Moving on from an agent

NealM

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I'm going to fire my agent next week. Without going into too many details, let's just say that I've been with them for a year and I've come to realize it's not a very good fit. I've got a new manuscript and I'd like a fresh start with it.

I'm a bit anxious about this. I hate confrontation and I'm not crazy about awkward conversations either. Not to say that this will turn into a confrontation or even be awkward, but you never know. Also, this was my first agent. There's still a little piece of me that thinks that an agent I'm not entirely happy with is better than no agent at all. But I need to quell that voice. Ultimately I gotta do what I feel is best for myself and my career. Right?

Those who've been through this before, any advice? Any stories you'd like to share? Horror stories or stories where it all went swimmingingly?
 

lizmonster

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Check your contract and find out what kind of notification you need to give. If you need termination in writing, follow up your conversation with a registered letter. (I'd suggest doing this even if you have an email record.)

Yes, no agent is better than a bad agent. No, I can't promise you'll find another one, but at least you're not dealing with a professional partner who's not on the same page as you are.

ETA I know this is nerve-wracking, but really, it's not an uncommon occurrence, and if your agent has been in the game for any length of time odds are they've been through it before (in both directions). If they're a professional, they'll handle it professionally.
 
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Thedrellum

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Don't be afraid. This happens all the time, and agents are professionals so this should go smoothly.

When I left my agent, I sent her an email saying that I wanted to leave and that was it. In my case, she hadn't liked my most recent manuscript and I was in love with it AND she didn't seem interested in revising it or seeing what else I was up to, so my email was not unexpected. I managed to find another agent within four months, I think, and it is someone who loved that novel and liked everything about it the other agent hated.

But as lizmonster points out, even if you don't get another agent quickly, it's better to be without an agent then with one who isn't a fit for you.
 

Marissa D

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What Thedrellum said. When the deed is done, take some time off to mourn, and then dust yourself off and go back to work. I'd been unable to write for months before finally letting my first agent go, but after I cut ties and licked my wounds, I spent the next few months writing like crazy--all my words came back. I now wish I'd done it a lot sooner.

Good luck. It's hard, but you're doing the right thing.
 

nighttimer

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Life is too short for bad barbers, bad pizza and bad agents.

Of course, there's always another barber shop so you can still get your hair cut and there's always another pizza shop so you can still get your pizza fix, but while there's always another agent, you probably had to search until you found the one you got, so how easy will it be to find another one?

Not easy and not immediate, but hardly impossible. Like anything else, there's a right way and a wrong way to tell your literary agent you're pulling a Taylor Swift and you two are never ever getting back together again.

How To Fire Your Agent (by a Literary Agent)

There comes a time in every agent’s life when one of their clients needs to move on. Yep. We all get fired by an author at some point. It isn’t pleasant, but it’s a reality in business.

What are some reasons writers opt to terminate their agency relationship? I think four big ones top the list. (1) The writer believes they’re not getting enough attention; (2) the agent has dropped the ball too many times and the writer no longer trusts them; (3) the writer and agent disagree about the best plan for the writer’s career path; or (4) the writer finds out that the agent is doing something unethical or is somehow not a legitimate literary agent.


Is It Time, Dear Writer, To Ditch Your Literary Agent?


Maybe the agent is wrong for you, or you’re wrong for her. Maybe she’s too new. Maybe she has too many clients. Maybe you’re too small a client and she’s got bigger beasts to hunt. Maybe she’s a terrible agent — or maybe you need to recalibrate your needs.


I never really like to recommend that a writer leave her agent — not because that’s a bad idea, but because I’m not comfortable being the one to say, YEAH, TIME TO JUMP OUTTA THE PLANE, as that’s awfully easy for me to say, because I’m buckled up in a nice, cozy seat. Telling you to do the hard thing is easy when I don’t have to do it with you. Plus, then you jump out of the plane, get sucked into a turbine, are turned into a red mist, oops.


That said, there is a calculus involved in determining whether or not to persist in the relationship, and that calculus is different for every author. But — but! — I do think that there are things, mmm, nnny’know, you should look out for, just in case. If enough of these boxes are checked, maybe it’s time to consider moving on.

Then there's the sage advice from the gone-but-not-forgotten Miss Snark, The Literary Agent:

I had someone "fire me" recently and her term letter said "because you haven't presented this work to any publishers, clause whatever will not apply". I'll tell you, it took me a week to be able to reply to her politely. The reason of course that I had NOT sent the book out was cause she hadn't ever finished anything presentable. Of course, what she was saying, and how I took it were two different things, but when a client is leaving, I never take things well. It's just not a happy day at all. So leave off any explanations, reasons, and foo foo crap. Just say "we're done, thank you, and gimme me back my toys, I'm going home".

You really have to get on this now though. And don't worry about parting ways with him. It happens all the time
.


Working with a literary agent is like any other professional relationship and sometimes you have to move on from a relationship that isn't working out. :e2poke:
 

NealM

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Great stuff in here. Thanks!

I just wrote a draft of the email I'm going to send. Gulp...
 

Filigree

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Take a breath, check your draft a few times, and hit 'send'. Then find something fun to do, to take your mind off it.

I've parted ways with literary agents twice since 1992. Both times it was mutual, and very necessary for all involved parties. I've left (or been left) by art agencies and galleries several more times. Sometimes it's easy and a relief. Sometimes it's a stay-up-late-and-cry situation. In the long term, it's always been for the best.