Referrals to Agents

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waylander

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rainsmom

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I've thought about this a lot, because one of my best friends (and favorite critique partner) is repped by a Big Name. It would awesome to share an agent, but at the same time, it could result in tension. What if one of us did well, and the other got jealous? Or felt the agent wasn't paying as much attention?

My friend and I write in completely different genres and have completely different career goals. So far, we haven't had jealousy issues. But I think it would be a conversation to have before I even QUERIED her agent -- much less asked for a recommendation.

I think I'll probably have that conversation with her (when I finish my novel and am ready to query), and ask if it's okay if I query her agent. OF COURSE it's my right to query anyone I want, but this is a 15-year friendship, and honestly, it's more important than a Big Name. If she says yes, then I might consider asking for a recommendation. Or maybe not. I don't want to stress our friendship.
 

Phaeal

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My friend and I write in completely different genres and have completely different career goals. So far, we haven't had jealousy issues. But I think it would be a conversation to have before I even QUERIED her agent -- much less asked for a recommendation.

I felt the same way about querying my nephew's agent, and then I felt like if I asked him if it was cool, he'd think I was obliquely fishing for a rec, so I ended up never querying said agent.
 

charmingbillie

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I have referred someone to my agent and I was given a referral to my agent so I've been on both sides. The person who gave me the referral had read at least three drafts of my manuscript and given me a ton of incredible feedback. I've critted her stuff too. Even with that level of interaction, she offered to refer me, not vice versa.

The person I referred is someone whose novel I had read and critted twice. Again, I offered to refer him.

I know my agent has rejected people who contacted her via referrals so while it may buy you attention and save a bit of time, it's still the work that matters.

I wouldn't offer to refer someone who I didn't know or whose work I hadn't read. And, yes, I would strongly recommend not approaching writers you don't know for a referral.
 

cwfgal

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I've never been asked to give a referral to my agent but I have had someone query my agent saying I recommended them when I didn't--twice, with two different agents! These were people I'd never met or heard of. Fortunately both times the agents checked with me and realized they were basically getting scammed.

I did receive a referral for my second agent after my first retired and that second agent took me on, but things didn't go so well. I left him three years later, 2 years later than I should have.

Beth
 

Jess Haines

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Me, I think I would always wonder if I could have gotten the agent on my own. And I'm not sure I'd want to live with that question hanging over me.

So, is this kind of thing common practice? Has anyone ever asked you? Have you asked?

I've had people I don't know ask me who my agent is or contact me about people at the agency to find out if it's legitimate, but never ask me for a referral.

I've never asked for a referral. I've referred one of my friends to my agent, and another I introduced and gushed about to my editor because she happened to be with me while I was in New York last year. Neither has submitted material yet because they're still polishing their work--though I've seen it, and am sure that they will both do fabulously once they get on with it and venture into Query Land. :)
 

PhoebeNorth

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A published author/friend once looked over my query letter for me, and recommended I sent it to her agent. I asked her if I could mention that I was querying the agent at her recommendation, and she said she wasn't comfortable with it since she hadn't read my book.

And I was fine with that! I appreciated the help I had, but it seemed silly to not at least ask.
 

Fruitbat

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I think an offer of referral should come from the one who has the agent. Otherwise, yes, I do think it's pushy.
 

JoNightshade

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I asked for a referral from someone I know on AW. (Hi! :)) I felt weird about doing it, but at the same time I have read on a lot of agent blogs about how they often get other clients from referrals. So it must be okay with them, and it must be pretty common, right? Anyway, I asked because this agent was one of my top choices and I felt like my writing meshed with what she was looking for. I also made it clear that it was okay for this author to refuse my request. She ended up saying she didn't have time to read my MS (no problem), but that I could definitely reference her in my query letter. Which I did. Aaaaand I got an instant rejection. C'est la vie. :)

Anyway, after doing that, I have to say I'd totally do it again if I was very interested in an agent who I knew repped someone else on AW. The first agent I had ("agent") I accepted because someone else on AW recommended them. It turned out to be bad for all of us. But I definitely don't hold it against that person. We're all responsible for our own careers, in the end.

Once I do get a reputable agent, I won't have an issue recommending other people. Actually I would love to help someone else get an agent, assuming their writing was up to standards. I also don't have a problem telling people I do not think they are ready yet or a suitable match. I mean, part of the awesomeness of Absolute Write is how we all support each other, and that includes networking. It's a part of any business... they say most people get jobs through personal connections, not sending out resumes. So why not in publishing too?
 

