An agent who's a publisher & vice versa

[Paul Whybrow]

In my search for a literary agent and approaching publishers who are running an open submissions window, I came across someone who is doing both jobs.

Yasmin Standen runs The Standen Literary Agency, which is no longer accepting submissions after being overwhelmed with them this year.

While researching this agent and her agency, I found that she also runs her own publishing company. This is called Three Hares Publishing, and they are open to submissions :

July 2015 – Our list is open. Three Hares accepts solicited and unsolicited submissions. We are keen to acquire exciting fiction for our list, with a view to publication in 2016. We accept all works of fiction and non fiction, with the exception of picture books. Our list will remain open for the duration of 2015.

It struck me as unusual that someone would be both agent and publisher, and I couldn't help but imagine a comedy sketch in which she dodged from one side of her desk to another, in negotiations with herself for her client's book.

In seven months of making submissions, I've never come across this duality - it may be unique.

Have any Colonists found anything similar?

 

[Jennifer Stone]

While I've not come across this situation before, I will, in the essence of comedy, ask; does she get two paychecks this way? Especially if she is both agent and publisher to the same client.

 

[Jason Byrne]

Never come across this, but literary agents who are/were editors or publicists is quite common, so it makes sense there would be some crossover in this respect, as well. In any event, I've submitted to Three Hares Publishing, as well...

 

[Carol Rose]

BE CAREFUL of publishing companies that are an arm of an agency:

http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/agents/

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2007/02/happy-valentines-day-from-writer-beware.html

 

[Carol Rose]

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/sho...in-Standen)&highlight=Standen+Literary+Agency

 

[Carol Rose]

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?283551-Three-Hares-Publishing

 

[Jason Byrne]

I've read through all of these cautionary pages, and see where they're coming from, but most concerns seem to have been addressed...

The guy saying "I'll check back in and see if they're still in business in a few years" was ten years ago. People have personally interacted with Standen Literary Agency and Three Hares Publishing, and vouch for them. For better or worse, Yasmin rebutted the accusations that other guy made.

The websites seem to have improved in the 8-10 years since these forum discussions, both in polish and clientele representation, as should be expected. There's no saying this doesn't fall under the "marginal or incompetent agency" heading, but it doesn't seem to be a downright scam. I feel confident in my submission. If they want me to pay for anything, I'll tell them to eff off, and let you know!

 

[Carol Rose]

Well I never said it was a scam, only to be careful. This isn't the first agent who also has a publishing house. That's why I posted the links from Absolute Write to both her agency and the publishing company. AW is filled with abrasive personalities, but once you sift through all that, you at least find some truth when it comes to publishers and agents.

My only concern with her agency and with the publishing company is that she hasn't had a lot of sales (that's stated in several posts on AW) and they only have six books on the site, all published in early 2014, except one which has no publication date. The covers are so-so and nothing jumps out at me as something I'd read. The whole thing has the feel of projects that the author is expected to contribute heavily to.

 

[Jason Byrne]

Well I never said it was a scam, only to be careful. This isn't the first agent who also has a publishing house. That's why I posted the links from Absolute Write to both her agency and the publishing company. AW is filled with abrasive personalities, but once you sift through all that, you at least find some truth when it comes to publishers and agents.

My only concern with her agency and with the publishing company is that she hasn't had a lot of sales (that's stated in several posts on AW) and they only have six books on the site, all published in 2014, unless I misread something. The covers are so-so and nothing jumps out at me as something I'd read. The whole thing has the feel of projects that the author is expected to contribute heavily to.

You have some real good points, there...

 

[Nicole Wilson]

I totally agree with @Carol Rose. Be careful and do your research. Especially if you do get signed by them, make sure they're offering you the best choices, not just their publishing house bc they can make a quick buck out of it.

 

[Jason Byrne]

I totally agree with @Carol Rose. Be careful and do your research. Especially if you do get signed by them, make sure they're offering you the best choices, not just their publishing house bc they can make a quick buck out of it.

