LOOKING FOR A LITERARY AGENT
LITERARY agents are funny ducks. If you truly need one, most to none will want to take you on. If you don’t need one, they’re suddenly coming out of the woodwork. That’s not to disparage having a literary agent, just an acknowledgement of the process being a lot like having a “real” or “traditional” publisher, publicity agent or influencer. If you need one…
It comes from (my opinion) the “old” style of publishing: Namely, a work get’s just a few weeks when released to claw its way into the top 100 sales wise, or relegated to the backlist. Back. Not necessarily black, though one could argue with some efficacy that they are one and the same. Once one becomes a backlisted author, it can quickly become a publisher problem. You know, “if you need one…”
Many of my author colleagues decry having to do so much personal publicity and marketing. You know, chatting, blogging, one-on-one emailing, personally coaxing out legitimate book reviews and entering legitimate book award contests — what the many and constantly increasing number of pay-per-service vanity presses require “at author expense” making post-publication more of a major gambling effort, again, largely at the author’s expense. I have always kept to my own advice to others: Never spend what you haven’t received in royalties. Never gamble, only invest, and by investing, I mean outlay money that includes a contract-guaranteed return of the investment if sales falls short. That way, the only variable is return over initial investment. Quickly separates out the “gambling with my money” the literary promoters that accost me after every new release. It requires putting one’s money where one’s advertising mouth is. In the SciFu world of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, these folks, present now in all field of business, government, education, travel, tourism — are collectively called “Fast Eddies.” And everyone in the future world is a Fast Eddie, not necessarily by choice, but through a combination of needs, wants and desires.
The Edge of Madness
I don’t think I’m really that different from every other author. I want to spend my time doing what I do well: writing. On the other hand, I realize that in today’s literary market, the one thing people still have some trust in is the author. After all, “advertising” costs money; so why would a company advertise a book if it really is already a bestseller? Hey, just my opinion.
Raymond-Gaynor5-LRG
Raymond Gaynor – Author of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020), co-author with A. G. Hayes of QUANTUM DEATH (Savant 2016) and with William Maltese of TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009)
Author website at https://garymartine.yolasite.com/raym...
Author Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/raymond.gayn...
Author Twitter site at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/Raymond-Gaynor...
Amazon Goodreads author page at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Savant Books and Publications | Aignos Publishing author page at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Available from Savant Bookstore Atlantic; Savant Bookstore Midwest; Savant Bookstore Pacific; Savant Bookstore Honolulu
Distributed by Savant Distribution at https://www.savantdistribution.com/
It comes from (my opinion) the “old” style of publishing: Namely, a work get’s just a few weeks when released to claw its way into the top 100 sales wise, or relegated to the backlist. Back. Not necessarily black, though one could argue with some efficacy that they are one and the same. Once one becomes a backlisted author, it can quickly become a publisher problem. You know, “if you need one…”
Many of my author colleagues decry having to do so much personal publicity and marketing. You know, chatting, blogging, one-on-one emailing, personally coaxing out legitimate book reviews and entering legitimate book award contests — what the many and constantly increasing number of pay-per-service vanity presses require “at author expense” making post-publication more of a major gambling effort, again, largely at the author’s expense. I have always kept to my own advice to others: Never spend what you haven’t received in royalties. Never gamble, only invest, and by investing, I mean outlay money that includes a contract-guaranteed return of the investment if sales falls short. That way, the only variable is return over initial investment. Quickly separates out the “gambling with my money” the literary promoters that accost me after every new release. It requires putting one’s money where one’s advertising mouth is. In the SciFu world of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor, these folks, present now in all field of business, government, education, travel, tourism — are collectively called “Fast Eddies.” And everyone in the future world is a Fast Eddie, not necessarily by choice, but through a combination of needs, wants and desires.
The Edge of Madness
I don’t think I’m really that different from every other author. I want to spend my time doing what I do well: writing. On the other hand, I realize that in today’s literary market, the one thing people still have some trust in is the author. After all, “advertising” costs money; so why would a company advertise a book if it really is already a bestseller? Hey, just my opinion.
Raymond-Gaynor5-LRG
Raymond Gaynor – Author of THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020), co-author with A. G. Hayes of QUANTUM DEATH (Savant 2016) and with William Maltese of TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009)
Author website at https://garymartine.yolasite.com/raym...
Author Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/raymond.gayn...
Author Twitter site at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Amazon author page at https://www.amazon.com/Raymond-Gaynor...
Amazon Goodreads author page at https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Savant Books and Publications | Aignos Publishing author page at https://www.savantbooksandpublication...
Available from Savant Bookstore Atlantic; Savant Bookstore Midwest; Savant Bookstore Pacific; Savant Bookstore Honolulu
Distributed by Savant Distribution at https://www.savantdistribution.com/
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