Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
No, agents don’t enjoy receiving bad news. But we do want to be the first to hear certain details of how the writing process is going that writers don’t tend to willingly divulge.
1. I’m going to miss my deadline. Despite having been an agent for 16 years, I’m still surprised at how frequently authors engage in magical thinking when it comes to meeting deadlines. Most authors know how many decent words they can write per day. If that number is 5,000, but as you study the calendar and realize you have to output 12,000 per day, it’s a pretty sure bet you’re going to miss your deadline. When you add into the equation life’s disruptions–parents needing to be moved into assisted living; a spouse battling health issues; a child needing speech therapy; the writer needing sleep–it adds up to a missed deadline regardless how many times you redo the math.
So one would think an author would sigh deeply, utter a prayer for grace and mercy, and phone his or her agent. That 
would be the right thing to do. Then the agent could go to the editor, explain the problem, and bring the editor, author and agent together to mitigate the mistake. Because a missed deadline is costly to a publishing house both in terms of marketing dollars that might already be spent (and can’t be retrieved); sales to outlets that might already be placed (and are unlikely to be held until the book is completed); and the time and energy of the marketing and publicity staff.
The longer the author holds the awful truth inside rather than confessing it, the more damage is done (both to the author’s psyche and to the publishing process). Therefore, never, ever keep racing down the path, chasing after daily word counts and missing the count again and again.
Call your agent.
2. I hate my book’s cover. Sometimes authors assume that, after giving feedback on the cover, their duty is to just accept the cover, even if it gives them the shivers every time they look at it. Most agents want to see the cover when you do; not every publishing house remembers to include the agent in the viewing. So make sure your agent is part of the process, tell your agent what you really think about the cover, and let your agent do the rest.
Not that we can address every issue you have or force a disinterested publishing house into paying attention to your opinion, but we certainly know how to talk about your concerns in a way that makes sense to the publisher. Your agent can also give you perspective. You might hate the color green, and yet that’s precisely the color the designer chose for your book cover. Your color preferences count zilch. The cover is your book’s “ad,” and its job is to: stand out on a bookshelf; look good when the size of a thumb; reflect the tone of your book; appeal to the book’s intended audience. If the color green conveys the wrong message about the book, then the agent has solid ground to stand on in asking for a change.
One of my clients was shown a historical novel cover that was done in a sepia tone. She loved it and quickly told the publisher so. I hadn’t even looked at it yet; so I was in an awkward place when I did look and realized the cover would not fulfill its intended purposes. The art made the book look like a history text or a nonfiction book on that era; it all became a muddy blend of nothing when reduced in size; it wasn’t going to appeal to historical novel readers. Knowing I was about to plunge into a thorny thicket, I volunteered to the publisher that the cover wouldn’t do at all. That was awkward because my client already had virtually high-fived the designer, and now I was saying, “No, no, we have to go back to the drawing board and start all over.” Yeah, right.Fortunately the publisher did change the cover design, and the final cover accomplished everything it needed to do.
Tell your agent what you think of your cover, and then let your agent give both of your responses to the publisher.
3. The editing on my manuscript is inept. With publishing houses using more and more free-lance editors or moving in-house staff into editorial positions with inadequate editing training, the chances of a manuscript being mishandled are greater than ever. One of my clients was asked by his editor to break writing rules such as point of view. Another client’s manuscript was chainsawed by an overzealous editor. Still another tried to convince herself a writing miracle must have occurred when she “penned” her manuscript. For when she looked at her edited copy, she found only a few marks on it. In actuality, the editor rushed through the process rather than being thorough. Despite these egregious editing maneuvers, not one of my clients phoned me to let me know there was a problem. Instead, they informed me long after the editing process. Nor did my clients let the in-house editor know of the problems.
Listen to your instincts that tell you an editor is mishandling your manuscript and inform your agent–when it’s happening, not after the fact.
Why do you think authors hesitate to alert their agents to problems?
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Thank you for this post, Janet. I continually learn from this blog!
I think that authors hesitate to alert their agents to problems because they don’t want to make waves with editors. Authors may not know which things are acceptable concerns, such as cover design. It seems like cover design is a delicate blend of audience appeal/awareness and proven marketing techniques. It is reassuring to know that an author who is close to her audience can contribute to the cover design decision.
