by Ruth Harris
Your agent is your representative in the publishing world. A good or great one will have wide knowledge of the current trends — are historicals hot? Is alien sci-fi romance coming up? Is medieval adventure staggering along on its last legs?
Your agent will know where best to target your work, which editors are looking for exactly what you’re writing, which publishers do a great job with your genre — and which ones don’t.
He/she will know which publishers are great with lit fic and which ones couldn’t place Leo Tolstoy with the perfect in-house editor if his/her life depended on it.
But how do you tell?
How can you find out when the publishing world seems so opaque to outsiders? It’s not easy and certainly no one’s perfect but, if you pay attention, there are clues.
If editors and agents knew which book was going to hit the NYT bestseller list, every book would find prominent display in the window of the nearest Barnes & Noble. Every title would garner rave reviews, every editor would be Maxwell Perkins, and every author would be rich and famous. Which is not how it works.
The reason is, we don’t know.
No one does.
What we can do is take educated guesses, because what we do know — cuz our sales reps tell us — is what’s trending and gathering steam, and what’s slowing down.
We’re aware that our sales staff is aces with contemporary romance, but nsh (not so hot) with lit fic. They can sell steamy historical romance (ye old bodice ripper), but flop at sci-fi. Or vice versa. We know that our Art Director can create genius mystery covers but struggles with domestic suspense.
We know (and the agents we do business with also know) our strengths — and weaknesses, but how does hopeful author navigate what can seem an impenetrable system?
Here are some gotchas to watch out for.
Due Diligence: Make a List of Possible Agents
How do you find a quality agent: the one who’s right for you and your book?
First of all, check Literary Market Place. (It now offers week-at-a-time subscriptions.) It’s Ground Zero for who’s who and what’s what in the world of publishing. They will often the genres in which they specialize. You can also get free agent information at AgentQuery.com and Query Tracker.
Now that you have a sense of the Names That Matter (at least a little) in your world, check the acknowledgments in other books in your genre. Authors will often thank their agents/editors/publishers for their help.
Ask your editor. Many independent editors have done business with agents. They know the landscape and can give you the scoop.
Check with other writers in your genre.
As always: Make a list.
Keep notes.
Lean into your patience and be prepared to wait while you edit and sharpen your query letter (again!) and approach other agents. (Although you’re warned not to, but who do you work for? Big Shot Agent? Or yourself?)
Stars In Your Eyes
- They’re at a Big Deal Conference. In Paris. In Morocco. In Timbuktu.
- Or they’ve just signed another Super Star Author who’s bringing in even more of the Big Bucks.
- Or they’ve been at it for so long, they’re just plain tired: bummed, bored or burned out.
- Could also be they even start with beaucoup enthusiasm, but give up and stop submitting after a few rejections.
Tears In Your Eyes.
- Your emails don’t get answered.
- Your calls don’t get returned.
- You’ve slid down (and off) the call-back list. Never mind the VIP list.
- And now you’re the one who’s stranded in Timbuktu.
Love In The Afternoon.
Big Deal On the Corner of Lit and Letdown.
It’s a Jungle Out There. For Agents, Too.
- Be patient.
- Keep going.
- Keep learning.
- Keep improving.
- Don’t give up.
- Stubbornness is your friend.
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SUBSCRIBERS: MANY APOLOGIES!
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BOOK OF THE WEEK
Women’s fiction meets cozy mystery in the Big Apple.
WHEN BILLIONAIRES BREAK BAD.
When the oh-so-dead body of a celebrity Mad Man washes up on East Hampton’s Billionaires’ Beach, PR whiz Blake Weston and her handsome, sexy, ex-cop husband must spend the summer in the fancy-pants resort to find out what — or who — killed Jay Caruso.
Was it his wife?
Which one?
“Ruth Harris’s light, breezy style perfectly captures the characters who frequent this up-scale summer resort. She’s also brilliant at poking fun at their high-end toys like a huge hi-tech stove that neither Blake nor Ralph can figure how to work without the help of the housekeeper; and a “silent” dishwasher that blows up.”...Joanna Elm
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Featured image: Annika Wischnewski at Unsplash
Ruth–Thanks for telling it like it is. I know you’ve been in this business a long time and you’ve met all these types–the good, the bad, and the slimy. Being an agent isn’t easy these days, since advances get smaller and publishers want a “sure thing”–preferably written by a celebrity. Some agents are fantastic and become friends and mentors, but there are some who are unqualified or just burned out.
This is excellent. This is the story of my writing life, to a tee. It’s frustrating and depressing and angrifying. But it’s also typical whenever one tries to fit the roundly creative into the square peg of business. When the bottom line rules the roost, it becomes less about the creative and more about that which sells fast and sells most, and sells in the cheapest way possible. Pandemics, trends, recessions, internet, and AI. Scams. And more scams. Too many competing for too little.