Yeah, I know a lot of these agency sites say "don't submit to us if you're not sure whether you want to go with us," do you find yourself sometimes saying,
"man, I hope these guys aren't the ones that get back to me, because then I'll have to decide if I want to go with them... but any literary agent is better than none, right?"
WRONG, esé.

 

[Nicole Wilson]

Yeah, I know a lot of these agency sites say "don't submit to us if you're not sure whether you want to go with us," do you find yourself sometimes saying,
"man, I hope these guys aren't the ones that get back to me, because then I'll have to decide if I want to go with them... but any literary agent is better than none, right?"
WRONG, esé.

Interesting. I don't think I've seen that on any of the agencies I've looked at. But I do worry about that sometimes. Like what if another agent gets back to me faster than my dream ones? Or what if they're the only ones who do get back to me? Yeah, you're not alone there.

 

[Emurelda]

Interesting. I don't think I've seen that on any of the agencies I've looked at. But I do worry about that sometimes. Like what if another agent gets back to me faster than my dream ones? Or what if they're the only ones who do get back to me? Yeah, you're not alone there.

You know what to do when that happens...you just let the dream ones know about it and see what they say.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Yes, I've had publisher/agents approach me about submitting to them...and you go to their website, and maybe they're legit, but they've got almost no track record, and half the books they've published are by their own agents...Nah. No thanks!

 

[Carol Rose]

I've watched a handful of agents who rep romance in the US go this route over the past five to seven years. They had an amazing track record once, and then the publishing world changed. With the advent of digital first publishers, agents were no longer the only route to publication in the romance genre, and they were struggling.

I haven't kept up with how well they're doing with their publishing companies, but at the time they were set up, they were similar to self-publishing ventures, with the agent offering editing and cover services to the author. I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think all the publishing arms were this way. I know some were, so they were seen as vanity presses because the author paid for some or part of the editing, cover, and marketing services.

At the same time all this was happening, the stigma of self-publishing, at least in the romance genre, was rapidly disappearing. Romance authors were making more money by doing that than by waiting around for a year for Harlequin to say "no," or waiting for months and months for an agent to get back to them on a partial or a full request.

I'm not sure what holds true for other genres because I honestly don't keep up, but it seems to me that the agents who also have a publishing arm aren't providing a "traditional" publishing experience for an author. They're providing services for a price, and the book is essentially a self-pubbed one, with the author paying for the same things he or she would have to pay for or do on their own if they self-published it directly to Amazon or another vendor.

I'm unclear as to the benefits for the author of using a publishing company run by an agency, other than the agent name as a contact for the future.

@AgentPete, do you have more information on this? I'd like to better understand it. Thanks.

 

[AgentPete]

Well, the business is changing profoundly. Roles are to some extent blurring. People are trying new things, new ventures. Some will work, many won’t. Most will likely represent relatively poor value for authors, as people try to make room for their own cut and margins.

All the more important for authors to adopt a businesslike approach to their own publishing activities, i.e. don’t blindly assume that someone else will be looking after your interests). Use places like Litopia (are there any places quite like here? ) to think stuff through. I do!

 

[Carol Rose]

Well, the business is changing profoundly. Roles are to some extent blurring. People are trying new things, new ventures. Some will work, many won’t. Most will likely represent relatively poor value for authors, as people try to make room for their own cut and margins.

All the more important for authors to adopt a businesslike approach to their own publishing activities, i.e. don’t blindly assume that someone else will be looking after your interests). Use places like Litopia (are there any places quite like here? ) to think stuff through. I do!

Thank you, Pete. And no, there's no place like Litopia!

 

[Robinne Weiss]

All the more important for authors to adopt a businesslike approach to their own publishing activities, i.e. don’t blindly assume that someone else will be looking after your interests)

A very good point. I have to admit I almost appreciate the folks who have the "a la carte" sort of options--you can pay for particular services (editing, agenting, marketing, etc), or not, then you're on your own--all up-front about the fact they're running a business and intend to make money. Maybe it's because I come from 10 years of running my own business, but in that world, you've got to invest in the business in order to reap the benefits. And that means money for marketing, professional development, equipment, etc. Why should it be any different when my "product" is a book, versus anything else? Having a business plan is as important as having a plot.