Agent Hunting...With Russell Fink's Basset Hound

[Merry]

Well, I do feel like I've been hunting with a drunk Bassest Hound and I've been just as successful. (okay, you'll have to read the story to appreciate that.)

I've made plans to go to next year's Florida Writers Conference...but yeesh...that is next year. I do have a plan for handling send outs to publishers, Christian and non-Christian, but to find an agent....hmmm...

You see, what I write can mainly be described as weird. I have a story called 'Paint it Black' in the workshop which might explain the dilemma better, although it's a long explanation. I guess what I write could be described as Christian-Gothic-Horror- Mayhem. No, I'm not expecting a call from Bethany House. lol!

Now, I can ramp up or calm down what I write according to which side of the aisle I'm sending something, ABA or CBA. But don't know if you can do that with an agent. It becomes the old problem of writing too secular for one and too religious for the other. Despite all of our talk about edgy Christian fiction, bottom line, in Christian bookstores, it doesn't sell. So if you're an agent, you'd have to be crazy to represent someone offering it.

Well, if anyone has words of wisdom or opinions, I would welcome your input. In the meantime, I will start in the 'A's' of the secular agent list and work my way down.

[Tamera]

I hear Chip MacGuire and Steve Laube are both interested in dark edgy fiction right now. Probably the reason I got form rejections from both of them. LOL. Anyway, you might try them.

[DrRita]

Have you queried Chip McGregor? http://chipmacgregor.typepad.com/

I don't know what he takes but he's been around for a long time. Maybe you could check him out.

[Merry]

Sounds good, thanks! Steve Laube never responded but iIll try the other guys.

[Tamera]

I meant MacGregor, not MacGuire. I typed it early this morning. I guess I wasn't awake yet. Also, I would follow up with Steve Laube. I got a standard form rejection, but I did receive something from him.

[Tommie Lyn]

Link to Chip MacGregor's submission guidelines page:

http://macgregorliterary.com/submission/index.php

[Gravity]

Chip's my agent; he's solid in both CBA and ABA.

[Merry]

Worth a shot then! Thanks, Gravity!

[righter1]

Gravity... I just noticed on Chip's website that he doesn't accept unsolicited queries... does that mean you'll vouch for any of us who want to submit to him? ;)

[Merry]

Hmmm...? Whoa! That will open a can of worms for you, Grav, don't worry about it.

[michaelsnyder]

Merry,

I think you're thinking is right on here. There are so many variables that go into this whole publishing equation. And my advice always is to just keep filling the pipeline with stuff...write as much as you can, meet as many contacts as you can, always follow up and be professional, go to as many conferences as you can, and the list goes on and on and on...

Steve is my guy and I know Chip a little bit as well. Both great guys, both super busy. So two things: 1) Boldly approach them both when you feel the time is right, and 2) Don't be discouraged by ANY negative or NON-response. It may be the wrong day or the wrong story or a bad piece of veal the night before. I really believe that the only way to crack this nut (and it's different for every single one of us) is to keep throwing things at the wall and see what sticks. (I know, I just mixed my metaphors...I'm typing fast people!)

A couple of examples from a single writer's conference...Mount Hermon a couple of years ago...1) I had a well-known editor tell me that all I had to do was finish the book and we were basically going to do a deal. 2) Had another editor reject me on Friday, have second thoughts on Saturday, and, hunt me down on Sunday to make SURE I had my agent send him the full manuscript, 3) another editor basically said the same as editor #1 above, and finally 4) everyone else rejected me out of hand (yes, folks, that would be a majority of rejections!

The fallout? 1) Rejected me anyway. 2) Made an offer. 3) Lost his/her job (wasn't my fault, I swear!), and 4) some of those rejectors ended up rejecting me two and three times!

The cool thing is that I consider 1, 2, and 3 all to be friends of mine, as well as several from the #4 category. One of my very first rejections in the business was from a guy who is now my editor's boss!

So again, go the FL conference with an open mind, all prayed up, a teachable spirit, and absolutely as much confidence as you can muster. Expect to fail. Expect to succeed. And know you'll have an awesome time. You may or may not come out of the experience with a contract. But I guarantee you'll know more and your pipeline will be more full.

Okay, pep talk over.

Oops, almost over...

And please, please, please....write what you love to write, regardless of who's buying what today at what house or which of the BA's you think you'll find yourself in. Life's too short to try and time the publishing market. And if you don't love it, I have no idea how you're supposed to convince anyone else to love it.

Lastly (we hope!) is that CBA editors really are trying to acquire more of the darker realm stuff. What I've been told personally however is that it's not the genre that's holding them back all the way...it's the quality. (If they're going to 'take a chance' by putting their own neck on the line at a pub board meeting, then the writing has to be stellar). And to me, that sounds like very good news.

Okay, I'm done.

Mike

[michaelsnyder]

Me again...

Another thought occurred to me. I have a friend here in town who's a much better writer than me. He's been at it for a long time and he makes it look easy.

I talked him into going to the FL conference with me a few years ago. That's how he met his agent. And that eventually led to a multi-book deal with Bethany House.

His name is Don Hoesel and I'm not sure when his first novel debuts. This first one is suspense (sort of...I really hate labels). But Don can write humor, vampires, literary, fantasy, you name it. Still, his 'career' really accelerated when he went to the conference.

I really am going to be quiet now.

Mike

[righter1]

I really am going to be quiet now.

Mike

Mike, you're one of the ones on here that's succeeded! Please, don't feel like you need to be quiet. Your insight is very helpful to those of us wanting to get to the point you're at.

[Merry]

Mike, if you apologize one more time, I'm hunting you down. Good advice, my friend! Waiting, not so patiently, for the conference...Okay, I'm going to re-send some stuff and keep on with querying. Thanks for the pep talk!