Hybrid authors

If they have contacts in multiple genres, they're a lot more amenable.

Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Some love them; others aren't so keen. Just check to make sure they cover all your genres or close enough.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

I think most are okay with it, especially because now you can self-publish on Amazon with the help of an agent through the White Glove program. It's good to diversify, IMO. I plan to self-pub some short stories at some point and my agent doesn't mind.

Laura,

Few agents handle short stories, so they have no reason to mind.

An agent might mind the plan to self pub a novel.

Rainsmom, might want to consider letting the agent try to sell it traditionally first or, at least, discussing possibilities.

If you can't find an agent who reps all of your genres, look for one with an agency that does. They'll pass the other work to a colleague.

She'd mind if I self-pubbed without going on wide sub.

If the book went on wide sub, didn't find a home, but we both still believed in the book, then she wouldn't mind.

lauralam said:

I think most are okay with it, especially because now you can self-publish on Amazon with the help of an agent through the White Glove program. It's good to diversify, IMO. I plan to self-pub some short stories at some point and my agent doesn't mind.

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I don't understand the whole "self pub through an agent" thing. Can anyone explain what that is about? What are the benefits?

lauralam said:

She'd mind if I self-pubbed without going on wide sub.

If the book went on wide sub, didn't find a home, but we both still believed in the book, then she wouldn't mind.

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What is wide sub?

The Book Elf said:

What is wide sub?

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Submitting widely - to as many editors the agent felt might be interested.

I think for the most part agents are becoming more and more open to self publishing and hybrid authors seem to do pretty well. But there are still a few agents out there that aren't open to self publishing no matter the circumstance, so I'm sure it just depends. Would be something to talk about if you sign with an agent

I actually asked agents this as part of an anonymous Q&A series I do on my blog, so, here are 9 answers to that question from literary agents: http://dailydahlia.wordpress.com/perpetual-wips-2/perpetual-wips-literary-agents/q10-hybrid-authors/

The answer to why one might do this at all really varies. It might be it's just the kind of book that would do better self-pubbed (as I think is generally true of New Adult), and then an agent would take care of subrights. Or, like Laura said, it could be an agent is just supporting you taking something into your own hands after it didn't sell on wide sub. It could also be that it's a book that really doesn't fit into your general brand, or it's something your agent's not interested in handling but is OK with you doing on your own.

On the whole, I think it's something agents are very much growing to support, because it means authors making greater names for themselves and getting a better feel for the business on the whole, while providing alternative options for books the agents themselves can't sell. There are agents who can't tolerate having clients make money off projects with which they're not involved, but if you want to be a hybrid author, those probably aren't the ones for you.

gingerwoman said:

I don't understand the whole "self pub through an agent" thing. Can anyone explain what that is about? What are the benefits?

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The white glove programme is available for authors with agents on Amazon. Evidently they do more to promote it. I know a few people who have had good results, but I'm still not sure. That way the agent is involved and I believe still gets 15%? I haven't researched it much, but that's what I understand.