This just in: I am not a seer.
No, really.
Long story short, some anonymous hecklers and some apparently published authors submitted their first pages in the contest, and since they were not chosen as finalists, they feel that this means that either a) I’m an idiot, b) the publishing process is broken, and/or c) well, I’m sure there may have been a c but I deleted their comments because I loathe anonymous snark (as opposed to the anonymous Miss Snark, whom I love).
First of all, don’t you know that Spencer is the enemy? Why are you targeting me?
Second of all, welcome to publishing. Pull up a chair. I hope you’ll stay awhile. It’s an interesting place.
For the people who apparently believe agents should divine the publishing prospects of a work based solely on the first page of said work: uh, that’s not really how it works actually. Over 20 publishers passed on A WRINKLE IN TIME when they had the whole manuscript in their hands, let alone just the few words that came after “It was a dark and stormy night.” Publishers passed on [insert any bestseller and/or classic book here] a bunch of times. This is a subjective process in which many wonderful books are passed on. Publishing is all about matching up the right book with the right agent and the right editor at the right time. Even if an agent or editor passed up on the next huge book, it doesn’t mean they’re stupid — they might just not have been the right fit. Enthusiasm and fit are everything.
But wait, you might say: don’t agents try and divine the publishing prospects of queries all the time? Yes! We do — but this is why the (admittedly imperfect) query process is in place. A query should give a sense of the overall work, whereas judging a book based on the first page is like trying to determine how awesome the Statue of Liberty is just by looking at her toenail. This is why it’s necessary to write a good query and query widely. Subjectivity is the name of the game.
So for the people who are getting worked up about a for-fun contest on an agent blog: simmer down there, hot rod. This all goes with the territory. The purpose of this contest was to find some good first pages and have fun in the process. Aren’t we having fun?
And oh by the way — how about those six finalists? Aren’t they good?
Some people requested that I speak a bit more on how I chose my finalists, so here goes. There were many awesome first pages, but I found myself drawn to a particular group, and frankly I’m very happy with the choices.
A first page really can do (basically) four things: reveal the setting, reveal the characters, reveal the plot, and/or reveal the style. There were many first pages (just as there are many wonderful books) that started off with a wonderfully evocative setting, there were many that started off with wonderful characters, an intriguing plot and/or an interesting style. You could find all sorts of wonderful books that start with a combination of one, two, three, or four of these elements (ATONENMENT, for instance, begins with a fascinating character, Briony, organizing a play with McEwan’s intricate style).
For the purposes of this contest, perhaps because we’re judging the first page and ONLY the first page, I, personally, found myself drawn to works that revealed all four elements.
I also found myself drawn to works with a high degree of difficulty. As I mentioned in the comments of the voting thread, at first blush, some of these finalists might seem very straightforward, but it is VERY difficult to capture a pitch perfect voice and a historical setting like Heather!Anne! did (she even used the word reckon well, which is nearly impossible to do), it’s VERY difficult to ease the reader into a world while building some spine-tingling suspense like terryd, VERY difficult to simultaneously introduce a strange futuristic world while at the same time eliciting a response like “yup, I know this family” like luc, VERY difficult to master the impeccable flow of kari’s first page and then bring a smile to the reader’s face with that dialogue, VERY difficult to elicit a sense of place like Charlotte, and such an impeccable and precisely-constructed mood like Julianne.
While I can rule out some works objectively because they’re far away from publishable quality — ultimately it’s subjective. I picked four out of 675. There were many more that were good, more that I want to see more of, and apparently a few by some excitable authors taking this contest just a tad too seriously.
I went with the ones that really struck me and that I was most enthusiastic about. And at the end of the day, that’s the way the publishing process works.
Anonymous says
ENOUGH ALREADY!
Gawd! Have we heard enough effusive gushing yet? A relatively few people post detracting comments, that’s life, get over it.
It’s this board that needs to develop some thicker skin – I thought writers were supposed to revel is contrariety.
