tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.comments2023-09-16T04:44:42.410-04:00Ask a Literary AgentNoah Lukemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04731880178684434531noreply@blogger.comBlogger488125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-40332732467103583072015-04-29T20:11:34.629-04:002015-04-29T20:11:34.629-04:00Hello,
I have a query letter done, cover page, ou...Hello,<br /><br />I have a query letter done, cover page, outline finished and 4 chapters done. Where do I go from here?<br />Thanks,<br /><br />DanAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18261419479981441809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-13723510810914434352015-03-26T09:39:58.558-04:002015-03-26T09:39:58.558-04:00I feel like if a publisher says "we will resp...I feel like if a publisher says "we will respond within 6-8 weeks," that they should honor that. When you reach out after 12 and ask what's up, they should provide more information than "just keep waiting," It would be more honest to say "you will hear when you hear." TBH at this point I want to yank my book and say "sorry, if I can't trust you to keep your word here, how can I trust you when there's actual money in play?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-55757399334291794032015-03-25T00:25:57.996-04:002015-03-25T00:25:57.996-04:00My wife has the opposite problem: A publisher cam...My wife has the opposite problem: A publisher came to her and asked her to write a couple books with an illustrator as a "work for hire" contract for $1500 each. The books became instant #1 and #2 bestsellers in their category on Amazon and have sold out five consecutive printings and counting. (I don't know what constitutes a "printing" but it sounds like a lot.) The publisher wants her to do more books in the series but they are getting harder for her to come up with more content. I told her she should ask for royalties and the publishers rep said that they were "not allowed" to change the type of contracting in a series. That smells of BS to me since we had no contract terms regarding future books. Nonetheless my wife agreed to another flat fee for this next one that I feel is not fair since it's no longer a risky unknown as to how well it will likely be. (Pre-sales of the next book on Amazon are already going strong.) They said they expected the books to be a "slow sell" but the success has blown everyone away. It seems to me that the publisher is likely raking in tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, so they should be willing to to pay royalties or at least a much higher flat fee. Am I just being unappreciative and greedy, or should they expect her to be paid a lot more? What would be reasonable to ask? The risk is that they could always hire someone else for the next in the series.Spoomongerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09117042283251106489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-79356545246894967532014-12-15T14:38:34.662-05:002014-12-15T14:38:34.662-05:00I currently am disabled and am on Social Security ...I currently am disabled and am on Social Security Disability. It means to get published I can't pay anything to get a book published. Know of any publishing company that will publish my book for free? That means no money paid by me. Sometimes "free" means free information and not free publishing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-3913721156590281022014-11-07T11:11:03.219-05:002014-11-07T11:11:03.219-05:00The problem with anthologies is most don't sel...The problem with anthologies is most don't sell. Nowadays readers are buying cheaper short e-books, one short story at a time, instead of anthologies. The shorts do sell. But it's tough to get people to buy a whole anthology anymore. ryan fieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13361694356025572544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-68353274458624827782014-10-25T23:04:56.802-04:002014-10-25T23:04:56.802-04:00Hi. In your How to Snag an Agent book, you require...Hi. In your How to Snag an Agent book, you require work be classified as fiction or non-fiction. I got both: part is autobiographical and the other is historical fiction and it's all interspersed. How should this be classified?Bruce Routhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07070314799576659579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-27630918637645726112014-10-19T06:08:17.053-04:002014-10-19T06:08:17.053-04:00Hello, I'm about to send submissions to litera...Hello, I'm about to send submissions to literary agents in the UK where I'm based. One of them stipulates to send a covering email, as opposed to the usual covering letter attached to the email. I'm tempted to send covering emails to all of them (and I've checked, they do take email submissions), instead of the rather dull and predictable 'Please find attached...' . Also, I was thinking of using the email header as a first hook, rather than just saying 'Novel submission...' with the title. Are these good ideas or should I stick to a more traditional approach, do you think? Thank you very much! CarolineCaroline Jestazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04107503089898552333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-73877553804309320232014-10-04T02:11:53.577-04:002014-10-04T02:11:53.577-04:00Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly appre...Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts<br />and I will be waiting for your next write ups thank you once again.obat pembesar penishttp://www.perkasashop.