is more than one agent new normal?

I guess it depends how different the two projects are. I could see having two agents if you wrote fiction and non fiction, I suppose even adult vs children's. But for the most part I think the reason people like having one agent represent them as an author as opposed to an agent representing single works is that the former allows for a real relationship to develop, the agent can help shape your career as an author, nurture it. Also considering the turn over rate in the publishing world, how unlikely it is an author will work with only one editor over their career, it's nice to have some consistency somewhere, someone you can trust and talk with, someone who understands you as a writer, someone on your side with whom you can be honest.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it really if both agents are cool with it. It's really more what you are feeling about it, if you are comfortable with the setup. If it works for you, then go with it!

I actually expect to run into this myself.

I have a science fiction novel in the works and expect that sci-fi and horror is mostly what I will write. But I have a finished non-fiction book that I am running through the agent mill.

Virtually every agent that is interested in my completed book is one that "does not handle science fiction". So most likely they will represent this book only and then when I have other works I will move on to someone else.

Truthfully, I would prefer starting a author/agent releationship with this first book, but different projects sometimes require different kinds of people.

Well, if they both know the deal and are okay with it, then I'd guess it would be fine, even if odd. You might want to let agent two know about agent one however. I think agents assume you're not working with anyone else. Could be some issues there if agent two thinks they rep all your work and they really don't.

Besides the obvious ethical issues, a problem I can see comes from any option clauses in your contract. If "your next work" (however the contract is worded) is something rep'd by another, then that could get you into some sticky legal situations.

Bealeblast said:

I guess my concern is that I would rather have one agent deal with my work and help me cultivate it into a career. My sense is that these agents are wanting to cherry pick projects, not commit to me as a writer. So perhaps that may evolve but at the moment I don't hear it or see it.

Click to expand...

While having one agent to deal with all projects is typically the ideal situation, I seriously doubt that the agents are "cherry picking" projects and unwilling to "commit" to you as a writer. The simple fact is that most agents specialize in selling different genres or types of projects, which means they often cultivate entirely different editor contacts in the various publishing houses. You wouldn't want an agent who has absolutely zero contacts in your particular genre to take you on as an "experiment" to see if they can "break into" that particular market, as a general rule. I'm not going to say it never works out, but I would far rather an agent who was honest with me if they thought they couldn't sell a project of mine if I was writing things that are not in similar genres.

Are the works in different genres? If so, having more than one agent may be reasonable--as ZeroMan pointed out, for instance, fiction and nonfiction are very different markets, and writers who do both may need to have an agent for each.

If the projects are in the same or overlapping genres, however, having two agents could potentially put you in competition with yourself, because the agents would likely be approaching the same publishing houses.

I am a bit surprised, however, that the agents are so blase about each other's existence.

- Victoria

victoriastrauss said:

Are the works in different genres? If so, having more than one agent may be reasonable--as ZeroMan pointed out, for instance, fiction and nonfiction are very different markets, and writers who do both may need to have an agent for each.

If the projects are in the same or overlapping genres, however, having two agents could potentially put you in competition with yourself, because the agents would likely be approaching the same publishing houses.

I am a bit surprised, however, that the agents are so blase about each other's existence.

- Victoria

Click to expand...

That's a very good question, Victoria. I was just assuming they were in different genres, or maybe fiction versus non-fiction. I shouldn't have assumed that!

I'm concerned, though, because the nonfiction market is broad, and it's quite possible that these agents might be pitching your projects to the same imprints at the same time. Even if they don't, suppose different imprints or publishers buy your projects and they come out within weeks or months of each other? Either situation puts you in competition with yourself--in the first case because one imprint won't buy two books by the same author at the same time from two different agents, in the second because one author having two books in the same genre out at the same time may dilute sales for both titles. I can't imagine that either agent would be happy with either situation.

Again, I find their indifference very puzzling, unless there's something I'm not getting here.

- Victoria