Plot Monkeys

Okay, so I’ve covered WHO, WHEN and WHY. That leaves HOW and WHAT, right? Well, HOW has been covered on countless blogs and sites devoted to helping people find an agent. I don’t think I can add much, except to reiterate that unless you’ve been in the business–connected, as we Italians like to say–for one year, you shouldn’t be looking for an agent. Oh, and of course, you need a completed manuscript ready to sell.

Which leaves WHAT. I’m not exactly sure how I can cover that one in relation to finding an agent. Except…you need to know WHAT you need in an agent before you go looking.

The disadvantage of only having one completed book to sell, and an unpublished one at that, is that you aren’t very much of a valuable commodity unless that book is hot stuff. And I hope it is. Because if it is, you’ll have more of a pick of your top agents. If you’re already published with good sales figures behind you, then you’ll have it the easiest of all. If you’re already published, but perhaps your sales weren’t as hot as you’d like to have seen them (and this is hardly ever entirely the author’s fault–poor distribution, bad covers, low print run, lack of publisher enthusiasm can all effect an author’s track record) then you’re going to have a tougher time. But no matter what your situation, it would behoove you to take a long, hard look at the kind of agent you need.

Do you want an agent who makes you revise? Perhaps, a former editor?

I personally know a very talented author who specifically wanted an agent who edited her work before she sent it to the publisher. She didn’t have a critique partner and her editor at her publishing house really didn’t do much by way of editing. It happens. She felt she needed some editorial guidance and purposefully chose an agent who would provide this. She is very happy. I know another published author who has an agent who takes her projects on a book-by-book basis, meaning the agent has to love the book before she’ll represent it. Unfortunately, this agent also requires a lot of revisions. Since this author also works with several critique partners, she sort of feels like she has too many fingers in the pot, so to speak. She is not so happy.

My agent and I work differently on different projects. If the project is something under contract, she won’t make suggestions/revisions unless I specifically ask her. New projects, she’s more hands-on. But her suggestions are always dead-on. I listen to her. I’m happy.

You need to decide what kind of agent you want and then ask up front how the potential agent works. I, for one, would hate a former editor agent because both of my editors DO edit. I don’t need another chef in the kitchen. My agent is more like a food stylist.

Do you want an agent who is with a big agency or a small boutique agency? (Or anything in between).

There are pros and cons to both types of agencies. At the big agencies, you’ll automatically have clout because of the agency’s reputation and track record. On the other hand, if you are a first-timer or a midlister, you might get lost in pond as the little fish. For the boutiques, there are different kinds. If the agent established themselves at a big agency before starting their own business, they have the best of both words. They have the clout of their own reputation, but the personalized service of a small agency. However, you won’t have a legal department, a foreign rights department, maybe not even an assistant. I’m with a smaller agency and I’m very happy. But I know other authors who need a big agency because of the nature of their careers.

The biggest question I get is from authors who ask me about small, new agencies that don’t have much by way of sales or big authors on the client list. It’s hard for me to advise people in this case because maybe this very new, hungry agent will carry them on their way up, you know? I usually base my evaluation on what the agent did BEFORE they started their own agency. If they worked at another agency and have some decent sales to report from there, that’s good. If they used to sell real estate or Amway, that’s not so good. Let them prove themselves. Give them a year. If they still don’t have decent sales with big publishers (if that’s what you’re looking for) then I’d think twice.

The point is this–a bad agent is worse than no agent at all.

I didn’t make that up. Writers for YEARS have given this advice as the one universal truth of working with an agent. This sort of thing doesn’t become a universal truth for no reason.

I’m not saying that all bad agents stick out like a sore thumb. An agent who is good for one writer may totally suck for another. That’s why you need to evaluate what kind of agent you need before you hire anyone. If you do some research and follow some of the advice that I’ve blogged, you might just avoid a few potholes.

Might.

But of course, I hope you do avoid the potholes…or else, I wouldn’t be writing this, would I?

And if anyone wants me to address a specific agent question (or writing question) just ask. I’m not an expert, but I usually have an opinion. I’m not going to talk one way or another about specific agents, though…I’ll bet you can guess why.

Anyway, that’s my take on the whole agent thing. Hopefully, I’ve covered enough to put you on the right path. Best of luck in hunting! Or not, as the case may be.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 23rd, 2007 at 6:00 am and is filed under Julie. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.