone the reader's never heard of because the reader has an investment--an emotional connection--to Oprah. Really well-written books can overcome this by generating interest through the writing or an extremely unique and compelling story. You've got to have one or the other--name rec or great original story.

On a final note, many new writers begrudge some writers with an "inside track" when the fact is that the person probably wouldn't be working for a publisher if he hadn't trained to do so. Many of these "insiders" have written for years, got a degree in English or journalism, did an internship with some kind of publisher (for no pay), and have worked in the trenches as an editor or agent or publisher for years. So why shouldn't they get to take advantage of an opportunity? Why should they say, "No, it's not fair to the writer who might have a one-in-a-million talent but who's never done any preparation to write. How can I deny the world the chance to be enlightened by this new writer even though I actually worked for the chance to be heard?"

With all due respect, the suggestion above made by...

2008-10-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

With all due respect, the suggestion above made by this agency amounts to throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Having worked in technical publications for over 30 years, I recall the period when non-publications people discovered the ability to type for themselves, put whatever they wanted into bold or italics, etc., and then assumed that meant they could do their own technical writing. And in the same way I'm quite sure that ready access to home computers results in a multitude of nonwriters who imagine that they can write.

The outlet for those folks, I guess, is iUniverse.

But the result of excluding new talent inevitably means that publication is being limited to people who have an inside track. To pick a random example, I'm thinking of a memoir describing how the author lost everything in the stock market. I related to the story, and believe it deserved publication. However, would the same thing have seen the light of day had the author not been an employee of The New Yorker, with multiple connections? Based on what I've seen, the answer is no.

In my case, I have a project that is the work of two decades of work. It has been exhaustively critiqued, professionally edited, and it won first place in a literary contest. With professional help, I've developed a proposal that analyzes the market and details a plan for promoting it. And agents have no interest because I lack name recognition. I'm no stranger to online expression, but I am certainly not going to post this project on the Net in hopes of achieving fame in order to start over with something else.

Hello all,I just found this site in late September...

2008-10-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
I just found this site in late September but I took the advice and posted some of my work at mythicagirl.wordpress.com
I'm checking out all the author blogs and agency blogs I can to not only pick up useful info, but perhaps forge mutual respect amid curiousity at how my work stacks up with others (not saying I don't already know my own voice, because I do. It's been loud and strong for a while now, and even after a bout with writers block it came roaring back). This site has some very good info about the publishing business. Thanks for sharing it.

Thanks for this post!It's great to hear from a lit...

2008-10-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks for this post!

It's great to hear from a literary agency that I may be doing the right thing in making some of my works available on the web.

I do often use password protection for my blog novel entries and PDF downloads, which I hope will protect my first right of publication.

(Wylie-Merrick, do you have any advice on that one?)

I can't speak for anyone else, but I do know my work has brought me a great deal more joy in being shared than it did as files on my computer or stacks of paper in my closet.

I love getting emails from readers.

I think the advice here is sound for a great many of us unpublished authors. If you're writing because you love writing, then you may very well have lots of different works. Putting one or two out there is a great way to find out whether you have a potential audience. It thrills me to watch mine grow, even in ones and twos.

Wylie-Merrick, I don't think I'll ever get the kind of stats you referenced, but I'm having a great time.

Josephine and others - what are your opinions abou...

2008-10-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Josephine and others - what are your opinions about uploading chapters to a resource such as writing.com?

I know one poster on this blog has had good results with writing.com. Nonetheless, I'd like to hear from others.

Thanks.

All of this discussion is very valuable and I'm gl...

2008-10-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

All of this discussion is very valuable and I'm glad Josephine posted about it.

This underscores what my lit professor told me years ago - "Many people want to be a writer, but few have the temperament to make a career of it."

I posted my 1st 8 chapters on authonomy.com. Inter...

2008-10-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

I posted my 1st 8 chapters on authonomy.com. Interesting site and concept.

I have the same information about Authonomy that e...

2008-10-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

I have the same information about Authonomy that everyone else has and was referring to this line on their Web site which says: "Whether you’re unpublished, self-published or just getting started, all you need is a few chapters to start building your profile online, and start connecting with the authonomy community."