Don’t give up. Indeed. Focus on that which you can control, the creative, and just keep going. Well said.
Bobbi—Sorry you’ve had to slog thru this but think of it as a valuable callus-builder for the reality of an author’s career. Besides, you’re absolutely right: focus on what you can control. Then have some chocolate or a glass of wine (or one of each) & forget the rest. 🙂
Hi Ruth and Anne,
I’m so pleased you’re broadcasting the message that most agents are working hard as they can to do the best they can, just like authors. So true, and so salient.
Anne—TY for an on-target reply. You’re right about the celeb hunt, but “sure” things have a way of flopping, too. Another approach is for writers to build an audience…an engaging, informative blog can go a long way!
No question there have been, and no doubt still are, some so-called agents out there that will take authors for a ride. And others that simply are not as good at their job as we’d like.
But at the end of the day, most agents understand their success is dependent on the success of the authors they represent. But no agent has a magic wand that can convince a publishers to invest in a particular book.
As a seasoned industry observer I’d say most antipathy towards agents derives not from any genuine scams, although of course there are bad apples in every barrel, but from author expectations being too high, or simply not understanding what an agent can do.
On the booze-fest point, I’ve heard of many agents that like more than one glass, but have heard of very few occasions when that has ever affected their ability to do their job properly.
Ruth links to a couple of agent-finding sites, and is absolutely right about due diligence.
The agency website will of course only highlight the positives. But a quick play around with the search engine or AI chatbot of your choice will help you learn about any negative commentary that might be floating around in cyberspace.
As a test, I googled and copiloted three big name lit-agents, looking specifically for negatives, and found very little to worry about, just the usual sour-grapes whining from authors. One was aggrieved that they spent their valuable time submitting their Alien-copy-cat sci-fi horror novel to an agent specialising in children’s board-books, and could not believe the agent rejected the proposal without asking for a full read.
So yes, there are good, bad and no doubt disgusting agents out there, but the playing field is heavily tilted towards the good.
Mark—Great perspective! Thanks.
Yes!! More chocolate!
Such is truth Ruth. At least as Indie authors we create our own destinies. 🙂
Dgkaye—thank you — & so very accurate! Lots of setbacks. Lots of thrills. Takes talent, persistence, & beaucoup determination!
Yes, it’s true that writers have bad experiences with agents, and the search for one can be long and hard. But I’ve interviewed many good agents at Literary Rambles who are hard-working and enthusiastic about finding new talent and supporting the authors they represent. Going beyond searching places like QueryTracker, like Literary Rambles, Manuscript Wish List, and podcasts, will give authors much more information about how an agent works with their authors and help them decide if an agent is a good fit for them.
And of course now writers must also be careful not to be duped by people impersonating agents. Most agent websites have a warning now that their agents have been impersonated.
Natalie—so now they’re impersonating agents! As if Any self-respecting hustler would sink *that* low! Lol
My one agent experience was years ago. He was so excited and on my side! Then he told me the way to make the big bucks was through screen writing and for said amount of money he would convert my novel to a screen play. When I politely declined, I never heard from him again.
Christine—promises, promises!
I had an agent followed me around during a three-day conference. He sat with me at every meal, and we had a ton of laughs. On the last day, he listened to my pitch, read several pages of a true book crime I wrote, and said he’d love to work with me. But then, an infamous serial killer’s daughter decided to write a second book (Mr. Agent rep’d the first), and all the love and attention from the conference vanished overnight. Timing is everything.
Sue—They love you. Until they dont. Ha ha and lol. No one should EVER spend one second wondering why writers are so cynical.
Most of my contact with agents has been through the mail or emails. I had one interested once–until her company got investigated for fraud and she moved to a legit agency. She didn’t look back.
Great article! I had a bad agent. It’s taken me years to get over the agent PTSD she caused. The problem with many of those sites listed (such as QueryTracker) is that if an author had an issue with their past agent, they are likely not going to mention it on those websites. And just because your favorite author is with a specific agent, it doesn’t mean the agent is good. My old agent had her fans, but there were plenty of other published authors who left her because she was a terrible agent. This doesn’t count the numerous writers who were frustrated because she never actually submitted their work to publishing houses. Others, like myself, had to deal with her abusive behavior. None of this is mentioned on those listed sites. Those sites are more about how long someone has waited to hear back on their queries or requested material.
If you know an agented author and you’re looking to query their agent, talk to the author first and make sure they actually are happy with their agent. Several people who knew me saw my name on my [old] agent’s website and assumed I was happy with her. It wasn’t until they started to have their own issues with her that they finally reached out to me. By then, it was too late.