KateHawkings

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I don't think I could ever ask for a referral straight out, especially if I were talking to someone I personally don't know. I may perhaps attempt the 'ask about the agent in hopes that a referral is suggested' tactic, if ever I knew someone with an agent who I thought I could work well with.... But I don't know any authors well enough at this point in time to even attempt that :p
 

happywritermom

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I'm with CharmingBillie. I've been on both sides -- beed referred and done the referring. The referals were from people who believed in my work and offered. I did not ask. Ultimately, those agents didn't offer me representation, but they gave me wonderful feedback that helped a great deal in my rewrite. Only two people have asked for referals to my current agent. Both were close friends. In both cases, I asked my agent whether he was willing to look at their stuff before I referred them and I made sure to tell him the extent to which I was familiar with their work. I was not a cheerleader for them. I simply told my agent what I knew and he agreed to read their work.
A referal can get your work out of the slush pile. I see nothing wrong with asking for one if you are comfortable doing so and prepared for the possibilty that the author will decline. I have absolutely no problem telling people "no" in this case and explaining why. It's not personal.
 

Phaeal

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Well, obviously referrals are useful if the agent in question won't look at a query without one.

Apart from that, I imagine referrals may do three things:

-- Get your query read sooner.
-- Get your query read by the agent rather than a assistant, for agents who have screening readers.
-- Get you a more personalized rejection.

But I doubt that any referral will get you an offer of rep you wouldn't have gotten on your own. Except maybe if the referral is from UltraSuperMegaBestsellingAuthor, who notes that he will fire agent if agent doesn't rep his buddy. Not saying this has ever happened, just that such a referral might be pretty potent. And a great plot bunny!
 

amyashley

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If I were the agented author, I would refer one of my writing partners. I know them and their writing habits well enough to vouch for them. However, with that being said NONE of them match up with me or my habits and genre exactly. I can't say that any of them would even want the same things in an agent that I do either! I'm pretty sure they would all accept that it's kind of up in the air and we probably are looking for different things.

I wouldn't refer anyone I didn't know well.

I have asked other authors who their agents were, but not for referral purposes. I have e-mailed one author on AW about her agent in regards to re-querying. She (the author) was very helpful and sweet. I did NOT mention her in my query, although I really appreciated that she took time out to answer my questions. I'd spoken to her in a few threads and thought we shared a sense of humor and maybe her agent would feel it. She didn't, but oh well!

I network with other authors because I wish to further my depth of knowledge and strengthen my craft. I have no intentions to use other people to climb the ladder. If I'm doing the right things, I don't need to.
 

rebmacrath

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If an author is referred to an agent, I don't think that author should worry about if they "made it on their own" or not. Just because they have the referral does not mean the agent will automatically like the book. The book has to be something the agent wants to represent, an agent will not risk his/her reputation despite their author's support. Asking for a referral may be gutsy, but sometimes it's worth giving it a shot.

That said, I would recommend asking for a referral only if you know the person very well, truly believe that person likes you work etc. I was sent an email the other day by someone I had met once very casually asking me if I would read their work and if I liked it recommend it to my agent/publisher. Now you have to admire the tenacity, but it did make me feel like our conversation the night before had only been so that she could send me that email. That she was not at all interested in what we had been discussing and really just wanted to use me. It did not sit well. I replied as politely as I could, explaining that I just didn't have the time to read anything and gave her the submission guidelines for my publisher. Haven't heard back from her, not even a thank you.

Not a nice feeling at all.

Well said and words to live by. Nobody likes being used, particuarly those who've struggled for years to achieve their success. Treasure the friendship or the correspondence with no ulterior motives. And always remember how ugly it feels when a mendicant approaches and starts off his hit for a cig or a 'loan' by admiring the cut of one's coat.
 

Irysangel

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I've sent a few referrals on to my agent, but not many. Mostly because I've been burned before (both on the referral and agent side) so I'm way, way more cautious than I used to be. My current agent is terrific, but that doesn't mean that I am not a skittish author. :)

I did have someone use my name once to try and get an 'in' with her and made it look like I referred her, but when my agent asked me about the person, I said I knew nothing about it. It was an auto-reject after that.
 
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