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This "respected" literary agency is DUMPING authors... 

Michelle Schusterman
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...and I don't just mean this last weekend. It's been going on for years. It's only now that the authors they've been mistreating are starting to speak up about it.
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14 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 90   
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Links! PW article about New Leaf's "rebrand" www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/promotionalss/article/92184-new-leaf-literary-media-evolves-team-to-meet-changing-industry-demands.html PW article about the backlash www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/book-deals/article/92308-new-leaf-literary-media-faces-backlash-after-releasing-numerous-authors-illustrators.html Jordan Hamessley's statement twitter.com/thejordache/status/1658558743586705408 The Authors' Guild statement www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=authors+guild+new+leaf&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
@wordsofstarlight
@wordsofstarlight Год назад
😭This is utterly heartbreaking. I was treated better working in multinational corporations (and I left because of discrimination). Why is respect so hard to come by for authors in traditional publishing? Michelle, you are literally a God send for us newbies and aspiring authors. Thank you so much and sorry for all the issues you've experienced.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
I really appreciate that, Erica! And there truly are a ton of wonderful agents and editors out there - but unfortunately, we also have way too many stories like these. It really does baffle me that the people who actually create the product the entire industry profits off of are the first ones to get stepped on.
@legalfictionnaturalfact3969
@legalfictionnaturalfact3969 2 месяца назад
FIGURATIVELY. SHE IS FIGURATIVELY A GOD. GODDESS, REALLY.. Please please please please do not use such simple words incorrectly if you fancy yourself a fan of literature in any way.
@carriebartkowiak
@carriebartkowiak Год назад
OHHHHHH...okay NOW it makes sense. I saw all of this going down on Twitter and the authors were (understandably) devastated, but I couldn't grok why so many of them were saying things like "now my book is dead". I kept thinking "Why is it dead? You can query it to someone else..." None of them mentioned that NL had that horrible predatory two-year rights lock. No wonder they feel their books are "dead"...because legally they can't touch them or do anything with them for at least two years. That is so incredibly heinous. I hope each of them find some way to get out of that. A class-action lawsuit, or something. Thanks for mentioning that important detail.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Thanks Carrie! So to be totally honest - I don't *think* that an author whose book is unpublished is stuck at NL for two years. That clause refers to sub rights - so for example, if a NL author has a book that sold to a publisher via NL, but NL did not sell the film or foreign rights, and then the author finds a new agent with a new book, the SHOULD be able to get those sub rights back on that first book so the new agent could take a shot at selling them (I believe the industry standard is six months), but NL holds them for two years (and does nothing with them).
@reginaduke7451
@reginaduke7451 Год назад
I commend you for speaking out. Authors seeking agents are already insecure about what will happen when. I think of this as a public service. Good job. Sending hugs.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Thanks so much, Regina! I'm so glad the authors who had these experiences are speaking out - it helps all of us.
@shante3
@shante3 Год назад
I received a very kind step aside from Suzie's assistant after I nudged with my offer of rep, and though I was disappointed at the time, it seems like it was a blessing lol. New Leaf has always seemed like a DREAM agency - they represent big YA bestsellers like Leigh Bardugo and Victoria Aveyard after all. I'm pretty tuned into the Twitter whisper network but I hadn't heard ANYTHING about NL, which has made this all the more shocking. For querying authors, I want to note that my agent turned around notes on my manuscript in about 2 weeks each time she read it. I signed with her on February 14 and we went on sub April 10 (wish me luck lol), and while I don't think agents *must* have a speedy turnaround time, I don't think waiting half a year to 1.5 years is anywhere near acceptable. Your agent is a business partner, and if they're not behaving as a partner should for your business, it's time to cut ties and find someone who will.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Oh my gosh, Shante - I had no idea you'd found an agent and were on sub! CONGRATS!!!! That's so amazing, and my fingers are crossed for you! And wow, yeah...so glad things worked out and you didn't end up at NL. A blessing for sure!
@shante3
@shante3 Год назад
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Thanks so much, Michelle! Your channel has been hugely inspirational to me and a major comfort during difficult times💕 Thank you for your videos!!