The reason I've made the statement on this blog about putting your full book on your personal Web site, or putting it anywhere for that matter, is that, in a sense, you are publishing your book. I see no different here from what an E-publisher would do. The only difference being that you have to pay to gain access to down-load books from an E-publisher's site. Other than that, there is no difference. Anyone can go on an unprotected Web site and down-load your book for nothing and one of the major problems E-publishers have is that their writers give away free copies of their book and when they do those who receive the book, in digital form, can read it and then give it to anyone they choose--free. If you choose not to believe this and do it anyway, it's your book. I just know that I wouldn't do it and if someone tells me that they have their complete novel or book posted on their Web site (as many do anymore) I don't want to represent them because their book has already been seen and possibly read by everyone who goes to their site. So you might consider, who would want to pay $27 to read it-- again? You don't see published authors posting complete novels on their sites, do you? So maybe you should take a hint from that.

To Wylie-Merrick:In re. to what you said to Dow, h...

2008-10-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

To Wylie-Merrick:
In re. to what you said to Dow, how does what is said here not apply to Authonomy? Are you saying they discourage posting an entire manuscript? I haven't seen the Authonomy site yet, but I am curious about their policies.

Blah.I am PaintedDelivery (and Dow) and now, I bet...

2008-10-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Blah.

I am PaintedDelivery (and Dow) and now, I bet, Wordy Boy. Blogger is free and easy with letting you change stuff and I've been doing that. Sorry for the confusion.

I guess I don't really understand then. The premise, as I took it, is that you don't wanna give away something NOW and preclude the ability of someone else to sell it LATER.

I get that.

Does it go further in that you CAN give away some of it?

I sense that I sound argumentative and I really don't mean to. I just wanna be sure I understand the rules.

So 10,000 words is okay? And that won't effect the authors ability to publish later?

And authonomy, while saying it only REQUIRES 10,000 words does seem to infer they would like the whole MS so that your work can be competitive with other finished items.

Again, I am very sorry about the name thing.

To Dow,As authonomy only requests that you post a ...

2008-10-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

To Dow,

As authonomy only requests that you post a few chapters, what's been said here does not apply. See our answer to what Painted Delivery said above. I would also like to mention that authonomy is sponsored by HarperCollins and I think it's a great idea because not only do you see other writer's works, but you also see Harper releases and from this see how your book might compare with works they have published in the past. This is a win-win as far as I'm concerned.

I went to authonomy and was interested to find thi...

2008-10-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

I went to authonomy and was interested to find this in their FAQ(which seems to be at odds with everything everyone has said).

Does posting work on authonomy affect the value of my manuscript?

We really see no particular reason why a manuscript that’s been showcased online should lose any of its value to an interested publisher....

Overall I like the site and I like the possibility that someone from HarperCollins might one day see the work.

I really like Writing.Com. I am able to allow cer...

2008-10-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

I really like Writing.Com. I am able to allow certain groups to see the work.

What I've done since I posted here has been to allow Chapter 1 to be seen by any writer and further chapters are "behind a pass key". Those folks that DO review the first chapter are invited to review more. This way I am controlling what others can see. I can remove the work at any time.

I do want to point out that to get the pass-key feature you have to upgrade your membership.

Thanks for the great, timely advice.

David, if you want to post your story on a blog, a...

2008-09-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

David, if you want to post your story on a blog, and still have it saleable, you may want to hold something back, in order to keep interest. I'm going to start blogging as my main character to draw interest without revealing the story. I'm gambling with the story itself, over at http://authonomy.com
You really have to check this site out. I don't think you'll get 10 000 hits, but if you have 10 000 words and some talent, you can get a lot of attention from the right people. Good luck with the blogging/ website.

And I think it may have been EA at http;//editorialanonymous.blogspot.com
who blogged about posting your work, sometime at the beginning of the summer. The post I am thinking of talked about holding something back to maintain saleability.

Thank you for the idea for an emerging writer to c...

2008-09-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you for the idea for an emerging writer to create a website and blog to display their work to others. To be honest, I've thought of this for my own work, but after reading what's been said here, feel ready to take the website/blog plunge.

My question is what others might think of a writer "serializing" their novels on their site. In short, putting an excerpt up every two weeks or so. I have a few themes I would like to publish on the internet, though none of them are yet complete.

