Wrong Fit? My New Agent

I don't know much about picture books, but sometimes agents get very busy. I'd be concerned if he wasn't responding to your emails...but if he's taking a month or two to get back on stuff you've sent to him, I'm not sure that this is anything out of the ordinary. My agent took around 6 months to get back to be on a revision I made for an editor. Most of that time was me just being in the queue. New clients unfortunately tend to be at the bottom of the totem pole.

Is he currently shopping your work around?

Froggy, I signed with an agent not too long ago and she's the opposite of what you describe. Incredibly enthusiastic and crazy quick in terms of responding to things. (Knocks wood).

From what I understand agents have different styles and some might take longer to respond and that doesn't necessarily mean that they're bad agents. But the big red flag in your post is that he specifically states he'll get back to you within a set time and he doesn't. And that's happened a few times, right?

I really do understand the self doubt and the agony of not wanting to rock the boat because he's so new and shiny, but if you're uncomfortable with the communication maybe let him know. It doesn't necessarily have to be confrontational but you should say something.

It's interesting because I saw a panel with some lit agents on you tube recently, and one of the newer lit agents said the thing with those huge rock-star agents is that you'll have a hell of a time getting them to take your calls unless you're one of their rock-star clients. I'm not saying that's the case here, but since you raised the point yourself I'm saying that it might.

Also keep in mind that agents often only shop one book at a time. As such, other manuscripts you have done may not be very high on his priority list. I know that, from a writer's perspective, it's difficult because this is all we do, and we're nervous and excited. But from an agent's, there are a lot of clients, all with contracts to negotiate or books to submit, statements to check, and so on. So he's already busy with other clients, and the new manuscripts you're sending probably aren't anything he can work with at the moment anyway.

Now, different expectations about communication can cause problems, but if you haven't talked to him about it, just ask and see what he says. If there is a particular time frame he usually gets back to you in, that sort of thing. Or let him know that it's important to you to hear back in a certain period of time (if you're talking manuscripts, months isn't unheard of, but for random emails). And then make sure you aren't being overly needy yourself.

I have to agree that my agent is the opposite of what you describe. Very enthusiastic. I'd more so be concerned about that than the communication aspect, because from what I hear a few weeks can be a typical wait for a response.

That said, you agent wouldn't have signed you if he didn't think you were completely fantastic. What would be the point?

Tough situation, for sure. Interested to see what others have to say.

I don't think that's needy, either. I wasn't trying to place all the blame on you. Rather, in this kind of situation there are three possibilities: the agent just sucks at communicating, the writer is contributing to the problem, or both.

It's not uncommon for an author to write agents very often asking mundane things, or because they don't understand the process, etc. Unless there's a reason, there really isn't a need to write every day (or a lot of times even every week). Now, I'm not saying this is what you were doing, but it's happened before, and when there's a problem it's always only fair to look at both sides and make sure we aren't contributing. If you know you are being reasonable, then there isn't a problem and you just move on. That's the only reason I brought it up.

I would still talk to him, but I would give him time to get around to any other manuscripts you've sent. Also, did you talk to him about communication styles before you signed? Or discuss it with any of his other clients? If not, you might want to talk about it now just to find out, but you can also check the beware section here and send out messages to a couple of his other authors. They can give you a good idea of what to expect and so on.

For what it's worth, I don't think the fact that you haven't heard back means he's any less enthusiastic. He thinks he can sell your book, and he obviously loved it.

I just recently signed with an agent a few months ago. She immediately started submitting my manuscript to editors. Everytim I've emailed her, she gets back to me within a week, sometimes the next day. She also gave me her card and told me to call her if I ever need to. She's very business like but always very responsive. That's been my experience thus far.

... that can be one of the disadvantages of signing with a star agent. Do you know how many clients they currently have? I've seen some seasoned agents with up to thirty. That's a lot of work, if you think about it. And all of them probably have several manuscripts that are active in some way or other. So if I were you I suppose I'd just sit tight for awhile and see how things go. Most likely things will be fine once it comes your turn. And if things haven't changed in another three - six months then Houston has a problem and it may be time to move on. G'luck.

