20 thoughts on “Agents and the Thriller Market: An Interview With Chuck Sambuchino”

1. Excellent information! The thing that gets me, is the simplicity of the process. So many folks expect there to be some kind of magic involved, or some special trick to getting recognized. As far as i can tell though, there are no real tricks or secret handshakes involved in the whole thing. The only magic is to put out amazingly good stories and follow the simple guidelines for each agency, and eventually, if you have good material you will get a bite.

   In a similar vein Gerald the Troll, is trying to get into audiobooks as a narrator. Unlike for writers there are no agents for audiobook narrators. No one who can vet a decent narrator or aid him in getting work. Therefore Gerald has asked that I share his first short audiobook for free with the Audience of The Kill Zone, in hopes of getting feedback on his work and what may need to be done yet.

   Please listen, and comment for Gerald at this link: FUN WITH DICK AND JANE, Narrated by Gerald the Troll – An Abridged Version, with commentary.

2. Thanks, Jim and Chuck.

   Very helpful information,

3. Interesting but sensible, the part about not stating it’s your first novel, even if it is. Although if you have no bio, this would be obvious anyway.

   RE: “When you compose your novel pitch, remember to be specific and avoid vague language.”, I’m assuming they mean the specific plot of the novel and not the generic pitch lines sometimes developed that are somewhere on the order of “deals with a crisis that will change his life forever,” type deal.

   Do you give the ending of the story in a query letter? I believe the answer is yes but I’m uncertain.

   • no ending. tease only

     • Good to know. Thanks!

       • I’m trying to put one together myself. Best source for info can be found here:
         http://queryshark.blogspot.com/2015/08/wpa.html

         I’ve read all thru query #66. Only 200 more to go

   • You do not give away the ending.

     And correct, “deals with a crisis that will change his life forever” is exactly the type of text you want to AVOID.

4. Thanks, Chuck, for the information, and Jim for having Chuck on the blog.
   The impression I have from my friends with agents is that most if not all of their interaction with their agent these days is via email rather than a phone call, and in some cases, they have never met their agent in person. Is email the norm for interaction with an agent once one has agreed to rep you?

   • Dale, I do think agents prefer email as the norm. The occasional phone call should be allowed, though. And the author should not call with generalized items. Be good with the agent’s time. Have a couple of points or questions, no more.

     Make email the default, and be a little patient. Agents have a lot of clients. You have only one agent. Try to be the kind of author agents don’t mind dealing with, i.e., not a “problem client.”

     Agents, though, do need to act professionally. An agent who goes silent for too long, or refuses to have necessary contact with a client in need, is not a good agent.

   • That’s standard. You don’t need to meet your agent to make a good relationship work.

5. Chuck, encouraging words for someone like me, writing in the thriller/mystery genre. Do you think the “inspirational” (i.e., Christian) subgenre is different from general market in regard to your statement that people will always love this type of book?
   Jim and Chuck, thanks for sharing.

   • Doc, in the Christian market I see the thriller has having a ceiling. If it’s “romantic suspense,” there’s a good niche, with 95% of the readers and writers being women. Not as much of a market for a Lee Child type thriller, IMO.

6. I have a question from the perspective of the reader. It is not that uncommon for me as a reader to pick up a book and feel I was sold a bill of goods. The back cover blurb is very enticing and tension filled but I buy the book and start reading and I’m thinking, “WHAT? This doesn’t at all resemble the back cover blurb.”

   Example: I just recently picked up a book that was supposed to be suspense. Now granted, I knew it was not going to be a harder edged story but I WAS expecting suspense. Instead, I’m 30% of the way through the book and NOTHING…I do mean NOTHING has happened that can even remotely connote suspense.

   Assuming an agent pursued a query letter further, is this something an agent would give feedback on to an author? Who would typically catch this and bring it up? Back cover blurbs and actual content should match.

   • That’s a publisher problem, BK. The book, once it’s acquired, goes through the house. On occasion an agent can try to solve a problem with the editor, but marketing (which includes cover copy) is usually out of the author’s hands. I did try to take a proactive stance with publishers, offering my own cover copy suggestions, and usually they were listened to, if not followed to the letter.

   • I agree with JSB. That concern you’re having has nothing to do with writers or agents. That’s a publisher drafting back cover copy. I would say if you draft a sexy “suspense!” query and an agent is 20 pages in with no suspense, they will just reject the sub.

7. Thanks much for this incredibly timely information!

8. Good stuff, and timely for me. Selecting the right agent is key, and it begins with knowing whether they’re really open to new pitches and clients.

9. Thanks for posting. Just FYI, Jessica Sinsheimer’s link to the Sarah Jane Freyman agency points to someone’s Outlook Web Access. Just an incorrect href link on the page.

   • Thanks, JD. Fixed.

10. Thank you for hosting Chuck. He’s someone that always has something useful to say and is nice to the people he reach out to him in various social media platforms. And it’s great having so many agent listed in one place.
    Much Appreciated, Much Respect
    Ronovan

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