Any thoughts?

Yes, I know that a lot of authors believe that the...

2008-09-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know that a lot of authors believe that they can somehow defy the odds and be that Chosen One who is going to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

But here's the rub, kids. What if you actually are "the one"? What if your book, the words and thoughts and ideas that drip from your pen, are the very things that are going to save Western civilization as we know it? Seriously. There has to be someone out there who can turn this mess around, and what if it's you?

You can be the savior of the world, kind of like John Connor when he triumphs over the Terminators. How cool is that?

WRITE THE BOOK, SAVE THE WORLD.

I think the name of the game is to become a well-k...

2008-09-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

I think the name of the game is to become a well-known name - there are lots of ways to do that, and I think Agent Robert has offered one way on how to do it.

Getting a website is next on my "to-do list" - I'm going to pay a professional, though, because I see so many DIY, cheapo services that allow authors with zero design ability to have a really bad-looking website.

I think it's better to have no website that a poorly designed one, IMO (I used to be a commercial artist).

Agent Robert, I'm linking to this post on Tues. I hope you'll stop by my blog for some more discussion.

Ok, I should have read the comments before throwin...

2008-09-27T00:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, I should have read the comments before throwing out my own passionate thoughhts. I've got a few things to add. If 50 cent (who I can't stand) isn't a writer, than neither is Jack Kerouac or Woody Guthrie. I love grammar and pomp as much as the next writer, but honestly, if you can put your thoughts on paper and have a readership connect, you're a writer, and a good one at that.

And, why is everyone so hostile to this idea of blogging? It isn't going to hurt the publishing industry one bit. If anything, it will only help the cream rise to the top. I am constantly amazed at how quickly history is forgotten. In the Victorian era, blog-type publishing was very common. Dickens, for example, published many of his novels as serials in newspapers (hence the reason they were so wordy- paid by the word). But, that didn't kill the book industry. People still love a book they can hold in their hands, tuck under their pillow at night, be seen reading on the subway. Why does everyone act like this is so new, and so far fetched?

And one more thing about 50 cent. If you want to play with the big boys (though some of us still aspire for cutting edge indie publishers), you've got to have a brand. He's written his ticket just about anywhere, because he's perfected his brand. He's coined terms, starred in movies, put out clothes- oh, I could go on. He put his finger on the pulse of the Western world and milked it. If you want to be a mega hit author, that's what you have to do.

Don't mistake me. I'm not talking about all those crap celeb books out there, and saying they've got a brand, so, they're an author. But (correct me if I'm wrong), if you put a pen to paper and a whole lot of people want to hear what you have to say, because of what your saying (not because you're Paris Hilton) and you can bring yourself out of a ghetto with it, and get the world to listen, don't you have something to teach the rest of us?

Meanwhile, us idealists will be writing the stories we're passionate about, and hoping to discover the rest of the world has been feeling the same way.

I subscribe to the belief that you should do what ...

2008-09-26T23:20:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to the belief that you should do what you love (i.e. writing). If you love it, you will work hard at it. Anything you work hard enough at will turn into success. So, if you want to write, your goal is to express yourself and to have that expression connect with an audience, not become rich and famous.

And, you're right. When I finally decided to get serious about my writing, I started a personal blog, a book blog and got a Facebook account. After just a couple of months I was talking on the phone with the founder of my "dream" publishing company (at a closed house) about subitting a PB and a CB. Perfecting the book has been a bit longer process, and finding an agent, well...

But seriously, take the leap of faith and write because it is what you believe you should do. Good things will happen. I've at least made it to working with an editor, and more importantly, I have built a community of other writers around myself who provide me with inspiration, persepective, and humour.

An apprentice doesn't become a master without using his tools everyday. It is essential that you write everyday, anyway. So, put it out there for feedback.

Painted Delivery:Posting excerpts for other writer...

2008-09-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Painted Delivery:

Posting excerpts for other writers to comment on shouldn't be a problem. What we are mainly referring to was authors who post their whole book on their Web site then invite any and everyone to come and look at it.
If you would like to read what we said about posting your work, look under "Critique Groups," "Contracts" or "Rights" on the right side of the page and the index should take you to these posts. Hope this helps.