Ken's totally right, too, btw. I know that when I was deciding on an agent, I had already made up my mind that if I had to choose between a big major agent at one of the huge agencies (Writers House, for instance) and a smaller one, I'd choose the smaller one. This is in part precisely because of things like this. I've always been a person who likes the personalized touch, and I didn't want to end up at the bottom of a totem pole, and I was willing to potentially sacrifice to do that.

That being said, it's always a personal decision. A powerhouse agency might give you a better shot at big success, so it's a tradeoff. I'm not saying every major agent is a poor communicator, or that every smaller agency is filled with great communicators, but it's a complaint I've heard before, and therefore something to be aware of. This is part of why it's a good idea to ask questions about these things (and talk to other authors) before signing. I know in your case it's too late right now, but for other authors hoping to sign--always make sure you discuss these issues in advance.

I feel for you. I'm in the midst of querying and I've already decided that big fry or small fish, I'm signing with the agent who is the most enthusiastic about my work. It's funny because in the beginning I had a preconceived notion that agents I felt as though I knew through twitter/blogs would love my work and some of them haven't. Now I know the best agent for me is the one who thinks my work is awesome and can't wait to get started.

As others have said, unfortunately when you sign with a big name agent their cash cows are their 'star' clients and as such they get top priority. I'm sure your agent is doing his job. It's just you are at the bottom of a very big pile of authors. I guess patience is key and if, at the end of the day, you feel the relationship is not working out part ways. If this agent wanted to take you on as a client, I'm sure there are others out there who would too.

kaitie said:

I've always been a person who likes the personalized touch...

...This is part of why it's a good idea to ask questions about these things (and talk to other authors) before signing.

Click to expand...

... me, too, with the personalized touch. That being so, I'm always on the lookout for new agents. I even struck up a friendship with one after I queried.

What you say about the benefits of star agents is true as well. In the end, a writer has to weigh the pluses and minuses and decide which is best. There are many factors to consider, besides the obvious ones.

Talking to other authors whom an agent is handling is a good idea. I did that myself the first time around, which was very helpful.

FWIW, I've heard of plenty of big-name/established agents who lavish attention on all their authors, and smaller/newer agents who completely disregard their clients.

Similarly, I've heard of several stories of authors with multiple offers opting to go for newer, more enthusiastic agents, only for their work to never sell and for the agent to disappear or change careers within the year. There's a reason big-name agents got that way: they sell books. Lots of them.

Besides, often big agencies actually reduce the workload for agents, since they can pawn off a lot of their unimportant work on shared assistants, or they'll have whole armies of sub-agents. In smaller agencies, agents may need to handle that themselves.

In short, it's exceptionally hard to make these sorts of generalizations. If you have multiple offers, talk to the agents about their communication style, talk to their clients (both big and small--and if you can hunt down an ex-client, all the better), and see if your author friends have any gossip on them. You can also post on AW and ask for people to contact you privately with any info they have. That way, you give every agent a fair shot.

(This is not aimed at anyone specific in this thread, for the record--I've just seen this advice as being written in stone on other places and wanted to post my own take on the subject.)

I did, too, Ken, and it helped me see what other people thought and get their takes on him as well. His other authors had nothing but good to say about him, so that definitely influenced my decision.

I had the same type of situation as yours. I even told the agent how I felt and she still was very poor with her communication. Once I called her on it, she got cut-throaty with it saying, "I won't be held to the exact date, time and second." I was like, do I really need this headache? The answer was NO as it should be a NO for you too.

I agree, talk to the agent about this first and see if you can straighten out how you would like the communication to go. Something like, "Can I get an update every couple of weeks" or something to that effect. IF he agrees and is STILL treating you unfairly, I think it's time to pull the plug and move on to searching for a new agent.

I hate it when an agent says they are going to do something and they don't do it. And I am sure like you, others feel the same way. It's like a relationship, if the communication is bad, it's a bad relationship. If the person is being called on it and is confronted and after that STILL acts the same way? Then yeah, there's your answer right there.

