The AW Amazon Store
Buy Books by AWers!

 

Welcome to the AbsoluteWrite Water Cooler! Please read The Newbie Guide To Absolute Write

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 29

Thread: [Agency] NY Creative Management (Jeff Schmidt)

  1. #1
    pjks
    Guest

    [Agency] NY Creative Management (Jeff Schmidt)

    I've searched for warnings on this company but have come up empty handed. Anyone heard of him...they are based in Stony Brook, NY (mailing address is Drawer 1577..what is that!?)

  2. #2
    vstrauss
    Guest

    Re: Jeff Schmidt of New York Creative Management Literary Ag

    Writer Beware hasn't gotten any complaints about the agency itself. However, it has been in business for a number of years and as far as I can tell has yet to make a sale.

    We did get some complaints about one of the people who worked for the agency, who apparently was very aggressive in soliciting potential clients for his own paid editing services. I don't know if he's still there.

    - Victoria

  3. #3
    pjks
    Guest

    Re: Jeff Schmidt of New York Creative Management Literary Ag

    Thanks for the info...the address puzzled me...is a drawer # similar to a post office box?

  4. #4
    James D Macdonald
    Guest

    Re: Jeff Schmidt of New York Creative Management Literary Ag

    A Drawer is the same thing as a post office box, only usually physically larger.

  5. #5
    Chrisr
    Guest

    Re: Jeff Schmidt of New York Creative Management Literary A

    In their website, aren't the scripts with a red diamond supposed to be sold?

  6. #6
    James D Macdonald
    Guest

    Re: Re: Jeff Schmidt of New York Creative Management Litera

    The red diamonds are their newest listings, not sales.

    Other problems: their association with iUniverse (a vanity publisher), and their recommendation that the author copyright his work or register it with the WGA.

    No sales appear to be listed anywhere on the website (which also functions as a display site).

  7. #7
    Chrisr
    Guest

    Re: Jeff Schmidt of New York Creative Management Litera

    You seem to be about to conclude their clients' scripts are just displayed in the website. And that's the only thing they do with it. Even though they charge nothing, they don't do much.
    Do you think it'd be relevant to ask directly some of their writers how they feel about them?

  8. #8
    James D Macdonald
    Guest

    Re: Re: Jeff Schmidt of New York Creative Management Litera

    No, they claim to use traditional submission methods in addition to their display-site.

    Contacting them directly to ask about recent sales is appropriate, and contacting some of their clients directly is also appropriate.

  9. #9
    Your Genial Uncle Absolute Sage James D. Macdonald's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    New Hampshire
    Posts
    25,366
    No change in the intervening year. Jeff Schmit and NY Creative Management are listed at P&E -- neither recommended nor not-recommended.

    As with all agents you need to check for yourself. A useful agent has sold books you've heard of.

  10. #10
    Mostly Harmless SuperModerator CaoPaux's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Coastal Desert
    Posts
    13,024
    Has a website now: http://www.nycreative.com/

    (I can't get it to load, but my Java's been wonky lately. View source assures me something's there, though. )
    ICAO
    ---------
    Achievers strive for excellence. Perfectionists drive themselves to extinction. -- A Grapple A Day
    I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage. -- Charles DeSecondat

    II 2016: 2017:

  11. #11
    Writer Beware Goddess Absolute Sage victoriastrauss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Far from the madding crowd
    Posts
    6,667
    He's had that same website since--I kid you not--1999. As far as I can tell, he has yet to sell anything. It's a mystery how/why this agency stays in business.

