Literary Agents Debunk 7 Major Publishing Myths

[@murphcallahan5892]

I'm 71 and I'm encouraged.

[@Tygertyger8008]

As am I at 62.

[@LizGHW]

I'm 72

[@rowan7929]

At times it does feel like my stories isn't holding up with what agents want. I still keep on writing and hope that an agent will finally accept. My goal is to write exciting stories many hopefully can enjoy and quit my crappy retail job.

[@Johnny5477]

My concern about the trends is that, sure, you shouldn’t just write to meet one… But a manuscript that’s a 7/10 but meets a trend might get through, but it takes an 8/10 or 9/10 to get through if it’s not trendy.

[@justkisproductions9778]

I'm trying to get started as an author at 41. I already got my first two rejections. When I told my wife, she said oh baby I'm so sorry. I'm not, As an entrepreneur I know that the more no's you get can only lead to a yes. I'm excited to have been rejected because it means they're reading it!

[@eruvandib.676]

I appreciate this video very much. Sometimes, I've seen fellow writers just about act like everyone in the publishing industry is mean, evil, or just plain mercenary. Rejection hurts and can get frustrating and discouraging, but that doesn't mean the person who rejected your story is bad or mean any more than readers are bad or mean for not connecting with any given book that we may read. We writers are an emotional lot, and that's part of what makes us good at crafting story, but I for one know it's important to not let emotion make us ignore facts that, like you said, agents and publishers are people who love books too. They just aren't superheroes and can't take every one of the thousands of books that come across their desk.

[@larryduncan5105]

This is great information. Especially considering how many other people there are on YT right now, claiming to have experience in the industry and making it sound like agents are just super petty gatekeepers. I just watched a video yesterday by someone claiming to have experience in the field who said the agents they worked with would rarely read past the first line of a query letter unless it was worded in a very specific format. They just deleted anything that didn’t match their preferred format without ever even looking at the manuscript or even the synopsis itself.

[@austinrhubarb]

I can fully respect agents having a requested format to help them streamline how they chomp through the emails. My issue is when some of them are overly prescriptive in how you have to show you have researched them. I've literally seen some American agents on KZbin saying that the author should suck up to them a bit and make them feel special, and not just like yet another generic query. I don't see what is wrong with a polite and well structured generic query? What is the problem with effectively saying 'Here's a one paragraph sales pitch of my book. Read the rest of the email if you're still interested 20 seconds later.' I just don't get why some agents demand that you show you have researched them. As long as they mention the genre of your book as being one that they work with, this should be enough.

[@webbsamples]

One of your very best Alyssa. Very Helpful.

[@bevgreen8165]

As an unpublished writer, I've seen many of these myths talked about on other channels. I believe you know what you're talking about because you've been in the business. My question is, why are you no longer in the business? Did it burn you out? Were there other things about the business that made you leave? Also, I'd like you to address the issue of male authors apparently not getting many deals these days. Is that a myth also? As an older male writer, it makes me wonder if it's worth the effort to try tradpub, or whether I should do Indie.

[@martellc1008]

Honestly it’s not just a white male author problem I am black male & the genres I want to write I just do not see represented in self publishing or traditional

[@VinnyTheory]

Male authors are doing fine according to other KZbinrs. Also, I just paid to check out publishers marketplace and many if not most of the debut authors I saw getting deals in 2024 were men so we’re fine

[@VinnyTheory]

I had been concerned too

[@bevgreen8165]

@@martellc1008 Well, I mostly do westerns, so....

[@bevgreen8165]

@@VinnyTheory Of course, there's so many YTbers, you can't watch them all. I'd like to think you're right. When you look at the marketplace, you see a large number of female agents and agencies, so maybe that's why it seems males don't do so well.

[@FlashUltra_]

I guess my question is: these myths exist for a reason which means we all have thought or felt that these myths were/are real. so why have we felt like they’re real? Did they used to be and things changed?

[@TheEccentricRaven]

Myths exist for the same reason that myths on other subjects exist. People make assumptions out of cognitive bias instead of doing their research. Misinformation spreads like a game of telephone at lightning speed.

