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Finding a Literary Agent

Devor

Fiery Keeper of the Hat
Moderator
The agent has the upper hand.

The relationship is an ongoing negotiation, and the reality is that an author has no idea what their value is to the agent until he gathers that information through experience. You've only what they tell you to determine how much they value your book, and you've no idea what other books and authors they're working with. Meanwhile, the agent knows just about everything the author is doing.

In basic negotiations, that imbalance should put the agent in a much better bargaining position than the author.

That doesn't mean there's no way to rewrite the relationship dynamic. But loosely speaking, going in, that is probably the typical starting point.
 
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When an inexperienced writer first starts dealing with agents they face a massive power imbalance and are profoundly grateful to any publishing professional who gives them any time at all. If dealing with a big name, any judgment they might normally have in important negotiating situations can just evaporate under the glare of the agent's luminous celebrity.

The writer feels indulged and special just spending time with this titan of the publishing world, but they feel that the connection can vanish at any moment. If they are told that something is industry standard, they will believe. If they are told something is not industry standard, they won't care, because even a bad deal with an agent seems better...to the lonely writer tapping away in the proverbial garret...than no deal.

Again - that era is over now.

Yes, there are still writers who "grew up" being spoonfed the whole 'write book - get agent - get publisher' system. But that's no longer the only valid path today. Today, writers have options, and we're actively educating each other about those options.

Today, writers can earn more money self publishing than they can from a trade publisher. In fact, your "odds" of making a living at writing using either method appear to be roughly equal, these days.

More and more publishers are allowing direct submissions. More and more publishers are actively soliciting work from writers who've proved their mettle via self publishing. More and more writers are turning down those offers, because they're already making more than the publisher will pay, or the contracts the publisher is requiring of them are too onerous.

Today, if you have a very good agent, they can be a help. But they're no longer essential and may or may not be useful, depending on your writing and your goals. A bad or even a mediocre agent is probably worse than none at all. There are not many very good agents, and they tend to go after "name brand" writers - so if you're a novice, almost certainly you're faced with the case of "the agent you can get is not the agent you want". Or more bluntly: if you've never published a book and have no publishing history, you're almost certainly NOT going to get an agent who will be useful to you at all.

Unless you're getting a top agent, who actually knows editors who work in your genre, using your wife, husband, brother, mom, or pet goldfish as your agent is probably going to be about as effective. And less risky. Don't forget: there are NO requirements to becoming an agent, aside from saying "I am an agent". Most agents do not have useful contacts with major publishers - they're just ending up in the "agent slushpile" with hundreds of other agented works.

Most importantly, if it's your first relationship with an agent, you won't have any experience with which to weigh the offer. Offers to new writers are rare, and flattering, and the writer has stars in his/her eyes. They will say yes...will be aghast at the prospect of losing the offer. They have no power.

Which is why educating young writers is so important. The game has changed. Today, authors have the power, and agents are...well, headed for the unemployment line, most of them.

For you to suggest that they do have power may embolden one or two to say no...but that might lose them the one chance they will ever have to be published in the main stream.

Unlikely. If they continue to writer, continue to publish, and really want a trade publishing deal, eventually they will acquire one. It takes time, and high levels of skill, and probably years of slowly building a fan base by selling the books under your own label. But you do not need an agent anymore, even if major mainstream publishing is your goal. You just need to write a lot, publish a lot, and not stop working at your goal.

You don't have power re agents until a publisher wants your book.

Of course you do. You have the power to walk away, publish yourself, and almost certainly earn as much as you would have from the traditional deal. If your book is good enough to sell to a major publisher, then you're pretty certainly going to make the $2000-5000 that you're likely to get from the major publisher for the book. Because that's the average advance for a first novel.

Or you can make Goldie your agent, learn the submission email addresses for the agent slushpiles, and be in as good shape as anyone else using most agents would be. ;)

Edited to add: PS - When a publisher wants your book is when you definitely don't need an agent anymore. You might still find one useful - but if a publisher is already interested, an IP attorney is often a better bet.
 
