Comments on Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: More on the Finalists (and the naysayers)

scouse-I guess my response is: who cares about the...

2008-02-06T16:07:33.206-08:00

scouse-

I guess my response is: who cares about the realities of English jurisprudence in the 1940s? It's a great story, wonderfully written, beautifully told.

And for the record, I didn't love the movie. I do love the book.

"Atonement" (the book and movie) contains a fatal ...

2008-02-06T15:40:24.407-08:00

"Atonement" (the book and movie) contains a fatal flaw that no-one seems to want to acknowledge. No English jury of the time would have convicted the central character of rape based on the word of a starry-eyed teen. Any lawyer would have made mince-meat of her testimony. McEwan conveniently glosses over this by moving from the country-house setting to the war. As for the movie, the New York Times called it gorgeous but inert. Too kind. I'm originally from England and saw the movie with some American friends. They found the Dunkirk sequence puzzling. "What's going on?" they asked me. Also, these cliched war scenes evoked very little empathy among us. So I'm puzzled by your totally uncritical embrace of the book and movie.

And those are BIG toes ...I've never had the pleas...

2008-02-06T09:42:00.606-08:00

And those are BIG toes ...

I've never had the pleasure - but someday soon I hope to be in New York meeting with agents, editors, publishers...

Now I must get back to my re-write and finish my 2nd & 3rd WIP

Nathan,I for one am REALLY glad to have participat...

2008-02-06T09:22:15.681-08:00

Nathan,

I for one am REALLY glad to have participated in your wonderful contest. I submitted my current work in progress. And this contest really opened my eyes to some wonderful ideas...

I have reworked my first page and it has really helped the flow of my novel!

So you are a Saint for your willingness to read all 600+ entries and give us all the oppportunity to read others great works!

Thanks again, YOU ROCK!

Nathan--Keep your chin up! Most of us really appre...

2008-02-06T08:32:40.641-08:00

Nathan--Keep your chin up! Most of us really appreciate the hours you poured into this contest and others. And those who don't ought to have their comments' word verification privileges revoked!

Nitwits--Ain't life grand? You have an opportunity to enter a contest FOR FREE, show a literary agent a piece of your work FOR FREE, and receive a timely rebuke about how to correct your nitwittedy FOR FREE!

Finalists--Way to go!

Thanks for a great contest. I hope you voted durin...

2008-02-05T23:20:47.179-08:00

Thanks for a great contest.

I hope you voted during super Tuesday Nathan. I wish I could vote but living in Canada, it's kind of impossible. Obama all the way!

Geez it's 2:19 am here.

Yes, that's what I figured and why I chose to be a...

2008-02-05T22:44:28.988-08:00

Yes, that's what I figured and why I chose to be anonymous. It's hard enough not being "in" on the joke, but to be openly outed and ridiculed for it... !!!

Though I do like the idea of the Baltimore Police Department competing with the publishing industry. Or perhaps vice versa. I bet the publishing industry might be able to catch more crooks.

anon@10:34-I see you are not a fan of The Wire. T...

2008-02-05T22:35:53.908-08:00

anon@10:34-

I see you are not a fan of The Wire. That was a joke.

In any event, sorry to hear that you don't think t...

2008-02-05T22:34:00.034-08:00

In any event, sorry to hear that you don't think the publishing process is working. I really do think that with more books published than ever before in the history of mankind... things can't be that bad. I know it's sometimes hard to find the gems, but there are more alternative outlets (such as the Internet) than ever. Sure, it's an imperfect process, but I'd say we're doing better than the Baltimore Police Department.

Um... The Baltimore Police Department competes with the publishing industry? I didn't even know they published books.

Michael Reynolds said:[I]t's silly to accept the n...

2008-02-05T20:55:45.116-08:00

Michael Reynolds said:
[I]t's silly to accept the notion that Mr. Bransford -- or any agent -- is hired to express his own personal tastes.

Chro said:
[T]his whole debate is based off of one belief: agents aren't human.

I think Chro nailed it. A person who is capable of spotting really excellent literary fiction is not necessarily capable of spotting really great escapist-fluff--or vice versa. That's why Curtis Brown, Ltd. employs more than one agent. No one person is sensitive to every type of saleable writing.

Anon 8:19AM said:
Gawd! Have we heard enough effusive gushing yet?

