tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post6101707256206625738..comments2023-06-26T07:09:15.225-06:00Comments on Love, Power & Fairytale Endings: Money and RespectJeffe Kennedyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04779020656676094853noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-56532774618264812352010-10-01T07:29:56.808-06:002010-10-01T07:29:56.808-06:00And Kelly - I should have said I think it's re...And Kelly - I should have said I think it's really interesting that you don't follow the agents you'd like to have. You'll have to report back on how that works for you. Could be a really great idea!Jeffe Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04779020656676094853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-71699315689931639992010-09-30T21:30:47.609-06:002010-09-30T21:30:47.609-06:00Woo hoo, Kerry! now you won't have to feed Pat...Woo hoo, Kerry! now you won't have to feed Patrick grapes anymore! ;-)Jeffe Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04779020656676094853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-53716546233054510632010-09-30T21:27:37.845-06:002010-09-30T21:27:37.845-06:00In the interest of proving that the universe doesn...In the interest of proving that the universe doesn't really hate me, I think I've mastered the art of leaving my own blog comments. Yay!Kerryhttp://www.kerryschafer.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-87843227881481387042010-09-30T21:17:51.198-06:002010-09-30T21:17:51.198-06:00My job is spectacular. People just show up and fe...My job is spectacular. People just show up and feed me grapes - seedless of course. Isn't everyone's job like this?Patrick Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01121337008453549441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-20524014064626959642010-09-30T21:17:19.996-06:002010-09-30T21:17:19.996-06:00From Kerry Schafer (who blogger apparently hates a...From Kerry Schafer (who blogger apparently hates and won't let comment):<br /><br />I loved this post. I've been completely insulated from this latest round of writer agent drama - for this I am thankful. But the last time there was a flare - around #queryfail and #agentfail if I remember correctly - I came away from the wreckage calling it #humanbeingfail. Which, I think, is essentially what Jeffe is saying. All of us - agents, writers, and 'muggles' - are prone to lash out when frightened or hurt. And we also tend to believe that somewhere the grass is greener, that somebody else is getting a better deal, that for some reason we have been chosen to be the universal scapegoat. I've been guilty of this myself from time to time, as Jeffe knows all too well. <br /><br />But the truth is - life is what we make it. Yep, that's a cliche, but it's a damned good one.Jeffe Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04779020656676094853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-37336007110006839092010-09-30T11:44:09.466-06:002010-09-30T11:44:09.466-06:00For me the idea of targeting agents because they d...For me the idea of targeting agents because they don't like your work is ludicrous. I have read books in the past that were I the agent would never have been published. <br /><br />Reading like any thing is else is subjective based on likes and dislikes. Part of the bigger problem is we live in a world where the grass is always greener on the other side. There is way more to getting published than just a good manuscript. <br /><br />But we live a super-sized, instant gratification society and the idea of really having to work for anything is a thing of the past. Jeffe, when did that happen? When did we deem ourselves worthy just because? <br /><br />Also, social media is a great tool for meeting and cyber stalking but it can also open you up a little too much. I don't follow agents that I would be interested in representing my work because I don't want to know about their personal lives before a relationship is built. Maybe I am doing it backward, and if so, okay I can live with it. But what most writers forget is if you are lucky enough to find a writer who wants to represent you they don't work for you per se, they are working with you. Because while your part of the process, the writing may be done, their part, the selling is just getting started.<br /><br />Okay off my soap box now. Great post!<br /><br />KellyKelly Breakeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07170230808730463954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-41843975092317710682010-09-30T11:12:01.058-06:002010-09-30T11:12:01.058-06:00Wow - such long and thoughtful comments. You all a...Wow - such long and thoughtful comments. You all are so insightful. I have nothing to add, these are such great pointsJeffe Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04779020656676094853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-72233565001526047672010-09-30T10:19:30.454-06:002010-09-30T10:19:30.454-06:00Jeffe, you've made so many great points. I res...Jeffe, you've made so many great points. I respect the work agents and editors do. I love to read, but do I think I could read 40 manuscripts a week and choose one I think will become a bestseller? Ha! No, no, no. Okay, maybe I wouldn't mind trying it one week, but I couldn't do it full-time. These are people who are trying their best and we as writers can only let them do their jobs.<br /><br />It's so easy to point the finger at an agent and say, "They're a meanie, don't submit to them!" but in the end, it's your perception that needs to change. Agents are not out to get you any more than hurricanes have a mind of their own and target one area because they just don't like the food there. When I check out the agent/editor predator lists, it's because I want to know: is this a legitimate agency or publishing house, do they have a successful business. I don't want to know what their favorite color is and whether they stamp smiley faces on every rejection they send out. This is business, not personal (even though it's very personal to a writer to get a rejection). <br /><br />No one <i>owes</i> anyone anything in this world. You have to earn it. If you want respect from agents, you hone and perfect your craft and keep submitting until you finally land one. Give the agents a break. You're not the only author submitting to them. If they sent out a personalized rejection every single time, they'd never have time to read manuscripts and broker deals.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-62293137282441145662010-09-30T09:47:03.248-06:002010-09-30T09:47:03.248-06:00I don't have an agent at the moment (liked the...I don't have an agent at the moment (liked the one I did have, though) and I'm not really looking for one right now, so I've ignored the agent/writer bru-ha-ha (I tend to do that. Ignore things).<br /><br />But I think you've nailed the larger social trend. People with jobs are working twice as hard as they did a few years ago, resent it and don't feel respected from employers or customers, those without want a job, and think, "quit whining." No one is in a giving/understanding mood. You see this not only between agents/writers, but I think employers/employees/perspective employees.<br /><br />As for writers, I think the greater issue is a general lack of social respect for what we do. Artistic endeavors aren't really respected in this country, and finding success at it is viewed as a bit of a cheat. For the most part, no one but other artists see the hours of work that go into creating a perfect paragraph, a sublime guitar rif, or a brushstroke that breathes on its own. In an era where Snooki can get a contract not because of talent but because the publisher knows the money will follow it's hard to keep faith--or perspective--and so people bitch.<br /><br />But I have little sympathy for public venting or personal attacks. And it's not just between agents and authors. I've seen writers rip another one to shreds out of spite and jealousy. I've watched successful writers treat newbies as if they were rivals and contenders for the throne. It's painful to watch.<br /><br />I think it goes back to confidence (or lack, thereof) in our own abilities that determines how we treat others and how much public venting we do. And this industry really can knock our confidence out cold on some days.Keena Kincaidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15985958126062809043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570797399734382213.post-45767191140656545502010-09-30T09:05:44.952-06:002010-09-30T09:05:44.952-06:00First: I love my agent. She's smart, tenacious...First: I love my agent. She's smart, tenacious and dedicated. Second: Respect is a two way street, and if anyone happened to miss the memo, it has to be earned. The folks complaining about the lack of respect they get might ought to be looking in the mirror and asking themselves how they're contributing to the problem. Otherwise, you're left with that damning definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results. Is it obvious by my glaring lack of sympathy that I've put my back out?Marcella Burnardhttp://www.marcellaburnard.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com