Agents
Getting an agent is often harder than getting a publisher. It’s particularly tough for new writers to find agents. Occasionally, a new writer has a manuscript so astoundingly good, so breathtakingly fresh, agents practically beat each other up to sign that writer. That writer might as well be a unicorn. That’s how rare that situation is.
If you want to find an agent, it helps to have a list of previous publications that you can pull from your briefcase and wave around boldly. That means submitting stories and essays to various publications. Even if it’s just Navel Gazer’s Weekly, at least your work is in print. Publications to try may include your school paper and self-published zines, literary journals, short story competitions and online publications. Your smaller publication credits will help when you have finally completed a manuscript and want to find representation.
There are many misconceptions out there about agents. These include:
When I get an agent he/she will be a lot like Tom Cruise in Jerry MacGuire or Robert Downey Jr. in Wonderboys.
Not true. Your agent may also be like Kristen from the O.C. or like Carol Burnett. In other words, agents come in all shapes and sizes. Some are aggressive and funny. Some are gracious and eloquent (my agent!). And some are unpleasant bottom feeders who haven’t made a sale since their last neighborhood flea market. Do your research before signing up with anyone. There is no agent school, no agent degree. There are wonderful agents who will be able to guide your career and, with luck, make you a star, and then there are those who are secretly afraid of paper.
Here are some other common questions and misconceptions about agents:
My agent will nurture me emotionally and artistically and pick up the pieces when I fall apart psychologically.
Alas, this is not true. Your agent will be an advocate for your work and will manage your financial relationship with your publisher. If you earn millions, your agent may occasionally do extra stuff for you, such as listen to boring stories about distant relatives, but you shouldn’t count on it. Do you ask your doctor to vet your manuscripts? No. So it’s not really fair to ask your agent to be interested in the state of your digestion. So to speak. (In the film and TV business this may be different. I’ve noticed that Larry David and his agent have a very chummy relationship in Curb Your Enthusiasm. They seem to discuss bodily functions quite often.)
My (potential) agent wants money to read my work. Is this okay?
No. An agent who charges reading fees is to be avoided like the plague. (Some people would disagree. Those people would probably be agents who charge reading fees.)
My agent will pick up my cleaning if I’m too busy.
I refuse to even answer that.
My agent will take between 15% and 20% of what I earn.
True. But if that sounds like a lot, consider that many authors earn between $2000 and $5000 a year and it can take days or even weeks of work to sell a manuscript. I can barely add and even I realize that doesn’t work out to a lot of money per hour.
My agent spends all his time holding the hand of his star, some woman named J.K. I feel neglected.
J.K.’s earnings are what allow your agent to take on new writers, writers who do not yet make much money.
How do I know if an agent is any good?
Read the trade magazines. In Canada, check out Quill and Quire. In the U.S. keep an eye on Publisher’s Weekly. These magazines list who has sold what to whom. This will give you an idea of whether your agent is successful. You can get a complete list of agents from the Literary Marketplace (available at some libraries). Lists of agents can also be obtained from writer’s guides. Try to find an agent who specializes in what you write (i.e. YA, sci-fi, literary non-fiction etc).
In the end, your relationship with your agent is a business relationship. Mutual respect and appreciation are essential. The better you understand how publishing works the better you’ll be able to work with your agent or, perhaps, be your own agent. A good book to read is Richard Curtis’s Beyond the Bestseller: A Literary Agent Takes You Inside the Book Business.
If you have to act as your own agent this may not be such a bad thing. So coming up soon: How to Be Your Own Agent and Look Good Doing it…