Current Events
Life gets in the way of art a lot in spring time.
Spring time is a busy time, in our neck of the woods.You want to get all the yard cleanup done before the end of May when the black flies erupt, so I haven't had a lot of time to write. When I do write, I've been concentrating on my second novel instead of blogging. It is progressing slowly--43,350 words so far.
I've also been waiting on a response from the agents I sent query letters to regarding my fist novel, but have received nothing yet (seven week have passed). I sent three query letters, and received one automatic reply from one agency saying they received the email and their average response time is eight weeks--thank you Cooke Agency. At least I had something to work with as far as time went. The tomorrow marks eight weeks, so I am hopeful I will receive something from someone sometime soon. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning.
I'm new to the business of writing, so I haven't dealt with agents before, but I worked in business for over thirty years, and I'm afraid I don't understand how they can get away with this 'black hole' mentality--especially in this day and age when automatic responses to emails are so common place. Seriously, dream with me a little bit--you have just written the next award winning novel which you send to a number of agents, but only one responds initially. It is an automated response, but at least you have something to hold onto. Some months later, you receive replies from a number of agencies because your novel is that good. Which agency do you consider? Your damn right, the one that responded with the auto response.
I've been reading about how the publishing business is changing. Money has been tight in all areas for the last few years. Companies have been cutting back on the number of editors they have on staff, some are looking at new ways of finding their talent (such as sites like authonomy.com), and options for self publishing are growing exponentially. I imagine agent are having to tighten their belts as well, so why maintain the black hole practice.
I worked for an Ontario Hospital during the years that the funding pockets shrunk. There was a great amount of scrambling around looking for solutions to the problems, but one of the most significant solutions was C.Q.I. (Continuous Quality Improvement). This was the concept adapted by Japan that moved them from the producers of junk (remember the J.A. Pan company) to the manufacturers of quality products, and the concept doesn't stop with manufacturing. When it is applied to service related businesses, it helps to streamline the business processes allowing for better customer service, quicker turn around, and lower costs. Of course, it requires a change in attitude to make it work. Maybe that isn't possible here.
Meanwhile I wait and consider self publishing.
Spring time is a busy time, in our neck of the woods.You want to get all the yard cleanup done before the end of May when the black flies erupt, so I haven't had a lot of time to write. When I do write, I've been concentrating on my second novel instead of blogging. It is progressing slowly--43,350 words so far.
I've also been waiting on a response from the agents I sent query letters to regarding my fist novel, but have received nothing yet (seven week have passed). I sent three query letters, and received one automatic reply from one agency saying they received the email and their average response time is eight weeks--thank you Cooke Agency. At least I had something to work with as far as time went. The tomorrow marks eight weeks, so I am hopeful I will receive something from someone sometime soon. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas morning.
I'm new to the business of writing, so I haven't dealt with agents before, but I worked in business for over thirty years, and I'm afraid I don't understand how they can get away with this 'black hole' mentality--especially in this day and age when automatic responses to emails are so common place. Seriously, dream with me a little bit--you have just written the next award winning novel which you send to a number of agents, but only one responds initially. It is an automated response, but at least you have something to hold onto. Some months later, you receive replies from a number of agencies because your novel is that good. Which agency do you consider? Your damn right, the one that responded with the auto response.
I've been reading about how the publishing business is changing. Money has been tight in all areas for the last few years. Companies have been cutting back on the number of editors they have on staff, some are looking at new ways of finding their talent (such as sites like authonomy.com), and options for self publishing are growing exponentially. I imagine agent are having to tighten their belts as well, so why maintain the black hole practice.
I worked for an Ontario Hospital during the years that the funding pockets shrunk. There was a great amount of scrambling around looking for solutions to the problems, but one of the most significant solutions was C.Q.I. (Continuous Quality Improvement). This was the concept adapted by Japan that moved them from the producers of junk (remember the J.A. Pan company) to the manufacturers of quality products, and the concept doesn't stop with manufacturing. When it is applied to service related businesses, it helps to streamline the business processes allowing for better customer service, quicker turn around, and lower costs. Of course, it requires a change in attitude to make it work. Maybe that isn't possible here.
Meanwhile I wait and consider self publishing.
No comments have been added yet.
