This one falls into the “Yes, it needs to be said” category. I know 99% of you wouldn’t think of doing this, but hopefully this will reach the other 1%.
We had a bit of an incident the other day here at Curtis Brown San Francisco as someone came to the office wearing sunglasses and a black hat, refused to provide their name, and asked to see me without an appointment.
Now, I don’t know whether you would have come out of your office when the receptionist called and said, “There’s a guy here wearing sunglasses and a hat and he’d like to see you and I don’t know who he is,” but I believe my exact quote was “Absolutely not.”
Then the person refused to leave for a while. Eventually he gave the receptionist a query and left.
Now, let me be clear: I’m sure this person was just trying to show initiative, probably lives in the area or happened to be here on vacation and was thinking, “Hey, what the heck I’ll stop by and maybe make a personal connection.” I’m sure it was all completely well-intentioned.
But this is not like other businesses – we don’t take drop-in appointments. We also have no way of knowing if someone who shows up at the office unannounced has received one query rejection too many or just thought they’d pound the pavement to show agents they’re serious. So we’re probably not coming out of the office. I take this stuff pretty seriously.
Save yourself a trip – just send me a query. If I love your work there will be more than enough time to meet in person.
Anissa says
Wow. Just wow. I wouldn't have come out either. Now if has been a top hat, I might have considered it…nah, still wouldn't. People are nuts.
Jonathon Arntson says
Gross.
Anissa says
The real question is: What did you do with that query?
Deniz Kuypers says
I think the real question is, "Sunglasses in San Francisco?"
Jen says
Yikes, I would never be so bold… or stupid, whatever you would prefer.
The waiting is frustrating at times, but showing up un-annouonced has the chance of having you be rejected forever rather than just waiting for the opportunity… shame shame
Jen says
oh and I'm with Anissa on this one! What did you do with the query?
K says
Oh dear that's creepy as hell. Here's to hoping the crazies stay away. Was it a good query at least?
Melissa says
Yikes! After that, I can't believe he still left a query. Between you and me, I'd have run it straight through the shredder.
Tiffany Neal says
Dang it guys…I just wanted a chance. Give me a chance!!!!!
Hahahahaha! I am so sorry, but I can't help but laughing at this. I can picture it my head, right now.
Wait. That gives me an MS idea…
Vacuum Queen says
Ooh how scary! What would you have done if the query was fantastic? I'm assuming it wasn't.
BTW, I was just thinking your next contest should be to throw out a bunch of facts about a MS and then have the readers make a good query. But then I thought…oh the pain of reading MORE queries for you! ARGH! Ha ha. I don't suppose that'll be the next contest topic. π
Christi Goddard says
*cancels plane tickets and rental car*
Dangit, and I thought we had just a good rapport going.
Marilyn Peake says
It definitely wasnβt me. I have been wearing sunglasses β but only because Iβve been photographing blindingly white snow in my snowed-in neighborhood. And weβre getting more snow! One of my neighbors dubbed this SNOWPOCALYPSE 2010, another dubbed it SNOW-MAGEDDON. Good luck with all your queries.
Layne says
Nathan: did you read the guys query afterall?
T. Anne says
I suppose the query would close down the mystery as to who this person was. It's not a tactic I would have chose and perhaps lends to the impulsive nature of this person. Maybe years down the road we'll hear a query story from some author who deeply regrets setting foot into your office to give you a hand delivered query. π
I have to say a blog creates a certain amount intimacy in the familial sense. I worked in psych long enough to know it doesn't take much for people to feel intermeshed with one another in inappropriate ways.
Nathan, you've reached celebrity status in the query world. Soon writers will be hunting you down on the street just to have their picture taken with you. Sorry you had a bad experience.
Laurie says
I could say "only in San Francisco," but I'm afraid that this probably happens in New York publishing houses too. And anywhere else.
Nathan Bransford says
Re: the query, I only respond to queries that come through the proper channels.
Anonymous says
Wow. How frightening.
And sad. Probably, the intention of the person was just to get a connection.
But in this scary world, (and with vampires), you have to be invited in.
Anonymous says
Strange is truer than fiction.
Shelley Sly says
Even if it was unintended, that's certainly creepy and a definite "no" from an agency. Ouch for them.
