The Big "Agent" Question
- Thread starter clfreire
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An agent will be able to get many more publishers to look at your work (and reply quicker) than you can. An agent should be able to negotiate a better deal than you can, and will know which aspects of the contract are unfavourable and which are negotiable. An agent will have the contacts to sell addition rights of your work. An agent will know how to look at your royalties documents to know if you've received the money you should.
Need I go on?
Need I go on?
Hi, clfreire and welcome to AW!
It can take a while for agents to get back to you on a partial (3 to 6 months is not unheard of). However, you don't say whether you've informed that agent that you already have offers from two publishers on the table (which should definitely speed up the response, because you're asking them to negotiate the deal rather than go through the submission process). Waylander has set out the main advantages of having an agent, which you should give some thought to.
MM
It can take a while for agents to get back to you on a partial (3 to 6 months is not unheard of). However, you don't say whether you've informed that agent that you already have offers from two publishers on the table (which should definitely speed up the response, because you're asking them to negotiate the deal rather than go through the submission process). Waylander has set out the main advantages of having an agent, which you should give some thought to.
MM
Waylander's post is spot on.
But here's one more point, put simply:
If you want your work placed at a medium-sized or a large house, where it will get promotion (and contrary to popular belief, big publishing houses do promote their products), where it will get read by more people than just your family members, where it will get reviewed and discussed, then you need an agent. An agentless author can get to the point where she places the book at a legitimate house and makes money and gains a readership -- but it is a long, long, long, long shot.
My agent not only proofread my manuscript, she took it to editors that I would otherwise never have been able to contact, she negotiated my contract, she explained foreign rights, the agency hired a foreign rights agent who sold the book all over the world, she brought in a film agent from CAA who got the book read by people like Jerry Bruckheimer. She has now become an advocate for my career, reading manuscripts I send to her for critique and discussing market trends -- stuff like that.
It is possible to make it in publishing without an agent, but highly unlikely.
Oh, and you need to take a trip to the Bewares boards. There are scammers on every streetcorner in this business.
Good luck!
But here's one more point, put simply:
If you want your work placed at a medium-sized or a large house, where it will get promotion (and contrary to popular belief, big publishing houses do promote their products), where it will get read by more people than just your family members, where it will get reviewed and discussed, then you need an agent. An agentless author can get to the point where she places the book at a legitimate house and makes money and gains a readership -- but it is a long, long, long, long shot.
My agent not only proofread my manuscript, she took it to editors that I would otherwise never have been able to contact, she negotiated my contract, she explained foreign rights, the agency hired a foreign rights agent who sold the book all over the world, she brought in a film agent from CAA who got the book read by people like Jerry Bruckheimer. She has now become an advocate for my career, reading manuscripts I send to her for critique and discussing market trends -- stuff like that.
It is possible to make it in publishing without an agent, but highly unlikely.
Oh, and you need to take a trip to the Bewares boards. There are scammers on every streetcorner in this business.
Good luck!
See, this is what I needed
I want to thank you all for what is vastly appreciated input. This is what I was looking for. It is clear to me now what I will do, should the agent offer me representation. The agency is a legitimate one, of this I am certain. In fact, the agent I queried recently brought one of his authors a six-figure deal. I always research agents thoroughly before I query them.
On a further note, I didn't think to mention the two publishing offers because they came from independent houses.
Thank you again for all your help.
I want to thank you all for what is vastly appreciated input. This is what I was looking for. It is clear to me now what I will do, should the agent offer me representation. The agency is a legitimate one, of this I am certain. In fact, the agent I queried recently brought one of his authors a six-figure deal. I always research agents thoroughly before I query them.
On a further note, I didn't think to mention the two publishing offers because they came from independent houses.
Thank you again for all your help.
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An agent takes 15% of your deal. However, for most people, an agent will get them a deal that's way more than 15% better than the deal they could have gotten on their own.
It's like selling your house. Yes, you can sell your own house and not pay a real estate agent 6%. However, in most situations, the real estate agent can get you much more than 6% above what you would have gotten on your own.
Also, a literary agent--unlike a real estate agent--will almost certainly want to represent your next project, too.
It's like selling your house. Yes, you can sell your own house and not pay a real estate agent 6%. However, in most situations, the real estate agent can get you much more than 6% above what you would have gotten on your own.
Also, a literary agent--unlike a real estate agent--will almost certainly want to represent your next project, too.
You sent this on Jan. 11 and it's now, what, Jan. 14, and you're annoyed because they haven't replied?
Patience, Grasshopper. They may get back to you before the end of February, and that would be an entirely normal and acceptable time frame.
caw
Patience, Grasshopper. They may get back to you before the end of February, and that would be an entirely normal and acceptable time frame.
caw
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