Comments on Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: Comparing Your Book to Other Books in the Query

This was very helpful because my recent manuscript...

2009-11-16T06:46:52.780-08:00

This was very helpful because my recent manuscript is a vampire story, but I didn't want to compare it to, Twilight because it isn't Twilight. It's a challenge to bring up another book without worrying that my project will seem unoriginal. I've heard it's good to write that the book is a cross between two books or a book and a movie or television show. Do you agree?

But spend enough time on publishing blogs and meet...

2009-11-10T12:22:05.541-08:00

But spend enough time on publishing blogs and meeting people in the industry and I think you'll find that people are (for the most part) extremely well-intentioned and doing the best they can in a really tough market.

Hey Nathan,

The fact is that the public is buying fewer books and when they do buy books they often go for one of about 100 authors. Which is great for those 100 top sellers. Really tough for everyone else.

Well, everything is changing these days, the economy, publishing (especially fiction), the rise of self-publishing which just became much much easier to do, and the role of the independent publisher (since now they can actually afford to publish at least e-books, and things seem to be going that way). I suppose we'll have to see how things iron out over the next few years as e-readers gain in popularity.

But I apologize for my previous rudeness. There's no reason to fight against a system I don't plan on participating in. I still plan to speak my mind, mind you, but I'm going to try to be more civil about it.

Anon,

You've given me about sixteen reasons now why I've been expelled from Kristin's blog via her own self-destructive comments moderation. Let me put this plainly. I don't give a damn. But, please keep telling me how I've blown all my opportunity in life as an author because I've angered Kristin. As long as you're talking about me in blogs, that's all I care about.

Hasta,

Gordon

Just don't overthink it. I think it's perfectly fi...

2009-11-10T11:03:13.239-08:00

Just don't overthink it. I think it's perfectly fine to compare your book to bestsellers, however you want to go about that (and I agree the "will appeal to readers of" is a good way of doing that).

What I wouldn't recommend is comparing your book to the top ten or so flavor of moment bestsellers. So if you steer clear (currently) of THE DA VINCI CODE, TWILIGHT, THE SECRET, HARRY POTTER, etc. etc. you'll be fine.

There are 5,000 editors looking for the next Jody Piccoult, and she's a perfectly fine comparison.

Nathan, I have the same question as Giles. What i...

2009-11-10T10:59:52.165-08:00

Nathan, I have the same question as Giles. What if you say "My book is targeted to the Teen/Mom audience who enjoyed XXXXX? I wouldn't compare my plot or talent to XXXX but I do think the same audience might enjoy it...is that going to be interpreted as a comparison? The reason I want to do it that way is because there's still a question of whether my book is going to go YA or Adult and I think both audiences would like it. I really want YA so I can get both age-groups. If I go adult I think it'd be next to impossible to get the teen readers, even though my MS is clean. My MC's are right on the brink... and so draws out my biggest quandary in querying anyway...should I query as YA or Adult? UGH - sorry off-topic :) I slapped my own wrists, if that helps anyone...

I was thinking I'd point out in my query letter th...

2009-11-10T10:31:20.032-08:00

I was thinking I'd point out in my query letter that Stephen King and Dean Koontz are just hacks who wish their books were as good as mine, which is the sort of novel theirs aspire to be but fall far short of.

I figure I won't have to query more than one or two agents before landing a deal.

What about listing movies and TV shows that prove ...

2009-11-10T10:21:36.284-08:00

What about listing movies and TV shows that prove that your genre is popular, if not "hot"? I don't compare my book to these shows, I just want to point out that this genre does appeal to the masses. Plus it's usually more efficient to list a few TV and movie titles than an obscure author & long book title... What do you think?

I sit in hope that all those kids reading all that...

2009-11-10T09:37:20.423-08:00

I sit in hope that all those kids reading all that published YA grow up and decide to write meaningful adult fiction. My fear is that it's mostly adult-aged people reading YA and the kids are playing video games.

Dear Mr. Bransford: My new book is the greatest t...

2009-11-10T09:25:12.340-08:00

Dear Mr. Bransford:

My new book is the greatest thing since the dictionary. Like Webster's, it has lots of words that sound really cool and are hard to spell. I put mine in different order though, just to keep you guessing. Yur gonna luv it!

R.E. JectMe

Seriously, I can see how getting the agent's mindset turned toward a certain reading demographic might be useful.

Gordon, I think lots of people have anti-tradition...