@writenowdream3882
@writenowdream3882 Год назад
The stories coming out from authors about this agency are heartbreaking. This is a good reminder that it helps to have a thick skin, to listen to your instincts, and not allow yourself to be gaslit or taken advantage of. However, the skills needed to navigate a bad relationship and working with a literary agency should not be the same!
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
WELL SAID! Yeah, the thing that guts me is that it's so hard to tell when you're being gaslit by someone you trust...especially early on in your career. That's why I see this kind of agent behavior as so predatory.
@Avionne_Parris
@Avionne_Parris Год назад
It boggles my mind how people get caught up with empty arguments like plotter vs. pantser or self pub vs. trad pub when the important issue of aspiring / established authors who work so HARD to fulfill their dreams only to have them dashed inches from the finish line is heartbreaking. How about a little less divisiveness and a lot more empathy? To demonstrate the insignificance of these aforementioned arguments: A pantser's first draft is a plotter's outline; one does frontend work while the other does backend work. All ends the same... with a book. And regardless of whether self pub or trad pub, marketing duties are the author's responsibility. Those poor authors. My heart goes out to them. Keep on writing and keep on fighting. As an international author, I'll admit, I was initially discouraged by the news but I still wanna be a hybrid author which means I've resolved to do trad AND self pub. To be forewarned is to be forearmed so thanks for keeping us in the loop, Michelle! Have a great weekend and give Rosa a big hug for me :-)
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
I'm so sorry you felt discouraged, Avi - but happy to hear you're going to keep trying! And yes, I hear you...there are definitely bigger fish to fry than the different methods we use to get to a finished book. I hope you have a great weekend too!
@crlake
@crlake Год назад
$5,000 dollars for an editor? That is shady AF! Thanks for the heads up!
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
It sure is - and thanks for watching!
@Teckno72
@Teckno72 Год назад
At the most, I paid $1,000 to get published. 😊 it seemed like a good deal at the time. It was a little money here, a little money there. I still have a few copies to give to friends, if they ask. Probably could have spent less money, but there it is.
@Teckno72
@Teckno72 Год назад
I had no agent at the time.
@crystaleefyffe1230
@crystaleefyffe1230 Год назад
I saw the original tweet and cringed physically. Utterly vile to make an author do that. That is something every querying author is warned against.
@AMMA83
@AMMA83 Год назад
@@crystaleefyffe1230 I think sometimes ego gets in the way of common sense because yeah it's common knowledge that in trad publishing the money should flow towards the author, you should never be asked to pay for anything by an agent or publisher.
@kirtiomart
@kirtiomart Год назад
Thanks for warning aspiring authors and being so transparent. At some point I considered querying Suzie Townsend in the future... but now I know better. Not only about her, but the entire agency. Big red flag! 😮
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Anytime! I'm sorry, I know it's frustrating to knock an agency off your list - but there are tons of great ones out there!
@kirtiomart
@kirtiomart Год назад
I don't feel bad at all... it's better to know what's happening out there than going into the querying trenches with no clue of what's going on.
