I never felt bad about my novel until after I hired an agent.

actusreus73

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So I wrote a novel, searched and searched, and finally landed an agent. She had me sign a contract that gave her rights to everything I write and want to sell for the next five years, and seemed very optimistic, although, truthfully, I question to this day whether she actually read my book (does that happen?). It's been four months since she gave me a list of 20 recognizable publishers to whom she sent it.

Anyway, donkey kick to my pride time -- is it time to give up? She's sent me half a dozen "no thanks," notes from publishers, but zero other feedback. I can't imagine everyone on her list hasn't read it and decided against it by now. So am I being paranoid? What percentage of books get picked up by agents but never sold? How long should I keep hoping? Should I ask her to dump me and try to self-publish? Honestly, like I said in the opening, I never felt as bad about my book until after I got an agent.



Thanks for any feedback!
 

Jan74

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I'm new and unpublished, is it normal to sign a five year contract? And is it normal that an agent gets dibs on everything you write in that time period? Is there a clause in your contract that if she doesn't find a publisher within let's say 6months that the contract is void? Do you have an out? Will be stalking this thread.
 

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I'm going to move this over to the Ask the Agent forum, 'cause it's a better fit for that forum.

That being said, I second the suggestion to check to see if there's a thread in the Bewares, Recommendations, and Background Checks forum for this agent.

(Check out the Index thread and use your browser's search function to see if the agent is listed.)
 

Cyia

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So I wrote a novel, searched and searched, and finally landed an agent. Did you check them out first? She had me sign a contract that gave her rights to everything I write and want to sell for the next five years<--- This is not normal. Usually, you sign for the book / series your agent signs you on, and then you send them subsequent books. If they like them, they try to sell them. If they don't think they'll sell, or don't have the contacts for the genre you've written in, then they'll tell you so. , and seemed very optimistic, although, truthfully, I question to this day whether she actually read my book (does that happen?Not with a legit agent, no.). It's been four months since she gave me a list of 20 recognizable publishers to whom she sent it. Did she only tell you publishers, or did she give you a list of editor names at a specific imprint for that house?

I submitted to: Jane Jones: Delcorte: Random House
is not the same as:
I sent the book to Random House.


Anyway, donkey kick to my pride time -- is it time to give upIf she's really sent them out to publishers, then no. Four months is nothing.? She's sent me half a dozen "no thanks," notes from publishers, but zero other feedbackAsk her to forward their full emails. This will tell you if you're getting word from editors or generic rejections from publishers who aren't being approached appropriately. Most of the time, editor rejections are at least a paragraph long and will address you as the writer by name, and your book by title inside the body of the email. If she can't produce these to forward them, or if you're getting generic 1/2 line rejections, then something's weird.. I can't imagine everyone on her list hasn't read it and decided against it by now. It's legitimately possible. So am I being paranoid? Sadly, there's no way to tell. What percentage of books get picked up by agents but never sold? A LOT. How long should I keep hoping?Until the final editor responds. Should I ask her to dump me and try to self-publish? Even if she never sells your novel, that doesn't mean you should self-publish it. With a contract stating your agent is entitled to monies from every book for five years, you may not be able to. You *really* need to take a good, hard look at what your contract promises her, promises you, and what it doesn't. Honestly, like I said in the opening, I never felt as bad about my book until after I got an agent.
This shouldn't be the case.


Thanks for any feedback!

Without knowing who your agent is (DO NOT CALL HER OUT IN A PUBLIC FORUM, for your own good), we can't give you much advice on that front. And no one is going to tell you whether or not you should walk away from your agent; you have to decide that for yourself.

Five years and rights to everything you write is weird. (By contrast, my previous agent had rights to the book she signed me with, then we had a long introductory phone call where she explained the agencies policies on self-publishing. Basically, anything I wanted to publish myself was fine. They had contacts if I wanted to ask for help with covers, editing, etc, but they only took the books I wanted to her to look at for purposes of professional publishing.)

Have you actually spoken to your agent?
 

lizmonster

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I'm new and unpublished, is it normal to sign a five year contract? And is it normal that an agent gets dibs on everything you write in that time period? Is there a clause in your contract that if she doesn't find a publisher within let's say 6months that the contract is void? Do you have an out? Will be stalking this thread.

