Comments on Nathan Bransford, Author: Digging for Mushrooms

very funny! I'll remember that comparison for a l...

2007-09-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

very funny! I'll remember that comparison for a long time. Talk about a good example of "word of mouth"; i've already referred your blog to friends of mine, just because i think this post was cool.

laters

I saw a special matsutake soup on a sushi menu the...

2007-09-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

I saw a special matsutake soup on a sushi menu the other night (after reading this) and said, "MATSUTAKE!" It was very delicious.

It's like going to your high school reunion and di...

2007-09-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

It's like going to your high school reunion and discovering that the guy you dumped is now a millionaire.

Like dating, agenting is a crapshoot.

Glad I don't have your job, Nathan. I know what yo...

2007-09-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

Glad I don't have your job, Nathan. I know what you mean,though, even as a writer. A box of double spaced typed lines on loose pages is very different from a printed book with a cover and everything. An agent's dreams are so different from my own. To be seen in your favorite restaurant and hear other agents whispering amongst themselves -'Hey, isn't he the guy that discovered that gem (fill in the blank)?'Then a little preening as you watch their jealous eyes follow you around the room. Well, this may not be YOUR dream but it's what I imagine an agent's dream to be - plus the big fat cheque of course!

"As anyone who has worked in publishing knows, the...

2007-09-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

"As anyone who has worked in publishing knows, there's a huge psychological difference between reading something as a finished book and reading it in manuscript form."

I know this isn't a critiquing blog, but I'm going to take this quote back to my writing group, if you don't mind. (And point them to your great blog, of course!) We sometimes get carried away with "I need to say something because I'm critiquing and that means I have to say something"-type comments. A reader of a published book has a level of trust in the author that a critiquing group doesn't, and I think we need to keep that in mind so that we don't try to force each other to bog our books down with too much backstory and explanation. This'll help with that discussion.

As for the whole "They rejected V.S. Naipal?!" thing, I guess we could take such articles as "aaa ha!" moments, or we can quietly take heart that the process is subjective and individual rejections needn't necessarily mean the death of a work.

The agent has to believe in what they're tryin...

2007-09-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

The agent has to believe in what they're trying to sell. It still comes down to what gets them pumped enough to go through the whole tedious effort. I suspect that the agents that keep running into the 'NO Thanks' response tend to get frustrated & burned out. I would like to know what the ratio of MS pitches to sales averages out to. I would bet that the percentages would keep an agent up late every night - of course they're reading anyway. Last point-Burning bridges is unprofessional in any business. Even disgruntled mushroom pickers are careful not to trash others in the trade.

The schadenfreude game that Nathan mentions seems ...

2007-09-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

The schadenfreude game that Nathan mentions seems unprofessional. And no matter how artistic the very act of writing is, it's still a business.

Talking about 'which d*s* agents rejected a book and why' can come back to bite - - hard sometimes.

What happens when the agent who finally did accept that book ends up working with the agent you've been running around talking about?

There's always the chance that someone who rejected your work at one time could be a potential ally.

It costs noting to be polite, even when we strongly disagree with someone's decision. The potential benefits far outweigh the effort it takes to stifle an ego.

I would think that every Oregon matsutake picker i...

2007-09-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

I would think that every Oregon matsutake picker is careful to pick a good mushroom, just as every agent searches for the right manuscript. Neither of them wants shiitake!

But for an agent, doesn't there need to be more than just a great story line told exceptionally well? Since your reputation is at stake, don't you need to feel a connection, something that makes you willing to put yourself on the line for that particular book?

I don't think agents have passed on the greats because they thought they were bad books, they just didn't connect with them. It was a bad fit.

There are at least 3 reasons I can think of that a...

2007-09-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

There are at least 3 reasons I can think of that a book that later became a big famous beloved classic would get rejected:

The book wasn't ready yet; it was a later rewrite that became big and famous.

The book was such a new idea that only a truly visionary editor/agent saw that it would set a new trend instead of following an old one.

The book just wasn't that editor/agent's cup of tea. Not everyone likes every book, even the ones you're "supposed" to like.

Comforting to think that a rejection slip might just mean "not yet," instead of "never!"

Those stories give comfort to those of us who get ...

2007-09-20T23:19:00.000-07:00

Those stories give comfort to those of us who get rejections.

We know we have brilliant books, we're just hoping to find someone who sees it too.

I have to admit, I've been in the presence of writ...

2007-09-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I've been in the presence of writers (who've gotten agents and have had success with their books) derive great pleasure from telling me which "dumbshit" agents rejected their book and why.
Anyway, they've had many a laugh at your expense!

The “bestseller” thing is subjective as well. I re...

2007-09-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

The “bestseller” thing is subjective as well. I read one that has spent MONTHS near the top of the list. I was bored stiff by the repetitious reminder of how the whole story started and other details that a reader could not possibly forget. The writer took all of the high points of her story and beat them into the reader’s head. I threw the book across my bed several times and wanted to stop reading, but I also wanted to learn about “bestseller appeal” from a “bestseller”. The ending was contrived and the writing digressed. The beginning held so much promise. Sigh.

If I were an agent, I would've PASSED on this one, OR messed up her "bestseller" with an over-haul of her storyline. Sigh, again.

Kimber an--
I like that episode too!
anne-m...

2007-09-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

Kimber an--
I like that episode too!
anne-marie --
I was also thinking of the recording company that listened to an early demo of the Beatles and turned them down, saying "guitar music is on its way out, anyway."
And let's not forget that the first agent that JKR queried turned her down, too.

okay, so I'm not JKR or one of the Beatles. I guess I can still hope to be a mushroom someday. Can I be a portabello, though, please? I like those.

