Random Ramblings About Agents, Editors and Money…

First – a nice shout out back to Simon Larter and Donna Hole for the link-backs. I had no idea I was so fascinating. 😉

I actually helped Simon out with a little research the other day. And I’m not sure just how interesting it really was, but I trust him to spruce it up for the sake of art.

One of things I did talk to him about was the fact that I took the chance to chat with the respective editors of the different publishing houses before I made my decision.  Which really makes so much sense. Regardless of who you’re looking to sign on with – agent or editor – you need to get a feel for who they are, as you’re most likely going to have to work with them for several years. In my case, I had stopped looking at the monetary offers as deciding factors (they were fairly close anyway), and was concentrating on how similar the editor’s vision for the book meshed with mine, as well as the long term plans for my budding career.  (Although it’s not always a given – after all, sometimes the editor isn’t going to just show you all their cards until you sign with them – and that makes sense too.)

A good friend of mine just turned down an agent, in fact, because she could tell their personalities weren’t lining up. And as hard as that is to imagine, I think she was right for doing so – she had something different in mind as far as the direction she wanted to go with the book and the agent didn’t seem too interested in pursuing that course. In cases like that, it’s probably best to stick with your gut, even if it means you have to wait a little longer.

And speaking of meshing, I chatted with my editor yesterday about the revisions and we’re definitely on the same page as far as the changes go.  I’m feeling really good about it and I’m rather eager to start ripping some things apart. (Ask me again in a few months, though, and we’ll see where I’m at.)

Of course, the Dragon Age expansion comes out next week, dammit. *grabby fingers at new gaming rig* Willpower? Hmmmph.

I’d also like to take a moment to to squash one of the larger rumors running around suggesting I got some sort of six-figure deal. No. Not even close. I don’t know where it started, unless the fact that I went to auction caused a lot of assumptions, but no. And really, it doesn’t matter what the deal was for – comparing the offer you have on the table with what someone else is getting doesn’t do anyone any good.

If you’re looking for a base-line comparison, check out Show Me the Money – just note which ones are a bit skewed based on the high and lows – go with the median if the average debut offer is too high. (And yeah, I’d *love* to know who got 450k from Mira for a first book too. *waves pitchfork*)  It’s still not a bad place to start if you’re not sure if you’re getting low-balled.)

In the end, do the best with what you have, with what you’ve been offered and with what *you* can live with.

The rest doesn’t matter.