Scott says
A lot of good came out of this contest:
* We got a glimpse into an egent’s slush pile and what it’s like t slog through so many submissions, including quite a few that are really good, and try to pick just a few.
* Nathan’s explanation of how the finalists were chosen gave us even deeper insights into his decision process and into what makes a good opening.
* We were reminded that, if given a choice between acting professional and, well, not so professional, it’s clear which is more likely to work in our favor.
* I looked closer at my story as a result of digging out the first page, and might finally have found the answer to my missing cool-factor. Unfortunately, I was mid-total-rewrite when I shelved the project to work on something else, so now I have to start a new rewrite, which will distract from the something else.
All because Nathan was generous enough to let us to have a little fun at his expense…
Sam Hranac says
Great contest. Well run. Thank you. Screw the rest.
David says
But . . . but you can’t see the Statue of Liberty’s toenail, can you? My vague memory is that the robes cover her feet.
Not that this is relevant to anything, but now this is going to bother me all day. Otherwise, it’s a great analogy.
Nathan Bransford says
David-
Her toes
Vinnie Sorce says
It was a great contest and I guess it does work both ways. You critique people and they can’t handle it and then they critique you back however you can obviously handle it.
I’m very interested now not being a finalist because I queried you after the contest ended with that first page as part of my work. It will be ironic to get asked for a partial or full manuscript and not be a finalist… š
Sam Hranac says
Wow – statue pr0n!
Ryan Field says
I entered my first page from a short story that was published by Alyson Publications two years ago; just for fun…because this contest was just for fun. And I liked all of the finalists, too.
Actually, I liked some of them better than my published page. Now, Dude, that’s subjective š
Dave F. says
About three years before I retired from work, I was Lead Auditor for a certification effort (an ISO 9000 or 14000 type certification.) AFter one week of audits by 25 people and myself, we had 400 audits – 12 pages each.
That’s a pile of paper about two foot high.
Now how did I summarize them?
a) sort the audits as passed or failed
b) record all wrong answers by question number
c) copy out all comments.
You start at the top and when you are done with one audit, you go to the next. And you sit there and do that. I finished the pile and prepared the draft report in two days. That was, 400 times 12 = 4,800 pages, thirty questions and 50 deficiencies to be fixed.
Reading 675 first pages and sorting what they feel are the best is not that hard.
And Nathan’s criteria A first page really can do (basically) four things: reveal the setting, reveal the characters, reveal the plot, and/or reveal the style.
makes that job easier.
It’s a technique you can learn and trust to work. And it won’t take a week to finish.
cyn says
boo on a few bad apples who always want to ruin fun! truly, thank you for doing what you did, nathan. the rest of us learned and GOT something out of it.
the others who didn’t — *points at tiny x at right hand corner of browser* — click on that. yo. it’s the beauty of www. you don’t have to be here.
i just met an editor at a conference that said he passed on the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy. oops.
think of all the agents that said no to harry potter. double oops times a million.
David says
Well, son of a gun!
Clearly, with toenails like that, it must be a great statue!
I’ve seen the statue from a boat doing a harbor tour, so I couldn’t see her feet.
(Pictures here, for anyone who cares.)
Roxan says
I, personally, can’t wait for the next contest. I find myself learning something new each contest. I don’t enter them thinking of winning anything. I don’t see that happening, but it lets me compare others writing to mine.
I would like to see a contest where you force every one out of their comfort zone.
mkcbunny says
Nathan,
It delights me to see your always good-humored responses to potentially stressful situations and negativity. Seems to me a great asset to have in an agent. That sounds like ass-kissing, but I do mean it. Carry on!
Thanks for the contest, and thanks to Holly.
Anonymous says
Nathan,
Any one who can use hot rod in a sentence is okay by me! You crack me up.
Would I have picked the same six pages you did. . .probably not but isn’t diversity of perspective a wonderful thing.