[@michaelchurch1324]

#1 is mostly true-agents don't read slush piles; unpaid interns do, and usually those interns don't know what they're doing. Your goal, if you're trying to get into traditional publishing, is not to write a book that readers love-but a book that people will show to their boss. Don't take risks because you're going to need 10 people's approval before you get a deal with a decent marketing and publicity package. #2 is mostly true-but no one is going to admit it because it's socially unacceptable. #3 is false-Alyssa's correct here. No manuscript is perfect on submission. #4 is half-true-it depends on whether you can convince them that you're a future award-winner. If they see you as the sort of person who will get 6- and 7-figure advances on debut on critical reception alone-i.e., becoming one of the five authors in the country who can sustain that advance level regardless of sales fluctuations-then they prefer that you *not* follow trends. But if they see you as an ordinary interchangeable rent-an-author, then you're going to be expected to write to market (and have a marketing plan!) #5 varies, #6 I don't know. #7 is like #4-if you convince them that you're a future Nobel Laureate, you're allowed to chase your vision. If they see you as destined for small deals and ordinary (dismal) results... then probably not.

[@PetProjects2011]

What is a cold query?

[@franciscoojeda8986]

I am not doubting the speaker on this video but I have queried 109 times and gotten two (2) responses. These queries were for two novels and four collections of short stories. I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt but...two responses out of 109 queries! Out of the two responses, one indicated they were not accepting new material. Period. Dead stop. No other explanation. The second one indicated the following (quoting): "You need to read and write more to develop the skills for someone to take you seriously." I have this framed on my wall to ensure I never forget this agency and agent. This is not about the process of querying or even a criticism of the publishing industry, this is about a lack of professionalism. I wish all writers better treatment than I have received. Good luck.

[@Tygertyger8008]

It isn't agents, or even editors, that you have to worry about trying to change your story. Hollywood will do that, if you're lucky enough to get a movie deal.

[@UsImgincre]

Wonderful video Alyssa! It's just what I needed to hear! I'm planning on sending queries out next year for my novel.

[@yardsalestanleyplayers24]

AEVITAS agency tossed in my face by Matesic. Anne Lennox, lead singer R&R band, she says, Work Work Work... and she's right.

[@jameshansen7108]

I had a question, how do you write a good morally grey character? What I mean is for example, a character who is one of the "good guys", but gets results in manipulative, round about ways that are bad or immoral. Context: I would like to write a character in one of my stories who is charming, humorous, charismatic, intelligent, and manipulative, but has already passed his "redemption arc" aspect. He now uses his skills he learned from his "villain arc" for good. I don't want this character to be someone who isn't aware that what he is doing is wrong, but is actually very aware, careful, and planned, but always sees the "greater good" and has that in mind. What are your thoughts?

[@Eidolon1andOnly]

Sounds like an antihero, and there's some good videos available explaining how to write a good antihero.

[@RecklessDeck]

Is it possible to finds a literary agent that will work with an author on both novel and scripted podcast formats? Or do you need two separate agents for this?

[@RichardJBarbalace]

I understand that many novelists and non-fiction writers have agents, but is that typical for other types of books? Should you have an agent if you only write short stories? Should you have an agent if you write poetry? I attended a poetry workshop at a book festival this weekend, and do not think I met any poets who have agents.

[@exdejesus]

This is so helpful. Sometimes it seems like the submission process is adversarial -- us vs. them. Just having the concept that agents can be on the side of the writers, and genuinely want to help guide them to writing and publishing their best work, is so encouraging.

[@O_M554]

I’m thinking of adding this to the bottom of my query: I am seeking an agent who is fully comfortable with and respectful of my preference for email-only communication. Is this a bad idea?

[@joefraracci6748]

In the bad old days women had to use pen names or their initials to get published. Now we have equality but as George Orwell noted some writers are more equal than others.

[@Alkemisti]

If agents don't require the books to be 'trendy', then what is the point of recent comparative titles?

[@StoneColt45]

Is query manager how most the kids are doing it nowadays?

[@AlyssaMatesic]

Many agents do use QueryManager, but others still prefer to receive queries by email. Always check each agent's submission guidelines for their preferred process!

[@blackiemittens]

I think many of these myths may be to frustrate or scare authors toward Self Publishing as being their Only option. It is valid for some and proven successful, but it leaves those writers who focus mainly on the Writing, a bit out in the cold. Thanks for sharing this info. It's encouraging to know at least some of the hurdles may not be there.

[@TheEccentricRaven]

💯 Many of these myths about traditional publishing are mouthed by those soliciting self-publishing courses/services. There's nothing wrong with choosing to self publish if that's what's best for you, but you have no right to tell others what they should do.

