Today is apparently my day to wander through other people’s blogs. Even some that aren’t on my friends list. Yes, that might mean you….
But in any case, Nadia AKA agentobscura has a pretty entertaining post – useful too! – about the issue of agents and faith in writers (or at least that’s that’s the spin I ended up reading into it): http://www.livejournal.com/users/agentobscura/29771.html
Favorite lines…
95% of Americans talk about wanting to write a book. 95%!!!! That’s a whole lot of people. only 30-something % actually start a book. ONLY 3% finish a book. Out of that 3% there is an equally small percentage of people who ever get published….The fact that if you are published – you amongst the elite. Shit – if you’ve FINISHED writing a novel you are amongst the elite!!!
THIS IS NOT THE INDUSTRY IN WHICH TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK. THIS IS THE SLOWEST INDUSTRY KNOWN TO MANKIND. Plus with the stats in this industry — it’s more likely you’ll get hit by a bolt of lightening, while flying, holding a winning lotto ticket than it is to become “the next Stephen King.”
When you lose your love for writing. When you lose your NEED to sit down and create a story – GET. ANOTHER. JOB.
Et in arcaedia, ego. 
Excellent link! Thanks for the pointer! I especially like the very last quote.
I loved that post of Nadia’s.
and…
LOL. You just made a zillion anxious writers faint. 🙂
Indeed.
Wait… you mean I shouldn’t warn them? *g*
Oh! Well, warn away. 😀 But suuuurely you know what you do to us! You are La Fancy Agent, after all, and– *doesn’t talk about the drooling that sometimes accompanies thoughts of Ms. Jackson.* 😉
Wait… you mean I shouldn’t warn them? *g*
DOH! *rushes off to erase my collection of DMLA-fan-fic* 😉
-=Jeff=-
I just snorted iced tea all over my monitor at your post. And then I thought about *my* last post and nearly wet my pants. Ah well. At least I didn’t talk bad about anyone in it. 😀
Teri
So dude, I totally just went over there to read your last post (I’m so nosy!) and you have the same layout as I do! Yay! Prettiest layout *ever*! 😉
I likes it — and thanks for stopping by. (Even if the last post was something of a whine.)
hugs,
Teri
You realize, of course, that means I just had to click over and see what you said — I presume you are talking about the post with the somewhat disheartening sounding theme concerning the quality of fiction acquired these days….
Actually someone reminded me not that long ago that everything I posted here was available for the entire world to see. Things that make you think, hm?
Oy. Double oy. :checks pulse and then shrugs: Yep, sure can make you think, but actually I was thinking of the “I hurt too bad to write” post, to tell the truth. I know a lot of folks would back pedal here for fear of offending you, but that’s not my style. So…
I have to be honest. I’m an assistant editor for an online review site. We get boxes and boxes and boxes of books to review. And we end up giving tons of those books to hospitals and libraries and to groups who send them to Iraq to the military, etc. — we give away books (and believe me it hurts me to do so, because I’m such a bookaholic) because of two reasons. 1) We don’t have enough reviewers to review all of them and; 2) our reviewers are really picky about what they will review. I hear their complaints about finding good books all the time.
Now, maybe I’ve not found the really great stuff out there. Goodness knows, it’s not for lack of trying. That said, I will admit there are authors I’ll buy no matter what: Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Nora Roberts, Simon R. Green, Jacqueline Carey to name a few. (Quite a few of my favorites are represented by you, which is why I keep an eye on your LJ, btw.) And I’m always open to reading new writers.
But, yes, I stand by what I said: the system seems very cock-eyed to me at times. When I wrote that post was one of those times that I was upset with various events that got my dander up. Was it bad for me to kvetch on my LJ about it? Possibly. But, even though my own idiot comments got your attention drawn to it, I still wouldn’t delete it. I’ve read your LJ long enough now to believe that you’re fair enough not to hold one post against someone.
That said, hopefully, tomorrow will find me reading a book that will change my current tune of “why isn’t there anything good to read?.” I sure hope so. I could use a good book right now. 😀 Wanna recommend one?
Whew. Sorry to be so wordy, but I wanted to answer you as honestly as I could.
hugs,
Teri *a COB (Cranky Old Broad) but an honest one*
Oh, wait. Something funky must have happened there because now your most recent post on the refresh was about some writing difficulties. I hope you can get some good feedback from writers about what you’re facing.
Thanks. I hope so too. I really want to finish up my current wip!
Teri
LOL
Rather than backpedalling, my first thought was “my gods, if she checks mine, she’s going to be bored stiff.”
I’m afraid these days I’m not a terribly exciting read. 🙂 Unless you’re really into weight loss and/or word count.
Nadia is always a riot.
*slowest industry known to mankind*
This is the hardest thing for people new to, or not in, the industry to understand. This year at our annual family reunion it got out (God love my mother) that I had written a book. I can’t count the number of times people asked me when they should look for it on the shelves (I have a very big extended family). Next year’s reunion is sooo not going to be fun. 😉
totally random here…
I was pondering this morning… do agents tend to get really weird holiday gifts from clients/hopeful clients? Both parents and both grandmothers were teachers and they got all sorts of weird crap.
This random question brought to you by the letter R and the number 72. 🙂
Re: totally random here…
Is it just me, or would it be really inappropriate to gift an agent you are only wanting to work with (IE: have not yet established a business partnership). It seems like, other than query letters and thank you notes, the only thing appropriate for a “hopeful client” to send to a “would-like-you-to-be-my-agent” would be… whatever they ask you to (ie: manuscripts, synopsis, info, etc).
I can see sending something non-personal (chocolate, wine, etc) to a person who you have a new agent-client relationship with. And even something more personal, once you’ve had time to get to know each other/establish some personal contact as well as work contact.
But for someone whom you’re only hoping will represent you? Isn’t that… well, like a bribe?
Or am I just being overly conservative?
Re: totally random here…
well speaking as one coming from a long line of teachers… who have been the recipients of some REALLY strange and inappropriate gifts… I was just wondering if it was a phenomenon unique to teaching, or if agents got gifted weird stuff by weird people. 😉
I work in radio and we tend to get some weird stuff sent to us, too. Underwear… 9 lb chocolate bars… etc.
it was just a curiosity question… I certainly wouldn’t send ANYTHING to someone I was only HOPING to work with. Though I do have some sketchy purple underwear and a huge candy bar I’m looking to unload. 😉
Re: totally random here…
LOL
Take the candy bar to the next writer’s convention you go to. In my experience, writers love chocolate.
As for the undies, darlin’, you’re on your own there. 🙂
“95% of Americans talk about wanting to write a book. 95%!!!! That’s a whole lot of people. only 30-something % actually start a book. ONLY 3% finish a book. Out of that 3% there is an equally small percentage of people who ever get published….”
3×10^8 x .95 x .03 x .03 = 256,500 published books. Say that 2% are SF, that’s about 5,000 books. No wonder I read and read and read and still manage to miss stuff: to keep up I’d have to read one novel every one hundred minutes (or less, if I take up sleeping).
I hope that you do not mind that I friended you.