2009-11-10T08:53:05.107-08:00

Gordon, I think lots of people have anti-traditional publishing ideas -- those are usually the people that haven't been able to get an agent, or break into the business, and declare it publishings' fault.

They are also the ones that self-publish, and we all know that is a very hard road to travel and the books that stem from it often unprofessional, mistake-ridden, and end up costing way more than the author makes.

Yes, going on publishing blogs and railing against publishing as a whole probably isn't a good idea. Certainly publishing has its problems, but to have an attitude that Publishing=the devil isn't a valid viewpoint, it only sounds like sour grapes. THAT'S why you got kicked off Kristin's blog.

I sense that trying to get an agent and get published has kicked your ass at some point, and it has me too. But this is the system we have. We can write, rewrite, and polish our ms. We can work on query letters and try to pair ourselves up with the appropriate agent, we can come up with new ideas and write a second or fifth or tenth book if the first doesn't pan out. OR, we can complain. Complaining won't get you published.

"Good luck in your efforts to be discovered. The n...

2009-11-10T08:49:26.085-08:00

"Good luck in your efforts to be discovered. The next five years is going to be very interesting for all of us."

Gordon - I agree! Same to you as well. That's exciting that you're starting an indie publishing company - good luck!

Well, I don't know if your comments are inappropriate, so much as off topic. My sense of Nathan is that he's all about honest, friendly debate, but he really does prefer if people stick to the thread topic.

Of course, I'm not Nathan, so I don't want to exactly speak for him (that's a complete and utter lie, I totally wish Nathan would give me carte blanche to speak for him ALL the time), but that's my sense of things having been on this blog for awhile.

For the record, I think you have some good points. I have some problems with the 'system' as it is too, although I do see some good points as well, and think there's a difference between the system and the people working within it.

But maybe that's a topic for another thread. :)

gordon- Books are definitely still selling. It's ...

2009-11-10T08:47:10.356-08:00

gordon-

Books are definitely still selling. It's harder than it ever has been, particularly for people who write adult fiction, but the right project there still sells as well. I think you're like a lot of people, who approach the business from an understandable place of frustration. The publishing world seems like a cold, capricious, unforgiving place. But spend enough time on publishing blogs and meeting people in the industry and I think you'll find that people are (for the most part) extremely well-intentioned and doing the best they can in a really tough market.

The fact is that the public is buying fewer books and when they do buy books they often go for one of about 100 authors. Which is great for those 100 top sellers. Really tough for everyone else.

Thanks Gordon, me too! :) (She actually took the...

2009-11-10T08:44:07.047-08:00

Thanks Gordon, me too! :)

(She actually took the lesser of two offers. One was over 300k! Yeah, my jaw dropped, too.)

Gordon, a debut YA author I know ( a client of min...

2009-11-10T08:41:24.927-08:00

Gordon, a debut YA author I know ( a client of mine, actually) just got a six figure advance for a book that will be published next year.

So it does happen for some. Isn't that great?

That is great. Absolutely.

And believe it or not, I'm glad to be wrong. I just wonder why a publisher would throw a hundred thousand (minimum)at a new author's book? But, I suppose they aren't just going to roll over and die, they have to do business, right? And that's the publishing business.

I'm very happy for you and your client. I hope her books become very popular.

Gordon - I do think you're wrong about the debut ...

2009-11-10T08:37:02.202-08:00

Gordon - I do think you're wrong about the debut author thing. Publishers are always looking for the next mega-bestseller, and they look to debut authors for that.

The difference nowadays is that they are more willing to go to the slush pile when looking for debut authors. It used to be you had to know someone in the business.

Maybe you're right, Mira. I mean, I don't really know what will be required to be published in the future. I'm going to start my own indi next year, so all my books will be published through that.

What I do know is that I think my comments here have been inappropriate. They were probably inappropriate in Kristin Nelson's blog, too. I don't really want to argue or be negative. I really just want to communicate with other writers, and all the writers seem to be on agent blogs these days, at least the serious ones. Maybe I should stick to that and keep my anti-traditional publishing comments at bay.

Good luck in your efforts to be discovered. The next five years is going to be very interesting for all of us.

Thanks a lot, Nathan - very useable advice!

2009-11-10T08:35:00.274-08:00

Thanks a lot, Nathan - very useable advice!

Gordon, a debut YA author I know ( a client of min...

2009-11-10T08:26:01.978-08:00

Gordon, a debut YA author I know ( a client of mine, actually) just got a six figure advance for a book that will be published next year.

So it does happen for some. Isn't that great?

Oh, well cheers, Anon! I'll be updating my blog as...

