Got publisher do I need an agent?

Do you have a firm offer to publish?

And yes, get an agent. And read this:

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004772.html

and this

http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2005/01/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about.asp

I think it depends on the nature of your writing (e.g. niche market vs mass, fiction vs non fiction) and your location. For example, I'm in NZ and it is very common for publishers to deal direct with authors. We also have a great author's society here that gives a lot of advice on contracts etc etc. I did deal direct with a US publisher on an anthology and that was fine. We argued a bit on the terms and in the end came to a middle ground I was happy with.

I also had a deal with a canadian publisher but they never published the book. I wasted a lot of time and ended up having to chase them to get a release from the contract. My point is that there's no crystal ball. You may get a good deal and things may go fine or your ms may get tied up for a couple of years and waste a lot of time.

it could be worth having a reputable agent to look after your best interests. In theory they earn back the cost of the royalties by getting a better deal than you would on your own. I guess I would think of it as insurance. It costs you and you may not gain anything at all, but the potential upside/downside is huge.

If the ms is "hot" they may find a better publisher for your book. Plus agents can give you a lot of contractual advice, such as whether to give the publisher options on future works, under what circumstances etc etc.

I'd go with what Medievalist says.

Unless you're a lawyer with experience specifically in publishing contracts, I'd get and agent. And, if you do have a firm offer of publication, it should be easier to get an agent to say yes.

If you still insist on doing it yourself, you can check out Kristin Nelson's blog (http://pubrants.blogspot.com). She went over a standard, boilerplate publishing contract - what to look for, what to negotiate, yadda yadda yadda.

Either way - good luck!

~Nancy

Yes, PLEASE share!!!
I'd love to know.

Being ASKED for the ms. puts you ahead of the slush pile, but that does not mean there's an offer. One editor at such a large house can rarely make the decision himself. It requires approval of more than one set of eyes. If there is no contract on the table, you haven't been picked up as yet.

Good luck in the process, but it's still in process.

Regards,
Scott

Hi, Famous1,
Good luck and enjoy the process. I will send good thoughts your way. That's very exciting!

agent

An agent does far, far more than simply handle contracts, so, yes, you need an agent.

Agree with others requesting ms is only the first step. Until you have the contract in your mitts it's all up in the air. I've had a major publishing company call me in for meetings, met their marketing manager, discussed everything about the book and then at the last moment they decided it wasn't right for their list because a major customer (retail chain) didn't think they were interested in stocking it. It happens...

Funnily enough that same chain took 1/2 the stock when it was finally published. You just never know in this fickle game

Good luck with your project

Like your user name! Very positive, which is a good way to be. Best of luck!

Jamesaritchie said:

An agent does far, far more than simply handle contracts, so, yes, you need an agent.

Click to expand...

Like what?

%15 percent is a reasonable sum, should the book go bank.

ibid. said:

Like what?

%15 percent is a reasonable sum, should the book go bank.

Click to expand...

Like negotiating Book Club editions, mass market editions, foreign rights, film and TV rights, large print editions, audio books, electronic rights, etc. for the book in question. All these rights sales put money in the author's pocket, too.

Not to mention an agent found for one book is often going to be interested in repping your next book and the one after.

Regards,
Scott