Balancing the Writer, the Agent and the Internal Editor
Joining the RU crew today is Lois Winston, who is both an author and an agent with the Ashley Grayson Literary Agency. Read on for insight into writing well and catching an agent’s attention. One lucky commenter will receive a copy of Dreams & Desires, Vol. 3. This anthology’s proceeds benefit a women’s shelter in New Orleans.
Kelsey: Lois, you’re both an agent and an author. Some people might see that as a match made in heaven, but I imagine your two roles clash at times. Can you share with us the three skills you think are most important in each role?
Lois: Interestingly enough, there are some people who feel being both an agent and an author is a conflict of interest. I suppose that’s why so many agents who also write do so under closely guarded pseudonyms. You’d be surprised by how many agents and editors are also published authors. I don’t view the two sides of my life in the publishing world as a conflict of interest because I don’t represent my own work. And rather than clashing, I find that these two sides complement each other.
The three skills I believe are most important to an author would be creativity (the ability to come up with a unique story, populated by interesting characters); technical prowess (the ability to write that story in a way that will make for a compelling read); and patience (the ability to weather the lengthy process — often years — from the point where you first type THE END until you finally get the call.
The three skills I believe are most important for an agent are vision (the ability to recognize a well-written, commercially viable manuscript); perseverance (the ability to keep championing a client’s work even after repeated rejections); and business acumen (the ability to deal with the various issues that are involved in not only selling a client’s work but advancing the client’s career.)
Kelsey: How do you (or do you have to) disengage your “business brain” during the writing process? If so, when and how do you allow your agent persona to take over with regard to your own work?
Lois: I’m not sure I ever disengage my “business brain” when I write. I am the sum of all my various parts. My writing is a reflection of my life experiences. “Write what you know” isn’t just about giving your heroine the same profession as you or setting your novel in a town similar to one where you’ve lived. You can always research professions and locales. To me, “Write what you Know” means infusing your work with all the emotions and experiences that have made you the person you are. So even when I’m submerged in the creative, the “business brain” side of me is always somewhere in the background, looking over my shoulder and occasionally putting in its two cents.
Kelsey: What strategies might you recommend to writers to enable them to turn off the internal editor? At what point should that internal editor return to the forefront?
Lois: The internal editor is not necessarily a bad thing. If you saw some of the submissions I receive, you’d understand why I wish more authors had and used one. Balance is always key, though. You don’t want that internal editor to get in the way to the point that you never finish anything. I know writers who have never gotten beyond the first few chapters of a manuscript because they’re constantly reworking those same chapters. If you want to be a published author, you first have to finish a manuscript.
There’s also such a thing as overworking a manuscript. Some people wind up editing all the creative voice and style out of their work because they take every piece of criticism they receive as gospel. So each time they get a critique back from a critique group or a score sheet back from a contest or a rejection letter from an agent or editor, they go back and completely revise based on those comments. What they don’t realize is that even editors and agents have different takes on the same work. If a writer is repeatedly receiving the same comments regarding a certain area of her work, then she probably needs to work on that area. But what one editor or agent praises in a work can often be the reason that another rejects it. Taste is very subjective.
What I do recommend is that whenever a writer finishes a manuscript, she should put it aside for at least a week. Get some distance between yourself and your baby. Then go back and read it as if it were someone else’s baby. In other words, try to read with as objective an eye as possible. The objective eye is your internal editor, and this is the point where you need to let her lose on your manuscript.
Kelsey: How does being a writer impact the way you agent other authors?
Lois: Because I was an unpublished author before I became an agent, I believe I’m more empathetic. I’ve been where unagented authors are. I know what it’s like to receive a form rejection letter. I know what it’s like to get your hopes up, thinking you’ve got a sale, only to have someone further up the editorial chain dash those hopes with a rejection. I know what it’s like to wait and wait and wait for the mail (or e-mail) with fingers crossed. I know what it’s like to lose an editor and find her replacement isn’t at all enthusiastic about your work. I know what it’s like to lose out on an offer because the publisher has decided to fold a line. For those reasons and more, I totally understand what it’s like on the other side of the table.
Kelsey: What characteristics make for a successful and congenial agent-author relationship?
