Comments on: Unsold

By: Janet Piper

Janet Piper — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 01:55:31 +0000

A comment on your website in general. Some of the links in your sidebar don’t work from every page. I’m a programmer and things like this bother me. Go through every page and check the links one by one. Some show the html, some show just meta data.

I figured you could easily remove this from your blog.

By: Happily Cheesy

Happily Cheesy — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:00:11 +0000

Nice article. Thanks for the insight.

By: Christie Koester

Christie Koester — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:45:58 +0000

Thanks for the great article! I'm only on chapter eight of my first EVER manuscript. In my mind it's awesome but we shall see. Thanks for keeping me grounded with this!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:47:59 +0000

Thanks for the post. A question: Would you ever suggest to a client that they put the book up on Kindle and see what happens (ala Konrath)? Or if your client told you he was thinking about going that route, would you support that decision?

By: Tawna Fenske

Tawna Fenske — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:49:24 +0000

It's wonderful to see things broken out this way!

I had the unique experience of having offers from four different agents a few years ago, and with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I can say that I picked wrong. I'm not saying that because the book didn't sell -- though it didn't -- but because it turned out not to be the right fit.

I was fortunate a year later that one of the original offering agents was still interested, so I signed with her. And though she is the most wonderful agent on the planet, we still struggled for almost two years to land that first sale (a three-book deal, so maybe worth the wait!)

What I love best about my current agent is that this is very much a team effort. When my book didn't sell, it was never "my fault" or "her fault," but always an opportunity for us to strategize together to figure out where to go next.

Great blog post on a topic not a lot of people are willing to tackle -- the fact that plenty of wonderful, agented books still don't find homes right away. Thanks for writing this!

Tawna

By: meg

meg — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:50:37 +0000

Thank you for an insightful view of the agent and author's perspective on this. Often thought about, but I've never seen anyone blog so clearly and professionally on it.

Thank you.

By: Metafrantic

Metafrantic — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:32:35 +0000

Excellent post. Here's an odd question: Say you decide to leave the agent – assuming no animosity, just a mutual decision to separate. And you start seeking new representation. Would it be appropriate or inappropriate to mention this former representation in new queries? I'm not talking about naming the previous agent… rather, something like "I'm formerly agented but am seeking new representation." Would that be a faux pas?

By: Cashier

Cashier — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:38:52 +0000

Nice post. I never thought about books that didn't sell. I guess I just assumed they all did. Thanks!

By: Michele Shaw

Michele Shaw — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:08:41 +0000

I think some people believe signing with an agent equals an automatic sale. Your post is a good reminder that nothing is guaranteed. Thanks for explaining some of the no-sale reasons from your side of the desk.

By: Julie Musil

Julie Musil — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:56:27 +0000

It's great to see how this works on the other side. Thank you!