Kathryn Magendie says
Things like this bother me…a lot. *shudder*
Josin L. McQuein says
I've actually read this as "advice" on a writer's site (it was jumped on pretty quick, but it pops up now and then.)
Some new member will join and make a post about their "secrets' to success with agents/editors. And said secrets are usually along the lines of:
Show up in person (because it's harder to tell someone "no" when they've shown initiative!)
Just call the agent on the phone. (And be persistent when that pesky receptionist won't put you through. Agents are starved for attention and LOVE to have real human interaction!)
Send them a gift (you'll stand out from all those losers just trying to use them!)
Send them a photo – as an attachment (let them see how studious/serious/beautiful/commercial you'll look on the back of a book!)
Attach your whole novel to the email query. (Guidelines mean nothing! They're looking for risk takers, not those too timid to try!)
Email and ask them what they want in a query/submission. (This should come back as a point-by-point bullet list.)
Email everyone at the agency, from 2 accounts (cover your bases and beat those pesky spam filters!)
Yet, with all that advice, the givers of it seldom report any success in their query process. Usually because they're too controversial, too intelligent, ahead of their time, and the agents all hate books and only want to steal their ideas for their established clients to use.
All Adither says
That's INSANE. He might as well have just pulled on a rubber clown mask for how creepy he came across. Ick.
Limari ColΓ³n says
Scary… Thank God for living on a 100 x 35 miles island.
Andy says
I'm embarrassed just reading about this.
Also blogger's inability to function reliably with OpenID drives me crazy!!!
Not crazy enough to show up at an agent's office in person though…
Lily Cate says
What the…?
I thought the briliance of the internet age was the ability to do all the work from home. Why make it more complicated by taking a trip across town/the county/the country?
Elizabeth Rushing says
What a complete loss of etiquette. What has happened to the ability to follow directions?
Livia says
I guess I'll have to scrap that plan of getting a window washing scaffold, lowering myself to your office, and pressing my query to your window.
Richard Mabry says
I'm assuming that you don't consider a query delivered by a man in a black hat and sunglasses as coming through "proper channels." How about a Stetson and a bandana over the lower part of the face? (That's how we do it in Texas).
We can joke about this now, but I know it was a scary moment for you. Thanks for sharing this. I think about twenty of us are already thinking about how to incorporate it into a story.
Anonymous says
I have to be the devil's advocate. "Not like other businesses" ?? You're right, it's smaller than many, less is at stake.
I'm not defending this doucebag, but how many agents do you know that HONESTLY have been physically assaulted?
I guarantee most industries have higher percentages.
Stop-bys (or drive-bys) happen in EVERY industry only, in others, more is at stake. Employment rejections means someone's kids might not have medical, food, or a house.
Again, not defending this idiot, but come on. Not like other industries?? Most industries don't have this kind of "they'll hurt me!" until you hit single incomes deep into tens to hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
I respect and enjoy your blog immensely. But, I've have seen that compared to industries such as energy, computing, telecommunications, etc… agents in publishing have a touch of… drama.
Having said all this, I agree people are crazy. π
Nathan Bransford says
anon-
I'm not saying that this industry is crazier than any other industry. Heck, I never even said this person is crazy.
I just mean that I'm not like a doctor, hair stylist, tanning salon, etc. – agents don't take drop-in appointments. That's what I meant by "not like other industries."
Scott says
And just when I thought I'd heard it all . . . Geesh!
Deep River says
Literary agents aren't the only ones who receive awkward vistors.
Back in my old avertising days, we had a gentleman show up at the front desk requesting to see the person in charge of the X auto company account. Namely me. Since our receptionist is isolated and alone (access to the interior is secured by cardscan locks; we handled a lot of banking data), I went down to see him.
Seems he didn't like receiving mail offers and proceeded to share his feelings on the subject with not a little warmth. Sent the receptionist away on a pretense to get a "List Removal Order Form" so she could call the cops.
Kept him busy on the nuances of list management until the cops arrived.
Turned out he was armed with a 9mm gun loaded with hollow points.
One never knows.
Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist! says
"I WILL NOT BE IGNORED, DAN!!!!"
