Adjusting to Agent

velveeta said:

This may sound like a strange thing, but I've recently signed with an agent and I'm have difficulty adjusting to the situation. I've been writing screenplays for about five years (like so many others, trying to fit it in around my family obligations and a 50 hour a week, full-time job.) I'm very happy to have the representation and a certain amount of validation but after years of fending for myself it's been difficult to hand over a part of the process. The agent has made it clear. He will handle all the queries, email the scripts, and talk to the producers. I am to refer every contact to him. I feel like I should be more proactive but he told me my job is to focus on giving him great scripts to sell. Has anyone experienced this kind of adjustment period when you land your first agent?

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I understand what you're going through. A lot of people compare this to going from being single to being married (and even moreso when the times comes for the divorce). Suddenly you have to start "power sharing" -- and if you've never had to do it before, you discover that it involves some major trust issues.

And that's really what it comes down to. You have to be willing to trust your agent to do what he's promised that he can do.

And as with any successful marriage, the key is going to be effective communication. And part of that should be right now -- right up front, so that failures of communication don't start building up distrust or frustrations on either side later.

Some writers just want to write and not be bothered knowing what their agent is doing. Some agents don't want to be bothered by their writers -- they just want them to go off and write and let them do what they do.

If what you want is to be kept in the loop -- to know where your material is going and to understand the process -- why is it going here and not there (for instance, as a rule, studios have deals with many different development companies -- so an agent will pick one company associated with any given studio to go with. If they pass, it amounts to that studio passing, and it means that all the other companies who have deals there are now off the list).

It's really up to you (and to some extent, up to him) -- how you want the relationship to work. It may be as simple as asking to be cc'd on the cover letters on all the script submissions -- so that you know, for your records where the scripts are going -- and to be kept informed of who's passed.

While we talk about it as a relationship, and it is -- it's also a business and you need to set the ground rules for that relationship in a straightforward and non-confrontational way.

That way you won't find yourself out of the loop on what's being done with your material.

NMS

many of us wish to have this problem. stop complaining. just write.

if you do come across someone who you think you want to approach with a script or idea give their information to your agent. you'll look more professional that way too.

NikeeGoddess said:

many of us wish to have this problem. stop complaining. just write.

if you do come across someone who you think you want to approach with a script or idea give their information to your agent. you'll look more professional that way too.

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I'd hardly call what Velveeta is doing "complaining" what she/he is going through is a period of adjustment. Having been pro-active for five years in every process they are going through a greiving period if you will, of relinquishing some of that control and putting their writing fate, essentially in a person's hands who've they've never met.

Allow yourself to go through the period by your own graces, you'll get over it and come out on top, I would suggest doing something fun, for yourself, in celebration of getting an agent. It should help you focus back on your writing once you've allowed yourself to feel it. Of course everyone deals with issues individually and different people love/hate different parts of writing, I'm sure you'll find a good groove to fit into though.

To be blunt, and with complete understanding of your feelings, you describe a relationship which you should have been aware of before seeking an agent. I say that because it seems as if everything your agent is doing is right on the money. The only thing you should ask of the agent is to keep you abreast of things as they occur (i.e., to whom s/he submits your work, feedback from those s/he submits to).

Be happy. It sounds like you landed a good, contagious agent.

nmstevens is dead on. You've got to decide what you want from your agent, and then make that desire clear. There's no shame in being a "control freak" since you've always done for yourself. It'll take time to get to a point where you CAN trust the agent to do his/her job on a similar timetable to what you've done for yourself in the past.

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask to be copied on things. Most agents have assistants to handle paperwork, and it's a pretty easy thing to say to said assistant, "Copy everything we send to Velveeta." That's what our agent does, and it works fine. Most of what we get are emails, and we stay on really good terms with the assistant, because then we're on the top of the list to hear things. Flowers to an assistant are not a bad thing to send from time to time. Not required, by any means. But appreciation of a tough job is fondly remembered by the lowly minions of big-name agents.

Good luck, and remember---it's only paranoia if you're WRONG. If you're right, they call it "proactive."

velveeta said:

Thanks nmstevens for your reply. It's exactly as you say and you're right about developing good communications.

My intention was not to "complain", NikeeGoddess, and I'm sorry you perceived it that way. It's all new territory for me and I don't want to blow this opportunity by being overly apathetic, controlling or zealous. Wish you the best and hope you have the same problem soon.
Vel

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Thanks for sharing your concerns, Velveeta. It's informative for those of us at different points in our careers.

