I read all 200+ comments of the Agentfail thread on BookEnds last night, and… wow. Sooo much anger out there. To be sure there are some constructive comments in there, and I always like those, but for the most part it unleashed a vast fount of angst. So much you could bottle it up and sell it to those crazy people who fight in mesh cages.
The biggest, most common complaint is about agents who don’t respond to queries or have a “we’ll respond if interested” policy.
Now, again, this doesn’t affect me personally. My policy is to respond to all queries, usually within 24 hours, and I almost always respond to partials within two weeks and fulls within a month. If you send me a personalized query that follows my blog suggestions and it’s not for me I’ll send you a personalized rejection. I always respond to my clients within 24 hours and I try to turn around comments on my client’s manuscripts within a week.
I certainly HOPE that my query and response policies make you want to work with me and that you’ll query me instead of someone who doesn’t respond. I’m building my list and I want new clients.
But if an agent has a no-response policy, chances are they aren’t actively looking to build their list. Or they have enough on their plate already. They aren’t looking to open the floodgates. And they’re not subhuman for having this policy. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: writing a manuscript does not buy you a prospective agent’s time.
If you don’t like their policy, by all means, don’t query them if you don’t want to. Just…. don’t get mad about it. It’s like being mad at oxygen.
I understand that the publishing process can be frustrating and that the people who really ranted in that post are in the minority, and that these responses were all requested. But I just wonder if we could all get along and stay constructive instead of turning agents into pinatas.
abc says
People be complaining! But you are classy, Bransford.
Diana says
I’m actually pretty sure that someone commented on your classiness in all of that frustration, Nathan!
Thanks again for all you do.
Laura says
Why can’t we have a #bookfail or an #editorfail, I have more issues with that than queries and agents!
However, that being said, if I had to have an agent, you, Bransford, would be my #1:) Just sayin’
Kiersten says
A friend and I were just talking about this. Of course most of the people who have had good experiences weren’t going to comment–it was called agentFAIL, after all. And it’s sad to see how much bitterness and frustration there is out there.
Still, it’s a frustrating, soul-crushing business, trying to find an agent. Fortunately there are a lot of good ones out there. You shouldn’t feel like you have to justify yourself : )
Tiffany Schmidt says
I avoided #AgentFail for the same reason I occasionally avoid the teachers’ lounge – being in a negative environment isn’t helpful. As a writer who’s venturing into the scary query waters, I don’t want to hear about others’ horror stories or complaints. No doubt I’ll collect some rejections and hurt feelings along the way, but I’d rather focus on the positives or at least the constructive. Thanks for keeping it upbeat and setting a great example, Nathan.
Rick Daley says
Nathan,
I spend the majority of my time working outside the publishing industry, in sales and marketing for a technology company. I communicate via phone and email with many people in a wide range of industries on a daily basis.
Your level of professionalism is something that anyone should aspire to, regardless of their occupation. I would hope that your readers can learn from your example, whether they are agents, editors, or writers.
And I’m not just trying to suck up to you, because I’ve already been rejected (with excellent feedback, thanks again) and by the time I’m ready to submit my revised manuscript this post will be long forgotten…
Heather Harper says
When is the last time oxygen did anything for me, me, me!? 😉
Still baffled by the anger. Good advice for free = #querywin.
Kristy Colley says
As BeingBeth said, let’s all just force ourselves to smile at each other for thirty minutes until we ROFLOHO (rolling on floor laughing our heads off, as she puts it).
#Playnice
I like it.
Anna says
the promptness of your reply was appreciated, even if it was in the negative… :)))
this is NOT a quick turnaround business. not on our end as writers, nor on yours.
some folks are just grumbly, no matter what. as you said, being aware to whom one is querying can save a lot of heartache. a little research can go a long ways.
and speaking of long ways… Isaac Bruce is returning… hoot hoot!! maybe the upcoming 49ers season won’t be as long as last year… nor as grumbly.
Anonymous says
Oxygen really pisses me off…
Kiersten says
Me again. I also wonder at the sense of entitlement. Why should an agent respond if they aren’t interested? Sure, it’s polite, but a rejection’s a rejection. I’m far more interested in knowing how an agent treats their signed writers than how they treat queriers. My agent got blasted on absolutewrite because she didn’t respond to some partials for several months. (She had a BABY, folks, it’s kind of a big deal.) However, when I spoke with her actual clients, they had nothing but praise. It seems to me that this should be more of a concern than how they respond to queries.
