Do you really need an agent?

Perhaps we could start new threads to discuss the other "Sacred Cows." This could be a good series of threads to discuss.

I'd like to pinpoint the original article and some thoughts I have about it.

Growing up, I'd always had this image of how my writing career would end up. I'd write a book in my twenties (too late for that now), polish it, shopping it around to agents, get rejected dozens of times, and then find the right one to represent my book. It would find a home at Tor my favorite publisher in the world. I would go on to not necessarily be a wealthy writer, but be able to make my living as a professional writer. Story ends.

I still like this idea. And there are still many others who do as well. Of course, later I found out Tor doesn't require an agent, but several other big publishers still do. This makes have an agent still a viable practice for those of us that want to go the traditional route.

I love that people can go the indie route now if they want to and find their own way through the maze so to speak. But I didn't really get into writing to be a publisher. I want to write. Making the decision to self-publish isn't always the liberating feeling that some make it to be. For some, it represents a whole new series of problems to deal with. What I'm getting at is saying "You don't need an agent" shouldn't really come as a sigh of relief for some people. It should come as "Oh, crap, I have to do everything now."

So while I understand that writers have to take the bull by the horns and get out there and promote their work and all, having an agent can certainly help you navigate some problems a new author may initially have. And I wouldn't say they're all bad people (as the OP says). Like any career, there are bad people that do it and there are good people. Finding the right one can be difficult.

For me, I want to experience trying to get an agent myself. If I find the whole process to be soul-crushing and disenfranchising, then that will just be something I've learned about myself and the process.

So while maybe you don't need an agent anymore, some people still want one. Like me.

Some points he mentions:

Michael J. Sullivan is obviously an example of this success story. I believe this is definitely a viable route. But I don't suspect this road is always easy either.

This is also a viable way. However, some traditional publishers still require agents. What about those publishers who you want to get deals with who won't take unsolicited authors? I'd still like to submit to them. I'm sure some editors will accept something from you if you meet them face to face, but some may still follow the same protocol. I'm just saying what I figure, he obviously has more experience at these kind of things than I do.

Overall, I like his advice. It is good for those people who don't think they have a snowball's chance in hell of getting published due to so many factors. However, I always like to look at the other side of the coin. There are still viable reasons to get an agent in my mind.

1. Get access to certain publishers
2. Have someone help sell your work to a publisher for you
3. Hopefully have one that can look over legal contracts

I'm sure there are other benefits. Just want to throw that out there. I obviously agree with many of his views, I'm just thinking of other alternatives to what he is suggesting.

Edit: I actually just realized this is the same author who suggested to write a short story every week for a year. I actually got quite inspired by that and was doing pretty well for a while. Not sure how many I wrote before NaNoWriMo crashed me out.

 

Honestly, that sounds like it's more likely to get you blacklisted than a book deal. I'm all for approaching people, but you need a reputation that precedes you before you can expect to get anybody's attention.

 

For me specifically, at least as things stand now, going to writer's conferences isn't feasible since I live in another country. Plus, I agree with Devor in some instances that approaching editors directly is a pretty delicate situation. Sure, you may hit a home run and get lucky, but you may also offend a very important editor by soliciting them directly. To me it kind of feels like the "put a demo tape in the pocket of the record executive" move. Just knowing the right moment and channels to do such things is important I think.

While I don't begrudge people who follow alternative routes and the time of agents may be fading, traditional publishing is called such for a reason. It's traditional. I believe Mr. Smith's advice tends to lean more towards indie authors who may be disgruntled from thinking there has to be one singular way to get published. He's offering alternatives that may be viable, but for me, I'd be wary of approaching an editor if I think it could ruin my career before I get started. Editors are people with long memories.

 

Admittedly, you'd have to make an ass of yourself before anybody would care, but I'm sure it happens - that kind of thing happens everywhere. I can't imagine that professional editors like to be accosted by newbs with a weak manuscript everywhere they go.

The success stories you're aware of - do you know anything about their careers prior to approaching the editor? I was only suggesting that you need a "success" to speak of to get their attention before you randomly pitch to people.

 

I do think it's good advice, I'm just not sure how to go about approaching editors directly. One reason I think some publishers prefer agented work is so they don't have slush piles to deal with and it increases the quality of work. If every writer at a conference is coming up to editors trying to give them books, that is still inundating them, just in a different way. Anyway, I get what he's saying. But in most cases, I'd say approaching small press publishers sounds more doable than coming up to the editor of Del Rey and trying to sell them your manuscript.

 

Fair enough. I've never been to a writing conference and am probably missing the vibe editors have in that setting towards new writers. Still, I would appreciate the advice more if it came with examples of the icebreakers used to start those conversations, as I'm sure the editors in question have a lot of manuscripts thrust upon them.

 

I think it's worth noting that an experienced salesman can more or less replicate the conversation Steerpike described above. It's not all hard-sales.

 

Still, it's probably worth an article or a discussion on "What do you do if you have a manuscript and find yourself standing next to an editor." There is a path, but I don't think "Just pitch it" does it justice.