-Fatal Attraction
Anonymous says
Question:
Would a person dropping by to inquire about employment positions (preferably with an ID and not wearing a dark hat and sunglasses) be also alarming?
Many office buildings in my area now require that people sign in and identify themselves and their car on the main floor when they come in and sign out when they leave. If they don't have an appointment and it's not a drop in kind of business,
they don't make it to the elevators.
Likewise, you can't even take a purse into the football stadium anymore. It's a different world.
Sadly, because you are so popular, do you worry about crazies at writers' conferences too? That would be a loss for those of us who look forward to meeting you and your kind of book pros in the proper ways.
Anonymous says
OMG, Deep River! That is scary stuff!
Nathan Bransford says
anon@2:25-
I'd also prefer that someone inquiring about employment just inquired via e-mail. I know there are some old-school ideas about showing up in person, but as you say I think attitudes have changed.
I'm definitely, definitely not worried about conferences about anything like that. I'm really not paranoid – like I said, I think this person was just well-intentioned but maybe wasn't thinking through how it would come across.
And Deep River, wow, that's terrifying.
GalaktioNova says
Oh my, you're in a dangerous business!
Holly says
Next time, I would call the police.
If you ask somebody to leave, and they won't, and you don't know who they are, that's why we pay taxes for police departments.
Karen Schwabach says
Laurie–
NYC publishing houses have major security. I've assumed this is to prevent just this sort of situation.
Tina Lynn says
Okay, so I understand the whole "taking the initiative" thing. It might be a rookie mistake, but an understandable one. What I DON'T get is the hat and sunglasses. I mean, why?
Christi Goddard says
I work in the insurance industry, and we have a secured building, but still people come into the parking lot and break our windows. We have even had employees run down in the parking lot, and a couple of months ago, someone tried to shoot my coworker in the parking lot, but shot out the window of the car behind her.
Marsha Sigman says
Am I the only one that feels a little sorry for the Receptionist? She's like on the front line of the war against crazy.
Anonymous says
Sorry Nathan, didn't mean to imply you said he was crazy. I was jokingly agreeing to someone else.
I think that the economy's stability is inversely proportional to the number of desperate measures people are willing to do.
I feel sorry for those who resort to such deeds. Not giving his name? That is odd.
Watch, some day down the road, the next John Grisham will tell the story of how he was in your office with sunglasses and a dark hat.
π
Laura Martone says
That's just creepy, Nathan. For the record, I wouldn't have emerged from the office either – unless, of course, my secretary was in danger from the crazed queryer.
But, on a positive note, my beloved Saints won! They freakin' won! Oh, if only you all could've been in the French Quarter last night – it was incredible!!!!
Okay, I'm done… for now. π
Tamara Hart Heiner says
wow. scary for you. and sad for the poor guy who didn't know proper etiquette.
Victoria says
Boggles the mind. I imagine this stalker will eventually head back to the blog – I mean he/she would have to be a blog lurker, wouldn't they? – and then will find out how seriously uncool that was. There's no excuse for that behaviour in the era of casual shootings.
Bane of Anubis says
Yes, but what if sunglass, black hat man gave himself the name Omri Casspi?
Susan Quinn says
Man, that's creepy.
It's hard when 99% of people are sane…you're not really expecting the strangeness to find you. π
Anonymous says
A few years ago, we helped our (very sweet, clean-cut looking) daughter get a stack of resumes with her picture on it and sent her to a bunch of professional office buildings to politely leave her resume hoping to find a secretarial position. A lot of the places she went to really liked her approach and complimented her and a few had wanted/needed secretarial help that they hadn't gotten around to advertising for.
She heard from none of the e-mails she sent out, only from the ones she personally dropped off resumes with.
I am wondering, if we should counsel her that this approach is no longer a good idea in the future?
We no longer answer the door to strangers either. Maybe its just become an antiquated custom.
Matt says
Good thing you stayed in your office. It could have been worse, you could have been in the men's room. It's happened. Please don't think I'm shamelessly plugging my own blog with my first ever comment here, but you might find this account amusing. My friend Joe did exactly the same thing. Against my advice, of course.
https://pensivesarcasm.blogspot.com/2009/10/still-looking-for-agent-did-you-try.html
I wish I knew how to hyperlink in comments.