    - Victoria

  12. #12
    Mostly Harmless SuperModerator CaoPaux's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Coastal Desert
    Posts
    13,024
    Oh, good. I'll stop fretting over not seeing anything significant.
    ICAO
    ---------
    Achievers strive for excellence. Perfectionists drive themselves to extinction. -- A Grapple A Day
    I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage. -- Charles DeSecondat

    II 2016: 2017:

  13. #13

    Jeff Schmidt Had A Sale

    Jeff Schmidt had a sale on 4 October, 2007. I was looking for books similar to mine on Publishers Marketplace and I ran across it. It falls under Non-fiction: History/Politics/Current Affairs

    "Justin Coffey's SPIRO AGNEW: The Fall of Moderate Republicanism and the Rise of the Right, charting the remarkable rise and rapid descent of a man whose career presaged a radical social and cultural shift in American politics, to Michael McGandy at Rowman & Littlefield, in a nice deal, for publication in January 2009, by Jeff Schmidt at NY Creative Management (World)."

    http://www.publishersmarketplace.com...y=&month=&year=

    I don't know why he doesn't have it listed on his website.
    Last edited by ExposingCorruption; 01-31-2008 at 05:06 AM.

  14. #14
    New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Posts
    8

    New York Creative Management

    I just received an email from Jeff Schmidt of New York Creative Management (www.nycreative.com) requesting my book. I did send them an initial email query but was hesitant because, judging from their website they seem to be more of a broker than a literary agency. Plus there website is very vague regarding what they do and if they charge for these services. I don't think they are a traditional literary agency. Has anyone else had any experiences with them?

  15. #15
    Writer Beware Goddess Absolute Sage victoriastrauss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Far from the madding crowd
    Posts
    6,667
    The sale mentioned by Exposing Corruption is the only one I've ever seen for this agency, although it has been in business at least since 1999 or 2000. I've never gotten any fee complaints, so I can't imagine how it makes any money.

    - Victoria

  16. #16
    New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    4

    query

    I sent my query late last night 10 am this morning i got this:

    Dear Jose,

    Thank you for contacting LifeTime Media. We are interested in your book. Would you kindly send the full manuscript as well as your bio? Thank you.

    Best regards,

    Rayna Erlick
    Editorial Department
    LifeTime Media, Inc.
    352 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor
    New York, NY 10001
    212-631-7524 ph
    212-631-7529 fax


    worries me when i get such a fast reply even though my work is copywritten any suggestions?
    Last edited by CaoPaux; 09-01-2009 at 12:35 AM. Reason: wayward formatting

  17. #17
    Writer Beware Goddess Absolute Sage victoriastrauss's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Far from the madding crowd
    Posts
    6,667
    Obelisk, did you read through this thread? Jeff Schmidt has made one verifiable book sale since 1999. An agent who isn't making sales for his other clients isn't likely to make a sale for you.

    By the way, it's not necessary to register copyright for unpublished work. Theft truly isn't something you need to worry about at this stage.

    - Victoria

  18. #18
    Roe Draje Maddie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    lassen on the brain
    Posts
    491
    I see two sales on PM in the last two years, 11/24/09 and 12/02/09, both non-fiction. Mr. Schmidt does have a quick response time, but aside from these sales, I do wonder how the agency gets by.

  19. #19
    Roe Draje Maddie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    lassen on the brain
    Posts
    491
    Does anyone have any experiences with this agency? I received an offer of representation, and though I haven't responded yet, I feel hesitant, and only based upon this thread (silly me - sent my query, and then checked the thread). Agent Schmidt did not like my novel#1 (consistent with other agents), but loves novel#2 (also consistent).
    Please advise opinions, experiences, etc. There are a couple of actual sales on PM, but non-fiction, and after two years....

  20. #20
    Roe Draje Maddie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    lassen on the brain
    Posts
    491
    Okay, so I did a little sleuthing. Posting#6 by our Genial Uncle mentions this agency's association with iUniverse, which leads me to AuthorHouse.
    When Mr. Schmidt offered me representation for my novel, I was skeptical, given they have 3 sales in 2 years, all non-fiction.
    When I mentioned that my novel was formerly a POD through AuthorHouse, he flaked, and now I think I understand why. I also referred to desiring traditional publishing, but if this agency has a tendency to steer clients toward POD, I certainly am well beyond his business practices.