@violetrain2850
@violetrain2850 Год назад
This is part of the reason I'm not a fan of traditional publishing. There is a literal code of silence about everything. And a lot of it is actually supported by writers. The fact is, there are red flags about this toxic culture everywhere and trad writers ignore it because they are so desperate to be trad published. Meanwhile, the trad publishing industry is toxic AF. I'm glad trad writers are finally saying something now, but it's 2023. The world nearly ended and I guess people are fed up. Imagine if this had happened all along the way? I don't understand why writers have allowed the publishing industry to treat them like they are worthless, when they are literally the ones that make it work. I wish trad publishers would organize (no not with a guild) in a way that would ensure transparency starting with letting go of their obnoxious need to comply with the code of silence. No one will talk about this, but it's exceedingly common to see trad published authors SHUSH (euphemism) other writers who dare complain about anything trad pub, including complaints about editors, about publishers, about other writers, about harassing reader feedback, etc. The complaining writers are always told to SHUT up and not make waves, and often by other trad writers. I hate to blame the victim, but so much of this is enabled by desperate writers who treat trad publishing like some kind of "trophy" that makes them worthy of something, and they are so pretentious about it, that they literally bow down to a toxic culture just to be part of it. The fact that we've had self-publishing as a viable option for at least 10 years means no one has to bow down to toxicity. But self-interest is an enabler. Now, everyone can carry on trashing the agency (which I agree is trash), but I feel people will overlook the role writers themselves play in letting this BS stand, so call it a hugely unpopular opinion, but someone had to say it. This doesn't happen by accident. It's allowed by those in the culture, which includes writers.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
I understand what you're saying. There are definitely authors who were too afraid to speak up. However, I think it's really important to keep this in mind: when someone you trust is gaslighting you, you don't always know it. So, so many authors - including many of these NL authors - spent months, if not years, truly convinced they themselves were the problem, not their agent or agency. They didn't speak up because they didn't realize there was anything to speak up about - they just assumed they were at fault. Also, this definitely isn't the first case of agencies/publishers behaving badly and authors calling them out publicly - that's been happening a lot more over the last several years (#publishingpaidme being just one example). I guess for me, what it comes down to is this: traditional publishing isn't going anywhere, and self-publishing actually is NOT the easy alternative for many aspiring authors. My middle grade book sales are good because of the clubs and fairs in schools; if I chose to self-pub, those venues are closed to me, so no, it's not a viable option (just as one example). So the more authors who speak up, the better - and the ones who are too afraid to speak up for now, well, I'm definitely not going to shame them for it!
@violetrain2850
@violetrain2850 Год назад
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Absolutely. Everything you said is correct. I'm only harsh on authors like this because I've been on the side of voicing out complaints about the industry and then silenced by these authors, so obviously I'm pissed about it. But you're right that there is a lot of psychological manipulation going on. You're also right that self-publishing isn't a safe space. I don't I could write another angry comment about that as well but I'll refrain! 😅 Anyway, sorry if I frustrated you. Wrote the comment before I got to your last portion of the video about comments like this. I guess I'm one of those angry people who shout at the industry all the time.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
@@violetrain2850 Oh man, I'm really sorry to hear that you were silenced. That's total BS and you have a right to feel angry about it, obviously! (I'm angry for you!) You didn't frustrate me at all. There's a lot to this, and the more open the conversation, the better!! Shout away :)
@crystaleefyffe1230
@crystaleefyffe1230 Год назад
You are on point. Some if these authors are so sweet for trad validation they literally sell themselves short to achieve it. I know you want a trad deal but have some dignity for yourself and your work.
@haykay1626
@haykay1626 Год назад
I saw that trending on Twitter. I was going to query them but definitely not anymore seeing as authors are so disposable to them smh.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
That's exactly why I'm so glad authors are talking about this! :)
@tejaswinisureshkrishnan4228
I am currently querying and I queried New Leaf last year but my query was rejected. I was kind of sad back then but I am soooo relieved. This is so shocking! And it's good that authors are finally speaking up because aspiring authors need to be aware
@fadedpages
@fadedpages Год назад
"The agent-author relationship is not an employer-employee relationship." This is something that really bugs me. The wealth / power in publishing is concentrated at large houses that do not accept unagented submissions therefore querying is a hyper competitive process. Regardless of the merits or disadvantages of this system, it's resulted in a widespread mentality within trad pub that treats agents and editors like a special class of people that are put on a pedestal while the writers are the "dime a dozen" vying for their attention. It creates an environment rife with abuse, intimidation, and apathy (like telling your client you won't read their manuscript for half a year...lmao).
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Yes, I agree, the system is far from perfect. As you said, I understand why large houses can't just be open to unsolicited submissions - if they were, they would employ people whose sole job it is to read through zillions of queries, so the gatekeeping would remain the same. But the environment...it's not great.
@fadedpages
@fadedpages Год назад
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor definitely, the level of competition won't change just because you switch the gatekeeper. Though I do wonder if big publishing houses being forced to hire more readers would be a good thing 🤔 more entry level jobs to help new graduates or interns get their foot into the door. It isn't as if they can't afford to pay more staff + pay staff better.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
@@fadedpages I could not agree with all of this more!!