Carol, that’s a good point: Authors don’t want to make waves with their editors. But not expressing concerns when it’s appropriate can add up to a product that’s less than it might have been–and could hurt sales. That’s why agents are a great intermediary. We can tell our clients, “Get over it” (in the nicest way), if the issue isn’t a smart one to bring up. Or we can be the voice of our client to the publishing house. That way, if there’s any fallout, the agent is the one likely to take the majority of the blow.
A writer wants to be seen as professional and…dare I say…perfect. We all want agents and editors to LOVE working with us, and that means we don’t complain and we don’t miss deadlines. We’d rather kill ourselves with absolutely no sleep than miss a deadline–at least, I would. But you’re right in saying it’s better to inform the agent of your predicament than keep it silent, because rushing and not sleeping probably means you aren’t turning in the best work.
Well said, Lindsay. I completely agree. We want you to want us! This is a great point, part of the relationship is speaking up so you can help us.
“We all want agents and editors to LOVE working with us, and that means we don’t complain….”
I don’t know about that. It just doesn’t sound like a good relationship or business partnership when there is a lack of communication.
Also, if a publisher feels it can take the vast majority of the earnings of my novel, but cannot take the time to respond to a few queries / matters to due with the writing of said novel, what is the point of entering into the relationship in the first place?
Deciding what’s worth bringing up as a problem is often hard for an author to know. Depending on the publishing house and what the issue is, sometimes it just costs influence to mention a problem. Most of the time, addressing a concern brings a positive result.
An agent is an excellent sounding board who can help you to determine which scenario you’re living out.
Definitely, Lindsay. When I get an agent and a book contract, I don’t want to be viewed as a malcontent. I want to be easy to work with. But…it’s good to know we need to speak up on some issues.
Lindsay, you are right on. That’s me. No sleep when necessary. But what comes of that is less proficient work.
And even though I’ve been publishing books for a good number of years, it’s still difficult to voice my opinion if I disagree with an agent or editor.
Janet, Unfortunately, I’ve had a bit of experience with all three of these scenarios (although #1 only required a brief extension which may or may not be needed). In each case, my agent, Rachelle, was able to partner with me to give the advice I needed and take the action (or inaction) required by the situation.
Why do we leave the agent out of the loop? I wish I knew. Maybe we just forget our agent once the contract is signed. Perhaps it’s that writers sometimes have what I’ve termed a Jehovah Complex, thinking we can (and should) do it all ourselves. It might… who knows? But I’ve found that my agent is priceless in each of these situations, and I appreciate your reminder to that effect.
IMHO if a writer is loathe to share things like this with their agent, then the agent/author relationship needs a tune-up. There’s been a lack of communication somewhere in regards to expectations on both sides of the relationship. This post is a great reminder to me to be proactive about communicating.
I think you’re right, Richard, that contacting your agent isn’t the first action that generally occurs to authors. Part of the reason I wrote this blog is because I want to remind agented authors that we’re here to help. As a matter of fact, we’d rather be brought into a situation early than late and certainly rather than never. So,if you think you’re going to miss a deadline, alert you’re agent as soon as that niggling thought occurs to you. When you see your cover, make sure you interact with your agent about before responding to the publishing house. And when you look over your edits and think, Hm, this doesn’t seem right. Talk to your agent.
As always, I love these posts. They’re like a manual for writers!
I second what Carol and Lindsay said. I can’t speak about the missing-the-deadline point because that’s clearly a professional issue, but as far as the covers and editing–most writers I know (especially newly agented/published ones) consider themselves extremely blessed to have an agent and/or contract.
We don’t want to be “that client,” the one who is overly needy or complaining. And, really, we have no idea what “overly needy or complaining” even is!
When querying, we’ve been conditioned to have low expectations on the communication side of things. “No response means no.” “Agents and editors don’t have time to give reasons for the rejections.” Some of us have been querying and on submission with editors for years.
We’re accustomed to long waits, staying silent, and very little input from professionals.
There’s a level of fear at making the switch from near silence to assertiveness.
Jill, I think you’re right on here.
“We’re accustomed to long waits, staying silent, and very little input from professionals.
There’s a level of fear at making the switch from near silence to assertiveness.”
Ah, now here is where those rock-opera lyrics are helpful!