I can't say what is and isn't typical, but as a general rule, it's not a good idea to sign a contract without an "out." Both my agency contract and the contract with my publisher have termination terms for both sides. A good contract protects the interests of both parties; if you're presented with a contract that makes you uncomfortable, you should ask questions about specifics and request changes if you're still unhappy. And always remember, until you sign on the dotted line, you can say no.

I don't want to speculate on the content of OP's contract, because it's easy to summarize legalese in ways that sound vague or unfavorable when the language is pretty typical. But in general, I personally wouldn't be comfortable signing away rights to anything I hadn't written yet.

My mom's a retired lawyer, and one thing has always been drummed into my head: never sign anything you don't understand.​ Whatever it is.
 

Cyia

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On the "out" clause: both agents I've signed with have had the policy that if either side wanted to sever the contract, all it takes is an email saying this, or at most a certified letter. The only thing the agent keeps after the fact is any deal in progress that leads to an actual sale.
 

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Wow, great feedback! Thanks.

First, I know the contract wasn't typical. I'm actually an attorney. But I'd been looking for an agent for six months at the time, and she was the only one interested. I guess I figured there was nothing to lose. Also, the emails she sends me from the uninterested publishers seem legitimate. I could be wrong, and she does in fact have several quasi-questionable references on the index of agents (which I did certainly review before signing with her), but she also has a number of pretty high profile clients. We spoke for nearly an hour on the phone, and my honest opinion is that she's a legitimate agent, with something less than a "star-quality" bed-side manner for her anxious clients. Besides just being a bit desperate to find an agent (which desperation may, I acknowledge, be an answer in and of itself), I guess I just assume that since I've never paid her a penny, and there weren't any other agents clamoring for my work, she has as much incentive to get it published and earning as I do. I mean, how would it benefit her to sign me and just string me along? She gets nothing if I get nothing, right?

Anyway, beyond my rather vague misgivings about her legitimacy, my main concern for the forum was just whether or not the four months with a handful of polite "no's" was too long. I know I should be working on other stuff in the interim, but you know how it is, you want that itch scratched before you move to other body parts :)
 

Jan74

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Wow, great feedback! Thanks.

First, I know the contract wasn't typical. I'm actually an attorney.as an attorney you should be a pro at spotting red flags But I'd been looking for an agent for six months at the time, and she was the only one interested. I guess I figured there was nothing to loseyou have everything to lose if your strapped in with an agent for 5 years without an out :(. Also, the emails she sends me from the uninterested publishers seem legitimate. I could be wrong, and she does in fact have several quasi-questionable references on the index of agents (which I did certainly review before signing with her), but she also has a number of pretty high profile clients. We spoke for nearly an hour on the phone, and my honest opinion is that she's a legitimate agent, with something less than a "star-quality" bed-side manner for her anxious clients. Besides just being a bit desperate to find an agent (which desperation may, I acknowledge, be an answer in and of itself), I guess I just assume that since I've never paid her a penny, and there weren't any other agents clamoring for my work, she has as much incentive to get it published and earning as I do. I mean, how would it benefit her to sign me and just string me along? She gets nothing if I get nothing, right?

Anyway, beyond my rather vague misgivings about her legitimacy, my main concern for the forum was just whether or not the four months with a handful of polite "no's" was too long. I know I should be working on other stuff in the interim, but you know how it is, you want that itch scratched before you move to other body parts :)

I do hope this works out for you and she finds a publisher, and congrats on writing your book that's a huge accomplishment. I'll be honest with you, and again I'm a nobody in the writing world, but I cringed reading your post. Be proud of your work, don't be desperate. How long did it take to write the book? Take that same amount of time to really pursue an agent that fits, listen to that little voice in your head that might say "no this agent is wrong for me". Again I wish you the best :)
 

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I've been with my agent for a little more than three years now and the book he signed me for has not sold yet. I've completed other projects though which are also making the rounds.

I seem to recall that there's a statistic that says about 1 out of every 10 manuscripts coming from agents sells to a publisher. (Of course, folks who sell one can usually then go on to sell another. But I know that Brandon Sanderson had written 12-13 books and been submitting them before he finally got his first offer of publication.)

There is an element of luck involved with getting your MS in front of the right editor at the right time, but you can't control that. What you can control is that you are producing the best work you are capable of at the time, continuing to refine your craft and produce new work when the previous one is finished, and working with folks who are capable of putting your work in front of the right folks.