@mattie1478
@mattie1478 Год назад
The thing I still don't understand about traditional publishing is, if it's a business and publishing houses are in it for money, why does it matter so much what the agents and editors are passionate about? Shouldn't it be about the taste of readers who buy the books?? It's one thing to not get representation because no agent thinks the book will sell (makes total sense, it's a business decision) - but never getting representation because no agent happened to personally like the book? That's just weird to me. It should either be about taste and passion and art OR about the potential to sell, not both. I feel like this mashup of personal and professional is what makes the industry so prone to these kind of scandals.
@nahlanoelle8825
@nahlanoelle8825 Год назад
First of all, everyone on some level is in it for the money, including authors. You'd be deluding yourself pretending otherwise. I would imagine agent/editor passion matters for the same reason passion matters for an author. Agents/editors impact the finished product quite a bit. They improve it and they go to bat for it. If the agents/editors believe they are working on the next potential bestseller their work will obviously be better than if someone told them this book is the next hit and they read it and disagree. That's why assigning the 45 authors who were attached to that agent was difficult, because passion does actually matter. It's just that at the very top of the hierarchy, passion matters less and less because it starts to become a business. That is, authors, who want to make money, turn to the industry, a business, to make it for them. Thus, passion while an important ingredient isn't the only thing that matters.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
I get what you're saying, and maybe I should have been clearer when I said this in the video - I don't mean agents are purely signing authors because they love the book as a reader. Agents definitely have preferences when it comes to genres. A good agent is really tapped into current reader tastes and trends within those genres. So when I say it's subjective, I don't necessarily mean the agent loved the book as a reader - they loved the book because they believe it's going to click with that target audience. (I hope that makes sense!)
@mattie1478
@mattie1478 Год назад
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor It does make sense! Knowledge of genre (including subgenre) is a very important part of fit, and I can see how re-assigning the authors to the other agents at the agency wouldn't be a good solution in every case. I'm commenting more on how one of the most common agent form rejections is "I didn't quite fall in love with the story", which implies they aren't just looking for a book that they can sell, but for a book they themselves will love and be a fan of, which to me just seems... off. I know this is more common for younger agents who get absolutely overwhelmed with submissions and are actively building their list, so they really want every book they represent to be a passion project. But imho this is one of the reasons the personal and the professional get so mixed up in the industry. That's just my opinion but I think if publishing is a business, it should operate as one - and right now, too many publishers and agents do not treat writers as business partners but as disposable material. Obviously that is by far not everyone, but it's getting hard to navigate. Maybe it is time for some sort of union? Or at least the time for everyone to start speaking up.
@0Raiin0
@0Raiin0 Год назад
Yes. 100%. Self-publishing is more akin to running a business. Traditional publishing is more akin to your "business" ONLY being writing. They sound the same, but they are worlds apart. With that said, we can't forget that a lot of people who disparage traditional publishing do it because, like these authors, they did give traditional publishing a fair chance and were destroyed by the machine, and rather than admit the faults of the industry, these writers have been made to feel (as your own evidence suggests) that there is something wrong with them. In short, I agree that a person can't just switch between the two paths without some major revision to their passion in life, but I also can see how this current situation is an indictment on the structure of the industry, just like amazon's essential monopoly is a trashfire on the self-publishing side.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
10000% yes, cosigning everything you said here!
@h.a.s.7336
@h.a.s.7336 Год назад
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Agree with all of the above and would also add that it's a numbers game. Getting traditionally published today is basically akin to winning the lottery. There is a survivorship bias among some traditionally-published authors. Understandable. It's human nature. But there are sooo many talented unpublished authors still waiting for their opportunity. Jerry Spinelli waited ten years for his first publishing deal, and that was because he won a dinner with George Plimpton who connected him to an editor in NY. You could say he would have "eventually" been published. But maybe not! We never hear the stories of talented writers who never get a deal no matter how hard they work because much of it depends on meeting the right person who likes your style or entering a publishing trend at the right time.
@Laura_DiNunno
@Laura_DiNunno Год назад
Exactly this: "...a lot of people who disparage traditional publishing do it because, like these authors, they did give traditional publishing a fair chance and were destroyed by the machine..."