In regards to the “staying silent” part, if one is to “Keep Quiet”, how are they to find their own voice?
For some writers it can be hard to get beyond the fear of finding their voice. But if we are to be writers, we “have to do better than fear!” Especially writers of faith: we are told to boldly proclaim the Good News, and if we let fear hold us back (from writing the novel, from writing the query letter, from sending the query letter, from letting an editor know there are some parts of the story that cannot be changed, etc), how can we speak to the world that which it needs to hear?
Thanks for your perspective, Jill. It makes complete sense that the industry has taught writers to silently wait. Suddenly, with an agent and a contract, we expect you to smoothly make the transition to speaking up. It’s quite a switch.
I hope my blog helps to give some perspective on when to speak up.
I probably should have made, as my main point, that, when in doubt, an author should ask the agent if something is as problematic as the writer thinks. We can give perspective and are happy to do so.
I still cringe whenever I run across the first proposed cover for one of my projects. I wanted to contact the publisher directly, but didn’t. I bit my digital tongue. I sent the artwork to my most-excellent agent with a note that I wanted to crush and destroy and annihilate this cover. Don’t put that clip-art on my baby!!
After you saw it, you replied, “Now I want to crush and destroy and annihilate it too.” And you did your magic to: a) maintain the professional relationships, while, b) getting the cover swapped to something dynamic and cool (like the book!).
You had me make a list of covers from other books that would be a better direction for the artwork, with annotations why I liked each cover. You then approved that note and sent it to the publisher with your own note. And the magic happened.
So here’s my Amen! to today’s post. Thank you for all you do.
Bill, thanks for sharing that example. Very encouraging.
Thanks for sharing, Bill!
I already have a list of book covers that I like, so thanks for confirming that as a possible positive approach to obtaining an appropriate “book cover.”
Thanks for the great advice, Janet! As always! 🙂
Bill, I always think about your note when I write about bad covers. I read your response before I saw the cover, and I thought, New author is probably over-reacting.
Then I looked at the cover.
Uh, no, it truly was a bad cover.
I’m thankful the publisher was open to suggestions.
But you and I learned how to function as a team in such situations, didn’t we?
Definitely, and it was a great learning/mentoring experience for me. Thank you.
I think authors hesitate to tell agents about these problems because they don’t want to be that squeaky wheel. For me, it’s easier to “suck it up” and make do. I so appreciate hearing an agent’s perspective on these issues–it’s a great reminder that a writer does not walk the publishing road alone. I’m not agented yet, but I plan to remember these things when I do find myself represented. Making a career in this field definitely takes good, honest communication to make it work. Thanks for sharing this, Janet.
That’s the great part about having an agent. We make very good squeaky wheels. And because our relationship with publishers is ongoing, it’s so much easier for us to have a forthright conversation about concerns. Our relational context with publishers is much longer and deeper than most authors’.
Janet,I second and third what has already been said: I am learning so much for this blog! Thank you for all the insider insight. I am miles away from even querying, much less discussing covers or missed deadlines with a publisher, but what I hear you saying is to put your agent in the middle – every time. And Bill’s comment was especially helpful. He vented to you, and you were able to turn that into a professional push that worked. A good agent, I’m gathering, has your back.
Leia, indeed, a good agent’s job to have a client’s back at all times. But if we aren’t brought into the situation, how can we help to mend it? Or if we find out after the fact, we just helplessly listen to the narrative of catastrophic events. I hate it when that happens.
You mean we’re supposed to sleep, Janet? I’ll have to check my calendar on that one. 🙂
I wonder if authors are guilty of the ostrich syndrome, especially with missing deadlines. If I stick my head in the sand and can’t see the problem, then it’ll go away. Right? And, who wants to admit failure? It’s not ultimately failure (I wouldn’t think as long as the book is turned in and all goes well from there), but it feels like it.
Thank you for your time and efforts here on the blog. With every post, I feel more prepared when that glorious day arrives and more invigorated in my efforts to make it happen!
Meghan, indeed, the ostrich syndrome is viral in the writing community. Sigh.
Any business partnership requires communication, and considering that writers are in the business of communicating, it always seems strange to me when writers do not let their publishing team know about problems they are having with any part of the publishing process.
At the very least, it’d help writers learn more about the industry, and the publishing process itself.
