Author/Agent Relationships

I remain un-agented, although the desperate search continues. However, a friend of mine recently got her agent after several years of trying. An agent who wanted a full of my manuscript called me rather than sending a reply by e-mail, and the two of us talked for around 90 minutes before he finally had to hang up. I thought that a bit odd, and so I called my friend and asked some questions. She said that her agent "felt her out" before she requested the full. Her explanation? The relationship between a writer and the agent is sort of like a marriage. Before committing to an author and their work, an agent must determine whether or not they can work with that author, whether the author is open to or willing to make any changes the agent feels necessary. My friend is very wise, at least from my perspective, and what she told me seemed right to me. I would find it extremely unusual if an agent gave the impression that the relationship between that agent and any of the authors he/she represents was 'IMPERSONAL." After all, you and your agent become joined at the hip in regards to financial matters; without the author, the agent doesn't eat and vice versa. Are you having a problem?

Why would you ask that? Do you WANT an impersonal agent? Or do you have one, and question it?

It is nearly impossible to be published without an agent. They do far more than just contract negotiations.
Mine called me and talked for over an hour before she offered representation. I also had contact with several other agents and determined Dorian was the best fit for me. Many writers find they are in the position of taking the first agent who offers. Someone who loves your work is crucial to sell it.

gau dog said:

is it accepted to have multiple agents for multiple genres?

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It's perfectly acceptable to have a literary agent and a film agent, and agents in both fields take that for granted these days. It's acceptable to have a fiction agent and a non-fiction agent, though that takes some negotiation between the agents. It's acceptable to have a children's agent and an adult agent, though that also takes some negotiation.

However, it's not standard practice in the US to have a romance agent and a mystery agent, or a Western agent and a science fiction agent, or anything at that granularity.

My agent (and editor) are interested in my long term career. Some agents go book by book...

IceCreamEmpress said:

It's acceptable to have a fiction agent and a non-fiction agent, though that takes some negotiation between the agents. It's acceptable to have a children's agent and an adult agent, though that also takes some negotiation.

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Even though it is generally acceptable, some agents won't do it, and it is best to find out before you get too far along in the process leading to representation.

For example, say you write both children's books and adult books, and you are querying an agent who only represents adult books, then you'd better bring up that topic when they call you to offer representation. If you accept the offer of representation and then later bring up the topic of looking for a separate children's agent, that could be bad.

jamiehall said:

Even though it is generally acceptable, some agents won't do it, and it is best to find out before you get too far along in the process leading to representation.

For example, say you write both children's books and adult books, and you are querying an agent who only represents adult books, then you'd better bring up that topic when they call you to offer representation. If you accept the offer of representation and then later bring up the topic of looking for a separate children's agent, that could be bad.

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Yes. That's the kind of "negotiation" I was talking about--thanks for amplifying it and making it so specific!

ColoradoGuy said:

My agent also made it pretty clear she was looking for people with several books in them.

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Which is why, in spite of some people saying you shouldn't, I plan on mentioning in queries that I have "plot-room" for additional novels in my current fantasy world even though the novel I'm shopping is stand-alone.

I've seen several agents such as Lucienne Diver mention that this can be a plus.

I also agree that most agents are interested in your the long-term. In my first phone conversation with my agent, she showed interest in my writing career, not just my current book, and I think that's something you should look for in an agent!

My agent also spoke to me for nearly an hour before she decided she wanted to represent me. She took me on based on my YA novels, even though she has only, so far, represented adult books. She took the chance because she really liked my work and also because she saw that I listened to her experienced opinions and changed what she felt was neccessary to make the books saleable. I took the chance on her because she seemed on the ball and very personable to boot. Also, and not least, because she seems to genuinely love my work.

So far we've had a very 'chatty' kind of relationship, but very firmly rooted in business. I have found her very very easy to talk to, she seems capable of being a hard-arse business-wise, while simultainiously making me feel well looked after and cared for. It's veryearly days yet, a fact of which I'm very aware ... but I have to say, so far, I find her mixture of warmth, good humour and spot on business sense great to work with and I wouldn't be happy if it were a colder type of 'strictly-business' deal.

Just to say. i've just had a call to say, she's had an offer on three of my novels by a major European YA publisher. I'm a bit tiddly on champagne. Will post more, when I'm more co-herant! Hurrah!

... bloody awesome, Gary, Bloody awesome.

*grins sloppily at Kiwi! Raises glass!* Weeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Congratulations Gary. And, on the agent front, I feel like I have a very personal relationship with my agent. He's a business person, but he also cares about how I'm doing and vice versa and he is definitely interested in my long term career. Editors respond to books so personally that I don't see how you could have an agent who didn't do the same.

Gary Clarke said:

Just to say. i've just had a call to say, she's had an offer on three of my novels by a major European YA publisher. I'm a bit tiddly on champagne. Will post more, when I'm more co-herant! Hurrah!

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Congratulations! That's absolutely fantastic. Yay, you!

Congratulations, Gary!

I had two agents in the UK in the late 90's. The first one wanted to meet me before taking me on; I had to fly to England from Germany and went to visit her at home/office.

The second one took me on before meeting me, but immediately invited me to England. I stayed at her home overnight. We had a very personal relationship. A pity it had to end... I still think fondly of her.

*Peers through hazy hangover fog* Thanks for the congrats guys!

Aruna, I understand if you don't wanna say, but what was it that ended the relationships with your agents?

Gary Clarke said:

Aruna, I understand if you don't wanna say, but what was it that ended the relationships with your agents?

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Basically, we disagreed on the sort of novels I should be writing. She wanted me to follow a particular trend, which was highly commercial at the time, and I wanted to follow my heart. She was probably right from a commercial point of view, I was right from an artistic point of view. If I had done as she;d said I would definitely have stayed in the game, but I would have ended up in a rut, i believe. This way I have had to struggle hard to write better books, and in a way it was worth it. But getting back into the game is bloody hard...

Phew. That was a hard decision for you to have to make. I really hope you get to publish that work of love. Could you do both maybe? Write the commercial stuff to fund the soul stuff?

Gary Clarke said:

Just to say. i've just had a call to say, she's had an offer on three of my novels by a major European YA publisher. I'm a bit tiddly on champagne. Will post more, when I'm more co-herant! Hurrah!

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That is great!! Congrats!

Thanks Dragon lady, things are happening so fast now that my head is bloody spinning. I had to really push to cut the second novel down by thirty thousand words, it nearly killed me as I also work at a day job. It looks like that was only just the begun. Now that I've been assigned an editor I need to go back to the first book and start again there with her, and soon my agent will be getting back to me with more notes about the second book... and I'm still finishing the third. At the same time we're prepping a forth novel for sub to different publishers.

I thought writing the flippin things was hard! My face may well melt from all this computer time!