Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Vivian Beck leaves Ferguson Agency

I just read on one of my loops that Vivian Beck of the Ferguson Agency has left the building. She's starting her own agency. You'll probably want to follow up if she requested anything from you before she left.

It is interesting that a number of agents have left the Ferguson Agency within the last year. Don't know what that means, and I ain't speculating.

Good luck.

TJB

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Romance writers! Please don't swoon! But...who is Vivian Beck? I checked out her nice website, but can't find any names of her clients or what publishers she's dealt with. It said she's had over 20 years experience as an agent, but I can't find any info on her except conferences she has attended. I want the "meat" not the "gravy".

TJ Bennett said...

Yes, well lack of information dissemination seems to be a persistant problem for this agency (the Ferguson Agency). There are many on writers' loops I belong to who have consistently complained about how hard it is to find out any info on the agency or on the agents that work(ed) there.

To me, if an agent isn't willing to tell you who she is working with, it makes me nervous. Most agents would be proud to let you know who their clientele is. This agency, however, chooses to do things their own way, and has stated that until you become a client of theirs, they will not release a client list. Seems like a catch 22 to me. You must judge for yourself whether you are comfortable with that.
TJB

Anonymous said...

Thanks for replying. I have contacted Writer's Beware (Victoria Strauss) and she is going to try to get some info. Vivian has a very nice site (a lot of good info for writers). There's a link to Victoria's website on Vivian Beck's site. I don't mind if an agent is starting out and is trying to build a client list, but if someone has been in the business for twenty years, I really would like to know what publishing companies they have done business with in the past. I think Vivian is expanding the genres she is taking, but it's nice to be able to find out what type of book the agent likes. I don't want to waste their time or mine (not to mention the expense of mailing). I've read where many agents spend much time at conferences and events with publishers, it makes me wonder how much time they have to spend with their clients or even read submissions. I'm not opposed to the small agecny, I just want to treat it like a business venture - with my eyes wide open. I'd even want info on a new dentist!
Is there anyway to find out about agents from publishing companies?

TJ Bennett said...

Victoria Strauss is a good resource. That's a smart move. Another idea is, if you are a member of RWA, to join the RWA industry loop and/or the PRO industry loop (if you have completed a book) and ask questions about the agents you are interested in. There will be many writers there who will have info about particular agents. If you write outside the romance industry, you may consider joining one of the similar associations for your type of work (Science Fiction Writers of America, Writers Guild, etc). They usually have writers loops as well where others can provide advice, free of charge.

To my knowledge, publishers are unlikely to say anything against agents because of the "closed system" nature of the business. They expect you to do your own homework, and are far too busy to do it for you. However, if you have a publisher interested in your book (i.e., you have an offer for a sale), you may certainly ask if they can provide two or three names of agents they have worked with, who work in your genre and who might be interested in representing your work. Then, you can take those names, do some research, and see which would most closely match what you want. You may consider going to Publisher's Marketplace site to research the agent as well. They have a search feature in which you can type in the agent's name and see what they have listed about themselves.

Good luck!
TJB

Anonymous said...

Victoria Strauss couldn't find anything. Maybe that's a good sign that nothing bad has been said. Ofcourse she recommended that I didn't sign anything until all cards were on the table. She agreed that the reference about not being told anything until after you sign was implied in connection with the Ferguson Agency. I told her that I would update her if there is a concern about ethics.

Thanks again!
Camille

TJ Bennett said...

I wish you luck. BTW, in reference to Vivian, I did check out her site yesterday and noticed she has one new author listed as a client. You might consider contacting that client and asking her if she is satisfied with her representation. I have done it with other writers (usually, you can get their e-mail addy on their website) and they are usually very willing to reply. I've even done it with former clients who have moved on to different agents, and gotten eye-opening responses. Again, good luck and let us know if you find out anything you'd like to share here.

TJB

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure about Vivian Beck. She takes manuscripts and keeps them for eight or nine months without a reasonable explanation. I think she is actually shopping them around.

I have spoken with over five authors who have sent her full manuscripts and she has given them inconsistent explanations for the length of retention ... which has been consistently long.

Just think there are some inconsistencies of explanations to various authors and a pattern of conduct that is not consistent with a truly straight forward agent.

Something is amiss with Vivian Beck, in my humble opinion.

TJ Bennett said...

Interesting info. Thanks for the feedback.

TJB