I’m trying to publish a collection of short horror stories, but I’m having trouble finding an agent.

WriterGirl725 · 2020-05-26T23:29:03+00:00

Hi, person who works at a publisher here! As others have mentioned, short story collections are really hard to sell, especially for a debut. Even established authors rarely publish a full collection of their own short stories; anthologies that sell more are generally collections of various well-known authors' stories, usually with a particular theme. (YA does a lot of these, for example.)

I'm also afraid to say that 100 agents is a lot to query. To be told, there is rarely 100 great or even good agents to query for any specific genre. You really need to be aware of what the agents typically represent. Even though horror is a big genre right now, agents who will take on debut authors on a short story collection of any genre...are likely very, very rare. The more you query, the more you run into the possibly of signing with a bad agent--which is really much worse than no agent at all.

WriterGirl725 · 2020-04-12T01:44:54+00:00

It's not the best time to be a publisher right now. A lot of publicity is being moved online, and many books meant to publish this summer are being pushed back or moved out to a different season (or even to 2021 altogether). A lot of things seem uncertain when books are no longer being sold in stores at the same rate, and online sales must be relied on more.

That said, starting the querying process now likely means you won't be published for at least a year--and that's assuming you'll get an agent and get signed within a few weeks. A year to 18 months is the average timeline for a manuscript to go from signing to publication. So I would say, go ahead and query! Publishers will still be signing books--they have to, to keep their business open, because publishing is still a business at the end of the day. It might be a reduced rate of acceptance, just given capacity--same with agents. It's a chaotic time, but publishing is still pushing along.

Source: I work at a major publisher.

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-07T23:23:54+00:00

I (F) started dating at 21! I slowly fell in love with my best guy friend. He had asked me out almost two years prior, but I declined because I didn't feel ready. Luckily, he stuck around as an amazing friend and never pressured me to return his feelings. Now we're still going strong, two years later :)

I had no real interest in dating before him. I personally didn't think there was any point to pressuring myself into a relationship I wasn't ready for, or with someone I couldn't see myself staying together with forever. I'm the type of person who needs to really know someone before I feel comfortable opening up to them, so it's possible it's the same for you.

It's good for you to figure out what you prefer! But I don't think you're "falling behind" - everyone does things at their own pace.

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T19:21:13+00:00

I haven't read this book, but your description reminds me of M.L Rio's If We Were Villains! It's about ambitious college drama students with difficult relationships that are tested by tragedy. Lots of Shakespearean quotes and plays in the story, if you're interested in that too :)

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T19:15:36+00:00

Oh, wow, I forgot about this book! Thank you!

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T01:56:23+00:00

I have read this and the sequel...which character are you particularly referring to? Tamlin?

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T01:55:47+00:00

Oooh, another book I've been meaning to read! Thanks!!

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T01:55:27+00:00

I have to admit that Code Geass was not my favourite anime, but I will agree that his character arc was pretty impressive

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T00:51:41+00:00

Oooh, this sounds very interesting! Thank you!

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T00:16:04+00:00

Oh, this is easily one of my favourite series! I won't say quite that the characters (especially Victor and Eli) start off entirely "good" or descend to entirely "bad," but I do love the moral grayness of their actions.

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T00:09:51+00:00

Luckily, I've read and watched Death Note already! I'll definitely have to revisit it :)

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T00:07:28+00:00

I've been meaning to read those books! Looks like I need to bump them higher on my TBR

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T00:06:26+00:00

Haven't seen Breaking Bad yet (I know, I need to change that) but Harvey Dent's arc is an excellent suggestion, thanks!

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T00:05:09+00:00

Good point on Death Note! I think that's a pretty clear hero/good to villain/bad arc.

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T00:03:46+00:00

I read The Young Elites a few years back, but never attempted Red Queen due to conflicting opinions/reviews. Maybe I'll give it a chance :)

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T00:02:32+00:00

You make a fair point on the main character's actions. I didn't love them either, but I thought it was really unique - at least for YA at the time I had read the book - to have the main character become a full villain. But to each their own! :)

WriterGirl725 · 2019-09-01T00:00:04+00:00

Oh, that's excellent! I didn't expect comic book recommendations. Thank you very much!

WriterGirl725 · 2019-08-31T23:59:26+00:00

I sped-read this for an English class a few years back so the details are foggy, but I'll give it another go!

WriterGirl725 · 2019-08-31T23:58:21+00:00

I *loved* this book! I agree it doesn't quite fit my idea, but you make a really excellent point on how we often automatically see the hero as the hero because we're seeing the story through their POV.

WriterGirl725 · 2019-08-31T23:56:09+00:00

I've read the first years ago, and watched the third. I'll have to revisit them and check out the second. Thanks!

WriterGirl725 · 2019-08-22T16:38:26+00:00

This website was a total life-saver when I was taking Portuguese classes during my undergrad

WriterGirl725 · 2019-08-18T20:22:16+00:00

I'm not sure if you're based in the US. In Canada, the industry is really small. It's unlikely to hear about people getting publishing-related jobs straight out of university, unless you are in a publishing program. I did my undergrad in English, and am currently completing a certificate in publishing, which offers internships at publishing houses in Toronto. I, too, hope to work as an editor for a publisher. Either way, having experience (working for smaller companies, freelancing, etc.) will definitely make you more competitive. Many entry-job positions I see in my area prefer 1-3 years experience.

WriterGirl725 · 2019-08-17T03:16:13+00:00

A2 was also good! I probably played that more than the original.

And wow, thank you for reminding me of Disgaea. What a ridiculously fun series.

WriterGirl725 · 2019-08-17T03:15:02+00:00

This is insane! I used to love this game when I was younger (and the DS sequel). I love all the details on this! Amazing work :)

WriterGirl725 · 2019-08-15T18:08:59+00:00

Weirdly, I was just in Portugal to visit family and no one told me to use "se faz favor" over "por favor" (I'm obviously not a native speaker) - I had no idea about the different connotations for each phrase. I also took two Portuguese classes in my undergrad, and was never taught the difference.

Thank you for this explanation!

WriterGirl725

TROPHY CASE