What are the benefits of an agent?

EmilyofDreams said:

... I've always intended to represent myself, when the time comes, because I want to be able to convince a publisher with my own merit that they want to publish my book.

... why go to all the trouble of getting someone else to do what I can do myself?

... I think I'd rather enjoy knowing exactly how the process worked and be able to successfully do it on my own.

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There are a limited number of imprints that accept unagented manuscripts .. would you rather have the IDEAL publisher for your work, or just the best one out of the ones that accept unagented work?

Even if you could convince every publisher to ignore their own way of doing business and to look at your manuscript against their own guidelines ... do you really have the email address and phone number of the exact person at Harper Collins is who is looking for that style book?

And can we do it all ourselves? Contract law is a specialised part of law ... and publishing contract law is another specialisation again. I could convince myself that I understand the fine detail of every line of a contract ... but since I'm not an expert at it or experienced I could easily miss the subtlety of a clause. So why wouldn't you want an expert to review it?

Mac

Here are some of the many reasons I am so glad to have an agent:

- Sales: My book was sent out on a Friday afternoon and we had a pre-empt on Monday morning (Sunday actually). No unrepresented writer without significant contacts will have that kind of turnaround. Plus, the offer was for 10-20x what a debut author might generally make (he so earned his commision many times over).
- Contract: I'm a attorney and I specialize in contracts. But I'm not a literary attorney. My agent got some really really advantageous clauses -- things I wouldn't even have known to ask about. Plus, I didn't have to antagonize my relationship with my editor by negotiating anything.
-pre-sale: my agent helped me edit my manuscript until it shined
-post-sale: he's answered a million questions; he's looked into other avenues for me to get my name out; he's been there as a friend and a professional. He's helped me brainstorm the market and told me what editors are super excited about
-misc: he's in it for my career and give great career advice. Plus, he really does know my book very well -- he read it 3-4 times even before the first submission. Also, because he knows the industry, he knew which editor would be a great fit. And he's a phenomenal advocate on my behalf.

A lot of it depends on what you're going for. I know a lot of writers who sell to Harlequin, e-pubs, small presses without an agent. To me, that's like representing yourself pro se in small claims court: tons of people do it successfully. But I wouldn't go pro se in large products liability case -- I'd leave that to the pros. To me, going with an agent was just that: giving it to the pro to handle.

All that everyone has mentioned so far ....plus: do you know how to interpret a royalty statement to be sure that you're receiving the money you're due?

EmilyofDreams said:

Has anyone ever gone through the process of getting published through an agent? What are your thoughts?

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Emily,

What the other posters have said.

Publishing contracts, from what I've learned reading threads in the Cooler as well as reading agent blogs, are not the same as other contracts. There are certain things you'd need to look out for, ask about, etc. (Look at Carrie: She's a contract lawyer, for heaven's sake, and even SHE went with an agent.)

If you insist on going it alone (esp. if you're looking to be pubbed by the big commercial publishers), take a look at Kristin Nelson's blog. If you look on the right side and scroll down a bit, you'll see posts on Agenting 101. It's a primer of sorts on what to look out for and ask about in publishing contracts.

Talk about head-spinning and eye-glazing stuff! My advice is to try to snag an agent (a legit one, of course), and let them go over contracts with a fine tooth comb (like they're supposed to).

Good luck!

~Nancy

An editor at a New York publishing house is a very busy woman. For every single slot on the January publishing schedule, there are 1326 unpublishable manuscripts, hungry as sharks for it.

The editor's major goal in life is NOT meeting those 1326 authors. Not talking to them on the phone. Not corresponding with them. Not reading their manuscripts.
Insofar as is humanly possible, the editor will delegate those tasks to agents.

Not saying you couldn't storm a few bastions ... but can you get to the particular editor you need? How will you even know which editor is looking for your particular 'voice'?

Number One Reason: They deal with the rejections.