I know it's hard sometimes to get to work on something new, especially while you're waiting for a positive response on another MS, but if you start another one now then even if the first one never goes anywhere you'll have something else ready to go when the time comes instead of trying to catch up later. (Not that you should expect not to sell, just, yanno, realistic expectation. This business is hard.)

Best of luck.
 

L.C. Blackwell

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If she's not charging you, that's a good sign. Yes, she does have incentive to place your work. Yes, if she in fact reps high profile writers, that is also a good sign. That she's sending copies of the rejections is another one. The contract terms seem a little unusual, but if they offer a termination clause on mutual agreement, and don't assign copyright to the agency, I wouldn't worry very much, barring some other provision that proves problematic.

It's true, four months is very little time indeed in publishing terms. My question is, how is she working with you in regard to your next novel? Is she encouraging you to build your social media profile? Position yourself for a long-term career? Have the two of you had that conversation yet?
 

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Thanks Aggy. You're right, I need to get working on something new.

And again, as to my agent, it's not my intent to malign her. I don't know what makes a good agent. But to answer L.C.'s question, she's not doing anything with me at all, other than advising as to rejections. She did talk to me about marketing myself in our initial, and only, telephone conversation, but I have a question about that: what exactly am I supposed to market? I have a novel that's endured many many edits. It's not perfect, but it's as close to complete as I can probably get it. But I don't have a cover. I'm not even 100% sold on the title. Do I create a website or Facebook page devoted to. . . a draft? I mean, it's not a draft, I'm basically done, but I'm assuming that if a publisher bites, there will be changes, perhaps even wholesale changes that could make my marketing plan look a bit foolish.
 

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There are horror stories about agents keeping books for a year or more without ever letting the author know if they submitted. So it's a good sign she's actually attempting to sell the story. Even if you are getting rejections.

I do agree some of the other stuff is troublesome, though. Mainly the five-year thing because I've never heard of it working that way.
 

L.C. Blackwell

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Here's another question for you: did she give editorial feedback on the manuscript before deciding where to submit it?

Second, no you can't market the book specifically at this point, but you can be building a website, and for that matter, a Facebook and Twitter presence, talking about your genre, your subject area, and your interests as a writer. (If you don't Facebook, and decide to do so, learn how to manage the privacy settings and security issues, because Facebook is notorious for biting the unwary in the backside that way.)

This is the time to be networking, starting general conversations with other writers and book-lovers. It's also the time to be thinking about how you want to present yourself on the internet. Are you the serious type who loves doing in-depth blog articles? Is Pinterest more your thing? Where can you effectively and comfortably make yourself present?

Look for agent blogs, twitter feeds, and other resources, because many of them do talk about marketing, self-presentation, social media presence, etc. Right off the bat, I can recommend Kristin Nelson's blog at http://nelsonagency.com/pub-rants/ Go here and read through her very educational archives. Use agent blogs to find other agent blogs. These are the people who know the business. (Kristin, by the way, has also done an awesome series of blog posts on what a good agent does. I've tried twice to snag her for my own, no luck. :) )

There are also some good tips in this thread, some of which can be applied even without a book ready to shop:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/sho...-intelligent-human-being-and-not-an-SEO-Dweeb
 

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Six months is nothing in terms of finding an agent. Many writers look for years for the right one. And four months is not very long at all to be on submission. It's entirely possible that the remaining 14 editors simply haven't gotten to your manuscript yet. If your agent is communicating with you about the status of things, I wouldn't worry too much at this point. Publishing works at a glacial pace, which is tough to deal with until you get used to it. Also, 20 is a very large submission round. It's not unheard of, and there can be a legitimate reason for it, like maybe trying to drum up an auction. But it can also signal a "throw it to the wall and see what sticks" type of approach. Did she give you some rationale for sending it to so many?

Two other questions: Why do you wonder if she might not have read your book? Also, are her recognizable clients recent sales, still current clients, and are they in your genre?

I'm also concerned about the five-year contract with no out. I've never heard of that. (I believe you when you say she is legit, but that is not at all an industry standard, and it's quite unfavorable to you.) ETA: Looking back up at your post, does your contract cover book-length works only? And are you sure there's no cancellation clause somewhere else in the contract? I've seen it located toward the end, whereas the sales rights are sometimes separate, toward the beginning.
 
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Aggy B.

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Thanks Aggy. You're right, I need to get working on something new.