I don't feel a need to be CC'd on what my agent does because I've been with him for a long time now so I trust he's busily sending things out and talking me up in the meantime. Whenever anything happens, I'm always the first to know so I leave him be. I tend to get some sort of contact once a week, even if it's just a, "Hey Chris, didn't you promise me a second draft today? "

Personally, I don't think I'd want to know the details of every submission he makes. I'd spend far too much time ticking off days on the calendar and wondering what kind of responses we'd get (and when, dammit.) See, sometimes even agents don't hear back from people and if I tried to account for each submission, I would probably go nuts and not get any work done at all. And that, in a nutshell, is the point of having an agent. They take the boring, albeit very important, stuff off your radar so you can concentrate on the writing -- without which, neither of you get paid.

If your agent's worth his 10%, he'll know how to do his job. But he'll be expecting you to do yours too.

(and no, you're not crazy to worry about this.)

ETA: And I'd just add, never be afraid to pick up the phone if you're worried about something.

I completely agree with clock work9, even though my agent gets 15%.

Of course we have to pay attention to what our agents do, agree with the manner in which they conduct business for us, be be made aware of results. To think we can play a major influence in how they conduct business, be it to make same similar to what we would do, or ask to be kept in the loop about everything, is, I believe unrealistic in the overwhelming majority of cases. We shouldn't sign with an agent if we are unhappy with the way they do business--I really think it's that simple.

scope said:

I completely agree with clock work9, even though my agent gets 15%.

Of course we have to pay attention to what our agents do, agree with the manner in which they conduct business for us, be be made aware of results. To think we can play a major influence in how they conduct business, be it to make same similar to what we would do, or ask to be kept in the loop about everything, is, I believe unrealistic in the overwhelming majority of cases. We shouldn't sign with an agent if we are unhappy with the way they do business--I really think it's that simple.

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But the fact is, it isn't simply about "how they do business" -- it's a business "relationship" -- a two-way street.

At the beginning, you may have done some research on a prospective agent -- you may know who else they rep. If you're lucky (and this isn't an opportunity that presents itself to a lot of beginning clients) you might be able to talk to someone repped by the agent.

Beyond that, you might have one meeting, maybe two -- and on that basis, you're going to make a decision to enter into that business relationship -- at least on a preliminary basis.

It's only then that you're really going to get a sense of "how they do business" in a nitty-gritty way. That is, the extent to which they keep you in the loop - how fast they'll read your script (or do they read them at all or pass that on to an assistant) - do they get back to you with notes. Do they give you feed back before you even start writing in terms of what's likely to sell. How fast do they return your calls -- or do they return them at all? Do they cc you on who's getting your scripts -- or to whom they're sending your scripts as samples in order to try to get you assignments.

Now, the extent to which any or all of these things are important have to do not only with how the agent does business -- but what's important to the client.

Not every agent does business the same way. Not every client expects or has the same priorities from an agent.

But you're not really going to find out how the fit works until you really get down to it -- because those first conversations, to be honest, are the equivalent of dating.

They're not about showing off the potential downside of the relationship (and that's as true for a client as it is for an agent) -- it's about trying to *establish* the relationship -- if the agent wants you, he's going to try to sell himself to you. If you want the agent, you're going to try to sell yourself to him.

It's only after you hear that "yes" and you've walked down the aisle and that honeymoon blush is over that you generally find that all of those questions that you didn't really want to ask suddenly start cropping up.

The trick is to not let them go unanswered to the point where a potentially healthy relationship is going to be threatened.

NMS

Yes, but "how they do business" includes knowledge of how an agent conducts relationships with the writers they represent. Its an important part when deciding which agent to sign with.

Whether one is beginning to look for an agent or whether one is experienced about doing so in no way excuses not doing proper research about the agency and agent. In addition, there are very few cases where one cannot find out who they represent, although speaking to said writers may very well be a problem.

Generally speaking, if you do all the research required and meet with the agent once or twice, that should give you a good idea if s/he and the agency is right for you. You prepare yourself for these meetings with a list of important questions for which you need answers. This is as much as you can do, and it's usually sufficient to land an agent to your liking, but nothing is right 100% of the time. I certainly wouldn't compare the initial meeting to dating. Agents are extremely busy and really won't take the time to woo you. That's not to say they won't do all they can to sign you if they believe you are right for them, but except for a few you can rely on them being forthright.

And remember, it's business -- sometimes they make mistakes and sometimes we make mistakes. So, if you sign with an agent and for any reason find him or her distasteful, you can always opt out.