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-306583248328788322014-07-02T22:58:39.343-04:002014-07-02T22:58:39.343-04:00Hey Mr. Lukeman, I hope you can offer some advice,...Hey Mr. Lukeman, I hope you can offer some advice, experience, suggestions and knowledge about publishing a book for me. I tried to self publish my first book but it was very costly. I recently finished my second book and was looking for a publisher. I was contacted by and chatted with Page Publishing in NCY. When I described my book to the guy and told him everything is done, illustrations, type, cover he said to send the file to the submissions link for review (this was Friday), I got a call today saying they loved the illustrations and the story and that it would do very well and they want to take it to the next level. So I get the contract and they want $795 initial up-front payment and (10!!!) monthly payments of $295 for a whopping total of $3745 for them to publish my completed book. I have everything ready for publishing and they want to publish my book but it's costing me this much! I had several people tell me I shouldn't have to pay up front fees. Are there publishers out there who will accept new artists and publish a first time illustrator? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.<br /><br /> <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-43877099285463887282014-07-02T17:08:52.203-04:002014-07-02T17:08:52.203-04:00Hi Noah,
First of all, sorry for the double post....Hi Noah,<br /><br />First of all, sorry for the double post. I inadvertently asked this question under an old post, and not sure if you'll see it there. <br /><br />I'm a short story writer with a finished collection. I've published 6 of the 11 stories in literary journals -- reputable journals, but not the New Yorker. What is the likelihood of my landing an agent? Is it highly unlikely? I've been contacted by a few agents when my stories have appeared (a good sign) but they've lost interest when I didn't have a novel in the works. Is this more or less how it will go if I start querying agents? Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for your generous blog!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-40361316086685657522014-07-02T17:05:33.025-04:002014-07-02T17:05:33.025-04:00Hi Noah,
I'm a short story writer with a fini...Hi Noah,<br /><br />I'm a short story writer with a finished collection. I've published 6 of the 11 stories in literary journals -- reputable journals, but not the New Yorker. What is the likelihood of my landing an agent? Is it highly unlikely? I've been contacted by a few agents when my stories have appeared (a good sign) but they've lost interest when I didn't have a novel in the works. Is this more or less how it will go if I start querying agents? Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for your generous blog!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-57726424379905754822014-06-27T17:44:37.665-04:002014-06-27T17:44:37.665-04:00yep....pretty much, if you don't have a contra...yep....pretty much, if you don't have a contract that expresses differently...however, if you do have a contract, then they'll likely deduct the advance from your next work...and even then, they can simply shell it all together, and let it all work itself out when the ink's dry...just keep writing! <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-50431093849925529612014-06-20T17:44:04.957-04:002014-06-20T17:44:04.957-04:00I've just published "We live among you,&q...I've just published "We live among you," a funny alien conspiracy tale on online at: www.weliveamonyou.com A couple of<br />hundred people have enjoyed, and I'm looking for somebody to help me find it a home. Back in H.S. I was told I could write, but<br />life got in the way, and now 50+ yrs later, I'm giving it a shot. Can somebody help me? Thanks!Ex-Smokerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11354859319569184588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-53961173072126557462014-06-17T10:43:01.510-04:002014-06-17T10:43:01.510-04:00In your book How to Land a Literary Agent, you men...In your book How to Land a Literary Agent, you mention several great resources. In my search for an agent, I found querytracker.net. Would you recommend it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-30053212484659160822014-06-17T10:40:23.970-04:002014-06-17T10:40:23.970-04:00I’m struggling to define my genre, and getting con...I’m struggling to define my genre, and getting conflicting advice. When I search for books like mine, I inevitably find mostly YA.<br />One critiquer said it was mainstream fiction. An argument they had against YA was that, in addition to my main POV character (17 yr old), a second POV is her dad, which wouldn’t appeal to YA readers. Another was because there’s a scene where the 17 yr old has a sex.<br />Another instructor suggested new adult or YA, and that my novel would get lost in the mainstream/commercial category. Other possibilities include romance, suspense, and paranormal/psychic/spiritual, or maybe even YA/crossover. <br />a. Do you advise targeting multiple genres (i.e., agents in different genres), or is it better to settle on one (hopefully the right one), and only compare myself to books in that genre?<br />b. If I compare myself to a particular genre, but an agent thinks my book fits elsewhere, do you think I hurt myself by not identifying the correct genre, or are agents likely to recommend another genre and be open to representing me or forwarding my query to the appropriate agent in their agency? (assuming my idea shows promise)<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-51715541862687096322014-06-10T11:16:28.255-04:002014-06-10T11:16:28.255-04:00Hi Noah,