@Sue-pn7mq
@Sue-pn7mq Год назад
After looking at the numbers on Publishers Marketplace I’ve started to see querying in a completely different light and it opened my eyes to quite a few things. I’m feeling so bad for the authors who went through this. Especially for the author who spent 5k on edits. There are so many of us who pay for expensive feedback, which later appears to be a scam. I’ve been there and it saddens me to say, not once. I now know better, but it almost destroyed my confidence as a writer and made me contemplate quitting altogether. I know that these things are not completely linked, but they’re also not not as there are more agents who advise you to use an editor or even offer the service.
@floragraves5167
@floragraves5167 Год назад
As I hunt for agents, I’m looking for agencies with reviews on glassdoors and whatnot to see what’s up. I found some iffy ones that way-mostly just dont have their sh@t together. Always have a lawyer look over every contract is the advice I have heard time and time again. And of course ask tons of questions, be ready to butt heads! This is why i think a lot of successful writers have massive egos. Its because they were the ones who were able to advocate for themselves and get agents who respect them. I think this industry is no longer suitable for those with social anxiety. Youve gotta be determined
@kanashiiookami6537
@kanashiiookami6537 Год назад
Thank you so much for this video! And for offering to help querying authors via email, so far as the "whisper network" goes (were the captions and my hearing correct on that name?). It means an indescribable hell of a lot. 💜 I can understand your anger over the subject, especially because you've known about it for a long time. (I just barely learned about it and i was horrified and enraged, to say the least.) I was so glad, though, to hear that another agent I have on my query list is a great agent (so the tweet said at least) and as much as this whole New Leaf debacle has me scared about my chances, I have to try. Thank you for letting us know what to look out for (the "pay for edits" scam and the 6 month wait for notes and the like), and thank you so much for looking out for us. It means so insanely much.💜 I hope your work and the rest of your week goes well. And I wish you the best of luck with your query! 💜
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Thank YOU for watching, K! And yes, "whisper network" is what I said :) I know it's scary to hear about this stuff when you're planning on taking this path, but I really mean it when I say there are so many wonderful agents out there too!!
@fantastical-whimsical5937
@fantastical-whimsical5937 Год назад
How are we supposed to dream of getting book deals when past the hardship of actually sending stuff out, we could still be put into a never-ending toxic relationship? This is so unsettling and unfair for authors!
@aboutrainbow8614
@aboutrainbow8614 Год назад
New author here. Tried querying once, decided my book wasn't good enough and rebuilt it up from scratch. Slowly having to unlearn the idea that the "end goal" is getting an agent and I should just bow down to the first person willing to give me a shot. In turn, hearing about all the ways getting an agent could go wrong is terrifying, but I know this is my best way to get traditionally published. I've been working hard and I hope I can get my book out there one day. Thanks for posting this- its relieving to know that author's have each other's backs when it comes to this sort of thing.
@lauraelaineallen21
@lauraelaineallen21 26 дней назад
And what sucks is I've been querying so long that I know I will ignore every red flag if I get a single offer of representation. Anyone who wants me, I'll probably take
@alwaysapirateroninace443
@alwaysapirateroninace443 Год назад
Regarding New Leaf, it baffles me that any company would do such a thing. Did they really think no one would say anything? They are only hurting themselves.
@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319
Also, I'm genuinely interested in asking you for that whisper network advice in the future. So I hope by the time I'm at the point when I really need your wisdom and street smarts, your offer still stands.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Absolutely! I'm not promising I know all the dirt on all the agencies, but I'll help if I can :)
@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319
Thank you always for making videos like these, guiding me along as I make my way through the dark trying to get a book deal for my debut novel.
@joeorami4150
@joeorami4150 Год назад
Just watched a video of yours about a match being lit and to just write. I'm currently writing a novel thanks to you. I have never done so before, but currently I'm just focused on getting the idea and story completely down on paper before I even look at all the other things you mentioned. I just want to thank you for keeping me motivated, I was about to give up when I ran across your video, so I'm not going to stop till it's finished. Thanks again - Joe?
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
I'm so happy to hear that, Joe!! :)
@Taleofthegreat
@Taleofthegreat Год назад
Thanks very much for extending the offer to warn people off when they reach out... I might be one of those people in the future. Tbh, the saddest thing is I guess people on the inside already knew but I'm pretty sure all us querying writers heard nothing about how utterly shit NL practices are until just now... It's so cruel to writers without a network.