Lois: Being able to communicate with each other is essential. Neither the agent nor the author is a mind reader. For the author, if you’re unhappy with the way your agent is handling something, tell her! Don’t gripe to your friends and fellow authors, especially on writing loops. You never know who’s going to pass your comments along to your agent. No agent wants to learn that her client has been complaining about her behind her back. I’ve seen this happen many times. Too many authors are afraid to speak up to their agents. They’re so grateful that someone is willing to represent them, that they don’t want to rock the boat. You have to remember that in the author-agent relationship, the author is the employer and the agent is the employee. If you want your agent to handle something differently, or you don’t think she’s spending enough time submitting your work, or you feel she’s not submitting to the right editors, pick up the phone and start a dialogue on the subject.
On the other hand, the author must remember that the author-agent relationship is a business relationship. The agent is not your BFF, your surrogate mother, nor your confessor. You may get along terrifically, but at the end of the day, it’s still business. Always act as a professional in all your dealings with your agent as well as all other industry professionals.
Kelsey: Do you consider yourself an editorial agent? If so, do you consult with your client on the WIP during the writing process or only after?
Lois: I was asked to join the agency because of my editorial skills. I’m a hands-on agent. Generally, I don’t see my clients’ work until they’re ready to have me make submissions. However, they all know that if they’re having a problem with a certain aspect of the WIP, I’m more than happy to give it a read and offer suggestions.
For prospective clients, if I see a work that has potential but isn’t quite there yet, I’ll give a detailed analysis of the work. If the author is willing to revise and does so successfully, that’s an author I want as a client. If the author isn’t willing to revise, I won’t offer representation. That said, though, there are many successful, well-respected agents who don’t feel that it’s their job to offer editorial input. An author has to decide what she wants the author-agent relationship to be and target those agents whose style works best for them.
Kelsey: What’s your advice for gaining an agent’s interest in this tight economy?
Lois: Write something spectacular. If you’re the next J.K. Rowling or Stephanie Meyer, agents will be fighting over you.
Kelsey: Can you share any specifics on what hooks you on a manuscript?
Lois: Voice! You can have the greatest plot idea in the world, but if your voice is dull or bland, I won’t read beyond the first few pages. In addition to voice, I want to see tight writing and fast pacing. Nothing drags a story down faster than pages and pages of description that have nothing to do with the scene at hand and/or dialogue that’s nothing more than useless chit-chat. Finally, if you can make me laugh out loud as I’m reading, you increase your odds exponentially. That’s not to say I only want humorous books. One of my authors writes horror. However, in my personal reading, I find myself drawn mostly to humorous contemporary novels.
Lois, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on being both an agent and a writer. And to our RU readers, we’re wishing you spectacular writing!
Please join Tracey and author Shannon Butcher on Monday for a discussion about Support System for Writers.
Award-winning author and literary agent Lois Winston has published humorous, cross-genre, contemporary novels, romantic suspense and non-fiction essays. She also writes mysteries, women’s fiction, and middle grade books, often drawing upon her extensive experience as an artist and crafts designer for her source material.
Winston’s published novels have received accolades from readers, librarians, booksellers, reviewers, and fellow authors. TALK GERTIE TO ME was the recipient of the Readers and Book Buyers Best Award, took second place in both the Beacon Awards and Laurel Wreath Awards, and was nominated for a Reviewers’ Choice Award and a Golden Leaf Award. LOVE, LIES AND A DOUBLE SHOT OF DECEPTION was the winner of the Winter Rose Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction, the More Than Magic Award, and the Laurie Award. The book also took second place in the Beacon Awards and garnered Golden Leaf and Golden Quill nominations. Her books have been called “smart,” “witty,” “fun,” “captivating,” “fresh,” “fast paced,” and “unable to put down” by bestselling authors Christina Skye, Kasey Michaels, Alesia Holliday, Lori Avocato, Lauren Baratz-Logsted, and Jan Coffey.
Winston has also contributed to several anthologies: DREAMS & DESIRES, VOL. 1, 2, and 3 and HOUSE UNAUTHORIZED.
When not writing or designing, Winston can be found trudging through stacks of manuscripts as she hunts for diamonds in the slush piles for the Ashley Grayson Literary Agency. She began her association with the agency as a client. Several years ago she was invited to join the agency as an associate, opening what she likes to call their East Coast division. She continues to be represented by one of the other agents in the agency.