And again, as to my agent, it's not my intent to malign her. I don't know what makes a good agent. But to answer L.C.'s question, she's not doing anything with me at all, other than advising as to rejections. She did talk to me about marketing myself in our initial, and only, telephone conversation, but I have a question about that: what exactly am I supposed to market? I have a novel that's endured many many edits. It's not perfect, but it's as close to complete as I can probably get it. But I don't have a cover. I'm not even 100% sold on the title. Do I create a website or Facebook page devoted to. . . a draft? I mean, it's not a draft, I'm basically done, but I'm assuming that if a publisher bites, there will be changes, perhaps even wholesale changes that could make my marketing plan look a bit foolish.

You can start a blog and/FB page. (I have both, although I've had the blog for longer.) Google blogs (BlogSpot/Blogger) are free with a Google account and generally easy to manage as long as you are not hoping to have it function instead of an actual website. I, myself, do not post super-frequently, but I tend to talk about my writing process or new things I've figured out, resources I discover, events I attend (as an author) and what I'm working on next.

I, also, chose to write short stories in addition to my novels (I write speculative fiction - mostly Fantasy, some SF and Horror) and sought publication for those. Which is a good distraction from the submission wait with a novel and also gives you something you can point folks to that isn't, yanno, novel-length if they want to know what you write. But that isn't a requirement if short stories aren't your thing.

If you don't have a book out yet, then basically you promote yourself as a writer or was a writer + whatever you do as a dayjob or as a writer + whatever you do for a hobby that isn't writing, etc.

That said, you don't have to do those things. But they can be useful and it might be something you want to talk with your agent about - what would she like to see you doing while she's working to sell your book? (Mine's pretty aggressive in that regard. When I talk to him - which is not super-frequently, although I send him little updates on new projects about once every 1-2 months - his first question is almost always "So what are you working on right now?") There's not really a "wrong" thing to do, but... if you enjoy writing and want to continue, I would encourage to keep working on other material rather than wait. If you are not certain about writing and whether you want to keep it up as a professional if this first book doesn't work out, then you might want to wait and see what happens.

Best of luck. :)
 

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Honestly, like I said in the opening, I never felt as bad about my book until after I got an agent.

People are covering the agent/self-marketing stuff pretty well, but I wanted to say something about this, because I think this is a far more common experience than you might think.

There's this sense - I certainly had it, before I found representation - that finding an agent is The Big Key, if your goal is trade publishing. You find an agent, and everything else will magically work out. You may not have a clear picture of what that looks like, but you'll be done with Rejection Roulette, right?

But the reality is much different than that, and I think people don't often talk about it, because finding an agent is a huge effort and a big step. And yet books with representation don't sell, and books that sell to a publisher don't sell to the public, and authors - including those who've won big, prestigious awards - have trouble selling their next novel because their numbers aren't high enough. It happens a lot.

None of which means it'll happen to you. But I can tell you, based on many conversations I've had, that what you're feeling here is normal and common, even among authors you would consider successful. And every single multiply-published author I've spoken to has said that there's one common trait among the authors who keep publishing: persistence. In the face of books that don't find publishers, bad reviews, bad sales, anything and everything else, you have to keep writing.

Which sounds easy, until you're faced with having to do it.

I suspect self-publishers hit this reality more quickly than authors who start out in trade, because they're that much closer to the reader. I don't think self-publishing is a route to take only because you're discouraged by rejections from trade publishers. Rejection in all its many forms is just part of what happens when you expose your work to strangers. If you're going to make a career out of this, the sooner you figure out how to move forward in the face of unwelcome feedback - or no feedback at all - the more likely you'll be to find your measure of success.
 

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Quality feedback from all of you, thanks. Just a couple things:
1. I don't think she read my book because a. She gave zero editorial advice, and b. Our conversation revolved almost exclusively around marketing and editing after I got signed by a publisher, and nothing about the book itself. When I asked for feedback about the book, she said, "it's great," and that was it. Also, among about 50 agents to whom I sent a query, she was the only one who asked for a chapter by chapter summary. My guess is that she reads the query, the first chapter, and the summary, and decides who to send responses to based on that.
2. I think I know the answer to this, but here goes: I have a couple of books in my head. One is a sequel to the one I'm hoping to hear good news from my agent about, and the other is a completely different thing in a completely different genre. My guess is that it's a bit silly to write the sequel, given the first book might go nowhere. But if I write the second one, and the first one eventually gets picked up, won't the publisher just want the same type of thing? Especially if it sold well?
3. Thanks again for all your help!
 