Words In, Words Out says
And looking at those toes, I can predict there’s something absolutely amazing above them. Great analogy Nathan!
nerds says
Penny loafers
Toenails
Bitterness
Snark
Enlightening
Helpful
Brave
For the art
That’s
Entertainment!
dimitry papkov says
To Michael Reynolds.
No offence, dude, but your posts here and on your blog (yes, I read it) are full of inconsistencies and innacuracies. I will touch only one issue.
First, I have to say that I liked your entry. More than some of the finalists (can’t say ‘more than most’ since I haven’t read most). That being said, ‘I liked’ is the key phrase here. Your assumption that simply because your first page is a part of a published work it is automatically better than the rest of the entries (some by published authors, by the way) is presumptuous and condescending. As a multi-published author you probably know that there always will be readers/critics/agents/editors (take your pick) who won’t like your work. Authors, even more successful than you (*cough* Dan Brown *cough*) can attest to this.
So, congrats on your success. Good luck and take it easy,
Morgan Dempsey says
Some people just have no sense of fun.
Besides, they were already published. What the hell do they have to prove? Perhaps they should look at themselves and figure out why unpublished work got picked over their own?
Some folk just need to lighten up. Good on you for having this contest š
Morgan Dempsey says
Adding:
Spencer’s last name is Pratt?
Good Lord, that answers everything.
Jessica says
I agree with those who have said that maybe you should nudge folks out of their comfort zone for the next contest (whenever you’ve recovered from this one!). If everyone is writing from the same prompt, something original for the contest, then there should be no cause to complain that, ‘Well, everyone ELSE who has read it LOVED it!’
Silver Spider says
Nathan.
You didn’t choose my entry.
Therefore you are as hopeless as a chocolate ipod.
Only joking!!!!
The contest was fun and the winners are quality writers.
Thanks to you and Holly for all the work you’ve put in. I’ve learned a lot from everyone.
The whining minority should get over themselves.
When you gonna do a first chapter contest??
Emily says
To Nathan: thank you for such a fun contest. I think we all learned that being an agent involves a lot more work than anyone supposed. (Soo… much… reading…!)
To Bad Losers & People taking this Seriously: no more whining. Stop biting the hand that could represent you someday.
Ulysses says
Nathan, I have a few questions.
How many queries do you normally receive in a week? According to your Jan 2 stats post (and some math), it’s around 6, with a partial requested roughly once a week. I don’t know whether that sample is representative. (In the 90’s, rejections from Asimov’s SF Magazine used to state they received 3000 fiction submissions a month. I think Isaac died of eyestrain).
Out of that, how many do you pass over purely because the queries betray a basic lack of facility with the English language?
Why do I ask? Figuring the odds keeps me amused and hopeful.
And what’s wrong with a chocolate iPod? Of course, I wouldn’t pay full price…
Nathan Bransford says
Ulysses-
I don’t keep exact counts, but I usually receive several hundred queries a week. Of those I’ll probably request between zero and ten partials, depending on the week and the quality of the work. About half of those aren’t very close at all, a quarter are good but not quite good enough, and another quarter are very good. Out of those ones that are very good, I request the handful that strike me.
Michael Reynolds says
Dmitri:
This will be my last comment here because I sense that I am abusing Mr. Bransford’s hospitality.
But let me answer you on this. An agent’s job is to make money for his agency. This is a business. Companies that don’t understand that end up being swallowed by companies that do. (There’s a reason the industry has consolidated.) And I assure you that Curtis Brown is very interested in making a profit and hope that Mr. Bransford will sign some bestselling talent.
I don’t for a minute deny that a love of writing is a part of it. But it’s silly to accept the notion that Mr. Bransford — or any agent — is hired to express his own personal tastes.
Let’s take an obvious example. Say JK Rowling had approached Mr. Bransford with her first book. Do you suppose the Curtis Brown company would have been happy if Mr. Bransford turned it down on grounds that it wasn’t to his personal taste? Bear in mind that whoever represents Ms. Rowling made not millions, but tens, maybe even hundreds of millions.
