Agents with Side Jobs - Worth Querying?

Humans are pretty good at multitasking so side jobs aren't a good thing to ding an agent on. Your main focus in researching an agent should be do they rep your genre, are they compatible with your career needs, how many books their authors are selling, and do you hear any complaints about them from reliable sources.

I would probably avoid agents with second jobs. If they need to take a second job to support themselves, they're not making enough money as an agent--and that implies that they're not going to make many sales for you, or that their sales aren't lucrative.

It does happen that new agents, out on their own, need to support themselves while they get established. Think carefully before submitting to them. They might be very good, but are they going to have time to focus on their author-clients? What happens if they're needed at their other job just when a big offer comes in?

You are conflating a number of different topics.

1) Agents who are authors: Would you REALLY turn down Laura Rennert, for example, one of the top agents in the business, because she is also an author? REALLY? If so, I don't know what to say. Good luck.

2) Agents who are also freelance editors "for hire" -- now this is a different kettle of fish. If they are a freelance editor for hire as well as an agent, in my opinion, they might be going against the AAR canon of ethics. So unless they have a very stringent policy on NEVER considering editorial clients for representation, or vice-versa, I would avoid. Just . . . make sure.

3) Agents who have some other miscellaneous side-job: Most agents, when they start out, unless they married rich, have another job in addition to working on their client list. Very often, this job is being a full-time paid assistant or secretary at the agency, and being given the opportunity to take on a very few clients as well -- but these clients must be dealt with AFTER all the other stuff is dealt with. Sometimes they have a job outside the agency.

My own story:

I am an agent at one of the biggest agencies in the country, with 150+ books sold on behalf of my clients. I worked full time as the buyer for a bookstore when I started as an associate agent. I don't think it affected my clients in a negative way at all, and I sold lots and lots of books to publishers while working two full-time jobs.

Since I was promoted to a full agent, I pulled back significantly on the bookstore, for time considerations - but I will always work in a bookstore. Always. I don't do it for the money - I do it because I like it, and I want to, and quite frankly, it's none of anybody's business WHAT I do with my spare time as long as it isn't affecting the job I do for clients. I don't complain when somebody has KIDS for pete's sake, and god knows they take up a hell of a lot more time and energy than a few hours in a bookstore! Jeesh.

Also: I'd really like to know where they get that 2 months of lovely vacation, because it isn't America, that's for sure.

I think it depends on the second job (and whether that is agenting or the other one)


My agent is not full time -- he's a non fiction editor. For a while he spent time helping friends whip their books into shape, and then took the plunge by opening a small boutique agency. He only takes on a very few clients.

But his experience on the other side of the table helps, I think. He has the contacts we need. The downside is, he's a very busy man! But then so are most full time agents worth their salt.

I'd look at it on a case by case basis. In my case, he'd recently sold a series to a Big 5 pub (the same one he got me a deal with). He's got my work in front of Mega Editors (and man that one was a close no. She liked it....) and film directors. he's sold two series of mine, and I'm pretty happy, but then I'm also pretty low maintenance. I don't expect emails unless I/he has news, or are discussing proposals. If you want more from your agent (and many do -- I know one Big Name author who rings his agent, as he said, to "talk him down from the ledge") then perhaps it won't work for you.

That's like saying an author with a day job is not worth taking a chance on. If an agent is passionate about your book and very good at selling great books to great publishers, anyone would be crazy not to query him or her.

Zenning said:

I also want to ask your opinion on agents that are also authors...

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The only thing that has given me heebeegeebees on occasion is when an agent plugs their book when sending back a form rejection. E.g. sticking a promo for their book in their sig line. It smacks of desperation and undermines my confidence in the agent. Other than that, an agent who does both is okay by me. Then again, there was Nathan Bransford who left agenting to pursue his writing. He did both. So I suppose there is a risk that if an agent is a writer too they may up and leave the profession. Probably a bit more so of a chance than an agent who is an agent and nothing more. Just my two cents.

I'm not really sure what my agent does on the side, nor do I care. She is quick to answer emails and read manuscripts and is great with contract details, among many other things. I have dealt with agents, however, who take an exorbitant amount of time to do agent-related things because they are busy running some kind of side business. I personally don't like to waste time, as the publishing industry is already slow to begin with. What I would do is contact clients of any agent I am considering working with and get their take on it.

Zenning said:

I also want to ask your opinion on agents that are also authors, agents that are also editors-for-hire, agents that also run creative writing classes, would you like to be represented by them? Will they run out of time to 'nurture your talent' and promote your book, let alone their need of taking a two month summer vacation (as read in some threads regarding when to submit)?

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Is a bestselling writer with a side job worth reading?

Jennifer_Laughran said:

2) Agents who are also freelance editors "for hire" -- now this is a different kettle of fish. If they are a freelance editor for hire as well as an agent, in my opinion, they might be going against the AAR canon of ethics. So unless they have a very stringent policy on NEVER considering editorial clients for representation, or vice-versa, I would avoid. Just . . . make sure.

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You've raised a really important point, Jennifer.

When I responded I was thinking of a specific UK agent I wouldn't touch with a barge-pole. She started up as an agent without any previous agenting experience; she also works as marketing director with a small publisher which has failed to pay its authors (I know: they publish a friend of mine) and is involved in providing various services to writers.

There are several clear conflicts of interests there. But an agent who works in a bookshop too? I think that has to be good.

Also: I'd really like to know where they get that 2 months of lovely vacation, because it isn't America, that's for sure.

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It's not in the UK either.

Ken said:

The only thing that has given me heebeegeebees on occasion is when an agent plugs their book when sending back a form rejection. E.g. sticking a promo for their book in their sig line. It smacks of desperation and undermines my confidence in the agent.