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2. I think I know the answer to this, but here goes: I have a couple of books in my head. One is a sequel to the one I'm hoping to hear good news from my agent about, and the other is a completely different thing in a completely different genre. My guess is that it's a bit silly to write the sequel, given the first book might go nowhere. But if I write the second one, and the first one eventually gets picked up, won't the publisher just want the same type of thing? Especially if it sold well?

Advice on this is all over the map, and I don't think there's necessarily a wrong answer.

I will say that if you sell your first book, you might be able to get some idea if the publisher is open to further titles. They might even choose to buy multiples in a series from you. If that's the case, you'll have time to work on the second book while the first is going to press. Publishing is SLOW.

If the second one is a different genre, then you might be looking at a different publisher anyway. Either way, when the time comes to sell it, it's likely to be sent out on submission like the book you have out now.

Without knowing specifics, I'd say write what it pleases you to write, but have an eye open to changing course should your first one find a publisher who wants more in that series.
 

Cyia

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Quality feedback from all of you, thanks. Just a couple things:
1. I don't think she read my book because a. She gave zero editorial advice, and b. Our conversation revolved almost exclusively around marketing and editing after I got signed by a publisher, and nothing about the book itself. When I asked for feedback about the book, she said, "it's great," and that was it. Also, among about 50 agents to whom I sent a query, she was the only one who asked for a chapter by chapter summary. My guess is that she reads the query, the first chapter, and the summary, and decides who to send responses to based on that.

This is very, very strange. Most agents will - at the very least - have you tighten up passages and double check the grammar, etc. of a piece. On Twitter, I've seen several agents asked if they've ever had a book that could be sent out as soon as it was signed, and every one of them said "no." All books need work.

Even agents who don't consider themselves to be editorial give feedback for the writer to interpret and incorporate at will.


2. I think I know the answer to this, but here goes: I have a couple of books in my head. One is a sequel to the one I'm hoping to hear good news from my agent about, and the other is a completely different thing in a completely different genre. My guess is that it's a bit silly to write the sequel, given the first book might go nowhere. But if I write the second one, and the first one eventually gets picked up, won't the publisher just want the same type of thing? Especially if it sold well?

Write up a 2-page summary for the sequel (it doesn't matter if it changes later; this is just your vision for it), as well as an over-arching plot summary for the series as a whole. If your agent gets to the point of offers, she'll need this to present to the publishers for negotiation.

If the series sells, then your editor will give you a certain amount of time to finish the next book (usually 6-12 months depending on the publisher's schedule and where your book sits on it.)

In the meantime, work on the unrelated book, and give careful consideration to whether or not you want to let your agent know you're working on it, yet. If she has rights to "everything you write" for the next five years, and you tell her in advance about this one, you might be on the hook if you two part ways. (INAL. You'll have to check and double check your contract for this one.)

3. Thanks again for all your help!

I hope it works out for you. Sometimes great things happen slowly.
 

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1. I don't think she read my book because a. She gave zero editorial advice, and b. Our conversation revolved almost exclusively around marketing and editing after I got signed by a publisher, and nothing about the book itself. When I asked for feedback about the book, she said, "it's great," and that was it. Also, among about 50 agents to whom I sent a query, she was the only one who asked for a chapter by chapter summary. My guess is that she reads the query, the first chapter, and the summary, and decides who to send responses to based on that.

It's easy to see from this that you're frustrated with your agent, and doubting your relationship with her. The thing to do here, I think, is have a conversation about it. You're in a business relationship with her, and you're entitled to communicate that your expectations are different than what you've been getting from her. She may have good reasons to do things the way she's doing them (not all agents are editorial, for instance).

With that five year clause, you may be stuck, and if that's the case you really have nothing to lose by clearly stating what you'd like to get from her. I'd start with the assumption that she's doing her very best for you, and not assume otherwise until you have hard evidence.
 

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Our conversation revolved almost exclusively around marketing and editing after I got signed by a publisher, and nothing about the book itself. When I asked for feedback about the book, she said, "it's great," and that was it.

This, to me is ... very odd. I can't say it's a red flag, but given how intensively editorial the majority of truly professional agents have become these days, it strikes me as warranting some questions. I don't think I've heard of an agent sending out a manuscript without detailed feedback on improvements or issues first: they know they can't get in the door with a sub-par manuscript because the competition is too stiff.

