If your agent leaves agenting...

midazolam

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What do you do? This has, unfortunately, happened to me. Do I mention this in query letters? On the upside (if there is one), the manuscript is in amazing shape, since he spent a lot of time editing it. Luckily for me (or not), he quit before he had a chance to send it along to editors.

Any advice on this? I'm sure there is quite a bit of it out there on these forums, but if anyone has anything to add, I'd be very grateful.
 

incognitopress

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Does your agent not know anybody else in the business who he could recommend you to? I mean, a typical agent goes to conventions, book fairs, etc, and knows quite a few other people. Perhaps you could ask him to put a good word in, or recommend you to another agent?
Agents who retire typically have a succession plan in place; either an intern takes over, or they hand off their existing clientele to someone else. It just seems weird that he would take all this time to edit your MS to the point it's amazing and then not bother to sub it, but just say "I'm leaving, see ya"... odd.
 

Wayne K

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Did he explain why he took you on knowing he was leaving the business, or did he have to leave suddenly?
 

midazolam

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He's a new agent, and I got the feeling his departure wasn't received very well (nor anticipated) by the agency. It certainly wasn't anticipated by me. Yes, he gave me a few names, but they are all top agents that I don't have a chance in hell of snagging. I mean, come on, I may be jaded at this point, but I'm not even going to waste my time. Not to mention the fact I highly doubt he has ever had any interaction whatsoever with those people, despite the fact he told me to use his name.

So I don't know. I feel like I'm back to utter square one.
 

incognitopress

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So if he was with an agency already, wouldn't you have a contract signed with the agency itself? In which case, someone else within the agency would rep you? Does nobody else within this agency represent your genre?

You may want to approach the agents he mentioned anyway. Tell them So-and-So from Such-and-Such agency recommended you, etc. You've got nothing to lose. Start at the top and work your way down, so to speak.
 
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midazolam

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I did have a contract signed with the agency, but I'm guessing his departure was fairly ugly so my contract was effectively terminated.

When I'm not writing, I work 70 hours a week as someone's bitch (for no pay), so I've basically learned to just let things go. There are a lot of things about this that infuriate me, but I just didn't have it in me to tell him so.

Incognito, the list was very short, and I've actually queried those agents before. So I don't know if I should query them again, with the same book (obviously edited), or just forget it.
 

Ryan_Sullivan

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I would imagine your contract ended with him. If the agency is a good one, you may have the best luck trying somebody within it. Otherwise, definitely go to his list. They're more than likely people who he knows and would take the submission seriously (even if you have queried them, it doesn't hurt to try again now that you've been agented and given their names). Don't think an agent is out of your league just because they're big--you've gotten one before, you'll have one again. Stay positive and good luck!
 

Giant Baby

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Definitely contact the people he listed, and let them know you're writing them at your former agent's recommendation, as he's recently left agenting. Do the same with your own list of agents you'd like to work with. Also, state up front in your letter that while your manuscript was polished with input from your former agent, his departure preceeded it's submission to editors and has not been shopped.

This is one of those times where you don't want to jump straight into the story in your query. Getting letters from writers who've previously been represented does catch agents' attention (it happened to a good friend of mine), and your situation is about as blameless (on your side) as could be. He left agenting- no question lingers about whether you might have been difficult to work with, or your books wouldn't sell. It's a complete do over for a writer who's already caught an agent's attention once. There are no guarantees, of course, but it'll help.
 

Barber

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So if he was with an agency already, wouldn't you have a contract signed with the agency itself?


What she said. My agent just left her agency, and now her boss represents me. If your contract is with the agency, you should definitely contact the other agents there. You're their client, I'm sure someone will adopt you.

And, FYI, I originally queried my "new" agent with this project, and he rejected it before his associate took me he on. Now he's trying to sell it, so don't let past rejections deter you from persuing agents your former suggested. Just explain your situation. You've got nothing more to lose at this point.

I'm sorry that you're working 70 hours a week at a job that sounds like it's robbing your soul, but you need to go get it back! I can also relate to you on this aspect, trust me :)

Good luck with everything!
 

incognitopress

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Midazolam, I really feel for you, as do all the other posters here. I just want to make sure you really are 100% terminated from the agency, as opposed to the agent. Barber's post reminded me of something - you HAVE TO talk to the top boss from the agency. Sort this thing out. Because technically your contract is with the agency, not the guy who just quit/was fired. Don't assume that by default, because you were his client, that you now have to go elsewhere. Did they actually SAY that to you? Did they acknowledge termination of your contract?

I imagine your ex-agent probably wanted to spite his agency and told all his clients to go elsewhere. However, you are still bound to the agency itself, not the guy per se. So if you do go elsewhere, and say, your book ends up a big hit, you don't want to have an unpleasant call from this agency. If you walk away, make sure the split is clean.
And good luck! I'm sure you'll find representation soon, if not within the existing agency :)
 

scope

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I agree with with everything inconitopress said in her post #10. I assume that you are bound by contract to the agency, and that your contract contains an end date with a potential renewal clause. IMO you should contact the head of the agency at once and discuss the entire situation. Of course he or she is will be well aware of same and probably has a plan for this agent's clients. Try to resolve the situation a/s/a/p. If you want out, discuss that with the him or her. I would get everything in writing before I did anything outside the agency.
 

zahra

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Sorry, can I hi-jack this thread a bit? My agent left the biz, and initially his replacement chose to keep me on. But she got swamped because she had her own previous clients and then the head of the agency left, and in the end she dropped me.

This was a few years ago and I'm going to query at that agency again soon, though with utterly different material. Should I mention that I was with them once?
 

