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.
Did you look at the name? It could have been Michael Chabon incognito.
Okay, that's just scary.
Note to self…don't go mass murderer type on an agent. Got it!
I've seen people do the same thing with resumes, but they always say their name. That was the creepy part for me.
Creepers.
Why are you guys freaking out so much about this? Some of the comments are cracking me up with the drama. Why is it so unreasonable?
Nathan has his rules, so I have no problem with him saying no. We are all allowed to define how we interact with others, especially at work.
But seriously, the dude was just trying to take some initiative. You are all acting like he had a bomb strapped to his stomach.
I agree with anonymous from 2:14.
I am a professor who hands out my fair share of F's, but my office door is always open. My fiance is a foreclosure lawyer. Now THAT is some scary stuff when you take away someone's home, but no one is trying to kill her. You guys have read/written too many murder mysteries to think authors are going around attacking literary agents.
I am now picturing Nathan (in his orange shirt) escaping through an office window while his secretary distracts the mystery man. Run, Nathan, run! 🙂
It's a sad fact that we must be on our guard in these types of situations. Too many people these days won't take no for an answer, and too many people can be armed.
Frisco used to be a laid back place, where one could be unique in approach. I would agree that the unknown author probably just wanted to take a chance on meeting you. After all, Nathan, you remain more approachable than many other agents. A lot of would-be writers just want to jump the turnstile and move up in the slushpile. It's good to know what to avoid.
matt-
Yeah…. sorry, I don't believe that story, or at least that it led to anything other than a "craziest person who tried to pitch to me" story for the agent.
It was only scary after the cops took the nutter outside and found the weapon. Up to that point I found the interview mildly amusing (but politely laughed on the inside).
This was also at the start of the web boom, (Netscape still had 95% marketshare), so my mug wasn't plastered all over the internet. Blogs didn't exist and modems connected at 28.8k.
The point is that I went to see this cat because (1) I didn't know what he wanted and (2) I didn't want to leave our receptionist alone to deal with him. I never dreamed of any personal danger.
Back then anonymity protected me. That day is long gone.
Loss of anonymity is one of the fundamental changes in our society enacted by internet connectivity, social networking, and whatnot. The need to be highly visible – authors, agents, Realtors, salespeople, public officals, etc – exposes us to new risks. We must be conscious of this.
Had Nathan's visitor been a nutter like mine, the visitor could have perpetrated an outrage without warning… had Nathan gone to see him.
Back then, dealing with my nutter in person was the right thing to do, if only to allow our receptionist to retreat, so to speak. Nowadays, the receptionst must be the shield.
Nathan and other agents are correct to insist on no univited visits. It's not just an issue of polite respect for another's time… it's an issue of safety.
Drop in = minor annoyance. Refusing to give his name, hiding behind sunglasses, not leaving when asked = seriously disrespectful.
The word verification (captcha) I was required to type to post this comment was "wizedumm."
Wait… you get thousands of queries, and 1% of them are potentially crazy? That's still a few dozen a year!
You should invest in some security. Or bodyguards.
Or maybe a double…
Sorry I keep comparing your profession to teaching but it reminds me of the times I've had parents show up at my classroom door and demand to talk to me even though it's obvious I'm in the middle of teaching 35 15-year-olds, and I can't exactly just leave them to their own devices to have a nice little chat about somebody's grade. I think people just get really desperate and don't see the repercussions of their actions.
"I'm sure it was all completely well-intentioned"
Nathan you are very generous. I don't think anyone wearing that get-up could possibly have anything but shady intentions.
Aww, and here I was hoping to sneak into your office in the middle of the night wearing a black gi and surprise you with monkeys trained to make hot chocolate.
I'm just glad you and your receptionist are alright. You can never be too safe these days. Plus, anyone serious about their writing career knows better. If you do even the slightest bit of research on how to query agents, you find out quickly that "unannounced drop-ins" are never permitted. (Or, like the old SNL skit goes, "Bad Idea Jeans!") Obviously, he knew he was doing something wrong, or he would have come clean (i.e., taken off the shades) and given his name.
There's nothing special about the publishing business in this respect – most businesses would not take a drop in appointment like that. The only difference is that in many other businesses there would have been a security guard called to escort the visitor out of the building.
yikes that is not good at all…
there are other, less creepy ways to show initiative ( if that is what this person was going for )
Proper channels are there for a reason… could you imagine if all of your queries came in person… you would never get anything done… sheesh.
You might need to buy yourself a gun. It could be a stalker.
It seems like if it was innocent he'd have given a name. Creepy.
The sad thing is, if he had dressed up nice and given his name and acted normal, you might have come out, right? Even if it wasn't 'how it's done.'
And, I've always thought we (writers) were more inclined to hang ourselves as the result of too many rejection letter, not go postal.
Nathan,
The story is true. But no, quite obviously, the agent didn't sign the guy. It was a few months ago. I never updated it.
Oh, the poor guy. He's no more scary than the American Idol contestants who want to go to Hollywood so desparately. Some are difficult to eject from the room after an interview. They want to argue their case and beg for another chance. He was just trying to get on.
If I wasn't a shy person, I'd love to drop by just to meet you, Nathan. But never fear, I live on the other side of the world. *g* However if your secretary announces one day that a woman is waiting outside with freshy baked blueberry muffins, you'll know who it is. 😀
I can go you one better – I had a guy come here to the house and knock on my door. I asked him in what universe he thought that was a good idea as I did my best to keep my Brittany Spaniel from chewing his leg off.
This sounds like a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. Except Larry would have had many a painful run in with the person.
Okay, that's scary. I'm glad everything turned out okay, but that's still freaky. Especially given that he wouldn't tell his name.
Wow… I just can't imagine!