  21. #21
    Mostly Harmless SuperModerator CaoPaux's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Coastal Desert
    Posts
    13,024
    To whom it may interest: one of the '09 sales was a "very good" deal to Crown, and a more recent sale ('10) is to Penguin Classics (no notation). So, sales are still few and far between, but occasionally solid.
    ICAO
    ---------
    Achievers strive for excellence. Perfectionists drive themselves to extinction. -- A Grapple A Day
    I've never known any trouble that an hour's reading didn't assuage. -- Charles DeSecondat

    II 2016: 2017:

  22. #22
    Roe Draje Maddie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    lassen on the brain
    Posts
    491
    That is interesting information, CaoPaux. I queried Jeff Schmidt last year (see posts 18-20), and received an offer of representation after he read the full.

    But I could not understand why he suddenly got very paranoid when I told him the novel he was offering to rep had been previously self-published (2003), and that it had been taken off the market a couple of years before, and then revised heavily. I had thought to query him on my latest project (which is the fourth completed mss since my last dealing with NY), but with his bizarre response to my honest effort to be straight with him, I'm leery. Does anyone have a reasonable explanation as to why an agent would act in this manner?

  23. #23
    Rewriting My Destiny Cyia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Brillig in the slithy toves...
    Posts
    17,396
    It's not bizarre. You wanted him to sell a book for which there were no first rights remaining.



  24. #24
    Banned
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Somewhere between sanity and barking mad
    Posts
    1,622
    I had the strangest exchange with Jeff today. His query nothing but lovely descriptions telling me how entertaining, revolutionary, and readable his client's book is. Yet nowhere does he tell me how it's entertaining, revolutionary, and readable.

    His "proposal" was nothing more than a vague query that letter that lacked any detail - yet he included cover art. Cover art.

    One of the most puzzling things of all is this: "[redacted] is the reason that ebooks were invented." Huh?

    So I wrote him back and explained that he hadn't given me anything that would help me render a decision. I also took him to task for calling his half-page "query" (with cover art) a proposal, considering that it contained nothing remotely close to resembling a proposal. No market research, no title comps, no chapter breakdown, no overview, or author bio.

    His reply didn't address a single one of my issues and made absolutely no sense. After another try, he did cough up a word count, but nothing more. No plot, to details, no nothing.

    Maybe he's having an off day, but I find it troublesome that he would do such a horrible job and force me to email him three times and still not get the information I needed. I feel very sorry for his client.

  25. #25
    New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Posts
    1

    Not a scammer or a bad guy, just an overmatched agent

    Jeff is definitely not a scammer or a bad guy by any respects. You can tell he's passionate and works hard; I think the issue is more just he's a bit overmatched. He might do things like send out paper-thin proposals that ape your own query, or give you hints that he probably hasn't actually read your ms, let alone suggest any sort of revisions. He's absolutely a legit agent as far as I can tell, as I even verified his activity with a publisher on a sale that ended up going nowhere because the editor switched companies. I think his style is just more about throwing darts at the wall and seeing what he hits, which unfortunately might have unintended consequences on you as a writer if a publisher's first exposure to your work is something that is underrepresented, unfinished, or even something that doesn't meet their minimum word count. You can tell he's a bit sensitive, sometimes perhaps even defensive or secretive, because I truly believe he is passionate and cares. I just think his lack of sales is reflective of a style that probably isn't going to get alot of deals. If Jeff is willing to represent you, you might want to watch out, because it doesn't necessarily mean your ms is actually ready to get picked up.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Custom Search
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?974-Agency-NY-Creative-Management-(Jeff-Schmidt)
absolutewrite.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2017-13
160785
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:D4R2PLLXXPBGEH25W6XN6HNPJA3B534K
<urn:uuid:bbf6fa2d-4c29-4d3e-ab29-0a0bc392ca64>
2017-03-29T05:20:27Z
184.168.82.237
sha1:ERE2EAYDJBLXV6TOGPTFRX7LVZPTHDPP
<urn:uuid:030dae41-ecbf-4402-b09e-d2dde2e11f70>
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?974-Agency-NY-Creative-Management-(Jeff-Schmidt)
response
<urn:uuid:afa5fe67-767d-468e-b510-130d6fa28499>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-13
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for March 2017
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf