Please, those of you who have parted with agents, can we hear about how long you were together, why you parted, how you severed the ties? Is a year too short a time to expect a relationship to have blossomed?
parting ways with an agent
- Thread starter lilacat
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I've left two agents (am currently very happy with #3). I was with agent #1 for about a year and some change, and agent #2 for about 7 or 8 months. I won't go into detail with why we parted ways (and I suspect most will not in public). Each time I terminated, I sent a certified letter and an email explaining my actions. One agent asked to have a conference call to discuss - another simply emailed me back and was fine with parting ways.
I'm not sure what you mean by having a 'relationship blossom in a year'. This is a business partnership. If you have been working together for a year and nothing is happening on the business front, you definitely need to re-evaluate. If, however, you are referring to personal warmth (IE you need a warm and huggy agent and you were hoping Ms. Professional would become warm and huggy over time), you might just be paired with the wrong person.
Could you expand on what you're looking for?
So you're looking to leave your agent? There are a ton of different reasons for leaving. What you have to do is think about it, weigh the pros and cons, and do what your gut tells you to do. Everyone's experience is different.
That said, I'll tell you mine
I had a top agent from a top agency. I feel I grabbed at him too fast, as I had two other agents interested in repping me at that time. This top agent though called and spoke to me on the phone and loved, loved, loved my ms. The other two agents were more in the background corresponding by email only.
For a lot of reasons, a year and a half later, I parted ways with him amicably.
That said, I'll tell you mine
I had a top agent from a top agency. I feel I grabbed at him too fast, as I had two other agents interested in repping me at that time. This top agent though called and spoke to me on the phone and loved, loved, loved my ms. The other two agents were more in the background corresponding by email only.
For a lot of reasons, a year and a half later, I parted ways with him amicably.
Not looking for warm and huggy, at all. I'm clear that this is a business relationship, not a personal one. The way I'd hoped to see it develop was that if the ms. isn't selling, we would discuss other projects. Instead, I feel set adrift for long periods. During that time, I'm not sure what's happening--
Now, I know from reading enough of these posts that 4-6 months of patience spent waiting to hear from editors is part of the process. I'm wondering if a year is a long time to have no development--in terms of sales or second projects.
A better question: Realistically, what I can expect from an agent when I have not yet published a book? I mean, I feel quite frankly entitled to a big cup of nothing, having not yet proved myself.
Or am I?
Now, I know from reading enough of these posts that 4-6 months of patience spent waiting to hear from editors is part of the process. I'm wondering if a year is a long time to have no development--in terms of sales or second projects.
A better question: Realistically, what I can expect from an agent when I have not yet published a book? I mean, I feel quite frankly entitled to a big cup of nothing, having not yet proved myself.
Or am I?
3 1/2 years. I won't say why in a public forum, but it was amicable. I sent an email first, then on the next business day I mailed a certified letter as the contract stated. It wasn't completely out of the blue. We'd already had discussions in the preceding months.
If you're thinking of leaving, I recommend an email or phone call discussing the issues you're having first. You may be able to resolve the problems. Let's face it, querying sucks even the second time around.
If you're thinking of leaving, I recommend an email or phone call discussing the issues you're having first. You may be able to resolve the problems. Let's face it, querying sucks even the second time around.
Have you asked your agent if he wants to see anything you're working on, book-wise? Or have you discussed where you see yourself headed genre-wise? Or why the current work isn't selling?
I would recommend setting up a call with your agent so you can discuss your worries. If he/she is a good agent, you should able to resolve things nicely, or decide to mutually split. But I would suggest discussing it.
Seconded.
If your agent finds it difficult to make such a call happen then you're probably in need of a new one.
Thanks to all. Good advice. I'm really interested in what obviously can't be posted here--the why part. But I do understand how unrealistic asking for that is. And you are soooo right about looking for an agent again. Who wants that?
I've parted with a couple of agents. I left the first after five or six years simply because I wasn't particularly happy with her knowledge of teh pubishing industry outside a specific genre, and I received a better offer with a better known agent and a larger publisher.
This second agent wasn't right for many of my projects, and we agreed up front that it would be a short term arrangement, so I didn't really leave her.
I left the the next agent after a few months simply because we did not see things eye to eye. She thought she was in charge, and should decide which books I wrote for who, and she wanted to critique each one.
I thought I was in charge, wanted to write the books I wanted to write, and believed I knew more about actual writing than an agent. This termination was not particularly amicable, but not particularly vicious, either. I simply lauighed at her demands, told her we were through, and hung up.
This second agent wasn't right for many of my projects, and we agreed up front that it would be a short term arrangement, so I didn't really leave her.
I left the the next agent after a few months simply because we did not see things eye to eye. She thought she was in charge, and should decide which books I wrote for who, and she wanted to critique each one.
I thought I was in charge, wanted to write the books I wanted to write, and believed I knew more about actual writing than an agent. This termination was not particularly amicable, but not particularly vicious, either. I simply lauighed at her demands, told her we were through, and hung up.