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Asking 5 - On the Record With 3Sides Literary Agency
By jodilee | August 12, 2007
As of July 23rd 2007, 3Sides Literary Agency closed its doors. Authors are released from their contracts as of August 30th 2007, as per section 9 of the contract.
The interview that follows is meant to clear up any lingering questions or concerns anyone has. While the email account is down, we are monitoring the comments here.
Since I didn’t think interviewing myself was a particularly interesting or fun idea, I asked a close friend to play the part of cub-reporter for the evening. Thank you Schteve! ~ J.
An Interview with Jodi Lee
by Steven Michael Thompson
S: Why did you shut down the agency?
Jodi: I realized that not only was I letting myself down, I was letting the authors I was representing down as well. I followed a strict policy of ‘No Multiple Submissions’, and unfortunately the wait times between submission and reply were becoming a vast expanse of quiet on my part. Not that I wasn’t working - I was. I read more proposals and partials than any sane person wants to do in a day, let alone ten months.
And finally, I was resting my financial future on 3Sides, and despite the quality of the material the authors entrusted to me, there had been no sales that would result in a percentage. 3Sides had run in the red for far too long.
S: When did you come to this decision?
Jodi: I began considering the issues in late May. Despite rumors to the contrary, I was not considering the closure last fall. I was considering a time-share, so to speak, with my editing duties as I needed to have some sort of income.
After my oldest daughter’s accident in early July, and with little to no dental coverage (we’re still waiting for word) I realized I could no longer go on putting everything into 3Sides. I suppose to put it wickedly bluntly, reality hit me at the same time the waterslide hit her face.
S: Where are you hoping this goes now?
Jodi: There is no where left to go but up, and I certainly hope this goes all the way. I enjoy the editing like nothing else, and I think I have a pretty darn good turn-around time. I know Louise and Jeremy enjoy this work as well. We’re looking forward to this partnership going a long way.
S: What will you be doing now?
Jodi: Seriously, hon, I did give you a list of questions. I will be doing all sorts of editing and revisions for clients here at MiR, and the regular list of duties for the wonderful small presses - Apex Publications and Lachesis Publishing. I’ll be re-learning the wicked multi-tasking skills I had prior to 3Sides pretty quickly! I remember copyediting one article, line-editing another and proofing yet another - all at the same time - back when I worked for the “online community that shall not be named”. And that was while I wrote my own content!
In some ways it feels great to be getting back to that, while in others I’ll miss the folks I worked with through the agency.
S: Who had you been representing?
Jodi: I was representing some absolutely fabulous writers spread over two continents, and in three countries. Mari Adkins (Harlan Vampires), Giovanna Laganna (Battle of Armageddon), Toni Cantrell (If Ever That Time Come), TL Trevaskis (Forgotten Disturbed) - as well as others unnamed per their request.
I believe with everything in my writer/reader/editor soul that these writers (and those unnamed) will be published and make it.
Topics: Asking 5 |
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