Southern Fried Chicas

Following up on a post of a few months back, about how we felt the failing economy might affect publishing, and following in the wake of a few Black Fridays in the field with personnel changes that made many of us gasp—I thought I’d quote a few agents in the business NOW, since we’ve SEEN some of the effects, and they’d definitely have more significant things to say than I would.

What do you think?  Does it leave you feeling more positive, shine a little light in the darkness?  Deflated?  Or is it pretty much what you expected to hear, and will it affect your writing/submissions?

From an interview with agent Ginger Clark, posted by author Gretchen McNeil:
“I think people are going to be focused on buying books that will definitely make money for their company. I think this means more selective acquiring on the part of editors; less literary and more “offbeat” fiction selling; and smaller advances. Editors are being told to be circumspect about what they buy—and that’s understandable. (Editors are also being told to take fewer lunches, to watch their expenses in general, etc. etc.) With all the layoffs (which have been widespread, depressing, and heartbreaking) there are fewer editors out there, with suddenly a lot more books on their lists. They are going to be more conservative about buying new titles. Because readers are not buying books as much as they used to, and I expect that will continue until our economy recovers. At least, I hope sales return to what they were before.”

From the Hooked on Romance blog, a statement by agent Laura Blake Peterson:
“There’s no doubt the shakeups in the industry are having an effect on what’s being bought by publishers and for how much. It’s a constriction in the market in an industry that operates on slim profit margins to begin with. These days an editor who spends little or no company money is looked upon favorably…I think what you are asking is will agents still take chances on good writers. The answers for me is…always. Nonetheless the stakes are ever higher now, and the pressure is really on to make sure your material is the very best it can be before you send it out for consideration. The days of sending it to an agent in the hopes they will work with you to get it just right are over. Certainly that may happen, but you ought not to make assumptions that because you are a good and talented writer that means you will get the benefit of the doubt. You will not. Because the very next submission that comes in will be from someone whose work you must assume will be polished and ready to go…”

From agent Jane Dystel:
“It is true our business is going through a very challenging period. It is, however, still a business of ideas and words and in order to adequately judge whether those ideas, proposals and manuscripts that we agents submit will work, publishers and editors have to actually read them.
This last week a senior editor at a major publishing house received a proposal from us and rather than read it at all, she simply looked up other books in the category and decided that since they hadn’t sold, it wasn’t even worth reading one word of this author’s work. In another, rather shocking instance, a publisher of a very good house turned down material I had submitted saying that the fiction market was extremely difficult these days. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the note – the material I had submitted clearly stated that it was a memoir.
If we in the industry don’t read, then I fear our days are numbered. I say, let’s pay more attention to what we are doing and less to the businesses that are taking our customers away.”

From agent Jennifer Jackson:
“In comments this week, both on this blog and elsewhere, writers…wonder whether agents will be more reluctant to take on new clients. Or whether publishers will cut back on acquisitions. And so on and so on.
I will tell you these things: I have not turned down any queries based on the economy (it’s been for all my usual reasons), and neither do I plan to. The economy stinks. It will probably take a while for it not to. Most businesses – and households, for that matter – are going to tighten their belts in response. I am still doing my job (which I will essentially define here as – (1) getting books sold for clients, and (2) looking for new talent so they can become part of the aforementioned (1)). If writing is neither your career nor your calling, by all means spend your time and energy on something that will put bread on the table. But if it is, don’t slack off now — just because the competition may prove somewhat fiercer. It’s possible it might take longer to sell something, or mean submitting it more places to get an offer, but I’m not going to be stopping. It’s what I do.”