In what genre would you put books by Dav...Hi Noah,<br /><br />In what genre would you put books by David Sedaris, Nora Ephron, etc? Personal essays? Memoir? A blend of the two? And how would one query for this kind of book?<br /><br />Thank you.<br />Margarita Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-91104154998317110352014-06-04T15:08:53.578-04:002014-06-04T15:08:53.578-04:00Hallo I want to ask you something. I have already...Hallo I want to ask you something. I have already my book in Greece the first of the trilogy but I want to find an agent in another country ex. US but I dont know how to write a query for this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-61085997988042084112014-06-03T19:10:05.966-04:002014-06-03T19:10:05.966-04:00One of my beta readers, an author published with P...One of my beta readers, an author published with Penguin India, loves my novel. He loves it so much he took it upon himself to pitch it to his editor for me. Now his editor would like to see my book. Acknowledging that it is not done yet, is this something I should follow through on once it is ready for professional eyes? Is this something that would assist in landing me an agent in the united states? Is it a terrible idea? I am so new to this process. and while it seems like a potentially awesome opportunity, I'd like to have all the facts in front of me before I jump. <br /><br />Thank you so much for your time!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04774598145437744371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-18858524833675017802014-05-29T15:59:16.291-04:002014-05-29T15:59:16.291-04:00I've been offered the opportunity to publish t...I've been offered the opportunity to publish the first chapter of my book by a publisher who offers short stories and chapters via its site and ITunes for use on mobile devices. I've done my homework and read lots of articles about them in the British press especially.<br /><br />I have the option of selling more chapters or the entire book as well. But I want to eventually sell the book to a traditional publisher. Should I limit myself to the one chapter, or should I consider this at all? I know that some authors have been discovered this way--even very famous ones. So I'm torn!Cynthia Dagnal Myronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00402598762003821407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-16714696900203427652014-05-27T14:02:35.773-04:002014-05-27T14:02:35.773-04:00Dear Mr. Lukeman,
I just turned 18 and am new to ...Dear Mr. Lukeman,<br /><br />I just turned 18 and am new to the business side of publishing even though I’ve been writing for years, but I figured it would help to start the learning process for when I seriously start putting my works out for possible publication in the future. I currently post some of my works online, so most of my questions deal with the issues of online posting. <br /><br />My number one concern deals with First Publication Rights. I only just discovered that such things exist—and have since then become incredibly disheartened with my online writing sites. You see, I’m a Wattpad writer (yes, one of those--alas) and I really like the way that the website has helped me grow and keep in touch with my writing, but I only just realized that it could possibly be hindering my writing future more than helping it. Wattpad is a public domain, so naturally, anything posted on it loses its first rights.<br /><br />So I was wondering, from the industry standpoint, how important are the first rights? Is there a way for me to continue posting on WP without hurting my possible future as a published author?<br /><br />I know that I am new to the scene. I know that in the coming years my writing will grow and change drastically and that anything that I’ve written now will have undergone such a massive facelift that it will be unrecognizable in the next few years. But I do have one work that I would like to try my hardest to see in paper glory. I know that multitudes of published authors will give me the ‘we all have six unpublished books hidden in our desk drawers’ speech, but I think hope is good right? Even if this novel isn’t the one in the end that will see the light, I’d like to keep that hope of it being one. I’m incredibly attached to it and will work on it until all the flaws that *I* could possibly see are gone, but regardless of where it ends up, I’d like to protect it now.<br /><br />So back to FPRs. For this one book, I will do anything to see it published someday in my future, so I’m wondering…what do I have to do to ensure its safety in the business part of the world? <br /><br />Like I said, I’m reeeeeeeally attached to Wattpad. It would hurt me a lot to take my novel off of the site, but I will if it will help me in the end. Most Wattpad writers think that I’m worrying too much (and they’re right…I tend to have a weakness for overthinking to extremes), but I’d just like to cover all the bases. I know that the traditional publishing industry is catching up to the online era of writing. So I’m wondering how much it’ll affect me in the end if I do keep posting, if I do lose those rights. People say that it’s good to post, to build up a following (though I have no idea how large a following I’d need to really entice a lit agent/publisher—or if that’s even possible with me), to attract a fanbase. But other published authors on WP say that that’s only really good for another book you might write, that will come after the one that’s already popular, so that you already have a fanbase to buy copies of a new novel (but I really want to have a future with this novel, not another one I might write). Essentially some say, that one you post a novel on Wattpad, it’s future ends there.