Ryan_Sullivan

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Sorry, can I hi-jack this thread a bit? My agent left the biz, and initially his replacement chose to keep me on. But she got swamped because she had her own previous clients and then the head of the agency left, and in the end she dropped me.

This was a few years ago and I'm going to query at that agency again soon, though with utterly different material. Should I mention that I was with them once?

Yeah--any time you sign with an agent, definitely mention that when querying again. It gives you credibility, which won't get you an agent, but they'll give you a little more consideration than the rest of the slush pile



Contracts are usually for an agency, but have an agent listed--I'm pretty sure once that agent's gone, the contract is gone (unless you're a megaseller that they want to keep at all costs, perhaps). You can always e-mail your old agent/agency about it.
 

midazolam

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Hmm okay, these are good points. I did sign with the agency itself, so I asked my agent about this when he called to give me the bad news, and he said "you're no longer bound to the contract and you're completely free from the agency." There was no mention of being adopted by the other agents there - I'm guessing this is because my book was never shopped, so I'm somewhat disposable.

I thought about querying the other agents there, but honestly, I'm not super impressed with the agency itself. I already sent out a few queries to other agents, but I'll contact my former agency and make sure everything is legit.

I guess a part of me always knew getting an agent was too good to be true. In my case, it turned out to be that way. Oh well, maybe this is an opportunity for even better things.

Thank you all for your advice!
 

shaldna

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If I were you I would contact the agency directly and talk it through with them.
 

scope

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Yes, but just the highlights. Maybe something like: " Afew years ago, for a brief time before his or her departure, I was represented by(AGENT'S NAME) of youir agency. Upon his/her departure we mutually agreed to terminate my contract before thr agency made any submissions of my work. Never having attempted to sign with another agency I developed, and continue to develop, several manuscripts. I have decided to seek out an agency and wanted to first speak with you."
 

DeadlyAccurate

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Yes, he gave me a few names, but they are all top agents that I don't have a chance in hell of snagging. I mean, come on, I may be jaded at this point, but I'm not even going to waste my time.

You don't know that. Even if your agent's leaving was less than decorous, that doesn't mean your book isn't good enough to land a great agent. Have some faith in your work. The worst thing that will happen is a rejection letter. The best thing that can happen is an offer of representation. You may get the former if you try, but I can guarantee you'll never get the latter if you don't.
 

Namatu

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You don't know that. Even if your agent's leaving was less than decorous, that doesn't mean your book isn't good enough to land a great agent. Have some faith in your work. The worst thing that will happen is a rejection letter. The best thing that can happen is an offer of representation. You may get the former if you try, but I can guarantee you'll never get the latter if you don't.
QFT.

Having had an agent, and a bad one at that, who then left, I covered my bases to make sure that contract was terminated with the agency once the agent was gone. It's not a fun experience, and that manuscript of mine is burned, but I'm slowly getting around to querying again (other works), though I engage in serious foot-dragging. So I understand. Do it anyway. Your time, your story, deserves a (better) opportunity.
 

midazolam

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I know, I admit my attitude isn't the best. I've just been querying for a long time, and my agent sat on this manuscript for six months, and to me that's time seriously wasted. I'm thinking of calling the agency rather than emailing them - unfortunately, I don't have the time or privacy to do that at work. I do want to make sure I get this sorted out, though.

Namatu, why was your manuscript "burned"? Had it been sent out to editors? I was under the impression that since my ms hadn't been shopped, it was still a viable project for other agents. Is this not true?

I've completed another manuscript since then, but it's nowhere near ready for querying. So I'd rather query this original ms (which has been extensively edited, and I'm pretty sure it's a solid piece of work), rather than something new.
 

scope

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I don't know if it's possible, but when speaking to the head of the agency why not present the facts as you know them and ask if s/he knows or can find out why your former agent never sent your finely edited work on submission? If s/he does so s/he may find that s/he likes the work and still wants to rep it, assuming that's what you want.
 

incognitopress

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I don't blame you for being jaded. Six months is a long time to just sit on something because of someone's ineptitude. The thing is, it might be faster if you got someone at your existing agency to send it out, than start the querying process from scratch. But of course, if your gut tells you that you just want to quit this agency, then just give them notice - it's that simple. But you owe it to yourself to talk with them, even if it's only for a minute.
I'm sure what Namatu meant was that it had been shopped around. I've never heard of any issues if you end your contract with one agency (as I did, couple of months ago) and take your never-shopped-before MS to a new agent. I'm currently on submission with the new (and better, imo) agent and everything's just fine.

Oh, and I totally agree with you -- send this MS out, don't even think about querying the second until it's ready. Good luck with all!
 

waylander

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I know, I admit my attitude isn't the best. I've just been querying for a long time, and my agent sat on this manuscript for six months, and to me that's time seriously wasted.

The way the market has been in the last year, it may be no bad thing that your manuscript wasn't sent out
 
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Sweet Tea

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Midazolam, I agree with Waylander on this one. Consider it a blessing in disguise that your manuscript hasn't been passed around yet. Keep your chin up, stay focused on the positive, and do what I would do if I were in your shoes - eat 8 pounds of Godiva chocolate, watch reality TV shows until my brain goes numb, then walk around the house kicking every inanimate object I pass.


Seriously, I wish you the best in finding the RIGHT agent for your book. He/she is out there - you know this to be true.

Hugs,
ST
 

midazolam

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Thanks, everyone. I sincerely appreciate all of the advice, input, support, etc! At least now I feel like I have a plan.

Now back to eating my weight in chocolate... :)