Of course, this is easy for me to say now that I’m on the other end. Querying is frustrating, that’s all there is to it. Some agents are just less frustrating than others ; )
Cutris says
It’s understandable that some of those comments would be unnerving to someone who is an agent. I’ve queried a number of literary agents for a couple of different works, however, and I think the frustration of writers is both real and frequently warranted. As you said, the information was requested, so the good, will naturally come with the bad. From the writer’s perspective, we have to contend with a portion of (so-called) “agents,” who try to lure us into their unscrupulous schemes. New writers are especially at risk. The legitimate agents seem to be overwhelmed with inquiries, and often can’t or won’t give much time to looking at a submission unless it falls within some very specific criteria. If nothing else, the frustration is real.
LitWitch says
My reaction was “eek” and “ick.”
Of course, I had to remind myself that this had been an invitation to purge, not a welcoming of constructive criticism or a “what do you like/not like about agent policies” so one has to expect a lot of vehemence and letting-loose (although it certainly got pretty darned loose in there!)
Oddly enough, through the mires of vomit, there *were* some consistencies, mostly for responses and respectful communication which, I think, isn’t an adverse wish or request. And, as you so rightly put out there: if you don’t agree with an agent’s policies, you don’t have to query them.
And yet there were also cries for fairness amidst the blood, asking to name GOOD agents and their open, welcoming policies — you and Jessica and Janet were among them.
RW says
You are classy Nathan and apparently uncommonly pleasant to people who query you. But, as I think you’re getting at, agents don’t actually OWE anything more than they promise. If they’re not interested in what I’m selling, they’re just not. It’s a market–not a marriage.
Personally, I use my answering machine to screen calls, and I don’t return many of the unsolicited calls from strangers, and I don’t worry too much if that makes the caller angry, because I didn’t ask them call me.
Crystal Jordan says
There were certainly a lot of very angry people, and a part of me thinks that’s not helped by the bad economy that has everyone on edge. In the end, it just reminded me that a) my agent is awesome, and b) I’m so glad my experiences back when I was shopping for an agent did not match what most of the ranters described.
Anonymous says
I am a poet, so none of this negative talk disturbs me. I’m used to long waits for negative, canned replies to submissions.
After a while, the poet learns to apprciate the process, literary head-banging, which sometimes turns into writing poems about submitting poems and rejection.
Karen Duvall says
Exactly! No response means no is a business practice. I don’t like it either, which is why I chose not to query those agents. Did they miss my query? Probably not. But I queried agents who do respond, and that’s how I got my agent. If a writer doesn’t like the way an agent conducts business, move on. They know what they’re doing. Oxygen. Yeah, I like that. 🙂
Lisa Dez says
I chose not to read that blog just for that reason. It’s hard enough to stay positive. But the truth is that agents are flooded with queries everyday, so it’s a miracle any of them respond when they’re not interested. (Thank you Nathan!)
When I get an agent (still staying positive) I hope that they’ll spend most of their time trying to sell my book rather than reading and responding to queries that don’t work for them. The “no respond” policy doesn’t really bother me.
writermomof5 says
There are legitimate gripes out there and it’s good to have a forum in which to vent them, but I too was shocked at the anger and bitterness. Wow.
Emily Breen says
I wasn't going to read agentfail but as my prospective/hopeful/future agent has buggered off on holiday before my carefully prepared query could dazzle him (thanks be to Twitter for the heads up)…I might as well do something to kill time!
I'm not a great fan of other people's negativity, though I'm rather fond of my own. Having said that my curiousity is piqued – perhaps a Christmas Carol glimpse of a future bitter me could help me better prepare for rejection & despair?!
(Speaking of things I am failing at – how on earth does one put a picture up on here next to comment? Tried in vain to work it out but remain utter techtard!)
Margaret Yang says
It just seems like a lose-lose situation. The agents who would read that blog are already doing things well and don’t need the advice.
How about making it positive? How about a you-tell-me where writers are asked to describe their ideal agent? That would be a learning opportunity for agents without the negativity.
Natalie says
It’s been a long winter. Think we all need a little sun and some positive vibes.
Querying is hard. Submitting to editors is hard. And I have a suspicion even being published is hard.
I’ve learned one thing this very long winter: smile, even when you don’t feel like it. You have the power to change your own perspective.
Bane of Anubis says
Another nice post. Thanks!
And along the lines of what Rick said, your response time and professionalism in general is top-notch… double thanks for that.
