Thursday, January 14, 2010

Creep Factor 101: How NOT to get an agent to read your submission!


As a Literary Manager I get hundreds of submissions of material. Letters, treatments, scripts, books. All from people who hope to be discovered or to have their life stories seen on the big screen. Yesterday I received this package.  Really. Would YOU open this package? My whole family stood around it curious and slightly frightened.  My daughter said " How bad can it be? It has a snowman on it?" I don't know. Is it the strange scrawl, or perhaps the duct tape and no return address that makes me think...angry hermit living in woods writing apocalyptic manifestos?
So far we haven't opened it.  Now if someone who is reading this blog happens to be the sender, I don't mean to be cruel, I am just trying to make a point. If you really want me to read your material think about how you present it. Sadly in Hollywood we do judge a book by it's cover. And snowman notwithstanding, this package is failing at many levels. I imagine it was sent by someone elderly who couldn't get to the store to buy packing materials. Or perhaps someone who had lots of extra duct tape and liberty stamps trying to be frugal. Maybe one of my well meaning relatives sent it. Perhaps after I put on a padded suit, plastic gloves and move the package to an undisclosed location, I will find out what's in it.  No. I think it's going into the trash. Somebody else's trash.

2 comments:

  1. Uh, that was mine Peggy. (just kidding). Tht's actually pretty frightening. You should definitely show that picture to aspiring literary agents and managers at biola.

    -brian walton

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  2. It appears less creepy in the picture for sure, and the more I inspect the physical package the more disturbed I become and now I actually think it is emitting an odor. Tucked away on the box, secured by tape, are these little strange notes, which I assume mean something yet look more like someones shopping list, maybe both?? I am concerned, disturbed and feel a little bit of compassion really, I wish it could just be sent back but there is no return address. How did this thing get through the mail in the first place??

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