Posted by TK on January 08, 2008 at 19:52:08:
In Reply to: Re: How to attract an agent's attention posted by LeeM on January 08, 2008 at 18:28:06:
: : On the internet, I read all kinds of advice on how to attract an agent's attention. They all say I have to make my proposal quirky or unusual just to make them pay attention to me.
: : I say, why should I? If I write a great novel, why should I demean it by making up some kind of rediculous query just to get an agent to read it? What happened to the traditional concept of a partnership between a writer and his or her agent?
: Right on, poed. They've been putting us in the "mother, may I please publish my nice book" role too long. I say we rise up and throw the bums out.
Yeah! Throw the bums out. Just like in the upcoming Presidential election. But wait a minute, then how do we get our books published? The real problem is that agents have become "the deciders" about who gets published and who doesn't. But do they know what they are doing? Lots of people have done the experiment of sending semi-famous classic novels to agents under an assumed name. You can guess what always happens: they get rejected. Most of them didn't even get an answer. So what are their qualifications for being the deciders? That they know some editors at book publishing companies by their first name? That they are willing to pay for lunch?