@rebeccadey
@rebeccadey Год назад
I have been following this so closely since the news broke about it (I saw it first from your newsletter), and just wow. Reprehensible. I think we can all appreciate your words about it, because A) you are always as fair and transparent as you can be in your reporting and takes, and B) you shared a completely opposite, positive story of how things SHOULD be. Thank you so much as well for being a supporter of us aspiring writers. You are amazing. As for the trad vs self pub thing, I agree that they are two different but equally difficult beasts (and predatory people exist in self pub spaces too, such as scammy freelance editors and other services that require vetting), but I think it is just exhausting for people to discover that *everything* has to be researched three times and fact-checked and looked up via Writer Beware, only to find out sometimes not even that is enough. Trad pub is often seen as the "professional" route (but both routes need to be seen as professional, of course, and understood to be businesses.) Still, I think trad pub still has that reputation of (or they are still trying to come across as) being the "real" way versus the "cop out" way, which is wrong. What they need to do more, though, is stop the continued perspective of writers as nothing but fodder for the commercial machine. We don't need to be ground up through the conveyer belts of this industry to get a book published, pieces of our souls commodified, or worse, thrown off the assembly line entirely because we can't create one big fat diamond instead of ten smaller ones. It of course isn't everyone in trad pub, but it is a systemic problem. Phew. Sorry for the rant lol.
@alwaysapirateroninace443
@alwaysapirateroninace443 Год назад
I am always astonished Michelle's videos don't have more likes & comments. But never fear. They will!
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Haha, thank you! :)
@KrisMF
@KrisMF Год назад
I was devastated by this news! and it makes me even more nervous about getting into the query trenches. the power dynamic in trad-pub astonishes and terrifies me every day. I understand publishing is a business, but why treat writers--the people whose work *is* the product (!)--with such callousness? the only thing authors can control is their manuscript but it just seems like more and more, the work hardly matters when things like this can happen completely beyond your control... really hoping for the best for Jordan and her clients!
@stephanie0311
@stephanie0311 Год назад
Thank you for this video, I saw this being talked about as I was looking for agents to query as was confused as to what was happening. Could you maybe do a video about what agents should be doing, like what is typical agent practices and what isn't? Like a red flags and green flags for agents so we can protect ourselves from ones like this. I would have known that $5000 for an editor was insane, but I don't know how long they should be taking to get back to you, or what a healthy agent-author relationship looks like.
@floragraves5167
@floragraves5167 Год назад
Maybe instead of just agents what makes a really good literary agency itself? There can be good agents working for a bad company
@stephanie0311
@stephanie0311 Год назад
@@floragraves5167 Very true
@JoeyPaulOnline
@JoeyPaulOnline Год назад
I'm so glad you covered this, I'd seen some of the tweets about it and saw some other self-pub indies doing the whole you should do self-pub instead as an indie/self-pub it's not as simple as that, and like you said, a lot more thought has to go into it!
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Thanks so much, Joey! Yeah, there are so many reasons to choose self-pub but I don't think doing so purely in reaction to scandals like this is necessarily the best one.
@brendanmcnally9145
@brendanmcnally9145 5 месяцев назад
Good piece. thank you for telling the truth on this.
@JohnAllenRoyce
@JohnAllenRoyce Год назад
As someone who has gone the indy self-publishing publishing route (which is lot of unseen extra work, be advised!) I noticed how much hysterical effort "traditional" publishing puts into blocking out and stigmatizing independent publishing. They put up walls and go out of their way to block any independent writers from what they've divvied up as "their space" in the nation's bookstores, distribution facilities, and all forms of effective publicity opportunities. It's like an ungodly war to restrict authors via agents, querying rounds, booklists, major awards, inner circle meetings, labyrinthine one-sided contracts, hogging of review space, midlist destruction, editorial downsizing, etc etc). It is one of the main planks of their monopolistic business practice to make sure authors outside their system cannot surface or get shelf space outside their control and profit. You can say "oh it's just the way business operates" but it's noteworthy to realize that "traditional publishing" doesn't give one moldy grain of rice about writers, readers, the state of literacy, national literature, or books in general. They have caused incredible harm to creativity and reading in America. By the way, there is no "traditional publishing" ... what remains is a sold-out, financialized, commodified, conglomerated corporate monopoly enterprise that is nothing like what we think publishing to be. To paraphrase Giles from Buffy: You are not looking at traditional publishing, you're looking at what killed it.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Okay that Buffy quote cracked me up! :) I get what you're saying. I do think it's worth pointing out that until the rise of Amazon, which is (relatively speaking) fairly recent, self-publishing wasn't seen as a threat or anything else by publishers because well, it didn't really exist on a large scale. And once Amazon did start rising, it happened so quickly that no one, including publishers, could keep up. So while some of it was an effort, yes, some of it was just that publishers move SLOW. On everything. There are still major houses out there cutting paper checks because they haven't moved to digital payments/transfers. So from my POV, it's not so much an insidious thing as it is just them not keeping up with the times and being several steps behind. But that's just my perspective, and I definitely see where you're coming from!