P.G says
I am just happy I got someone to read a first page about an evil stuffed Mole toy š
Yes, I would have been totally jazzed if I made the top 6 but hey thats life. I wont cry over it, I will just work on it more.
Why someone thought it a smart idea to send in first pages of already published works, just makes me wonder if they acutally wrote them or just copied it š
Hope you do run a few more of these zany contests!
Cant wait for the next episode of Lost!
sex scenes at starbucks says
This whole contest made me giggle because when I buy books I never look at the first page, but I open to a random spot in the middle. Next time let’s have a middle-of-the-book-page contest!!
Oh, and Nathan, that was the nicest scolding I ever read.
sex scenes at starbucks says
And man are those some big toes.
Ick. Toes creep me out.
Ulysses says
Well, that answer certainly puts “I love good books” into perspective. You’d have to love them in order to comb through “several hundred queries a week” looking for one.
Of course, the other possibility is that you’re insane. Luckily, it’s a functional insanity and you’ve integrated well into society. 8)
Thanks for the information.
Dimitry Papkov says
Michael, you are right. This is business. It all comes down to the agent thinking he can sell the ms. As another agent commented on AW (he was an editor before) — he prefers being agent because he can choose to represent books he likes, books he would have passed as an editor because of house style, policies etc. Eventually, this is still subjective (apart from the obvious garbage). If I am not mistaken there are several agents/editors biting their hands for not agreeing to take on ‘Da Vinchi Code’ and ‘Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone’.
MJ says
People have said this already, but I don’t mind repeating it. Part the existence of this blog probably has to do with PR, but you didn’t need to sift through 675 first pages of variable quality in order to get that. So really, thank you for giving us all a chance to look at what grabbed you as a reader and as a literary agent; moreover, you also gave all of us a chance to see that there are 675 (and more!) different ways of writing a first page; and of course we all learned so much from it because we saw what works and doesn’t work.
I am not really surprised that some people started bashing your taste and also the entire selection process. But that’s also because I am no longer surprised when people are rude idiots. I mean, anonymity itself indicates the person is afraid to take credit for their statement. But — thank you for bringing us all back down to earth with your post. And I hope that those vicious comments don’t dissuade you from doing another contest!
mj says
I noticed some comments tended toward criticizing the selections that were chosen as being too “chick-litty” (I am wondering if these people just read the first selection and then ignored the rest??). The finals included (seemed like young adult) science fiction, mainstream fiction, juvenile fiction, etc. It seems to me like several people are hinting at the broader question of “literary” fiction as opposed to, well, any other fiction. I always like to tell people who think literary writing is the only kind of writing that deserves to be out there to try and sit down and write one of those “poorly-written” mainstream fiction. It’s hard work. Seriously.
So please, let’s stop with the elitism and try to appreciate those first pages for what they are trying to do versus what we think they should be doing. Several people said they wanted to read, for example, luc’s book even though they weren’t even fans of the genre. This should really indicate to us that genres are just categories used to facilitate organization at a bookstore, not indicators of “good” versus “bad”.
thegirlinthecarthatgotaway says
Well, darn.
Mine was all about the fifth element!
and here comes that loominous space ship boy, full speed ahead!
Chro says
I think this whole debate is based off of one belief: agents aren’t human. They don’t have preferences or quirks, and for god’s sake, they don’t have an opinion! Subjectivity? Bah! Any agent worth his salt should have critiquing down to an exact science which meshes with every other RESPECTABLE agent on the market.
Nathan, you should be ashamed of yourself. Clearly “It was the best of times” + “Call me Ishmael” = Profit.
…either that, or it equals an answer on your machine that says: “Call me! It was the best of times! -Ishmael”
thegirlinthecarthatgotaway says
PS
Although the sound track really worked for the movie, The Fifth Element,
it really bombed as a background music for our Thanksgiving dinner.