Froggy, have you thought about joining Verla Kay's Children's Writers and Illustrators Message Board?

Picture books are different. They're so short (so you'd think they wouldn't take weeks to read--yet may still be time-consuming re: revision suggestions, thoughts on where to sub, etc.) and PB authors are often very prolific. In addition, not many agents rep them. I've never tried to sell one, but there are so many authors there who have. They could probably advise you on how the process typically works with PB's. I have a feeling it's not the same as with novels.

Finding the right agent is like finding the right life partner, and sometimes it's just not a good fit.

You put on your professional game face, fire the agent, and look for another who will be a better fit to your style.

In the end, the agent works for you, not the other way around.

If one agent liked your work and thought he could sell it, then so will another.

If this one is too busy, over-extended, and distracted by higher earning writers and the bigger deals they can demand, then an unpubbed writer of picture books is not high on his Things To Do list. I don't know what sort of advances a picture book deal would snag, but it's not likely to be much for a debut author.

I had a good middle of the road agent, very professional, did a good job, got me a damn fine deal on one book, but over the course of three years he got more and more distracted by his Big Name clients.

In the name of driving a hard bargain, he was pulling crap with publishers that I didn't know about to the point that they hated dealing with him. He screwed up a major deal for me and another person, and screwed over a packager on a deal I'd landed, and shot down every idea I ever pitched. When he got too busy, he couldn't be bothered to return calls, and when I did get hold of an assistant, I was fobbed off on another assistant--who didn't know anything.

He was mightily puzzled when I let him know I wanted to move on, it wasn't working for me.

The language sounds like a breakup scene in a LifeTime movie, but that's how it goes for this kind of partnership!

He'd just gotten a three-book deal for me and seemed to think I was being unfair. I called it severance pay. It took him long enough to close the deal, too, and he never kept me updated on progress.

He wanted to know "why?" of course. I just said it was a business decision, that I wanted to go in another direction and to please sort out the paperwork.

Prior to this, I'd been calling writer friends, asking for agent recommendations. They'd been nagging me for a year to fire the idiot.

My dream agent at one large place was too busy, but shunted my call to the "new kid" in the house. That one worked out. She was and is enthusiastic, returns calls and emails, and sends mails to keep me updated on things and runs interference when I need it. When I pitch ideas, her response is always "work up a proposal for me!" She actively sells my work to Euro markets and audio book markets, the other guy couldn't be bothered.

So don't be afraid to fire this person if you don't think this is a good fit for your career.

Again, if one agent took you on, then so will another.

Write to authors of similar books and ask if they'll recommend some names. You can wait around another 6 months hoping for a crumb of an update, or you can be taken on by someone who can get behind your words and sell them.

In the meantime, write a bunch more books. It will keep your head from exploding.

I would probably be concerned, as well. But like others have said, all agents are going to be different and handle things differently.

My advice: Find another agent. Doesn't sound like a good fit, and the fact that you don't want to bombard him with questions shows that you aren't needy and demanding, so I doubt you're expecting too much.

My agent gets back to me within two days -- often less. She doesn't disappear from the radar. I agree with Gillhoughly -- this agent works for you, not the other way around. That doesn't mean you have the right to make unreasonable demands, but it does mean that you should expect him to represent you to the best of his ability. After all, he'll be taking his fifteen percent.

If and when you search for other agents, be sure to mention (in your subject line, if possible) that you are a writer seeking NEW representation. That'll rise you from the slush.

Erin

My advice is to speak with your agent, and I agree with a lot of things said above. Good luck with whatever your decision may be.

Good luck, Froggy. Keep us posted!

I didn't realize you could put "seeking new representation" in your subject line. *head to desk*. Might've moved me up a notch. I did put it in my query. Next one I send out I'm putting it in the subject line. Thanks!
I had a similar situation, if it isn't a good fit, it isn't a good fit. Move on if you can. Good luck!