The Ashley Grayson Literary Agency was established in 1976 and consists of four agents who handle both literary and commercial fiction, children’s fiction, and some non-fiction. Recent sales have included romance, women’s fiction, urban fantasy, YA, and mysteries to Pocket, Harlequin, Grand Central Publishing, St. Martin’s Press, Harper Collins, Viking, Scholastic, Red Sage, and Dorchester, as well as children’s chapter books to Little Brown and Feiwel & Friends.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Lois, welcome to RU and thank you for joining us!
Do you have a feel for what an author should do when she’s receiving negative feedback from contests that’s all over the board? How do you suggest she approach fixing what’s wrong?
Thanks!
Glad to be here, Tracey! The first thing you have to accept about contests is that they’re a crapshoot. Even a contest that gives training to their judges has no control over how the judge will ultimately judge any particular entry. I’ve given both judge training workshops and workshops on contests for years. So I’ve gotten to interact with lots of unpublished authors. What I stress is to ignore comments unless you’re receiving the same ones on a consistent basis. If every other judge is telling you that you have a POV problem, chances are you have a POV problem. If one judge thinks your hero is too macho and another thinks he’s not macho enough, you’re dealing with personal taste.
In one of my workshops I quoted a list of comments from rejection letters I’d received for the same book before I sold. It was a real eye-opener to everyone because I’d have editors who had rejected the book for the very reasons other editors said they loved it. As I said in the interview, taste is very subjective, and that goes for editors and agents as well as contest judges. So unless you receive the same feedback at least 3 times, don’t take it seriously.
Thank you, Lois! One of my wonderful CPs gave me the same advice, but I wondered if you’d have a different perspective on it as an agent. I appreciate your feedback!
Lois -
Welcome! We’re delighted to have you here.
I realize this is a moving target, but what elements are needed for a commercially viable romance in today’s market?
Kelsey
LOL! Anyone have a crystal ball handy?
Obviously, the book has to be well-written with a page-turning plot and characters readers will care about, but again, it’s that subjective taste thingy. Agents and editors aren’t omniscient. We hope that every book we champion will sell and sell well, but there are so many factors involved, and we have little control over many of them.
About the only piece of advice I can give (and I’m sure you’ve all heard this before) is don’t write to a trend. By the time that book is written and ready to submit, the trend could be on it’s way out. Write the book you want to write and write it the best way you can. Then keep all digits and appendages crossed (eyes, too, because you never know what might help!) and send that baby off into the world.
Hi, Lois,
What advice can you give to unagented authors (like me) who are published with a smaller press and are looking to try for a larger one? My books have been well received.
Thanks,
Ann
Many authors have made the move from small press to major house, Ann. Some never break through, and often there’s no rhyme or reason to it. I’ve seen some fabulous books come out of small presses and others from NY houses where I roll my eyes and wonder what the editors were thinking.
The best advice I can give you is to keep trying. Write a dynamic query letter, one that will make an agent or editor curious enough to pick up your books, then contact you because she loves your writing. And keep writing other books. Too often I’ve seen authors who have had their rights revert back to them and want that same previously published book to sell to a big house. You have a better chance of selling something new. And if you’re writing a series, start another. It’s very hard to move an established series from one place to another unless you’re a really big name author with a huge following.
Thanks, Lois, that’s about what I thought. My series ends with my current WIP, and I have a bunch of ideas for new stand-alone stories as well as another series. It’s hard sometimes NOT to think of them and to remain concentrated on the WIP. That’s a case of needing my Internal Editor to tell me to get back to work! LOL
Cheers,
Ann
Thanks for the great article Lois! I’ve read over and over about turning off your internal editor, something I keep practicing on! – and it’s really hard to turn the IE off! My question is, how do you turn off your internal agent AND your IE and just write? That’s got to take some concentration!
Thanks again for the article, it was great reading!
Carrie
Hi Carrie–
So you’re asking for the secret handshake? I guess it all boils down to self-discipline. Nora Roberts has a quote about how you have put your butt in the chair and just write. That’s pretty much it. If you want something badly enough, you have to work at it. The ms. isn’t going to write itself.
But you have to give yourself permission not to write sometimes. Too many authors feel they *have to* write everyday, no matter how hard it is sometimes. That’s where you trip yourself up. If there are outside forces working against you, sometimes you need to take a break and go play. Or take a nap. Or read a book. Or clean the house. Whatever. There are days when the muse takes off. Give yourself permission to do the same. But remember, if you want to be a writer, you have to write. So take that mental health day or week if you need to, but when it’s over, get the butt back in the chair and the fingers back on the keyboard.