@JohnAllenRoyce
@JohnAllenRoyce Год назад
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Very gracious reply, Michelle, thank you. I see where you are coming from too, and respect you for what you do to inform people. Thank you! This situation may not be insidious from the corporate workers, but the attitude comes from the top. And really, indy publishing from what I encountered isn't so much indy as it is a form of mimicry. It wants to do things just like the corporate trusts, but as an alternate or parallel track. Maybe one hope is that writers could see the inadequacy of the old ways in our technology driven world and band together to make something that works for all elements of the reading culture. Unfortunately things will probably have to get worse to drive that kind of solidarity. But the Hollywood writer's seem to be doing something. Could be we need to turn the page and start a new chapter, ha ha.
@mirandaleggett1509
@mirandaleggett1509 Год назад
This was so well done. Thank you for sharing!
@jhagen22
@jhagen22 Год назад
Thank you so much for this video! I'm working on my manuscript edits and hope to query in the not too distant future. I would love to e-mail you with questions when that day comes.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Absolutely! I'll help if I can!
@Beedler
@Beedler Год назад
This is my first time seeing any of your videos and I found it very helpful and welcoming as someone who is not published yet. Thank you for taking the time to explain things so well and to show multiple perspectives. :)
@floragraves5167
@floragraves5167 Год назад
Michelle, thank you for bringing awareness to us newbies. It flips me out
@gladysbauer2262
@gladysbauer2262 Год назад
I'm a new-be right in the middle of querying. I can't thank you enough for this article. Please keep up the good work.
@kathleenschwab4645
@kathleenschwab4645 Год назад
Thank you for putting this out there.
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
No problem - thanks for watching, Kathleen!
@MotownCountry
@MotownCountry Год назад
kinda sad, Patrice has been the only one on her MSWL to say "send me vamps" and i have that in my story. mostly i've seen no mention specifically like that, or if they do mention it, it's more like "don't send me vamps" LOL
@PaulRWorthington
@PaulRWorthington Год назад
I love a greater rant!
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
:)
@tomgrant3893
@tomgrant3893 Год назад
Just recently I tried to hybrids that treated me like I was the next Stephen King, but as time wwent on they started making excuses about me editing my own work and the term never write for the dollar had changed to It's all about the dollar and they consider their readers a pack of idiots but would never say so public, it seem,s to me the traditionals are adopting the same mindset, which as an actor recently stated, doing it for the dollar ruins the art and that the new ppl in charge fail to understand that. Any advise you can give about what road to publishing I might consider next. Thank u for your help if u get this.
@coneil72
@coneil72 Год назад
Great video and commentary. At 13:30 you say "it was a lie." What was the lie?
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor
@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Год назад
Thanks! And I was referring to NL's statement that the parting was "amicable" and the implication that Jordan hadn't kept her client files up to date (essentially trying to lay the blame on her for the communication mishandling)
@coneil72
@coneil72 Год назад
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Thank you!
@miaramck6746
@miaramck6746 Год назад
Shouldn't the author-agent relationship be employer-employee? I mean, you are the one paying them. My realtor works for me, but they only get paid when I sell my house. I feel like things have flipped upside down.
@golfdoc1950
@golfdoc1950 Год назад
Sounds like the real world just arrived at New Leaf. Of course if one is an aspiring author, getting rejected is part of the deal.
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