Writers are inherently insecure people. So when a problem arises, they think of it as something to be endured rather than amended. But agents can often help ameliorate a troublesome situation. We’re actually practiced at it. When I think how many times I’ve had to call an editor to tell him or her that a client’s book will be late…well, I have been doing this for 16 years; so let’s just say I’ve been down this road before, even if my client hasn’t.
I think most authors are terrified of missing a deadline, so they don’t want to admit it (even to themselves) until they can no longer ignore the ginormous pachyderm in the parlor. Not smart, of course, but oh, so human.
Elissa, you’re so right. And once a pachyderm has settled into the parlor, it is not easily moved. Which authors eventually figure out. But, oh, the pachyderm wouldn’t be as large if removed quickly before it consumes all the tea and biscuits.
“1. I’m going to miss my deadline.”
I was taken aback by this statement, but I see what you meant in your explanation of it. However, I still wonder — how many strikes do the publishers let an author claim this?
As a reader, I can see that it’s a good idea to pray for our favorite authors, that everything goes well with them so that they can meet deadlines. I think that sometimes when a writer has something profound to say — and profound things can be said through inspirational fiction — there are adversaries.
How many times will a publisher let an author miss a deadline? It depends on what kind of damage that missed deadline causes. If the admission of not completing the work on time occurs early rather than late, most of the damage can be controlled. But if the publisher finds out the day of the deadline, the damage is significant and can’t be undone. The publisher AND retailers will remember the book came out late. The author’s reputation is dinged.
If the author has met five deadlines but missed one, the publisher is a bit more tolerant. But once that deadline is adjusted, the author had better make the reset date.
In other words, tolerance is low for missed deadlines because the costs to the publisher are high.
Your story about the inappropriate book cover touches an observation of my own. Graphic designers are, well, good at graphic design. However, they don’t necessarily have an eye for marketing elements: Is the title easy to read on the shelf? Is the font legible? Do the images invite closer scrutiny? Will the cover art remain distinct when shrunk to thumb size?
I’ve seen published books that fail in one or more of these areas, and surely that affects sales. If marketing considerations can veto accepting a particular manuscript, do the marketing people have no input on book covers, which are so crucial to attracting buyers?
Rick, marketing, sales, editorial, and generally the author all have input on a cover design. That’s a statement about how important the cover is. But sometimes the design looks so pleasing at 130% of the actual cover, that no one remembers to reduce it a thumbnail and take a look. It seems elemental, but publishing does operate at a fast pace once the book reaches the cover design phase. And the publisher has a lot of pressure to finalize many covers in time to present them to retail outlets. Imagine being a publisher with hundreds of books that must have covers and must have them NOW.
I can see why authors may be timid about approaching anyone with complaints. Especially since they are about to be published for the first time. I have high hopes of being published, one day, but would like a little input for my book cover design. I have a board on Pinterest of my favorite book covers–for a little inspiration!
When in doubt about whether to speak up, an author need simply ask the agent if the present issue is one worth bringing up.
What great counsel–all the way around. I wouldn’t want to be viewed as falling short in some way, yet, being upfront and honest is so important to [good] communication. Hesitating to ‘fess up seems common to the human condition. On the other hand, only the good Lord knows the extent of “ouches” we will experience in learning this valuable lesson.
Micky, sadly we choose to go the “ouch” way more often than necessary.
We are so grateful to finally have a contract on a book we are afraid to “rock” the proverbial boat of publishing. No one wants to tick a publisher off or be considered a diva. But I agree with you – I have to live with the final product, so I should have input in what I like or dislike. Thank you for encouraging me in this area.
There’s a difference between appropriately expressing one’s opinion and demanding to have one’s way. A confident author takes the former route; a diva, the latter.
Thanks for this post, Janet. I found it very helpful. It also helps to explain why as a reader, I’ve found books from publishing houses I expect quality editing from falling very short of the mark. One book I read had multiple errors in the first chapter.
I had to deal with the second problem for my first book. Talk about nerve-wracking. Not only did I not want to seem difficult, I wasn’t sure if it would damage my relationship with the publisher. It worked out in the end, but I had a few days of nail biting after I told the publisher the sample artwork wouldn’t do.
Most publishers are open to dialogue about any of these issues. But delaying in bringing them up or being insistent on how to resolve the matter are off-putting to anyone, including a publisher.