2009-11-10T06:58:15.540-08:00

Oh, well cheers, Anon! I'll be updating my blog as I go, so feel free to stop by.

Scott, can't wait to read that something you're wo...

2009-11-10T06:55:08.820-08:00

Scott, can't wait to read that something you're working on. Sounds so cool.

Thanks, Donna. It's a challenge, getting people t...

2009-11-10T06:54:16.852-08:00

Thanks, Donna. It's a challenge, getting people to stop copying my unwritten manuscript, but I have faith I can make a difference. :)

Also, my interpretation of what Nathan is saying - comparisions to mega-bestsellers are risky. But a comparision to a well-known novel makes sense.

Gordon - I do think you're wrong about the debut author thing. Publishers are always looking for the next mega-bestseller, and they look to debut authors for that.

The difference nowadays is that they are more willing to go to the slush pile when looking for debut authors. It used to be you had to know someone in the business.

Nathan, is saying that my book would appeal to fan...

2009-11-10T06:27:49.140-08:00

Nathan, is saying that my book would appeal to fans of "X" be the same as comparing my book to "X"?

For example: I'm writing up my query letter right now, and my book would appeal to fans of The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter. While there are similarities in the settings and themes of those books and mine, I don't want to turn agents off just by mentioning that they share some aspects. How would I go about mentioning who my book would appeal to without looking like I expect my book to be the next big thing?

Thanks for this. I've read about agents who do not...

2009-11-10T06:24:53.808-08:00

Thanks for this. I've read about agents who do not want a comparison, so it's nice to hear the flip side.

Nathan, is there a danger in turning off an agent ...

2009-11-10T06:16:07.823-08:00

Nathan, is there a danger in turning off an agent by perhaps mentioning an author or title that they may identify as unmarketable in the current publishing climate?

For example, I'm working on something that takes some Philip K. Dick-ian themes into the realm of accessible commercial fiction via elements of love and romance which I find seriously lacking in a lot of deep science fiction.

Not to sound overly crass, but does only Hollywood do Dick anymore?

I realize there are new authors coming out in 2009...

2009-11-10T06:13:50.002-08:00

I realize there are new authors coming out in 2009, but those deals were probably made in 2007. And I fully admit, I could be wrong, and also that I'm exaggerating a little, because surely, someone has to be published.

But what are the contracts like? A ten thousand-dollar advance, broken up in three pieces and shared with an agent, or no advance, small print run and limited distribution is probably worse than subsidy publishing, especially when they take the e-book rights in this now modern age of publishing.

And while I'm on a rant, what is it with these agent blog cults, anyway? I mean, are any of you actually clients of Nathan Bransford, or Curtis Brown?

You all ought to get together and start a co-op publishing company. I mean, why don't you? See, this is what gets me: somewhere underneath what is happening is what's really happening. And, to answer the one poster above, that's why I come in here. I come here, because I'm intrigued by the dynamics. There's something about writing--no strike that--this has nothing to do with writing; there's something about being published that holds a magical spell over people, and I think it has something to do with validation of an existence. It's a way to be somebody in a world where individual identity and importance is extinguished as easily as a Marlboro butt.

I look at the faces of the people posting in here, and I wonder about them, and I see them wanting to be noticed--to be seen, myself included, I suppose.

Well, folks there has to be another way. Because the time is coming fast when your only hope of being an author will be a deal for e-book only and royalties only. And when that day comes, your book will sit beside everyone else's and there won't be any sense of sanctity. What will you do then?

Can't we even talk about this? Hell, I'll post this over on my blog, and we can talk about it there if you don't want to talk about it here. Either way is good for me. Nathan, too. I'd like to hear his take on it.

I agree with Ann Foxlee @4:33 *I read a heckofal...

2009-11-10T06:02:43.697-08:00

I agree with Ann Foxlee @4:33

*I read a heckofalotta YA, and it seems like they're either huge, or unknown.*

Most YA *is* huge or unknown. I live in a mid-size city, not a metropolis, but definitely not hicksville. I'm stunned when I see award nominees sometimes, and have never seen any of those books on store shelves. It almost has to be huge (Stephenie Meyers) or they don't stock it. Depressing for those of us that hate vamp/werewolf/winged creatures and have yes, already read Sarah Desson, thanks.

(Anon (504) now) Yeah, that's true. He does domi...

2009-11-10T05:51:50.000-08:00

(Anon (504) now)

Yeah, that's true. He does dominate the genre. Okay, cheers.