[@joevaldez6457]

Fantastic video, Alyssa. I find it tremendously helpful to know how many clients an agent currently has, as well as what they say they respond to, however subjective that may be. Of these agents, Lori Galvin is one I queried and she was on my A-list. She responded within three weeks and I'd absolutely query her again with my next manuscript. I've never heard of a ball player who quit the game because a major league pitcher struck him out his first professional at-bat.

[@lilrosetattoo]

This was really encouraging. I’m in the process of writing a 4 book fantasy series and I know that’s a tall order as a debut. So I started developing a standalone which I’m also excited about. It’s nice to know that if my series doesn’t find a home out the gate that I can keep working on it and it might find a home at a later date.

[@scloftin8861]

I'm fairly certain that my stuff is so niche that no one has discovered the niche yet. Which means, no audience. I'll stick with working my way down Amazon's author listing. Yes, I said down.

[@nyxcole9879]

Alyssa, thank you so much ❤ I am in the trenches right now with the book of my heart and I had so many of these fears in my head.

[@SleepParty30]

Can you answer one major question that thousands of writers are speaking about in the writing communities? Are women gatekeeping the industry? Even in your videos, there is a clear inequality whenever you speak of agents. You always display women, and honestly, I'm surprised you even showed one guy at the end of this list. Quite shocking. So, is there an agenda orchestrated by higher ups that pressure the agents to nitpick from the slushpile?

[@fralou_sind_kreativ]

Great and important video! Thank you Alyssa, I feel very encouraged

[@BenStimpsonAuthor]

Ohhhh what an interesting synchronicity, I just queries Jake Loveall this morning, spooky to see his words pop up here

[@rsybing]

Sorry, I know what literary agents are going to say. But a year of rejections later, I need to be convinced that their actions back up their words. And I understand the pressures of the market are significant, all I'm saying is mere reassurances here aren't encouraging. Now, if you have other advice besides "just trust the process, keep doing what you're doing," I'd be interested. No hand holding is necessary, just some actual advice beyond just grinding through rejections.

[@TheEccentricRaven]

Thank you once again Alyssa for presenting the facts!

[@starklingspars8956]

Thanks Alyssa! ❤

[@FlashUltra_]

This is super encouraging thanks

[@giovannijacobs4496]

thanks for the great video once again!

[@fluffyspunsugar]

Thanks for the clarifications!

This was very helpful

[@Werewolf.with.Internet.Access]

This video felt like seeing a medic helicopter flying towards you from over the horizon while you’re knee deep in the trenches Thank you so much

[@BrianKavanagh123]

Rubbish

[@joefraracci6748]

Alyssa you are a very nice person but I am unsubscribing because you've lost street cred with me. You have refused to address the elephant in the room which is that unpublished straight white guys come to the plate with two (or three) strikes against them. That is an unpleasant fact and you know it's true.

[@sonic31century1]

" unpublished straight white guys come to the plate with two (or three) strikes against them. " -- Has an agent ever asked you your race? Has an agent every asked you about your sexuality? Assuming you have no KZbin presence, has an agent ever seen a picture of you? Do publishers ask literary agents the race of the perspective authors whose novels they (the literary agents) want to sell? Isn't it true that the first time a book buyer sees an author's race is when the buyer looks at the author's picture on the back of the book?

[@whipless9668]

Thank you for the truth! Most of the agents or editors are women. I've heard agents also say they only look for women of color because they are "under represented." Please address these issues Alyssa.

[@RavenOConnor]

Exactly this. This is an unfortunate and frustrating situation that's become widespread throughout the entire entertainment industry, all because of an unbalanced prioritising of "diversity and inclusion". With Hollywood especially, the internal catchphrase when it comes to hiring is "Male and pale is stale" - yikes. By not covering this blatant bias, people in Alyssa's position are - whether knowingly or not - downplaying a very real form of active discrimination against certain authors by the publishing industry.

[@unicorntomboy9736]

This is cringe to read, and is simply not true

[@joevaldez6457]

I wouldn't be trying to break into an industry I honestly believed was racist or sexist as a general rule, but let's assume you're right on every count. When you're ready to query your next book, all you'd have to do is use a gender neutral pen name and you shouldn't have a problem getting agented or published.