I'm sorry you perceived it that way.

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no need to be sorry. but you can use it as a learning lesson. as writers we must realize that depending on who's reading the interpretation may and will come out differently to different people. it came out to me like a lottery winner complaining that they didn't know how to spend their money properly, or something like that. when i'm listening to different people critiquing my writing and they each come out with something different to say about the same scene then i take that as a learning lesson and know that i must write or rewrite it so that it comes out exactly as how i want it to be interpreted.

anyhoo - i'll repeat my advice which you can take it or leave it

if you do come across someone who you think you want to approach with a script or idea give their information to your agent. you'll look more professional that way too.

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i don't have an agent so i don't really have a personal answer to your problem. but i have come across a few agents and producers on the scriptpimp site that will work with new writers but will only take queries and submissions from an agent. that's why i gave this advice.

you should still be actively keeping tabs on your agent but it's their job. if you do sell a script then know now that you will lose much control of the outcome (in the development and production). ie - it's the casting directors job to select the cast. and you may be asked who you had in mind for a particular part. but your input will probably end there.

Can I just say I'm envious of all you people who have agents...

I seem to be on the DIY plan.

-hugs Rainy Night-

And well said Clocks work9 about the distraction part of trying to be more 'in the loop' of where your material is going. I never thought of that until you mentioned it. I, too, would be going crazy stressing over when someone will respond to a query sent instead of writing like I should be.

And V, you sound like a swell person. Good luck with the adjustment. Sorry I don't have any real advice, I've yet to even start querying. Writing takes a long time with my life style. I need to fix that soon, hm.

I've been in the fortunate position where I've been able to work with and in Production Companies that produce films and one thing that I've come to learn is that some producers do not like dealing with agents they want to deal directly with the people who are helping them make their movie.

So although your agent may want to have full control I think its also important to keep your door open, so to speak. Hopefully your agent will understand this and be open to the fact that you are used to fending for yourself and don't want to destroy past relationships that you have nurtured over the years.

In my opinion the real reason to have an agent is to have someone who will say the things you don't want to have to say to the people who are paying you (Producers). So when it comes to anything about work conditions or money this should be your agent's domain all friendly meet and greets, note meetings, phone calls, etc should be able to happen directly between the writer and the producers, executives, director, actors etc...

That way you don't ever upset anyone by talking money and your Agent doesn't get upset because you've made some kind of deal behind their back (they are bound to think they can always get more!)

Jon-Luke said:

I've been in the fortunate position where I've been able to work with and in Production Companies that produce films and one thing that I've come to learn is that some producers do not like dealing with agents they want to deal directly with the people who are helping them make their movie.

So although your agent may want to have full control I think its also important to keep your door open, so to speak. Hopefully your agent will understand this and be open to the fact that you are used to fending for yourself and don't want to destroy past relationships that you have nurtured over the years.

In my opinion the real reason to have an agent is to have someone who will say the things you don't want to have to say to the people who are paying you (Producers). So when it comes to anything about work conditions or money this should be your agent's domain all friendly meet and greets, note meetings, phone calls, etc should be able to happen directly between the writer and the producers, executives, director, actors etc...

That way you don't ever upset anyone by talking money and your Agent doesn't get upset because you've made some kind of deal behind their back (they are bound to think they can always get more!)

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Yeah, this is absolutely true. Over the past four months, I've been dealing with a production company who paid me for an option on a drama pilot and the agent was invaluable for all things monetary. In a similar way, the produders had their own representative in their company finance man. The producers and I never talked money (including stuff like travel expenses) all of which was handled between agent and finance man. It lifted an awkward burden during the negotiations when things went slowly and I was getting frustrated because it didn't affect the rewrites or the relationship between myself and the producers.

And what you say about producers wanting to hear from writers rather than agents is also very true - assuming you have that kind of relationship with them. I think you have to have met them first and have hit it off but I know a handful of producers who have told me they'd rather hear me talk about my new idea and how excited I am than receive a colder, less informed summary from my agent. This usually takes the form of loglines in emails and isn't anything particularly formal which works very well.

And that leads to a broader point which I was going to make with my first post but felt it was straying from the OP a little. But I was quite surprised by how much work I still had to do once I got an agent. If anything, I had to work even harder than before. And I'm not talking about the writing, I'm talking about keeping in touch with producers I'd met in the past and in establishing new contacts that could prove fruitful in the future.

So what I'm trying to say is, even if you give up total control of submissions to your agent as well as the financial side of things (as you should,) you'll still have more than plenty to be getting on with yourself.