Lois, you mentioned the importance of honest communication between an agent and author. Can you tell us on average how often you’re on the phone or email with a new, unpubbed client in a week’s time?
That depends on the client, Tracey, and whether we’re working on revisions to her ms. before submitting it. Most communication is done via email, though, because it’s easier for everyone. You don’t have to worry about time differences, work schedules, etc. I have one client who lives in Australia. I still haven’t figured out whether it’s yesterday or tomorrow there! I do keep my clients up-to-date with submissions and follow-up. Whenever I submit something, I let them know. Also, when I’ve contacted an editor concerning a submission or when I (unfortunately) receive a rejection on a submission.
Hi Lois. Welcome to RU and thank you for being with us today. I’m curious if you are finding the publishing houses are still willing to take a chance on new authors in this economy. Have you noticed a downturn in how many books by new authors you’ve been able to sell vs. established authors?
It’s a tough time in the book business for all of us, Adrienne, but books are still selling. Not necessarily as fast or for as huge an advance as we’d all like, but still selling. I’m sure you’ve seen the figures that Romance is the only genre that’s gone up since the economy tanked. Consumers are still buying books, so publishers still need manuscripts.
Hi Lois,
Is there anything that you see opening on the horizon as far as “hot” sub- genres in romance? I see a lot of zombies, vampires and all sorts of paranormal stuff. Is that where the bulk of the market is going?
I have no intention of writing “to the market”, but I am curious.
Thanks for your insight!
Monica, every editor I speak to says she doesn’t want to see any more vampire books but still wants paranormal romance, especially if it’s *hot.* YA is doing very well with little sense of slowing down. I attended a panel on what the publishers see as the big YA books for fall, and for the most part it’s paranormal/fantasy, dystopian, and steampunk themes. Where things will go from there and in other genres is anyone’s guess.
Personally, I had thought rom/com would be on the rise because of the economy. If you look at the films from the Depression, most were rom/coms. People want to escape the real world. Nowadays they seem to be doing it by losing themselves in the paranormal/fantasy worlds and not rom/coms, though. Still, I keep hoping rom/com has a surge because those are the books I love to read most.
I hope Rom/coms are on the rise, too. I am working on one as we speak!
Thanks for the insight, Lois.
Monica
One of the best blogs from an agent I’ve ever read. You tell it like it is and while it is hard and scary, the rewards, when they come, are worth it, even if you don’t get rich from your writing.
Thank you, Lois, for your honesty and insight.
Thanks, Irene!
Lois,
Thanks for all the sage advice. Like you, I enjoy reading (and writing) rom/com. Give me a book by Christie Craig or Susan Elizabeth-Philllips and I’m perfectly happy. I’ve even noticed that a lot of the paranormals are veering toward the humorous (The Accidental Demonslayer comes to mind). And yet, whenever I attend a conference, I’m often put off when an editor/agent assures me that rom/com is dead. What is your opinion on this subject? Will rom/com ever truly be “dead”.
Sherry
Sherry, I don’t think any sub-genre will ever be truly dead. Publishing is cyclical. When I first got involved in the publishing world, you couldn’t sell a paranormal romance to save your life. RWA chapter contests often had to cancel the paranormal category for lack of entries. Now look at what’s selling — everything paranormal! At one point editors weren’t buying historicals. Then they weren’t buying contemporaries. Then romantic suspense. Now they’re not buying light, humorous mysteries and rom/com. It’s like they say about the weather in Texas — if you don’t like it, wait a few minutes. Rom/com will have a resurgence. You can bet on it. What we can’t predict is when. Meanwhile rom/coms are selling. Just not in the volume of some other sub-genres.
Lois -
Thanks again for your wonderful insights. I’m planning to re-read this post and the comments several times!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Kelsey
Thanks Lois
It’s always refreshing to hear your wise advice. What areas of women’s fiction do you see still selling?
Cathleen
Women’s fiction is such a broad category, Cathleen, that it’s easier to say what I don’t see selling. And that’s chick lit, unless you’re a well-established name like Sophie Kinsella, Jane Green, etc. If you’re writing a story about a 20-something in a dead-end fashion or publishing job and who has a designer shoe obsession, money woes, and goes on a string of bad dates, as we say here in Jersey, fuhgetaboudit.