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I'm friends with a literary agent who has written a great book about publishing, and she has done just as you describe--suggested her book to writers when she rejects their work.

You might find this unacceptable, but you're ascribing motives to her which she doesn't have. It's not an effort to promote her book: it's an attempt to help them. She sees so many basic mistakes in so many submissions, but doesn't have time to give personalised feedback: her hope was that if people learned more about publishing they wouldn't make those mistakes, and both they and the publishers and agents they were submitting to would benefit.

Old Hack said:

I'm friends with a literary agent who has written a great book about publishing, and she has done just as you describe--suggested her book to writers when she rejects their work.

You might find this unacceptable, but you're ascribing motives to her which she doesn't have. It's not an effort to promote her book: it's an attempt to help them. She sees so many basic mistakes in so many submissions, but doesn't have time to give personalised feedback: her hope was that if people learned more about publishing they wouldn't make those mistakes, and both they and the publishers and agents they were submitting to would benefit.

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Seems sensible enough. Maybe they might append it with a note summarizing just what you've said here, along with a line saying something like, "Here's a book by me that might help. There are others on the subject of course which may help as well. Just offering you a suggestion. Etc." Quite possibly unnecessary.

Thnx for the insight.

I'm just here to agree with everything Jenn Laughran says.

Also, to add that agenting as a career is not like being a banker or a cashier. Your workload is going to be dictated by the number of clients you have AND the other factors like conferences, teaching, editing, writing, etc.

Many agents who are ONLY agents and have no other jobs or duties have 40, 50 or more clients. I am an author, I teach occasional classes at Lit Reactor, and I have 22 clients. I purposely manage the size of my list in a way that ensures my clients will get good service AND I can do the things I want to do.

My "other" job has nothing to do with whether I can support myself as an agent or whether my deals are lucrative. It has everything to do with enjoying a little diversity in my day and career and feeling more fulfilled and happy with life the way I do things.

At the end of the day writers spend a lot of time analyzing agents and trying to read between the lines and all that really matters is if they are a good agent.

I feel two ways about this.
If an agent has sales and experience in the book selling world, I don't care what else they do with their time. It's clear that they know what they are about, and I'd be lucky to be signed with them.
At the same time, I don't think this is a foolish or offensive question. There are people calling themselves agents out there that have no qualifications and no sales. I'm not talking about folks just building their lists. In my agent search, I've run across people who promote themselves as agents, but have no experience, and make their money doing something else.
I think that an agent that has another job can be a sign that one should look into their qualifications. if the qualifications are there, no problem. If they turn out to be a rabid wombat farmer that decided one day they'd like to be a literary agent, then that is a problem.

JulianneQJohnson said:

I feel two ways about this.
If an agent has sales and experience in the book selling world, I don't care what else they do with their time. It's clear that they know what they are about, and I'd be lucky to be signed with them.
At the same time, I don't think this is a foolish or offensive question. There are people calling themselves agents out there that have no qualifications and no sales. I'm not talking about folks just building their lists. In my agent search, I've run across people who promote themselves as agents, but have no experience, and make their money doing something else.
I think that an agent that has another job can be a sign that one should look into their qualifications. if the qualifications are there, no problem. If they turn out to be a rabid wombat farmer that decided one day they'd like to be a literary agent, then that is a problem.

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But again that's conflating two different things.

MOST of these folks who open agencies with no experience (a personal pet peeve of mine-- it drives me batty that they feel they don't need any qualifications to handle someone's career) would NOT broadcast that they have other jobs.

Again, it goes back to my point, and Jennifer's-- focus on whether they are a good agent and not other factors. It is not the existence of a side job that makes them crappy agents.

Zenning said:

Thank you all for your inputs. In fact, I have been browsing about 90-100 UK and US agencies websites today, yesterday, the day before etc etc etc. And the question actually came from a gut feeling instead of being perfectly worded. So pardon if it has sounded stupid.

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You really didn't sound stupid, and if anyone says otherwise I shall smite them for you.

And by the way, on a US agency website, I clearly have seen high credentials 'agents' with very high qualifications (lawyers and editors backgrounds from Ivy League universities, wow) and on a little tab, it says, 'other services' - which is editing service. I have also known a pure editing company who does only editing for high profile authors like Margret Atwood, and of course, they are NOT agents. So… you see where I came from. I don't think it is possible to be a full time editor and be an agent at the same time, really. Maybe an author … but.

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The backgrounds you mention aren't second jobs, usually, but give you an idea of the work the agent did prior to agenting.

I am very wary of agents offering paid-for editing services: but many do edit their author-clients' works prior to submission, at no cost to them, which is a very different thing.

In terms of the two months vacation, it is from a thread of 2012 I read.

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I've worked in publishing in one way or another for about thirty years, and in all that time there has been no two-month vacation as standard.

I had an experience of submitting around new years time, silly of me. And finally realize, I should check out when's the best time to submit. I will try to find that thread again, if anyone still interested. There was a heated response on that thread back then.

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The best time to submit is when your book and your query are both polished and ready to go. Don't try to play the system by working out when might be an advantageous time to submit: other writers will just send their work in when it's ready, and by waiting all you'll do is end up behind the ones who didn't wait.

Zenning said:

And by the way, I think Curtis Brown Creative runs a writing workshop too, no? Well, again, no offence to agents. It's the part of the author to do the research, to knock on doors, in hoping when knock enough doors that one day will NOT be rejected, AND to ask silly questions. As I am not from the industry.

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Curtis Brown Creative has attracted a lot of criticism. On one level it provides excellent advice and tuition to aspiring writers; on another, is it appropriate for literary agents to take payments from writers? There have been good reports of the tuition it provides; and there is a separation between the authors who participate in the courses, and the authors Curtis Brown Literary Agency takes on. But still. I'm conflicted.