I've seen too many authors sign REALLY terrible contracts because they were too "passive" and let the agent bully them into something that wasn't in the author's best interest. David Dalglish, who just signed with my publisher is a good example. I can't give all the details because they were relayed to me in confidence, but David made a bad choice and paid dearly for it. I don't want others to do similarly.

David posted some of the details about his agency woes in an interview here: From Pizza Hut To Easy Street: The David Dalglish Story | David Gaughran

And it is SERIOUSLY a tale to take to heart. If the deal feels wrong, DON'T sign it! Even if you think it feels right, for goodness sake get a lawyer who knows publishing/agency contracts to vet it first.

Otherwise, you're liable to end up with a mess like David did.

The sharks are in the waters, folks. Don't be shark food. ;)
 
Kevin, I completely agree with most of your points about the waning agency paradigm, but the era is not over. Definitely, it is in a cuspid transitional phase, but as far as the mainstream publishers go it is still the dominant paradigm - in my country anyway.

But the thread title is "Finding a Literary Agent". It is not about alternative paths to getting published - however valid. My comments are purely designed for those looking for literary agents, based on my own experiences in my own country. One thing I know for certain, in Australia, if you are represented by a major agent you are taken far more seriously than if you are not. It is almost impossible to get through the door of a big publisher without either an agent or major sales achieved as a self-publisher.

Believe it or not, some people aren't much interested in self-publishing.
 
Here's my problem...authors are mistreated...often...and it's their own faults. I'm not sure what it is that causes them to have so little self-esteem but I see it everywhere, and it's going to hurt them in the long run. By your own admission, The Dark One, you wasted years, and ended up having to fire your agent. David Dalglish had to PAY MONEY to make his agent go away!!

I'm with Kevin in the whole, "you don't have to do it like it's always been done," but I also understand those that WANT to go the traditional route...and they should...but if you do so with the mindset of willing to take any crumb that comes your way, genuflecting at everyone "in the business" you are going to be taken advantage of...period. Traditional is a tough business, so grow a backbone or be prepared to accept the consequences. YOU are the only one in charge of YOUR career and what happens to you during the process. If you give the power to others, then don't be surprised that they wield it over you.
 
Sorry Michael, but this is exactly why I suggested that you had possibly forgotten what it was like to be in a position of no power vis a vis 'the industry'.

There's no point telling people to grow a backbone when they are walking wide-eyed with wonder into the office of a publishing professional and being taken seriously for the first time as a writer.

My approach to this was to tell a cautionary tale about how I gradually realised I had signed with the wrong agent, in order perhaps to embolden others who might find themselves in similar positions.

I believe it was a valid contribution and more likely to help new players than exhorting them to grow backbones in circumstances they are unable to gauge objectively.
 
Sorry Michael, but this is exactly why I suggested that you had possibly forgotten what it was like to be in a position of no power vis a vis 'the industry'.

There's no point telling people to grow a backbone when they are walking wide-eyed with wonder into the office of a publishing professional and being taken seriously for the first time as a writer.

My approach to this was to tell a cautionary tale about how I gradually realised I had signed with the wrong agent, in order perhaps to embolden others who might find themselves in similar positions.

I believe it was a valid contribution and more likely to help new players than exhorting them to grow backbones in circumstances they are unable to gauge objectively.

Well I think we're going to just agree to disagree. Both points have been made, now it's up to the writers who read them to decide which piece of advice to follow. I'm not saying your contribution wasn't valid...and you yourself said you made a mistake. I was merely suggesting that you have to get that get rid of that "wide-eyed wonder" before signing anything and look at what you are signing up for - because you are going to be held to what you sign - usually for a VERY long time.
 

Lucas

Troubadour
I have had my book professionally edited. But yet no literary agent has replied back with anything but rejections :(
 
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