I have to admit you got me at first on describing ...

2007-09-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

I have to admit you got me at first on describing these people yelling out 'Matsutake'. My initial thought was - why the hell would they start yellin' when they found a freakin' mushroom - just dig the SOB up & keep going! I'm startin' to wonder what other chain jerkin' is goin' on here. Hmmmm. Despite being a sucker at first - I got da point.

Nathan - May the nebulous 6th sense descend to you...

2007-09-20T16:51:00.000-07:00

Nathan - May the nebulous 6th sense descend to you from on high - soon. Thank you, that does help. And if you figure out James Patterson will you let us know?

Note to self: Next time you query Nathan Bransford...

2007-09-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

Note to self: Next time you query Nathan Bransford, use the stationary with the borderline-subliminal Matsutake watermarks on it.

I found this a fascinating analogy, Nathan, but wh...

2007-09-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

I found this a fascinating analogy, Nathan, but while it illuminates a certain amount of your selection process, I feel as confused as ever about how agents select books. That's because I have been reading everything I can find written by agents about the selection process for a couple of years now, and every one is different. The caveats, instructions and exasperated scoldings... it all makes feel like one of the hapless supplicants of Seinfeld's soup Nazi. Except the punchline is "No book for you!"

What I keep reminding myself is that for her first novel, Jane Hamilton went through a book of agents alphabetically, and didn't get one til she'd reached the end of the list. And of course, Jane is fabulous. That agent knew her matsutake!

Susan-

I don't think it's as strict as some...

2007-09-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

Susan-

I don't think it's as strict as something that would only appeal to people who like what I like or -- it's more that I need to see something in a really good novel that I feel will appeal to people. I'm obviously not the target demographic for young adult novels or women's fiction, but that doesn't mean I can't see something in those novels that is good or appealing or will strike a chord. That's why I read as widely as possible (and watch all sorts of TV shows) -- to try and understand what cord Fannie Flagg or Martin Cruz Smith or James Patterson is striking so I might develop that nebulous 6th sense that a book might resonate with people. Hope that helps.

Nathan - Are you saying that the only books you'll...

2007-09-20T15:36:00.001-07:00

Nathan - Are you saying that the only books you'll rep are the ones that will appeal to readers who like what you like? I'm confused. Writers are constantly told that publishing is a BUSINESS; that even when one writes a perfect little masterpiece of a story ,if it doesn't have mass appeal, and if the accountants don't think the company will make any money, your project is dead in the water. I assume that's also true of literary agencies. So, say you found a mushroom . . uh,story . . that was just okay, To You, but you knew deep down that a certain demographic (maybe boys between 9 -14) would flock in hoards to buy the thing, would you take it on? Please help me understand and I'll be forever in your debt.

There was the choirmaster at the Liverpool church ...

2007-09-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

There was the choirmaster at the Liverpool church who told the 14 year-old Paul McCartney he's never amount to anything musically and then kicked him out of his choir too. That would be a fun thing to live down in your hometown.

So, that thing that pushed up in the middle of my ...

2007-09-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

So, that thing that pushed up in the middle of my driveway could be a culinary delight? Who coulda figured? I wanted to take a picture of it but my hubby scraped it away.

To think that our oft-rejected novels could be diamonds in the rough is reason enough to keep trying.

So many times I've read books that everyone I know...

2007-09-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

So many times I've read books that everyone I know loved and I didn't like them at all.

Other times everyone hated a book I loved. And there are plenty others that we agree on our appreciation.

Then there's my own books. I started writing as a teen and was hurt by rejections. Now I'm glad they rejected me. Without rejections I'd have never learned the craft of writing.

Sometimes picking an unripe matsutake can be worse than mistaking a dung ball for a truffle (I'm sure we've all made that jump mentally, but I said it). It pretty much guarantees a stunted career, but you can almost always find some one who'll enjoy the dung ball. There's no accounting for taste.

Oh, and that is a great word.

MATSUTAKE!!!

The article seems pretty balanced, but I'm sure th...

2007-09-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

The article seems pretty balanced, but I'm sure the average reader will get just one impression from it, the "Oh my God, they rejected Anne Frank." And yet, when I hear these tales of rejections going on to become classics, I think it's kind of silly to focus on them. Simply put, different readers like different books. Liking a book enough to represent or publish it is like liking a person enough to propose marriage.

So I recognize that Nabokov is widely considered a great writer, and the quality of his work certainly is unimpeachable; and yet I can't say I regularly have the desire to sit down with one of his books. Animal Farm and Anne Frank are classics, but I haven't read either of them since the 1980s. Enough people do read and reread them that they are justified staying in print, but knowing that taste is subjective, I can't say, "Only a fool would pass this up." Not everyone's going to like it. Find someone who does.

Maybe that's the writer's matsutake... digging through the dirt piles of agents and editors until you find the right one for your book.

You can tell the size of the mushroom from above. ...

2007-09-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

You can tell the size of the mushroom from above. The amount of cracks, you know how big it is. However, you don't know if the worms have gotten to it already. Once they did, it's no good.

Nathan,
Just in case your head hasn't been swe...

2007-09-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

Nathan,
Just in case your head hasn't been swelled with enough compliments through your query stack today,
I love you.

Oprah may have her A-ha moments, but you have given me "MATSUTAKE!"

Thank you. =)