So, I don't know that I would panic, but perhaps, with a few more months of rejections, I might say, "Hey, can we look at the manuscript for possible issues that are keeping this from selling? What do you think are the strongest points and the weakest points?" And go from there.
 

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Quality feedback from all of you, thanks. Just a couple things:
1. I don't think she read my book because a. She gave zero editorial advice, and b. Our conversation revolved almost exclusively around marketing and editing after I got signed by a publisher, and nothing about the book itself. When I asked for feedback about the book, she said, "it's great," and that was it. Also, among about 50 agents to whom I sent a query, she was the only one who asked for a chapter by chapter summary. My guess is that she reads the query, the first chapter, and the summary, and decides who to send responses to based on that.

Oof. That is VERY weird. All of the agents who offered on my book were very keen to discuss the book itself, what edits they had in mind, what direction I wanted to take it in and so on and so forth. The only account I've come across of an agent not reading the book before offering is from a friend of mine who was already successfully self-published. The agent had heard of her and loved her style, so when he heard that she was looking for an agent, he immediately jumped on board. But he took the time to read the book while pitching himself to her, so even then, the book was ultimately read by the agent. I think it's very strange that your agent had so little to say about your book.

Is it possible to contact other clients of hers to ask them for feedback on their experience with her?

2. I think I know the answer to this, but here goes: I have a couple of books in my head. One is a sequel to the one I'm hoping to hear good news from my agent about, and the other is a completely different thing in a completely different genre. My guess is that it's a bit silly to write the sequel, given the first book might go nowhere. But if I write the second one, and the first one eventually gets picked up, won't the publisher just want the same type of thing? Especially if it sold well?

I would go with writing the new thing. I tried working on a sequel while my first book was in sub and it killed me. The uncertainty, suspense, and anxiety were all too much to handle. Moving on to a completely different project was the only thing that kept me sane. Of course, ultimately it's a personal decision and I don't think there's a right or wrong here, it's just whatever keeps you going. :)
 

PeteMC

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I don't know that the "no editing" thing is necessarily a bad sign - I don't want to sound like an asshat, but my agent sent my latest book straight out as-was and sold it to a Big 5 editor in 8 weeks flat. That said, I'm previously published (with a different, smaller publisher) so that may have helped, I don't know.

That said, the five year lock-in would have had me running for the hills, in all honesty.

EDIT: also, and it's just a terminology thing, but you don't "hire" an agent, you contract/sign with/work with one. She's not your employee.
 
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Barbara R.

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Thanks Aggy. You're right, I need to get working on something new.

And again, as to my agent, it's not my intent to malign her. I don't know what makes a good agent. But to answer L.C.'s question, she's not doing anything with me at all, other than advising as to rejections. She did talk to me about marketing myself in our initial, and only, telephone conversation, but I have a question about that: what exactly am I supposed to market? I have a novel that's endured many many edits. It's not perfect, but it's as close to complete as I can probably get it. But I don't have a cover. I'm not even 100% sold on the title. Do I create a website or Facebook page devoted to. . . a draft? I mean, it's not a draft, I'm basically done, but I'm assuming that if a publisher bites, there will be changes, perhaps even wholesale changes that could make my marketing plan look a bit foolish.

There's no point starting a marketing campaign for a book that doesn't exist yet and has no pub date. What does make sense is to set yourself up so that when and if your book is published, you have the necessary tools. Even if you're traditionally published, you still need to help promote the book yourself. A website is expected; so is a Twitter presence and a FB author page. Large followings are really good, which of course takes time to build. A lot of writers blog, but that's very time-consuming. One of the first things interested publishers do is check the author's social media presence. If they're on the fence about the book and it looks like you have the means to promote it effectively, that could make the difference.

Re. your agent: The five-year condition is unusual, as others have said, but as long as there's an easy out it's no problem. Four months is nothing in Publisher Time. If you do get an offer from one, you'll be amazed how quickly the others will read. Busy agents tend not to do a great deal of hand-holding and shmoozing with clients; as long as she's got your book out there and is sharing responses with you, she's doing her job. All that said, there's nothing wrong with a phone call to discuss these issues. One of the great benefits of having an agent is getting informed, professional guidance on all aspects of the industry.

Good luck!

Barbara