Cheating?

DoctorShade · Mar 17, 2008

I was thinking that since it will take me a long time to finish my novel, maybe many years because I have motivational and creative difficulties. Is it possible for one to become an agent, part-time, and represent their own story or is that like a doctor trying to perform surgary on himself or a lawyer representing himself... it just wouldn't work? Is this just silly?

How would one go about getting their, uh, agent's licence/certificate.

Marian Perera · Mar 17, 2008

DoctorShade said:
Is it possible for one to become an agent, part-time, and represent their own story or is that like a doctor trying to perform surgary on himself or a lawyer representing himself... it just wouldn't work?

It wouldn't work. Editors will see through it - you're not the first person to have thought of this scheme and you probably won't be the last. It will be seen as a sign of desperation or naivete or both.

And what's the point of trying to represent a novel that's incomplete? What are you going to do if by some miracle an editor wants to see it and asks for a full? I can provide examples of threads where writers sent out incomplete or unedited work, were asked for fulls and then went through hell trying to finish or polish the manuscript in a few weeks.

Write it first, then edit it, then look for a legitimate agent.

DoctorShade · Mar 17, 2008

Ah, I knew there was something fishy about it.

Well I wouldn't try to present unfinished work to an editor but I thought I could bypass a major step: getting represented. All I would have to worry about is finishing my novel at my own slow (almost unmoving) pass.

Toothpaste · Mar 17, 2008

If you are interested in representing yourself, why not just not deal with the agent thing, and only submit to publishers who accept unagented MSs?

See being an agent is a lot more than just placing a MS with a publisher. And to think it's just that is very naive, and a little offensive to agents. Your analogy is also slightly off. Many doctors do treat themselves, and many lawyers represent themselves. What your situation is more like, let's say you get sick and need to see a specialist. And you decide instead of waiting for a time that a specialist can see you, to become a specialist yourself. It takes years and years to become a doctor, and the only reason you would be doing it would be so that you could take care of yourself. It also takes years to become a successful agent, to build up contacts, to learn the trade, to apprentice with a larger agency before opening your own.

If you are only doing it to rep your own work . . . and not because you would like to become an agent . . . then dude, go it the old fashioned way. Or, as I already said, bypass the whole agent thing in general.

Cranky · Mar 17, 2008

Toothpaste said:
If you are interested in representing yourself, why not just not deal with the agent thing, and only submit to publishers who accept unagented MSs?

See being an agent is a lot more than just placing a MS with a publisher. And to think it's just that is very naive, and a little offensive to agents. Your analogy is also slightly off. Many doctors do treat themselves, and many lawyers represent themselves. What your situation is more like, let's say you get sick and need to see a specialist. And you decide instead of waiting for a time that a specialist can see you, to become a specialist yourself. It takes years and years to become a doctor, and the only reason you would be doing it would be so that you could take care of yourself. It also takes years to become a successful agent, to build up contacts, to learn the trade, to apprentice with a larger agency before opening your own.

If you are only doing it to rep your own work . . . and not because you would like to become an agent . . . then dude, go it the old fashioned way. Or, as I already said, bypass the whole agent thing in general.

Over the transom! I would like to add that the OP would need to do homework, and make sure he's only subbing to publishers that accept unagented manuscripts.

Esopha · Mar 17, 2008

And that it would take a significant amount of time to get a job -- any job -- in publishing.

How long do you have to intern to get a job as an assistant? And then how long before you're allowed to take on your first client?

Years and years and years...

mysterygrl · Mar 18, 2008

And agents who are also published authors typically don't represent themselves. For example, Evan Marshall--a very experienced agent, who also writes mysteries and non-fiction--is represented by Maureen Walters at Curtis Brown.

victoriastrauss · Mar 18, 2008

DoctorShade said:
Well I wouldn't try to present unfinished work to an editor but I thought I could bypass a major step: getting represented.

An agent is useful because s/he has expertise and contacts the writer doesn't. Otherwise, as others have said, you are better off just submitting in the ordinary way.

Would editors figure out that you'd invented an agent? Maybe not. However, just imagine the problems you'd have with your imaginary agent if you actually got a publication offer.

Besides, just having "agent" on a letterhead doesn't automatically open doors. Editors prefer to work with literary agents they know, either personally or by reputation. They're also aware of how many amateur, incompetent, and scam agents there are. Unknown agents are likely to get only slightly more attention than unagented authors--or less, if they are obviously unprofessional.

- Victoria

DoctorShade · Mar 18, 2008

Ah, I knew my idea was a bit silly. My next idea will be working your way up to being the CEO of Random House and then publishing your work :tongue

giusti · Mar 19, 2008

but there is logic behind the ill-founded idea. I know from personal experience is that when looking for publishers, everywhere you go is either so small that it's practically self-publishing, or solicited only. It's always frustrating to like a publisher, and then have that door shut on you.

My advice has always been, get published under a smaller pub, and then, use that to prove, not only to the agent, but also to yourself, that you should be able to make it full-time. Thus, you have justification for hiring an agent in the first place.

While there's many people trying to sneak a MS in the back door of a big house, there's probably a similar number of writers with agents that really shouldn't have agents yet. Don't break the egg before it's ready to hatch.

-giusti

Toothpaste · Mar 19, 2008

You make a point giusti, but while subbing to smaller publishers, why not sub to agents as well? You don't need to have any publication credits to get an agent, so you can keep your net wide.

Cheating?

DoctorShade

Marian Perera

starting over

DoctorShade

Toothpaste

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!

Cranky

Esopha

bam pow zap.

mysterygrl

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess

DoctorShade

giusti

Toothpaste

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!