Dude. I made this (fun, but misguided) offer to critique people's pages, and as a result, I read over 1/6th of the entries. You would not believe how exhausting it is to read and seriously consider that much material. Nathan and Holly deserve all the effusive gushing they can stomach; this was extraordinarily generous of both of them.

anon-I didn't delete any responsible anonymous pos...

2008-02-05T18:13:31.125-08:00

anon-

I didn't delete any responsible anonymous posts (just like I'm not deleting yours), just the ones that I felt were needlessly negative and/or unproductive, particularly the ones where people used their anonymity to take potshots.

Managing threads these size is not easy -- things can devolve quickly, and I'd rather just head things off before things get nasty. Anonymity shouldn't be an excuse for people to be jerks.

In any event, sorry to hear that you don't think the publishing process is working. I really do think that with more books published than ever before in the history of mankind... things can't be that bad. I know it's sometimes hard to find the gems, but there are more alternative outlets (such as the Internet) than ever. Sure, it's an imperfect process, but I'd say we're doing better than the Baltimore Police Department.

quoting other anomaly,um anonymous:yeah, baby, wha...

2008-02-05T18:08:32.271-08:00

quoting other anomaly,um anonymous:

yeah, baby, what's the blog deal?

(whoops, dis-lexia strikes!! again!)

And about those penny loafers, do they come in colors and yes, admiring the nice fit too... Are they official NB??? Even nicer! Where can I buy a pair.

Nathan, I’m ready to be crucified for this. Hell,...

2008-02-05T17:55:25.324-08:00

Nathan, I’m ready to be crucified for this. Hell, I’m even ready to be crucified for my use of the word crucified. But I think it was a little weak of you to delete the anonymous “hecklers.” I understand deleting people who are just trying to be abusive or disruptive, but deleting reasoned criticism does more harm than good and also shows a bit of insecurity in my opinion. (If these truly were just disruptive or abusive comments, I apologize for misunderstanding what happened).

With that said, you did everyone who entered a favor (even if there were potential benefits to you) and I for one appreciate the favor. We all agreed to have you and Holly judge our paragraphs, and until it comes out that Luc was secretly taping the ghost of Stanislaw Lem during pre-game warm ups or that one of the contestants is really your transvestite half-uncle, I don’t know what the big deal is.

I do think the publishing process is seriously flawed. (Because I watch the Wire, I also realize it’s nothing new for an institution.) I know I have a very hard time finding new books that connect with me and don’t have similar difficulties in other media. I’ve also been surprised at the lack of publishing (and a variety of media) to take advantage of the writer’s strike. All in all, there’s probably a lot of work to be done from every angle, including from the writers.

John G. Goetrich said... ...Put away your scarf an...

2008-02-05T17:53:47.280-08:00

John G. Goetrich said...

...Put away your scarf and penny loafers, put down that latte, and regrow some stones, do something involving sweat, and (re)read some Hemingway or something.
---------------------------
Nathan, you keep your penny loafers, and I'm sure a scarf would be quite fetching.

No comment about the stones.

Ok, just one comment: they're made of titanium.

Nathan:Thanks for a cool bit of fun.The whims and ...

2008-02-05T16:25:12.844-08:00

Nathan:
Thanks for a cool bit of fun.
The whims and vagaries of publishing look like chaos theory to most of us -- and we accept the pinball nature of it all -- and work to strengthen our odds through superb queries and research, on top of the writing craft.
But your obvious love of writers and encourgement -- through contests such as this -- are very much appreciated.
Karmic spin at ya, bro!
--Gregory Kennedy

Hey Nathan!I'd just like to add that yes, publishi...

2008-02-05T15:59:20.859-08:00

Hey Nathan!

I'd just like to add that yes, publishing is a very subjective industry. After all, how many of us would have not wanted to read Harry Potter? (Personally a fan, but I know there are people who loathe it) There is definitely a difference in opinion, and that's part of what makes writing and reading such emotional, stimulating activities.

A baking contest is subject to the judges' tastes ...

2008-02-05T15:42:23.529-08:00

A baking contest is subject to the judges' tastes too. I don't think it's fair to the six finalists to go on about how unjust the selection process was. Well done all of them. I'll probably still be trying to pick just one when the voting closes, assuming it hasn't already. And Nathan and Holly too, donating all of that time. After all, I didn't see an entry fee anywhere.

