Anyone have any ideas / instincts / insights about the Preston-based literary agents Zebra? I've explored their website -- which they describe as "the most visited Film and Literary Agency Website" (though on what, or of what, isn't stated)-- but though there's a hefty list of new authors and new titles, none seem to have been actually published. Yet cover art has obviously been done for them. I was going to get in touch with them but. . .

Hi Richard,

I know nothing about Zebra but I have been into their website and had a read of much of the work submitted. A good deal of these writings seem to me to be very amateurish. Many of them are 'no longer included'. I don't know why.

I am sure it is a worthy company but most of the writers on our site would knock the submissions on their site into the proverbial cocked hat for quality and creativity.

If you are interested then why not 'have a go'? I am sure we will all like to know how you fare.

Richard,

I would be wary of this Agency. As you say, they don't appear to have sold any books, and are advertising their authors' books on their website, i.e. rather than putting them in front of the editor contacts. They also say they don't charge a reading fee but when you look under 'submissions' they tell you that you have to pay for their reading service (i.e. fee). I wouldn't be too confident of this, anyway, when you see the quote below I cut and pasted from their site, i.e. two mistakes in one sentence.

"For a modest cost of £49.75, you can take advantage of Independent Reader Service and gain the benifits"

All in all, it looks more like one of those internet writers' sites, rather than a proper agency. I would guess it's a nice system for Zebra, in that they don't have to do much. On the other hand, it could be that they are new and are trying to build up contacts (although you should be wary of that too). You could ring and ask them but then they say they don't want any phone calls (another discouraging sign - why shouldn't they want to deal with genuine enquiries about something not explained properly on their website?)

Richard, I'd agree with what's been said here- generally, literary agents don't charge any sort of reading fee if they're genuinely looking for new writers. Is there any particular reason you're interested in a Preston or north west agency? if not, then maybe try others- have a look in our directory- who don't have any charges. They might take a while to get back to you, but that's always the case. Are you writing in a specific genre or medium?

Oldfriend, Terry, Anna: Seriously, many thanks -- I wish I'd been as forensic as you all have in looking at this website. To me, it just didn't quite gel (well, not for my purposes, anyway). With my novel completed, I really don't want to waste time and money submitting it to agents who aren't cast in the conventional mould. It may yet come to that, but for the moment at least it's maybe preferable to accumulate a nice stack of rejections from literary agents whose enterprises are, how can one put this, less opaque. Even better: get an acceptance letter! (Anna: I'm in the Northwest nowadays, near the Lakes and Scottish Border, and was intrigued by the presence of an agency in, of all places, Preston. Not that there's anything wrong with Preston, but I hadn't hitherto associated it with much in the way of publishing provenance.

Thanks again to everyone: it really is *great* to have input like this: and so fast, too!!!

Richard

Richard,

Why don't you put some of your stuff on the site before sending it off? It really is invaluable to receive the kind of objective feed-back folks provide here. There are just so many things it's easy to miss oneself - from typos to great big gaffes in plot or inconsistencies in character - which can easily put an agent off your book. It's been said here before but, rightly or wrongly, agents tend these days to look for professional (i.e. error-free, well-crafted) writing up-front, even from new people.

I haven't had time to look at this site properly, but there are a lot of personal stories from people who've dealt with various agencies, including Zebra.

http://www.writersservices.co.uk/for/disc_tocf.htm

Extraordinary site, Terry. I haven't had time to look at it properly, but what a find! Would it be worth flagging up somehow with the 'tell us your experience with publishers' thread that is sure to still be going, Or somewhere on WW where the most numbers of writers are likely to see it? It's so valuable to have this kind of peeping-in knowledge.

Hi Terry: Omigawd. Zebra. Thanks to your detective work, I now see the chasm that was looming: that other site you came up with -- I've never heard of it myself -- makes for salutary reading. I agree with Becca: be nice if other WW members could be made aware of the existence of that particular resource, because thanks to you / that site I've now not only scratched Zebra off my list, I've also taken out Arcadia as well (both, incidentally, were only listed because I saw them in the WW directory, which I know, I know, doesn't and cannot endorse what is provided there. Still. I'm wondering if there's any point in outfits like Arcadia and Zebra being listed on WW at all.

Terry -- re work: yes. I'll take your advice and, after a deep deep breath to calm the nerves, will upload a chapter from the finished novel. Not that it'll mean much but anyway. . !

Thanks again for everything --

Richard

Richard, go for it- not only will you hpefully get some good and possibly useful feedback on your novel, but also, plenty of other writers who've experienced the agent-getting situation can and will give you the benefit of what they've gone through, good or bad.

Hi Anna: I will. I will. 'Specially now I can come out of hiding in Becca's Guess The Gender Fight Scene thread (it didn't count as an uploaded piece of work, but may have broken the ice. Sort of.)

Richard