I’m also seeing a glut of knitting-related women’s fiction books already on the market, and I think that theme has just about reached its saturation point.
An editor did mention to me that she’d really like to find a women’s fiction ms. where there are several female protagonists who bond in a way that’s different. In most of these books the women are former college sorority sisters, or neighbors, or playground moms, etc. These books are still selling, but this editor was looking for a sisterhood bonding book that was a little different in the reason/way the women bonded.
Hi Lois,
I’ve read your books and LOVED them! I am writing mostly in a humorous voice and I’ve had my mss. read by agents and editors who loved them, but thought they couldn’t sell them in today’s “dark sexy paranormal” market. Is it worth it to keep trying to find a home for these books, or should I just put them aside for the moment and write something darker?
BTW–You didn’t mention any of your wonderful online classes. Are you doing one soon?
Hi Deborah–
Thanks! Always nice to hear from someone who LOVED my books !
To answer your question about humorous paranormals, there’s definitely a market for them, but the dark, sexy ones are selling better right now. If you can incorporate humorous and hot, you might have a better chance of getting an editor interested. Editors are still looking for hot reads, and I don’t see any cooling off of that anytime soon. (Sorry about the pun!)
You could also try your hand at writing darker. Some authors are capable of very different voices and styles. Others can only write one way. You really won’t know which you are until you try to do something totally different for you. Just don’t force it. If it doesn’t come naturally, it will be very obvious to editors and agents that you’re writing too far outside your comfort level.
As for workshops, I’ll be giving two in the fall. You can get info on them at my website under Appearances. I’ve also partnered with author Dianne Drake in a new workshop venture. You can find info on that at http://www.beginningwriterworkshops.com. The website just went live this week, and the PayPal function isn’t up and running yet, but the workshops aren’t starting until the fall.
Thanks for the input. I’m thinking of trying my hand at an Urban Fantasy based on my award-winning short story, “Dead and (Mostly) Gone.” Not a chuckle to be seen in that one. Of course, that means trying to do world-building that doesn’t come across the same as everyone else’s…
Unfortunately, “hot” just isn’t my thing (although there is a sex scene in my second ms–blame the characters, since it was apparently their idea!). And I don’t like the really dark, gritty paranormals, so I don’t see myself writing one. I guess I’ll write my UF, and hope for the humorous romance to make a come-back soon!
Thank you for the great Q&A, Lois. Your comments about overworking a manuscript really resonated with me. I did that with my first manuscript and turned it into a big mess. For now I’ve set it aside, but eventually I’ll rewrite it the way I want to.
Everyone – If you’re thinking about taking a course with Lois, do it! I’ve taken two of her courses so far and found them extremely helpful and informative.
Thanks for the plug about my courses, Annette! It’s always so gratifying to hear when someone has found my workshops beneficial. Too often in online workshops people lurk, reading the lessons but afraid to participate. So the instructor is never sure whether those taking the course feel they’re getting their money’s worth.
I second what Annette says! I took a bunch of online workshops last year–I got more out of Lois’s than any others…times ten!
Very useful tips. As a writer I have found some successful actions. With writers block I have found the best thing is to just write anything. Even itf it is gobbledygook. it gets the juices flowing, as it were, and you can start to turn out some real content again.
Just my thought. If you are looking for a write I write mainly factual material, not fiction.
A fabulous five rating!!!!!!!!
The fact that sometimes 20 publishers and, yes even agents, will reject a booko and yet another will accept it and it will go on to be a best seller tells you that publishers and agents opinions mean diddly squat.
e.g MASH was rejected by 20 publishers before it was accepted. I bet they are puking now.
Animal Farm was rejected by innumerable publishers. Harry Potter by a heap of now red faced publishers. Ray Bradbury had a thousand rejection slips before someone gave him a chance.
So Never give up. Never. Keep sending those manuscripts out. One day…..
Hi Lois,
I enjoyed the article it was enlightening. I am a Christian fiction writer and like many have written before me I am finding it hard to find a literary agent. (Despite the fact my books have gotten great reviews) Is it wise to submit to an agent numerous times despite rejections. As an agent, does that appear as tenacity or annoyance?