Of course I was too chicken to enter, so I suppose I don't have that bruised ego to contend with.

People need to develop a thicker skin. I must conf...

2008-02-05T15:02:29.343-08:00

People need to develop a thicker skin. I must confess myself suprised that published authors - those considered 'professional'
and 'calm' in these matters- actually flipped out over it all.

They can't get into contact with Spencer so they are going after you. Remember your earlier posts Nathan? Why don't you just yell "sweet, now get out of my car." It's not like you owe them anthing.

I wrote mine right off the top of my head in 45 mi...

2008-02-05T14:56:40.108-08:00

I wrote mine right off the top of my head in 45 minutes when I heard about the contest, with zero expectations. I hit submit right away, I didn't look at it nor redraft. I'm not a fiction writer, I work in non-fic.

To me this was an exercise, fun, challenging. I enjoyed comparing the entries I read with the first pages of the fiction books I've favored over the years, and what I found is that the same things which held up 60 years ago still do today.

I think we need to be able to care, early on. Whether it's humor or pathos or irony or voice, something needs to make us care, regardless of genre.

I don't understand the naysayers, because agents are human beings. What arrests Nathan as he reads a query or first page may not arrest the agent in the next office and vice-versa.

Are we not all readers? Isn't this the common link? To me it's not that hard to understand the subjectivity in publishing, nor anywhere else in the arts. Do you see deep things in Jackson Pollack? Do you only see splatters?

Does Dan Brown drive you nuts, or is he a good escapist read?

How creepy would it be if everyone had the same reaction to every single thing. Viva la difference.

Nathan,Here's a big thank you for your knowledge, ...

2008-02-05T14:46:18.077-08:00

Nathan,

Here's a big thank you for your knowledge, humor and contests!

You rock!

Angela

Oh No! I looked up the dictionary link to "Pratt!"...

2008-02-05T14:35:30.771-08:00

Oh No! I looked up the dictionary link to "Pratt!"

Yikes and I have dislexia:

1.
Basically someone who's on a major DIET, or is delusional and dumb. Acts against logic... and thinks their dumbass is too big....

2.
n. English term, primarily used in United Kingdom. The literal meaning is "bottom" or "rump"; aka backside, buttocks, sacrum, tail end.

TOO BIG!! OH NO!!!

Had to stop reading there.

--

!

will the innocent please get out from under the table,

dusting self off

ok, I see what you mean about it being ALL Spencer now!

Too funny! I do the same as "sex scenes at starbuc...

2008-02-05T14:34:15.894-08:00

Too funny! I do the same as "sex scenes at starbucks" and don't read the first page when buying a book, but flip to the middle to guage the writing, feel, etc.

I knew my entry wouldn't win but participated for the fun of it. In all honesty, my entry wasn't even from my current WIP but from a whimsical, last-minute idea I had and decided to write up as a creative writing exercise the week of the contest =). I enjoyed the contest; loved seeing what others are doing with their writing. Enjoyed some valuable lessons about marketing aspects of querying and writing a novel.

Also, as we say in the newspaper biz, you know you're writing (or doing) something worthwhile when readers pipe in to complain. Take the naysayers as a compliment!!

Good going Nathan. Next one could be along the lines of what "ssas" suggested, only modified further -- how about a "paragraph from the middle of the book" - 100 words maximum?

Cheers-
Cameron

Aloha Nathan,Perhaps some contestants reached disg...

2008-02-05T14:28:25.381-08:00

Aloha Nathan,

Perhaps some contestants reached disgruntlement because you made the prizes for winning too big...too important!

Next time only offer to let the winner leave a message on your answering machine. Or, instead of accepting a partial, only offer to read the lucky winner's second page. Decrease the monetary reward! Don't give away one of your client's books...let the winner read its first page.

Lower the contest stakes and you'll lose the ego flakes.

Again mahalo for the great contest and the continuing education. Your bag of poi is in the mail.

good on you, Nathan. where is that morale meter? ...

2008-02-05T14:16:12.727-08:00

good on you, Nathan. where is that morale meter? cheers

PSAlthough the sound track really worked for the m...

2008-02-05T14:14:21.732-08:00

PS

Although the sound track really worked for the movie, The Fifth Element,

it really bombed as a background music for our Thanksgiving dinner.