Agent Agony

Well, not really agony, but the alliteration was nice.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve sent my book proposal or a query to a total of ten agents.  I got flat-out rejections from two,  request for further info from one, then a rejection, and then the fourth one….well, the fourth one.

The fourth one wanted me to estimate my audience.  I had already done a market analysis in my proposal, which is what she was reviewing, but she wanted numbers.  So I tried to come up with some numbers for my readers, and sent it back to her.

I didn’t hear anything for about three days, then I got an email requesting a proposal that “follow[s] our guidelines more closely than the one I reviewed” on an “exclusive basis.”   I thought this was cause for celebration, until I realized she’s still only reviewing it, and not actually offering me representation.  What did that mean for my proposals and queries that were still floating around in the ether?  I know a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, but doesn’t it seem a  little unprofessional to send an email to an agent and ask them to ignore your proposal?  I’d say that would definitely burn a few bridges, even if they weren’t going anywhere, anyway.

So I asked her what she meant, and yes, this is what she wanted — she said she reviewed proposals with simultaneous queries, but not proposals, being shopped — even if they were out before she got it.  And then she sort of dismissed me.  I guess that’s the end of that.

I totally respect her for doing business her way; the agents and editors definitely hold all the cards in this business.  But I was so excited for about a day, that maybe I’d found an agent.  I keep telling myself, tough  that if two out of ten agents are interested enough to request more information, maybe the right one is still out there.  I guess for now I’m heading back to WritersMarket.com and scouring for ten new agents.

Estimating Audience

First, I finally wrote my first book review, on Blake Crouch’s novel, Run.  Check the book reviews page to read it.

I sent my proposal to two different agents over the weekend, and one wrote back asking what my proposed audience was for the book (in terms of numbers – I had already detailed it in terms of demographics).

In all honesty, I had no idea how to estimate this number.  Do I pull a number out of thin air?  I tried to find sales numbers for other, similar books, but apparently those numbers aren’t made very public.

What I ended up doing was figuring out:  1)  how many pregnancies are in the US every year, and 2) what percentage of women suffer depression while pregnant.  Then I knocked off some, just because not everyone would be interested, and then added a little back on for partners, support people, and women who suffer from depression and are thinking of becoming pregnant.  Ultimately,  I got the wonderfully specific number of “well over a million.”

Does this sound appropriate?  Is there a formula for this somewhere?  I could find nothing in my books or online to help me figure this out.  At least now that I’ve done it once, it’s not so daunting.

How Do You Know?

Numerous singers have asked the same questions:  “How do you know?” But I’m not talking about being in love, or lust, or like; I’m talking about agents.

For my current project, a nonfiction book on depression in pregnancy, I am currently shopping my proposal around to agents.  My theory was to shop agents first, and if that didn’t work, move on to editors/publishers.  I’ve sent the proposal to 10 agents so far.  I got requests for more info from two (and an ultimate rejection from one), two flat-out rejections, and then nothing from the other six.

But how do I know which ones are legit?  It seems that some “agents” are really just book doctors in disguise, and they want to charge you to “critique” or “revise” your book or proposal.  Is any agent that asks for money upfront not legit? 

A search on the internet came up with a few links (well, of course it did).  First, I found this article from an actual agent about “Bad Agents,” which was more about incompetent agents than evil, predatory ones.  I found this article through the Absolute Write Water Cooler, listing 20 active “bad” agents (I’m happy none of the agents I sent to seem to be on here).

It looks like it’s a little hard to figure out which agents are questionable, but there’s no question that some of them are bad.  Of course, I probably won’t get replies from any of them, so I won’t need to worry….

 

Bipolar Knitter Update

Here’s a new Bipolar Knitter blog update.  I’m also still working on this website, and I registered the amykrug.com domain name.  I feel so professional.

I’ve been also thinking about devoting myself to Tweeting.  It appeals to my brain-dumping tendencies.  I just kind of fail to see who will read the tweets.

Welcome

You’ve made it to amykrug.com, home of writer, mom, and teacher Amy Krisko Krug.

Here I talk about writing.  If you are fortunate enough (or unfortunate enough, depending on what grade you got) to have had me as a First-Year Composition teacher, you know that I’m nuts for writing about writing.  That’s what I’ll be doing here, without the boring (well, I don’t think they’re boring, but I can see how others might) scholarly research into writing.  Let’s call it “Writing Casually About Writing.”

In addition to just talking about writing, here you can also find information about my current writing projects and my past experiences.  You can also find links to my other blog, bipolarknitter.com, and information about my experiences with bipolar disorder.

Lastly, here you’ll also find my book review blog.  I know everyone and their sister has a book review blog, so don’t feel obligated to read it.  Mainly, I just want a running list of the books I read and finish, with some commentary thrown in.