<br /><br />I mean there are success stories, but they’re few in number. I’m wondering if I should post my novel up on Wattpad until I finish it (because the online community is great encouragement for writing) and then pull it down. Will my FPRs still be lost?<br /><br />And if I know that the end product (after revisions and revisions) will be very different (except for the title and character names…could never change those), will its FPRs still be lost? I could make my novel ‘private’ only (which would limit it to login-users who follow me), but I think that would only really constrict reads and not really protect my FPRs………right?<br /><br />I suppose, to summarize, I’d just like to know if I could keep posting my work on Wattpad. What measures should I take to protect my work? (In the end, does it really matter at this stage?)<br /><br />Thank you so much for your time and help!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-32312881026185878942014-05-24T07:08:21.553-04:002014-05-24T07:08:21.553-04:00I've been approached by Rocket Science Product...I've been approached by Rocket Science Productions who expressed a lot of interests to publish my novels that have received a lot of notice in the ebook site world. However when they sent over the information for me to go over, they stated the following:<br /><br />" The world has changed a bit in the near 2-1/2 years since we met, and our prices have gone up to pay those professionals and experts who will lend their expertise to your book. However, because I like you very much and I believe you are going to become a great young author, I am going to discount your costs.<br /> <br />The Phase One cost today is $595.00 and includes a whole lot of work by individuals to register your book with the Federal Government (to protect your copyright), your ISBN, and all the registrations required for selling your book in every place where books are sold. I can discount this cost to $550.00. This fee must be paid upfront in completely when you send the MOU.<br /> <br />Phase Two for novels now (which includes editing and art direction) is $1,975.00, but I will discount you to $1800.00. Instead of requiring 60% upfront, you can send 50% upfront and the rest can be paid over 6 or 12 months with no interest.<br /> <br />Phase Three is still variable...every book is different in cost, but generally novels can range in cost from $4 to $10 depending on size and number of pages and cover design materials. We'll know more about this as we get closer. Whatever cost this is, you still need to send 60% upfront and the rest can be added to your monthly payments over 6 or 12 months.<br /> <br />Ebooks are $395.00 to convert to the dozens of different algorithms necessary to sell it on the many platforms. This is a one-time fee. "<br /><br />Is this legit? I mean I would love to have my novels published this year, and so far this is the only company that has gotten back to me that could put my novels in bookstores. Any advice?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-89468471825762407092014-05-15T16:53:53.253-04:002014-05-15T16:53:53.253-04:00Hey Mr. Lukeman,
I just signed on with an agent. ...Hey Mr. Lukeman,<br /><br />I just signed on with an agent. He has been great so far, already sending out a manuscript of mine. The problem is, just before he made me an offer I began working directly with a publisher on a separate non-fiction book proposal of mine. The publisher really likes it, and I think that a deal may happen soon.<br /><br />If a deal is offered by the publisher, should I bring my in to negotiate the contract? I’m sure that he could help me get the best deal, or even potentially shop it around to other publishers. That said, I did all of the groundwork.<br /><br />Thoughts?<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-22774318080965695952014-05-11T16:27:11.247-04:002014-05-11T16:27:11.247-04:00Hi Dr Amrit Lal, Authorhouse publisher requested m...Hi Dr Amrit Lal, Authorhouse publisher requested me to pay 150Dollars before they move on with my manuscripts, is that fair?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-22984749926503664072014-05-11T16:02:55.469-04:002014-05-11T16:02:55.469-04:00Yes they did ask me to pay 150 Dollars for admin f...Yes they did ask me to pay 150 Dollars for admin fees. AuthorHouse PublisherAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8880689819528856549.post-45447242102954275662014-05-06T06:17:18.832-04:002014-05-06T06:17:18.832-04:00Hi Luke,
First, I'd like to thank you for mak...Hi Luke,<br /><br />First, I'd like to thank you for making your e-books available online and for THE FIRST FIVE PAGES, which is a very helpful book indeed. I've just received feedback from a literary agent who said my novel is a high-concept novel. I cannot reconcile the definition of high-concept (mostly applied to blockbusters) with my story, which even though driven by a big and hypothetical idea, weaves in three first-person narrations and is very much character-based. What is according to you a high-concept novel? Could you possibly give me examples? Thank you very much!<br /><br />Many thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com