Jim C. Hines

A few weeks back, I mentioned the possibility of me doing an interview with my agent here on LJ. I know a lot of my readers are also writers, and even for the non-writers, it can be interesting to learn how the business works.

Thanks to those of you who offered questions. I used some of 'em. There were also a few I think I can answer, so I'll come back to those later.

For now, allow me to present my agent Steve Mancino. I signed with him in early 2005. He's sold four of my books to DAW (my goblin series, as well as the first of my princess books). He's also sold the goblins to Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, France, and Russia. Plus he's a fun guy to hang out with...

1. To start off with, who are you, and why the heck did you decide to be an agent?

SM: I'm Steve Mancino, of course, with JABberwocky Literary Agency. And you know who I am, Jim. I'm your agent (as well as Kat Richardson and Jeri Westerson's, to name a couple).

Honestly, I never really 'decided' to become an agent. It fell into my lap about 4 years ago when I was offered some part time work (we'll call it an internship) reading queries. When I graduated college, there was a job offer and I had liked the work enough to say yes.

2. If you could ban one genre trope from your slush pile for the next five years, what would it be?

SM: Tricky question. I've found that a trope that might not work for someone might actually work for someone else. I do my best to keep an open mind, looking for the old thing with a new twist. Though, I did get a long run of historical fantasies that weren't very historical...or fantasy...or good...

3. Many of the folks here want to know how to land an agent. Aside from my charm and good looks, what made you take me on as a client?

SM: Seriously, it was your charm and good looks. ;)

You were professional (in a way) and had something salable to work with. You also had more than just one book in you. I saw that you would be fun to work with, be able to write more great books, and work hard where necessary. Those are traits I look for in each of my clients.

4. "In a way"? Hmph. Anyway, you and I both know at least one author who's had a successful career without an agent. What's the benefit of getting an agent vs. going it alone?

SM: There are pros and cons to everything in this business. It's up to the writer to weigh them and choose accordingly. The 'agent vs. solo' debate has gone on a long time even though having an agent is what's really expected (but not always necessary). The biggest thing to consider here is that most major New York publishers will not look at unagented submissions--and if they do, the material may sit in slush for years* (and simultaneous unagented submissions to multiple publishers is often considered a faux pas).

Agents bring a pool of ready-made contacts to the table and are allowed to submit to more than one publisher at a time and (in most cases) agent-submitted material will be looked at in relatively short order.

An unagented writer will face many hurdles and problems in the business of writing. An agent can help guide the writer through those as well as help manage a long term career.

But on the other side of things, if all a writer wants is to just "Be Published", then an agent might be unnecessary. Self-publishing and vanity presses are out there. While agents don't work with those venues (for obvious reasons), there ARE ways to get published for the "getting published" sake. And there are also some decent small presses looking for good material.

5. What advice would you give to someone who's determined to go solo?

SM: Network, network, network. Meet other professionals, such as writers and editors and agents. Not only is it good to get your foot in the door, but there could be some good advice out there.

Educate yourself. Learn about the industry today. (Networking is a good way to keep on top of this. So are trade magazines.)

Brush up on contractual language. There might not be a lot of room for negotiation, but please know what you're reading before that contract gets signed.

Remain calm and diligent and be open minded. The world of publishing, both in and out of NY, can get very frustrating.

6. What is the one piece of advice you wish professionals in the publishing business would stop giving to people trying to get published, and why?

SM: It's not quite a certain piece of advice. It's more like the transmittal of advice. Too often at conferences and conventions I'll listen to other agents and editors make very generalized statements and pass them off as absolutes. It grates on me even more when I see the writers in the crowd take the note and underline it several times to be obeyed like some sort of biblical law on threat of boils and frogs.

In this business there are few absolutes. Each publishing house has different submission guidelines and contract boilerplate and red tape. Each agent has their own submission guidelines as well as personalities, client lists, genre needs, etc. There might be similarities, but there is no one truth here. A writer will not score brownie points by e-mailing a submission to me because so-and-so of what's-its-name-agency said e-mail submissions are the new standard. (FYI, I don't look at e-mail submissions unless I ask for one.)

So please, writers, verify your information. Educate yourselves. Don't be afraid to ask around if you've been given an "absolute truth" from a professional. There are very few right answers in this business.

7. Who would win in an all-out, no-holds-barred brawl between Talia (from The Stepsister Scheme) and Shrek the ogre?

SM: Talia, hands down. Shrek is a lover, not a fighter. It might be a little more interesting if you had said Fiona. But it'd still be Talia. I've never seen Fiona take anyone down with dinnerware before.

8. What's your favorite agenting moment so far?

SM: This is such a loaded question. One of yours, Jim? ;)

I relive my favorite moment every time I see a book I represent land on the bookshelves. There's just nothing like seeing the culmination of years of work finally pay off for both the writer and myself. The feeling doesn't get old.

9. How exactly does the process of selling a book work? Is alcohol involved? Secret handshakes? Squid?

SM: Squid? Now that's just silly, and more than a little gross. Alcohol, sometimes. Secret handshakes...that's a secret, unless you know the handshake.

The process really just involves getting to know the editors and the publishers. This can happen through meetings, lunches, conventions, industry events...

When I'm getting ready to market an MS, I always have to consider if the work is appropriate for a particular house or if a particular editor might not like what I've got to sell.

I also write up a marketing letter. It's not unlike a query letter (functionally speaking). Sometimes I might slave over it for a couple days, making sure it's as perfect as can be.

There's a little more to it than that, but there's different scenarios always popping up (none of that absolute truth business!).

10. Once you had read and enjoyed Goblin Quest, you and Joshua called me up to chat. What were you looking for in that phone call? (I.e., what could I have done to blow my chances?)

SM: Hmmm... Another toughie. By the time that call happened, I was fairly certain we'd be working together. I had loved the book and wanted you as a client and you were interested in having me as your agent.

If there was anything you could have done to blow your chances, it would have been acting unruly and unprofessional. (Did those words really come out of my mouth?) I wouldn't necessarily say that--I've been known to be a bit unruly and a bit unprofessional myself. But the point is that we were still learning about each other.

The big thing that blows people's chances with me is if they act like prima donnas. Publishing is not a right. It is a reward for mastering the craft and doing homework and having something salable at the right place at the right time.

BONUS QUESTION: An author and an agent are driving a Celica through Chicago at 75 miles per hour. How many bookstores can they visit before one of them snaps and runs off to join the circus?**

SM: Not as many this year as last year ;) But I heard the agent DID join the circus before they even took the day to visit bookstores. (Barnum and Bailey's was at the All-State Center behind the Wyndam!)

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Jim's notes:
*In my own slush experience, my manuscript sat for 2.5 years before getting an offer from a major publisher.
**Windycon was an interesting experience this year...