I should clarify that he did eventually give his name with the query. And again, I really do think it was well-intentioned. Just not the way to make a first impression.
I used to work for a U.S. senator. I was in the D.C. office and we didn't get this sort of thing much, but the state offices did. Without question, a guy who walked in wearing dark glasses who refused to give his name and then refused to leave would have been escorted out by the police. (There was a panic button under the receptionist's desk.) Seriously, in today's world, you never know what's really going on when something like this happens.
And hey, this is starting to look like a writing prompt. Hmm . . .
I haven't read all blog comments, so maybe somebody's already mentioned this, but I have to stand up for this guy. It's not as if he went to your house. He went to a place of business. And he left a query, not a bomb. All you had to do (and probably did do) was throw it in the trash. Hand delivering a query is very much like sending it snail mail, so his biggest fault was not reading your guidelines.
@Arabella: Normal people who might hand deliver a query would provide a name, stae his/her business, an allow the receptionist tosee his/her face. All would have been well.
This joker decided to act like a bank robber.
I completely understand not wanting to come out and engage with this person, but I have to ask . . .
what about the receptionist? You just left him to deal with it? I hope he wasn't alone with the creepy visitor.
(sorry, but I've been in that position before and it's not good to be the receptionist saying, "Dude, he's not coming out to talk to you. Ever.") Creepies don't take that news well.
This reminds me of when I worked at the film studio, and a guy tried to drive onto the lot in his old American beater sedan, because he had a very special screenplay and wanted to give it to the studio president personally.
I was in a really crappy mood that day, and I just shouted out something like, "Do you really think you're gonna get discovered this way?!" And the guy beams at me and says, "It could happen!!!"
Well-intentioned or not, why didn't he think to just add a ski mask to complete the bank robber ensemble?
I think most persons who conduct a professional office would have made the same decision. When an unknown presents with the clear intention of being confrontational, don't confront him. Hard on the receptionist, but she has to handle it.
It wasn't me … Just sayin'
Just wanted to add a different point of view. Wonder what the guy is telling his friends/family/blog readers right now?
"Well, I went down there and stood my ground. That secretary wanted my name and I just refused to give it to her. I would have waited longer, but I decided they would remember me so I gave them my query and left… I am sure he'll be calling in a few days… maybe sooner…"
One manager/producer I visited when I lived in L.A. (I had an appointment, honest!) had an unmarked office, no windows in front, nothing but a keypad on the wall beside the door. Don't know the day's Secret Number? You won't be coming in.
I actually wondered what the policy was if I was ever in the area! Of course, I live in North Carolina, so the chances of me being in California are slim!
God! I hope Nathan doesn't see the Guinness I spilled on my white shirt during my Get Psyched Power lunch…or the whiskey, or the amaretto and coffee.
Better keep this coat on….hope my eyes aren't red from the cigar smoke. I'll just keep these dark glasses on, just in case…
God, I have the best friends in the world, they said my query letter ROCKS! Now I KNOW Nathan will be excited when he sees it…I'm sure he'll be out any minute…ZZZzzzzzz
Thanks for sharing; I wondered how often that happened.
I live in the area but would never consider doing that. Now, putting my query in a parking ticket envelope and placing it on your windshield, on the other hand…
I think that privacy vs platform is an interesting topic and would appreciate more blog posts around these.
Have been thinking a lot about the writers who choose to keep their privacy, such as Salinger and Pynchon and those who are all out twittering hither-nither.
I have very mixed feelings about the personal publicity writers are encouraged to develop, even agents.
It seems like we are auditioning for "America's Next SuperWriter" and the fifteen minutes of fame required.
I see a LOT of agents do not put their pictures out. And even fewer put out pictures of their families or pets (although some–Miss Snark remembered fondly–only put out pictures of pets or were those decoys??) I enjoy them. The photos do connect people. But then where is privacy given a boundary?
Probably harmless, but scary nonetheless.
That is terrifying. It gave me goosebumps!
anon4:41-
I agree, it is an interesting topic and one I've thought a lot about as well. It's not something I ever really anticipated or thought about when I started the blog. I'm mainly content to sacrifice privacy to raise my profile as it seems necessary to me from a career perspective, but at the same time it does come with drawbacks and exposes you somewhat. And since authors are now expected to really put themselves out there it's almost a decision that's made for them.
Maybe a discussion for the forums?
But I thought we were FACEBOOK FRIENDS! Didn't you recognize me? I wore the sunglasses in my avatar.
@ anon4:41
I agree, which is why posthumous publishing has grown so appealing to me. It avoids all of the hullabaloo.
He should have tried this with Lucianne Goldberg 🙂
Oh my God.
I wouldn't have come out of my office either. I do collections for my employer, and I'm always fearful someone's going to show up at my work with shotgun in-hand ready to put a halt to my calling them (permanently) for payments.
Super scary.
Anon. 4:41 makes a good point which gives rise to another.
There is no farm-team for writers.
The pulps are gone, more and more, it's super-stardom or hobby writing. All or nothing usually loses.
Blogs like yours sell hope, Nathan.
I'll say up front that I approve of that. The odds against a first-time novelist are daunting and encouragement is not easy to find. You deliver it daily and most of us know that we are playing in a game with lottery level odds.
But there are more and more people who live inside their own heads, 24/7. Some of them write and that can be an especially solitary occupation. They don't have anchors in their lives to keep them grounded.
For such people, hope dashed is contrary to everything they believe, passionately and wrongly, is true.
That can be dangerous for themselves and others depending on who they decide to blame.
Please don't let them deter you, but use appropriate caution.
Yikes! Little scary. Hopefully unintentionally, but def a little scary.
Um. WOW. Can we say desperate? I bet he doesn't have a girlfriend either.
okay that's soooo creepy!