Kathleen says
good on you, Nathan. where is that morale meter? cheers
Neptoon says
Aloha Nathan,
Perhaps some contestants reached disgruntlement because you made the prizes for winning too big…too important!
Next time only offer to let the winner leave a message on your answering machine. Or, instead of accepting a partial, only offer to read the lucky winner’s second page. Decrease the monetary reward! Don’t give away one of your client’s books…let the winner read its first page.
Lower the contest stakes and you’ll lose the ego flakes.
Again mahalo for the great contest and the continuing education. Your bag of poi is in the mail.
Cam says
Too funny! I do the same as “sex scenes at starbucks” and don’t read the first page when buying a book, but flip to the middle to guage the writing, feel, etc.
I knew my entry wouldn’t win but participated for the fun of it. In all honesty, my entry wasn’t even from my current WIP but from a whimsical, last-minute idea I had and decided to write up as a creative writing exercise the week of the contest =). I enjoyed the contest; loved seeing what others are doing with their writing. Enjoyed some valuable lessons about marketing aspects of querying and writing a novel.
Also, as we say in the newspaper biz, you know you’re writing (or doing) something worthwhile when readers pipe in to complain. Take the naysayers as a compliment!!
Good going Nathan. Next one could be along the lines of what “ssas” suggested, only modified further — how about a “paragraph from the middle of the book” – 100 words maximum?
Cheers-
Cameron
Anonymous says
Oh No! I looked up the dictionary link to “Pratt!”
Yikes and I have dislexia:
1.
Basically someone who’s on a major DIET, or is delusional and dumb. Acts against logic… and thinks their dumbass is too big….
2.
n. English term, primarily used in United Kingdom. The literal meaning is “bottom” or “rump”; aka backside, buttocks, sacrum, tail end.
TOO BIG!! OH NO!!!
Had to stop reading there.
—
!
will the innocent please get out from under the table,
dusting self off
ok, I see what you mean about it being ALL Spencer now!
Angela says
Nathan,
Here’s a big thank you for your knowledge, humor and contests!
You rock!
Angela
nerds says
I wrote mine right off the top of my head in 45 minutes when I heard about the contest, with zero expectations. I hit submit right away, I didn’t look at it nor redraft. I’m not a fiction writer, I work in non-fic.
To me this was an exercise, fun, challenging. I enjoyed comparing the entries I read with the first pages of the fiction books I’ve favored over the years, and what I found is that the same things which held up 60 years ago still do today.
I think we need to be able to care, early on. Whether it’s humor or pathos or irony or voice, something needs to make us care, regardless of genre.
I don’t understand the naysayers, because agents are human beings. What arrests Nathan as he reads a query or first page may not arrest the agent in the next office and vice-versa.
Are we not all readers? Isn’t this the common link? To me it’s not that hard to understand the subjectivity in publishing, nor anywhere else in the arts. Do you see deep things in Jackson Pollack? Do you only see splatters?
Does Dan Brown drive you nuts, or is he a good escapist read?
How creepy would it be if everyone had the same reaction to every single thing. Viva la difference.
Adaora A. says
People need to develop a thicker skin. I must confess myself suprised that published authors – those considered ‘professional’
and ‘calm’ in these matters- actually flipped out over it all.
They can’t get into contact with Spencer so they are going after you. Remember your earlier posts Nathan? Why don’t you just yell “sweet, now get out of my car.” It’s not like you owe them anthing.
Kate says
A baking contest is subject to the judges’ tastes too. I don’t think it’s fair to the six finalists to go on about how unjust the selection process was. Well done all of them. I’ll probably still be trying to pick just one when the voting closes, assuming it hasn’t already. And Nathan and Holly too, donating all of that time. After all, I didn’t see an entry fee anywhere.
Of course I was too chicken to enter, so I suppose I don’t have that bruised ego to contend with.
Kylie says
Hey Nathan!
