Comments on: Jane Dystel requests that you "Don’t Shoot the Messenger"

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By: The Dark Scribe

The Dark Scribe — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:01:00 +0000

Great advice.

It's mind-boggling to me that an author would outright dismiss his or her agent's advice. Part of our jobs as writers is to learn as much as we can about the business, and sometimes that means accepting (and really, embracing) change.

Also, authors who blame their agents for poor sales numbers once the book is released are out of their minds. Authors need to look in the mirror, shave, pluck their eyebrows, comb their hair and hit the road. Promote yourself. Network on the Internet. Offer free short stories on your website. Endorse contests. Get on the local NPR or University radio station. Speak at libraries, call your local B&N, Borders, Walden, B. Dalton, etc. and do signings.

Blaming your agent for poor sales is silly and irresponsible. As you said, agents are on our side. We should be grateful for all they do.

By: Aimless Writer

Aimless Writer — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 01:45:00 +0000

I think we should just write the book the best we can and let the agent handle the details. They want to sell the book, its their paycheck too. Just take the advice given and move on. Let the agent do their job and just concentrate on writing the next book. I think dwelling on how long the sale takes just takes your energy away from your next book.

By: Cole

Cole — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:19:00 +0000

This is a great post! It really shows how things can look from the other side. Thanks.

Cole

By: Kanani

Kanani — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 04:38:00 +0000

This is good to read.

As far as firing an agent, one might do that, but they don't have to around telling everyone as pinning blame. After all, in any other business, if things didn't work out, you wouldn't necessarily gossip to everyone why, you'd simply move on and frame the departure in the most positive light that you could.

Chalk that particular writer's actions as a lifetime of bad habits and effectively knowing how to burn bridges.

By: Shawn James

Shawn James — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 03:03:00 +0000

Great advice. find it ironic that writers often blame the agent when things aren’t going right. (in the case of us POD authors we only have ourselves to blame for the unfortunate outcome of our books)Writers need to realize that the agent is doing his/her best to get the book out there and in the proper home. The suppport and advice an experienced agent can give an author is invalable.
Sometimes a book doesn’t find a an agent home after a year. Two years. Sometimes it doesn’t find a publisher after a year or two years (500 rejections and I’m still looking for an agent.) It takes a thick skin an perseverance and patience to work in the publishing industry, Agents do their best to get navigate a writer’s career through rough terrain. My advice to any author who complains about their agents or the sales publisher’s finished product: PUBLISH IT YOURSELF POD. Then you’ll find out how hard it is to assemble a whole book. You’ll come to appreiciate all that support an agent, editior and all those staff at the publishing house give you in your writing career.

By: Aimless Writer

Aimless Writer — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 11:21:00 +0000

This is something I don’t understand. I’ve been following the Dystel agency for a few years. When I’m not working on my best seller- I research agents and whats selling so I’ll be ready when its time to submit. I would never understand someone firing the Dystel Agency. You have one of the best reputations in the business. Amazing! I can only think he had one hell of an ego to think he could do better.
Some people would do better to count their blessings.

By: Nicole Brackett

Nicole Brackett — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 20:55:00 +0000

I find it hard to imagine blaming my agent for a book that doesn’t sell, especially considering how hard she works without a guarantee of a return on her investment of time and expertise. As writers, we can always tell ourselves, “Don’t quit your day job,” but it seems important to remember that our writing IS our agent’s day job.

By: LorMar

LorMar — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:15:00 +0000

Gee, I never realized how tough an agent’s job can be. Aside from getting a publisher to buy the book, it really is the reader who decides what sells. The sooner we realize that, the better. I know it’s easier said than done, but you can’t let agent bashing sink in. Focus on the successes rather than the failures.

By: Rhona

Rhona — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 22:58:00 +0000

WOW...this is so true!

I feel for the agents because when a manuscript is rejected...their taste is rejected along with the author's...yanno? That hurts, but we both have two choices. We can take it as a learning experience and grow, or let it sour us and fail.

I'm working with two agents now...both liked my writing, offered suggestions for improvement and invited me to re-submit. One of them is with your agency and I was most impressed with his kind sensitivity to me as a beginner. He's the type of person I'd want to work with whether, or not we sold the first book, the second or the third, because he sees the positives along with the negatives and feels 'safe' to me.

This tells me we'd learn together and by George, we'd create something awesome between us even if it did take time. I'm pretty certain that's how it should be between an agent and author. Neither one can blame the other....they should work as a team. And hopefully, both would be just as open to starting over, improving the manuscript, or whatever needs doing.

I did door to door sales for years as a teenager and learned something very important. Selling something is impossible to do, if the seller cannot learn from rejection.

Nobody can live in denial and be successful....isn't possible!