Wow–all very helpful to know! Thanks, Janet. 🙂
You’re welcome, Kiersti.
I love coming to the Books & Such blog! There is always helpful information for pre-published and post-published authors. Today was no exception. It’s good to know what an agent wants, and expects, from her clients. Good communication is vital to any working relationship.
Gabrielle, it seems so simple, doesn’t it? We just need to TALK with each other. Yet somehow it gets complicated when we actually need to do so.
Janet, I know you have other things to do with your time, but if you were to compile a lot of these blog posts into a book it would be very helpful and you definitely have the contacts to get it published. Have you ever considered doing that?
Janet, how nice of you to ask. I have thought about it and want to do so, but it just hasn’t risen to a high enough priority for me to undertake organizing the posts in a meaningful way.
. . .today I was daydreaming back to when I was a pup.
The first rule of writing donnie taught me was to -Sit.
The second rule of writing he taught me was to – Stay.
His advice has served me well.
Once I complained about the dreadful(and incorrect) editing regarding one of my stories slated for an anthology. My complaint got me tossed out of the book. The Agent/publisher wouldn’t even LOOK at my concerns regarding the editing, stating she completely trusted the ‘editor’ and since I wasn’t accepting of the editing, I should take my story elsewhere. (so I’m not in that anthology). It is no wonder an author hesitates to complain about 1,2, or 3. Perhaps it was best not to be part of that anthology in the first place. Things happen for a reason.
Elaine, I appreciate your reminder that complaints come with risks. For the most part I find people in publishing to be reasonable and approachable. But that doesn’t mean everyone is. And, when it comes to editing, the in-house editor might choose to defend the free-lance editor at all costs. Or the in-house editor who is doing the editing might not appreciate the evaluation of his/her work.
I am so glad to read this advice, Janet! Very practical, and some things I hadn’t thought about! Thanks!!!
You’re welcome, Melanie.
First off, I can’t wait to be in a position to think “should I call my agent” in any of these scenarios.
I think the biggest issue for not making the call is the relief of actually *having* an agent *and* a book in the works at a publisher. Don’t do anything to rock the boat, keep your head down.
The problem, is that the fruit of the Spirit is “peace,” not “quiet” and keeping quiet about something that needs to be brought up is bad in the long term.
Of the 3, the book cover is probably the one that in my gut probably is going to raise the hair on the back of my neck. After talking on the topic for over 6 years now I’ve gotten used to certain elements of the topic, but at the same time have tried to maintain the passion while trying to avoid getting stuck with a certain expectation.
Still, I can’t wait to get to this next step of the publishing process – having discussions (even if disagreements) with publishers!
Rich, it seems like it would be a wonderful problem to have: a disagreement with YOUR publisher. But, as many an author will attest, it feels dicey. That’s why they tend to remain quiet when the production process goes awry.
Great advice. This is so good to know.
I would feel really anxious and awkward putting my hand up to make an issue known, but then again, we all know it wouldn’t take me long to mention something. BUT, if I did? You can bet I’d be as professional as possible. No “Dude, can the cover!”
More like “Umm, if it’s okay, could maybe we possibly if it’s at all possible get the blond guy off the cover, since he’s supposed to be a Navajo? Maybe, you know, that Swedish guy MIGHT not be what we want to represent Native American culture?”
As always, manners and professional behaviour go a long way.
Regarding editing (and also cover design), I think writers view the editor as a paid professional whose advice they must follow. They also don’t want to be labeled as a complainer, so they keep quiet.
It took me several years to learn that editors
1) are people, too, who sometimes make mistakes
2) can have off days
3) work from their own perspectives, opinions, and biases
4) don’t understand your topic as well as you do and may sometimes make an ill-advised change
Even so, I generally defer to my editors unless I have a strong reason not to.
Peter, #4 is entirely up to the author to have 110% accurate. Especially if the book deals in a culture unknown to the editor, agent or pub house. Like suggesting a woman in a book set in the Middle East would shake a Muslim man’s hand. Nuh uh, NOT done. Or ankle crossing in Asia, or not women not kissing cheeks in Bolivia.
This is one area where writers’ knowledge trumps editors’ suggestions.
I agree with Jennifer that it’s the writer’s responsibility to get the facts straight.