I’d just like to add that yes, publishing is a very subjective industry. After all, how many of us would have not wanted to read Harry Potter? (Personally a fan, but I know there are people who loathe it) There is definitely a difference in opinion, and that’s part of what makes writing and reading such emotional, stimulating activities.
Dr K says
Nathan:
Thanks for a cool bit of fun.
The whims and vagaries of publishing look like chaos theory to most of us — and we accept the pinball nature of it all — and work to strengthen our odds through superb queries and research, on top of the writing craft.
But your obvious love of writers and encourgement — through contests such as this — are very much appreciated.
Karmic spin at ya, bro!
–Gregory Kennedy
lynne says
John G. Goetrich said…
…Put away your scarf and penny loafers, put down that latte, and regrow some stones, do something involving sweat, and (re)read some Hemingway or something.
—————————
Nathan, you keep your penny loafers, and I’m sure a scarf would be quite fetching.
No comment about the stones.
Ok, just one comment: they’re made of titanium.
Anonymous says
Nathan, Iām ready to be crucified for this. Hell, Iām even ready to be crucified for my use of the word crucified. But I think it was a little weak of you to delete the anonymous āhecklers.ā I understand deleting people who are just trying to be abusive or disruptive, but deleting reasoned criticism does more harm than good and also shows a bit of insecurity in my opinion. (If these truly were just disruptive or abusive comments, I apologize for misunderstanding what happened).
With that said, you did everyone who entered a favor (even if there were potential benefits to you) and I for one appreciate the favor. We all agreed to have you and Holly judge our paragraphs, and until it comes out that Luc was secretly taping the ghost of Stanislaw Lem during pre-game warm ups or that one of the contestants is really your transvestite half-uncle, I donāt know what the big deal is.
I do think the publishing process is seriously flawed. (Because I watch the Wire, I also realize itās nothing new for an institution.) I know I have a very hard time finding new books that connect with me and donāt have similar difficulties in other media. Iāve also been surprised at the lack of publishing (and a variety of media) to take advantage of the writerās strike. All in all, thereās probably a lot of work to be done from every angle, including from the writers.
Anonymous says
quoting other anomaly,um anonymous:
yeah, baby, what’s the blog deal?
(whoops, dis-lexia strikes!! again!)
And about those penny loafers, do they come in colors and yes, admiring the nice fit too… Are they official NB??? Even nicer! Where can I buy a pair.
Nathan Bransford says
anon-
I didn’t delete any responsible anonymous posts (just like I’m not deleting yours), just the ones that I felt were needlessly negative and/or unproductive, particularly the ones where people used their anonymity to take potshots.
Managing threads these size is not easy — things can devolve quickly, and I’d rather just head things off before things get nasty. Anonymity shouldn’t be an excuse for people to be jerks.
In any event, sorry to hear that you don’t think the publishing process is working. I really do think that with more books published than ever before in the history of mankind… things can’t be that bad. I know it’s sometimes hard to find the gems, but there are more alternative outlets (such as the Internet) than ever. Sure, it’s an imperfect process, but I’d say we’re doing better than the Baltimore Police Department.
jjdebenedictis says
Michael Reynolds said:
[I]t’s silly to accept the notion that Mr. Bransford — or any agent — is hired to express his own personal tastes.
Chro said:
[T]his whole debate is based off of one belief: agents aren’t human.
I think Chro nailed it. A person who is capable of spotting really excellent literary fiction is not necessarily capable of spotting really great escapist-fluff–or vice versa. That’s why Curtis Brown, Ltd. employs more than one agent. No one person is sensitive to every type of saleable writing.
Anon 8:19AM said:
Gawd! Have we heard enough effusive gushing yet?
Dude. I made this (fun, but misguided) offer to critique people’s pages, and as a result, I read over 1/6th of the entries. You would not believe how exhausting it is to read and seriously consider that much material. Nathan and Holly deserve all the effusive gushing they can stomach; this was extraordinarily generous of both of them.