Should I tell this agent I'm going to self-publish a book?

rosepetal720

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Today, I got a full request for a historical fiction that I queried back in May. Hurray! A month from now, I had planned on self-publishing a parenting humor book. Should I mention that I'm about to self-publish a book, or not?

The agency that requested my historical does NOT represent humor OR parenting, and I have no platform, so I can't imagine she'd be interested in my humor book. I'm afraid mentioning it will distract her from the book she requested, or look unprofessional.

On the other hand, if I were an agent and a writer I was interested in started self-publishing stuff without telling me, I might think, "Hey, what the heck?"

Thoughts?
 

Pastelnudes

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Hi. I'd probably not mention it unless you get an offer.

At this stage, it's all about the story.

Best not to do anything to detract from the pleasure of reading it.

Well done for getting the request!
 

lizmonster

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This is likely to come up naturally at phone call time, when they ask you what your career plans are. Yes, you should tell, and no, I don't think it'll be an issue. There are a ton of authors these days who self-pub as well as trade pub.
 

hester

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Agree with pastelnudes and lizmonster. And congrats both on your self-publishing endeavor and the full request!!! :)
 

cool pop

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As others said, wait until you have an offer to say anything but if you do get an offer, just kindly decline. You don't have to tell anyone you're self-publishing the book. It's not an agent's business what you plan to do with your book if they aren't representing it.
 

WeaselFire

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If you can explain why you chose to self publish that book then it will never be an issue. Unless your explanation is "Agents take too long..." :)

Jeff
 
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cool pop

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The OP doesn't have to explain anything to the agent. It's not the agent's business if they self-publish or why. If the OP declines then that's all the agent needs to know. An agent isn't owed anything else beyond a respectful "no". The OP can just say they decided to go in a different direction but I feel like the self-publishing thing is none of the agent's business. Agents barely tell writers why they are rejecting their books. All writers get most times is a form letter so why on the flip side do writers owe an agent information that has nothing to do with them? The OP doesn't want to sign with the agent. What else does the agent need to know?
 

Pastelnudes

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If the OP is going to turn the agent down, I agree.

But if the agent is good, who would?
 

lizmonster

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If the OP is going to turn the agent down, I agree.

But if the agent is good, who would?

If I'm reading correctly, OP is planning to self-publish a different book than the one they're querying.

And I stand by my opinion that a) it's completely fine, especially since it's in a completely different genre, and b) the agent should know, not because it could or should make a difference on whether or jot to offer rep, but because an agent should understand your writing career goals in order to position the books they're going to sell for you.

I've talked on the phone recently with two agents who had solid self-publishing advice, and neither of them tried to steer me away from it or tell me it was a bad idea. Both were encouraging and quick to brainstorm timing and marketing strategies. I don't know if you'd get the same for a book in a totally different genre, but I do think it's perfectly reasonable to loop them in and keep them informed if self-publishing is part of your career.
 

Pastelnudes

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If I'm reading correctly, OP is planning to self-publish a different book than the one they're querying.

And I stand by my opinion that a) it's completely fine, especially since it's in a completely different genre, and b) the agent should know, not because it could or should make a difference on whether or jot to offer rep, but because an agent should understand your writing career goals in order to position the books they're going to sell for you.

I've talked on the phone recently with two agents who had solid self-publishing advice, and neither of them tried to steer me away from it or tell me it was a bad idea. Both were encouraging and quick to brainstorm timing and marketing strategies. I don't know if you'd get the same for a book in a totally different genre, but I do think it's perfectly reasonable to loop them in and keep them informed if self-publishing is part of your career.

I agree!

It shouldn't be a problem. But the thread seemed to veer off towards adopting a defensive attitude. Somehow, we ended up with the OP turning down an agent because self-pub was an equally valid alternate route.

I might have misunderstood.
 

lizmonster

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I agree!

It shouldn't be a problem. But the thread seemed to veer off towards adopting a defensive attitude. Somehow, we ended up with the OP turning down an agent because self-pub was an equally valid alternate route.

I might have misunderstood.

:) There is, sometimes, contentiousness in discussions about trade vs. self publishing. In reality, I'd say about half the trade published authors I've met also self publish regularly. Regardless of metaphorical fingers pointed in either direction, both methods have real advantages and disadvantages. The right method is going to ultimately depend on the specific project and how it fits with the author's long-term goals.
 

Pastelnudes

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Contentiousness ;)

Yes, I definitely don't want to get in the middle of that debate!
 

Fuchsia Groan

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When I first signed with an agent, one of the questions he asked was whether I had ever published a book before, which I assume would include self-publishing. So this could be a question during the call, and I think it’s reasonable to mention. But, given how far apart the genres of historical fiction and parenting humor are, I doubt it would be a problem. The agent could still pitch you as a “debut novelist” (which can be important to them as a selling point).