Regarding Peter’s statement #4 that editors “don’t understand your topic as well as you do,” I’m not sure if that’s always the case…. I’ve heard of editors who know the subject the author is writing about, and are able to help the author fact check.
Either way, better get everything straightened out before publication. The last thing a writer needs is for readers to point out factual errors in the novel, and I’m not sure if either author or editor can hide behind any sort of creative licenses when the novels have reached the readers’ hands LOL.
Enter the agent. I think that agents who are or used to be editors are the best. I call them uber-agents. They can spot winners a mile away. IMHO anyway.
When it comes to bringing up a concern, sooner rather than later seems to be the preferred way of going about it. Agents occupy so many roles, but mind reader is not one of them.
This validates, once again, the value of having an agent who knows what they’re doing. Janet, I’m so thankful for the way you peel back the lesser known layers of the publishing world.
Thank you, Janet, for this great information. I probably would be someone who would feel that I just had to put up with a cover that I hated because, as a first-time author, I would feel I didn’t really have a say. I would the discuss the other two scenarios with my agent. It all comes down to communication and partnership, doesn’t it. It also has to do with respecting and trusting one’s agent, it seems to me. As I was reading, I thought about the relationship between me and my students. I try and try to get them to understand that they need to communicate with me if they’re having problems. Some are great about this, but the majority seem to try to avoid telling me about things, whether it’s that a writing assignment is going to be late or that the student is going to miss the next two classes because of a family issue. If they talk with me, often I can help them. For example, I had a student who missed three classes in a row without contacting me. I could have dropped her from the course, but she had been a good student prior to that, and in all honesty, I was worried about her, but she didn’t return my emails. Finally, she came back to school and I pulled her aside to ask why she had been absent (in the hope that she would tell me something that would enable me to give her excused absences). She had been dealing with a very difficult family crisis. She had decided that she would have to drop the course because she was so far behind on the work by this point, but the official deadline for withdrawing had passed, which meant that if she just stopped coming she would get an F for the course (institutional policy) and she would lose her financial aid. She was going to college to become a nurse. Without financial aid, she would have to quit college. She and I talked for a bit and I encouraged her wait and see if I could get the Dean to approve a W for her even though the deadline had passed. When I spoke with him, I discovered that it was her third time taking the course and that the W would convert to an F anyway. She needed either to finish (and pass) the course or quit school. The student, the Dean and I and one other professor whose course she was taking got together and worked out a schedule for her to catch up and accomplish the required work. She committed to this, worked hard and passed my course with an A and the other course with a high B. She is now continuing to work towards her goal of being a nurse. If she hadn’t finally told me what was going on, she may never have been able to accomplish her dream of being a nurse. I tell my students, “I want to help you succeed, but I can’t if you don’t communicate with me.” It seems to me that the communication between author and agent is similar.
Blessings!
That’s a very interesting story, Christine. Glad things worked out for her. As a college student I probably would have been one to not speak up and hope everything would somehow turn out all right anyway. “Magical thinking,” lol. I like to think I know better now, but being a non-confrontational sort of person, it’s still a tendency I fight from time to time.
Sometimes we stay silent because we assume (wrongly) that the situation is beyond all hope. Only if we speak up do we discover that there may be a solution after all, even though it’s not written in the official rule book (such as your conference with the dean).
I think you’re right, Jenny, that we sometimes think the situation is beyond hope–or believe beyond reason that somehow things will just work out somehow. Actually, when I’m not in front of the classroom, I tend to be a bit shy, and when I was going to college, I, like you, probably wouldn’t have sought out help from a professor either. Because I’ve seen it from the other side, though, I do try to get my students to understand that I really do want to help them–if they let me know there’s a problem. Thankfully, some of my students hear and believe that and get help.
Blessings on your week!
Hi Janet, it is almost eery how timely your post is! I have to deliver 40,000 wds by May 1st but have so many things to deal with family at home (which is faraway) that I’m starting to panic! I’m keeping it all in and hoping for a miracle as well.
Thanks for this information, Janet. It’s clearly presented and a good heads-up for all.
Just curious. If you were the author and an in-house editor was working on your book, and one of these situations as you stated in the above post happened to you, how would you handle it? I guess what I’m really wanting to know is; how should an author handle such a situation?