Solicited means that the editor/agent told you, "send your piece to me." Unsolicited means that you are sending something that they aren't expecting. You can move from "unsolicited" to "solicited" either by meeting an editor/agent at a convention or other venue, chatting a bit, and getting them to say, "Go ahead, send me what you've got." In some cases, you can call their office and garner interest, but this is rare and difficult, as agents/editors are busy, hard to reach, and usually don't want to talk to unknowns over the phone. That said, it has happened...I once sent an email asking for guidelines from a publishing house, and the editor responded by telling me to send what I had directly to her. Thus I got to write "SOLICITED" in large, friendly letters on the submission, instantly moving it from the slush pile to the got-on-someone's-desk file.

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"And where are you planning on submitting? to agents or editors?"

I'm not sure I understand the difference between the two.

Thanks for bearing with me so far!

Beside my nickname I noticed it says "junior member". Just wondering if this is different than just "member".

It may be years before you finally reach the exalted status of "Member."

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my knack seems to be novels, I guess because once I start in on an idea I have, I can't stop writing

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I asked because being unsolicited for short stories isn't nearly as hard to get from the slush pile as it is for novels.

And yes, for novels, the comments above fit nicely. Also, sometimes a query lettery, which receives a response works well.

I have noticed more and more of the large companies saying that they won't look at something that is unsolicited... or even worse, that didn't come from an agent (ok, only worse from our prospect, as that is another person who can reject you.)

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I'm not sure I understand the difference between the two.

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An editor is the one who is paid by the publisher to sort through stories and decide what to publish.

My understanding is that in most of the larger houses the position of "aditorial assistant" - and entry level position who tended to read all the slush pile submissions doesn't exist anymore... the circular file tends to fill that void. Because of this agents are a good option.

Agents are considered to have more time to read though your work, and help to massage it if need be to make it more marketable. - I also believe they will help you market it once it has gone to print. - this isn't always true though. And there are fewer Agents than publishing houses, as far as I know. The good thing is that if your work has passed the approval of an agent, you have a better chance of getting published, as many of the agents work with specific houses, and know the editors personally (or at least professionally). Of course, that doesn't always work, and getting a reputable agent is always a good thing... if you do look at agents, make sure to do your homework.

Some publishing houses won't even look at a query letter unless it has come from an agent. - However, I would expect as that gets tighter, there will be more small presses springing up. - Also, if you go to conventions try to meet and talk to as many editors/agents that you can. This will help you get an idea of who you can personally work with, and will help to get you noticed. - If if your cover letter, you say "I met you at ..." it goes much farther with most editors than someone who has blindly written to them.

I think if you go to sfwa.org, there is info there about the difference and what to look for. - also check out writerswrite.com and writers.net.

From Kathleen:

Mags, I edited this because you said the following

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An agent is the one who is paid by the publisher to sort through stories and decide what to publish.

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And there are fewer Agents than publishing houses, as far as I know.

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I've never run the numbers, but that doesn't make sense from a logistical standpoint. One publishing house likely deals with several agents, and each agent deals with several authors. Even factoring in that an agent would work with more than one publisher, it would seem that the system would support more agents than publishers. A narrowing hiearchy if you will, with the writer at the base, and the publisher at the top. The agent is basically the middle man -- looking out for the writer's rights, and at the same time, helping the publisher (hopefully) come in contact with the better manuscripts.

And there are lots of publishing houses that really don't deal with agents, as they are too small, or whatever.

And some agents run scams, and some have a bad reputation. Do your research.

There are a lot of agents out there. Looking at the writers market books--the agent one and the market one--I'd have to say it almost seems there are less agents and that does make sense-because one agent will deal with more than one house and have many clients.

But I have come to discover that very few agents are worth having. And the agent I found, one of the better ones, isn't listed in any of the books.

You want one who is an AAR member, who is willing to help you edit and polish without charging you and one who has a good sales record and client list--also one who will let you contact their clients.

Shawn