Anonymous says
That was some serious bitterness. I stopped reading. I hope they follow up with an idea suggested in the comments, #agentwin, to counteract some of the anger.
Stacey says
I think the hardest part about not hearing back is not knowing if they even received it or not. I have dealt with issues where not hearing back meant something got lost in cyberspace, and others where it just means your query is sitting on a slush pile.
Justus M. Bowman says
Nathan, you do a great job. Your blog is informative, your rejections are swift, and your words are gentle yet clear.
If I hadn’t queried you twice already, I’d query you again. Maybe next book, eh?
Julie Weathers says
If you don’t like their policy, by all means, don’t query them if you don’t want to. Just…. don’t get mad about it. It’s like being mad at oxygen–
Bingo.
Just don’t submit to ones you don’t like. Seems pretty simple to me. I am one who doesn’t like the no response means no interest policy, but rather than get my guts in an uproar, I just won’t query them.
It quickly turned into a bashing, which I knew it would. I feel sorry for the agents who read it as they were probably shaking their heads at all the anger.
My comment to one woman about the feasibility of a voluptuous, nearly naked virgin jumping on a raging black stallion no one has been able to tame and galloping down cobblestone streets in the rain to escape drew a chorus of howls from her and her minions. I think she was scarred for life and might never write again. I was amazed at the bitterness and vitriol that spilled out of that debacle.
Sometimes people really need to look in the mirror and figure out the reason for their failures. It isn’t always the critique, the agent, the editor, the publisher or the economy that is to blame for your lack of success.
Kristi says
What’s up with all this “fail” stuff? I haven’t read any of the agentfail comments and have no intention of doing so. I don’t people realize their anger and bitterness isn’t serving their higher purpose…I would suppose that would be becoming a published writer.
As for me, I’ll just keep writing to the best of my ability and maintain a professional attitude, as that probably gives one the best chance of landing a reputable (and nice) agent. You get what you give. 🙂
Dawn says
abc said it first, very classy Mr. Bransford. Yours was a blog recommended to me by another writer friend and you quickly became a daily delight. Even though we won’t be working together on my project, I hope one day we will.
Thank you.
Stacey says
Natalie said “It’s been a long winter. Think we all need a little sun and some positive vibes.”
I couldn’t agree more! It’s still snowing at my house! I need sunlight and warmth! That’s why I read Nathan’s blog. It cheers me up!
T. Anne says
It’s almost impossible to tell how to tame all this frustration between agents and writers, perhaps it’s the publisher’s we should really be pointing the finger at (no, not that one). Anyway to me it’s a no win situation. And don’t even get me started on oxygen…
Kathleen MacIver says
“If you don’t like their policy, by all means, don’t query them if you don’t want to. Just…. don’t get mad about it. It’s like being mad at oxygen.”
Bingo!
And…since you were slightly against #queryfail, I’m glad to see you’re also against #agentfail. I wonder how many of those raging against #queryfail are also over there railing…
I think I’ve about had it with all the “fails” anyway. Waste of time…
Ink says
143 – 141? All those points and they couldn’t get one more bucket? Too cruel…
Miriam S.Forster says
I understood the need to make something like that anonymous, but I’m forced to wonder how many of those posts were a handful of people with anger issues posting repeatedly.
We may never know…
Dara says
I ended up reading all 200+ comments too and it was disheartening to see such anger from some writers.
I understand it can be frustrating but that’s a part of life. Life is hard. Some people don’t really seem to understand that (or don’t want to understand it).
I think it’s interesting that people seem to forget that agents are human too. It seems like people expect them to be perfect or at least so close to perfect that they aren’t allowed to make mistakes…or have a life outside of being an agent….
I really appreciate you and the rest of the agents out there who spend time blogging and teaching us about the business and I believe agentfail# definitely made me respect you and agents in general even more (especially seeing all that you have to contend with).
Anonymous says
I received a query response from Nathan within a couple of hours after submission (the reason being it was not right for him), and the pain of rejection was exceptionally diminished by the speed of his response. So I agree with others that he is very responsive and professional–and so many writers here appreciate that.
In fact, I’ve been exceedingly fortunate in querying agents, in spite of rejections, and reading through the list of complaints last night was simply depressing.
So here’s my list of top-notch agents who, in one way or the other, have been both professional and encouraging in their rejections: Nathan Bransford, Rick Balkin, Susan Rabiner, Jenny Bent, Brian DeFiore, and Jody Rein, among those who come to mind immediately.
The only complaint I can think of relating is that of an agent who asked for and received my book proposal, called me to discuss the project, then simply disappeared after learning that it had been rejected by six commercial houses. No email or letter stating that this was a deal-killer. But this was an exception to the rule, and I applaud Nathan’s attitude and effort to bolster writers in the difficult business of writing and seeking publication.
Nathan Bransford says
bryan-
Thank goodness they didn’t win. They need every loss they can get for the draft lottery.
Scott says
If you don’t like their policy, by all means, don’t query them if you don’t want to. Just…. don’t get mad about it. It’s like being mad at oxygen.
I love you, dude, but I’m not sure I agree here 100%. There is kind of two-way street in this business as I understand it, and I operate under the assumption––and please correct me if I’m wrong––that agents who accept unsolicited manuscripts make their living from having people send them stuff. Your policy of responding is exactly what someone who understands this would do, but not all agents come out and say “if I don’t like what you’ve sent me you may never know, so give it a shot if you want”. They’re more than happy to take the ones they like, so I think they should give aspirants a little “certain future”. And for gods’ sake, don’t blow them off and diss their query on Twitter.
Of course, people get swept up in business and some can afford to be more timely than others, but I think some kind of warning would be polite at the very least. Agents know they’ve got the keys to the kitty, so it’s not as easy for writers to say, “Oh, I see how it is. I’ll just cross you off my list.” We really can’t afford to do that. And to be honest, if we don’t know why we’re not hearing back, we don’t know how to respond.
In the end, I think both sides should conduct themselves professionally. If you accept queries, have a policy to reply and state it. If you submit and don’t like the answer, suck it up and get back to the drawing board. Cause if I walk into a store and I’m ignored, most of the time I can just leave and choose to spend my time and money elsewhere. But when the options are limited yet both sides stand to gain, leaving the patron hanging is a bit like Lording over the hoard.
Great post, though, and I’m grateful you’re not one of “them”. There are too many out there.
Anonymous says
Alright, here’s the deal. Folks are pissed because SOMETIMES, SOME AGENTS seem to have an air of “I’m too good for this” about them, and can be hurtful and downright mean. I realize that they often have to trudge through several hundred submissions a day, most not worthy of catbox duty, but some of us actually DO have a grasp on the English language, believe it or not. Some of us DO craft grammatically correct query letters with interesting hooks and just the right amount of information. To be bludgeoned with a “Sorry, not for me!” response within MINUTES of hitting the “SEND” button….well, it’s a downer to say the least. How could you even have had time to read anything? Did you scan the first sentence and just know? So yes, Nathan, you are prompt and you always respond. Kudos for that, I guess. But a no is still a no whether it took fourteen seconds to craft or fourteen days. At least with a rejection in fourteen days, I can PRETEND that the agent may have actually read my stuff.
Mira says
Wow. I didn’t know about agentfail. I need to read it.
Thanks, as always, for being kind and having integrity – the essense of class, Nathan.
On the other hand, I noticed that you’re building your client list. You might be surprised to hear that I’m still available. Well, I am. And I know I have told you in the past that I haven’t written a darn thing. Well, that’s changed. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a page and a half.
I know. Impressive. I haven’t written anything since because I’m still basking in the glow of accomplishment, but if you took me on a client, I’d probably be motivated to write another page.
I’m just saying.
Marybeth says
I found it ridiculous they way everyone ridiculed agents. I understand we all have a bad experience from time to time, but my goodness. That was more than an #agentfail, that was an agent bashing frenzie. After reading the first 100 comments I refused to return to the posting. Props for reading through all the comments Nathan, but I highly doubt any of them referred to you 😀
Stephanie says
I’m far more amazed at the backlash that #queryfail and #agentfail have received than by anything that was said on there. Sure, not everything said was professional or constructive, but I don’t think any of it is a sweeping statement about queries or agents or writers or even the individuals who posted.
Agents are a hardworking group of people who fight for their clients in a competitive market, while being bombarded by people who expect the agents’ time and attention for the querying process whether or not it will ever pay off for both sides. And some of those queries aren’t even close or are clearly time-wasters who aren’t dedicated to becoming a published writer. Agenting is not a volunteer charity job.
