Do agents sell multiple novels at once?

No, she doesn't. My agent sold my YA and two more stand-alone books before my first book was even published.

I can only speak to my experience, but after you sell a book, your publisher generally gets a right to be the first one to read the next. They get a month or so to read that next book (assuming it's not a series) and decide if they want to make an offer on it. You're not usually obligated to take the offer, even if they make one, so long as your contract is worded correctly.

If you like the offer on the 2nd book, then YAY! If you don't, or if the publisher feels it doesn't fit their list (or maybe your book is a gothic teddy bear romance and they've already bought one that's fairly similar) then you can decide to send the book out elsewhere. In that case, it's a lot like going on submission the first time. Your agent will send the book to those s/he thinks might be interested.

My first novel sold to a HC imprint at the end of one year, and the second (non-series) novel sold to a Random House imprint at the start of the next.

The best thing to do if you've got several books is to ask your agent about "non-compete clauses" that might be slipped into the contract.

Lalaloopsy said:

Also, once a book has been sold to lets say, Harper Collins, does the agent only sell your work to HC from then on, or can your other books to sold to a different publisher?

Click to expand...

This will depend entirely on your contract. One of my agent's other clients is writing a series for one publisher and at least one stand-alone for another (it may also be part of a series, but I'm not sure).

My contract is for three series books, and AFAIK (I'd have to double-check, but this is my recollection) I'm free to sell non-series work whenever/wherever I wish. But as I've no time to write anything else, it's kind of a moot point. They've got right-of-first-refusal on any in-series novel-length work I produce after these three.

Cyia said:

You're not usually obligated to take the offer, even if they make one, so long as your contract is worded correctly.

.

Click to expand...

I can refuse the offer, but I can't sell the novel to another publisher unless that publisher offers more than the best offer the first publisher makes. This is how it should be. Essentially, highest offer gets the novel, or no one does.

Lalaloopsy said:

Totally hypothetical situation.

You know how if you get an agent for one book then you tell them about your second book they can rep that too? Well, let's say the agent sells the first book, does she have to wait until the first book /not a series/ hits the shelves to try and sell the second one?

These are stand alone books, not series.

Just curious.

Click to expand...

My agent sold two of my standalone novels at the same time to the same publisher.

Jamesaritchie said:

I can refuse the offer, but I can't sell the novel to another publisher unless that publisher offers more than the best offer the first publisher makes. This is how it should be. Essentially, highest offer gets the novel, or no one does.

Click to expand...

This is not the OP's question but I HAVE to say something. You've made this point before, and I still think you are wrong. Reputable agents are ALWAYS going to try to cut the "can't sell to another publisher unless that publisher offers more than the best offer the first publisher makes" bit.

Listen: If my client sells book 1 to Publisher A, and there is an option, fine. Publisher A will get the first crack at the new book. If they want to buy it, but they are not offering what we think it is worth, fine. We can either negotiate... or we can say NO. (Sometimes, gasp, people don't have that awesome an experience with a publisher, after all!) If WE want to work with Publisher A, we will negotiate and so will they, and we'll figure it out. If we DO NOT want to work with Publisher A... we say no, and are free to go anywhere else we want.

In YOUR scenario, Publisher A wants to publish. We DO NOT want to work with Publisher A. We say No Thanks, and shop it elsewhere. Publisher B seems much better for us, and we'd really like to switch. Maybe they are offering the same as PubA, but they are clearly better suited for the book. However, we have your ridiculous clause in the option, so we CAN'T say yes to PubB -- now we have to go back to PubA and discuss it with them? No. EFF publisher A. WE SAID NO TO THEM. We DO NOT want to work with them again. When you say no to them, they should stop being part of your business. This clause basically makes it so Pub A can hamstring a deal for you. ARGHHHHHH

Jamesaritchie said:

I can refuse the offer, but I can't sell the novel to another publisher unless that publisher offers more than the best offer the first publisher makes. This is how it should be. Essentially, highest offer gets the novel, or no one does.

Click to expand...

JAR, I know you think you mean well, but you consistently and stubbornly give advice that is completely out of date and demonstrably NOT TRUE.

Highest offer does NOT get the book. If there are multiple offers, then the book goes to whomever the author chooses to sell it to based on a number of factors. I DID NOT sell my standalone to the publisher with the highest offer; I sold it to the publisher with the best fit and best timing on their list for LESS money.

Your advice, while likely sound years ago is outdated and will not help a writer in the current market.

Jennifer_Laughran said:

This is not the OP's question but I HAVE to say something. You've made this point before, and I still think you are wrong. Reputable agents are ALWAYS going to try to cut the "can't sell to another publisher unless that publisher offers more than the best offer the first publisher makes" bit.

Click to expand...

He's old school, and he refuses to accept that the current market is different from the one he knew when he started out. He repeatedly gives advice that no longer applies, and in so doing he risks confusing or tripping up new writers who are looking for solid information. Pointers like securing an offer from a publisher *before* getting an agent may have been the norm 15 or 20 years ago or further back than that, but they're not now.

Jennifer_Laughran said:

Listen: If my client sells book 1 to Publisher A, and there is an option, fine. Publisher A will get the first crack at the new book. If they want to buy it, but they are not offering what we think it is worth, fine. We can either negotiate... or we can say NO. (Sometimes, gasp, people don't have that awesome an experience with a publisher, after all!) If WE want to work with Publisher A, we will negotiate and so will they, and we'll figure it out. If we DO NOT want to work with Publisher A... we say no, and are free to go anywhere else we want.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is what my contract says. They get 30 days to make an offer on my next book before I shop it to other publishers, but I have no obligation to accept any offer they give me. So I was probably misusing the term "right of first refusal." They have a right to make an offer, but we don't have to accept it, and after a month I'm free to offer it to others as well. (There are some timing restrictions if it's an in-series book and I end up with another publisher, but I don't find them onerous. YMMV.)

As I read my contract, this is true only for the first book written after the trilogy. Presumably if I sell them that book, they might choose to include language in that contract about the one after that.

And I have to say, I'll be thrilled to pieces if they want another one, because it'll mean they were happy with the performance of the first three.

It depends on the contract. If the book is a part of a series, the publisher may just buy two or three or seven books all at once (even if not all of them have been completed). Sometimes it will be a "two book deal" (or three or more book deal) for a book that is a standalone, and in that case, yes , the author does have to write another book for THAT publisher. But even in that second case... say the first book is a romance and the author's got a fantasy novel already written, too. The romance publisher isn't likely to buy the fantasy, so the author would have to write a second romance novel (or SOMETHING that's in line with the publisher's brand) before (? Probably before, but it depends on the wording) trying to sell the fantasy novel to a fantasy imprint.

Some contracts include wording that the publisher has the right to take the first look at the next book the author writes, period. Others would limit that to the next book in the specific genre (or the next young adult book, etc).

Completely depends on the wording of the first contract, so if you get an offer for your first book but know you want to try to sell a different book somewhere else (maybe the first book sold to a smaller press and you want to see if you can get a better advance for book 2, or maybe it's just completely out of line with the first imprint's brand, etc), you'd want to make sure your agent got that language into the contract... so that even if Publisher A DID want a second book from you, you'd still be free to sub that specific book 2 elsewhere, either right away or after the second book for Publisher A is accepted.

Jamesaritchie said:

I can't sell the novel to another publisher unless that publisher offers more than the best offer the first publisher makes.

Click to expand...

Ah, but which offer is better? That could be a very subjective matter. Higher royalty rate, or higher advance? Bigger publisher or small specialty press? Depends on what's important to you.