Writers work even harder – pursuing a dream, often at the expense of family, careers, financial stability, and sanity. Writing time is squeezed into all sorts of odd hours and you may work for years, pouring your soul into this project that might not go anywhere. A lot of writers don’t have a community they can trust – their friends and family don’t understand their frustration and their drive. Or, worse, they ridicule them and try to sabotage the dream. It takes an incredible drive, backbone, and blind faith to continue the journey toward publication.
So, you give people a chance to vent some of this stress and frustration, and they will. It’s especially easy on the internet, where you can be anonymous and banter with people you’ll never meet. I didn’t find the large majority of posts to be so egregious that it should permanently scar the poster.It’s fine when people like Nathan choose not to participate – he’s got a good perspective on his job, the industry, and feels supported. Not everyone can do that, especially not in an industry like publishing, that’s based on human passions, emotions, and opinions.
A moment of snark or desperation or anger or crippling frustration isn’t a reflection on how people feel, or act, the other 99% of the time. I bet most of those people – especially the writers – were desperate for a little empathy for this horrible, draining process. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad people, bad writers, or bad clients. They gave an opinion when asked…and I’d bet that most of them took a deep breath after posting and when back to writing like hell, researching their agents, and sending out kind, professional, hopeful query letters.
tulafel says
Is it just me or has the word “fail” been used so much in the past two months it’s worn out it’s welcome?
I’m so sick of failthis and failthat. It’s worn out its welcome faster than the Bajamen and the Macarena.
When can we declare a moratorium on the use of that word?
Nathan Bransford says
scott-
Well, I disagree somewhat with the premise that agents make a living from the writers who query them. We don’t — we make a living off of the writers who send us stuff we can sell, which is about 0.0001% of the writers who send us stuff.
And even then, most agents make a living off of their existing clients, some of whom come through referrals.
So ultimately, some agents don’t really need the slush pile and treat it accordingly. That doesn’t give them the right to be jerks to people who query them, but I also don’t think it means that they are obligated to treat the slush pile with deference and the time it takes to respond. They’re just allocating their time as they view necessary.
I appreciate everyone’s kind words about my submission policy, but if I change it down the line it won’t mean I’ve turned evil. It may just be that I need to reallocate my time. Right now I can get everything done, but that may not always be the case.
Anonymous says
I saw some anger and some entitlement, but what I mostly saw was frustration. That may seem like anger to some, but I read it differently.
Also,
If you don’t like their policy, by all means, don’t query them if you don’t want to. Just…. don’t get mad about it. It’s like being mad at oxygen.
Sure, it’s a waste of time being angry, but if writers never complain about the things that bother them, how would agents ever know? It almost sounds like you think agents should be immune to criticism from writers. I know you have more respect for us than that, though, so maybe you can clarify.
And the reason there were so many complaints in one post is because it’s was a FAIL blog post. Of course it’s not going to be full of win. It’s unrealistic to think that a post that says, “tell me what you think agents do wrong” is going to be full of nothing but compliments. This is a chance for agents to read uncensored criticism from the people they work with. Yes, there’s some BS; but there are real complaints that shouldn’t be ignored.
Nathan Bransford says
anon@11:15-
I’m not going to sit on a query for a certain length of time to protect an author’s feelings. If it pops up in my inbox, I read it, and respond immediately, it doesn’t mean I gave it less attention than one I let sit in my inbox an hour.
And others, you can see how there’s no way for an agent to win coming or going.
Scott says
Well, I disagree somewhat with the premise that agents make a living from the writers who query them. We don’t — we make a living off of the writers who send us stuff we can sell, which is about 0.0001% of the writers who send us stuff.
Heh, then why not just come out and ask the .0001% to send their stuff in and have the rest hold onto it? 😉
Seriously, I appreciate an agent who says “we might not get back to you”, but I don’t see that very often. And I have to think it’s because they might not get that .0001% they need if they did sat that.
Just be up front is all I’m asking. If you “don’t need us”, tell us. Otherwise, we’re going to prepare ourselves accordingly, and the next thing you know, there’s contention.
K. Andrew Smith says
I read the whole thing, too, and came to much the same conclusions as you. I’m not fond of the concept of “no response means no,” which simply means those agents will be low on my list to query. Agents who respond promptly, and who, above all else, accept email queries, will be at the top.
Nathan will, of course, be the first agent I query.
Nathan Bransford says
anon@11:23-
I don’t object when people raise issues, which is why I’m trying to address the no-response issue constructively.
Josephine Damian says
Laura: I’m hosting #novelfail on twitter on 4/17 (same day as next #queryfail)