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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Why Having a Rock Star Agent Matters

The Benefits of Having a Great Agent

I'm sure you've all heard the warning that a bad agent is worse than no agent at all. I've read horror stories (and even heard in person from a best-selling author) about what happens when an agent goes bad and they have to start over and find a new agent. I've also read a lot online saying you don't even need an agent these days, especially if you plan to self-publish. I respectfully disagree. In fact, I went to a talk by a best-selling self-published author, and guess what she had? A top agent from a great literary agency. Another top-earning self-publisher just blogged about recently obtaining an agent for her books. Why? I'll discuss that in a minute. Overall, I agree that having no agent is better than having a bad agent...but having a rock star agent is golden. I know a little bit about this because I have a rock star agent *waves at Jessica* from a great literary agency. So here is how a fabulous agent can benefit both traditional and self-published authors:



1) Editorial relationships. A great agent has a wealth of publishing knowledge and solid relationships with editors, so they know who is be looking for a specific project. For instance, they know if an editor has been dying for a book about killer space monkeys, or conversely, if an editor will stab themselves if they see one more monkey story. Though I try to stay abreast of publishing industry news, I don't have the years of relationships with publishers that my agent does, and I'm so glad she knew exactly where to send my book (which sadly, does not involve killer space monkeys). Some self-publishers are pursuing the hybrid model, which involves having some books published traditionally while they self-publish others, and for any author who wants a traditional publishing deal, a reputable agent has access to publishing houses that don't allow non-agented submissions. 

2) They know books.  This might sound obvious, but it's true. Agents read a ton of queries (after doing my "query critiques for all" giveaway earlier this year, I have even more respect for the massive amount of work they do). They also read a lot of manuscripts and you know, actual books. The bottom line is that agents know books. They know what makes for a great story and can easily spot what works and what doesn't. Every suggestion my agent made for revising my book was spot-on. Her knowledge made my book better, and I'm not saying that just because the book sold to a great publisher...I'm truly satisfied that I created the best book I could.

3) Contract negotiations. Can you say "reversion of rights?" Yes, technically you don't "need" an agent to sign a publishing contract, but have you read one lately? I got a headache after seeing one paragraph. An agent knows their way around the technical language of the contract, and knows where to push for change (e.g. more money, reversion clauses, etc.) They will also likely be more successful in having those changes accepted than if the author negotiated themselves, because part of being a good agent involves killer negotiating skills. Could someone do this themselves if they spent enough time on it? Yes, but personally, I'd rather focus on writing. I have enough trouble negotiating bed time with my kiddos, and am happy to leave legal negotiations in my agent's capable hands.

I'm also including foreign rights in this category, and it's a big reason why some self-published authors either already have or desire an agent, even if they don't want a traditional publishing deal. I can't imagine the time and energy involved in navigating foreign rights contracts, nor do I want to. The agented self-published author I heard speak said that the foreign rights sales alone was the impetus for her to get an agent.

4) Trust. This one is more intangible but just as important (to me, anyway). The author-agent relationship is a business partnership, and if you don't have trust in your business partner, then you're screwed (and yes, that trust goes both ways). For the writer, it's important to feel like you have someone watching out for your best interests. Yes, an agent only makes money if your book sells, but I believe that most agents go into the business for the same reason that writers do--we are all passionate about books. Most agents only take on a book because they love it. They wouldn't devote hours of their time to something they didn't believe in. When you trust that your agent is competent and skilled, it frees you to focus on other things--you know, like writing (well, and marketing, but that's a whole other post).

What have I missed? Any other opinions out there from the agented or unagented?  


26 comments:

  1. Great post! A good agent does this and soooo much more. After the sale, there are so many things--the revision process, marketing, platform-building, strategizing ... She manages a billion little (and big) details so I don't have to worry about them. My agent is helping me plan my entire career, and she's careful with timing, crafting communications with my editors, providing ideas (and doing a surprising amount of legwork) for promotions, and so many other things. She is an amazing advocate for me and my work, and has great perspective on the industry and the long-term that is totally invaluable to me. I wouldn't want to do this without that kind of partner.

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    1. Yes--that's how I feel! The career planning aspect is huge so I'm glad you mentioned it. Even though my agent just sold a series for me, she's already been helping me shape another YA that I've been working on and has given me amazing insights into the direction of the book. An advocate is a great term to use and it feels amazing to have one. Thanks for weighing in and best of luck w/ your books! :)

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  2. Absolutely agree. My agent just closed on deal for me that was a better than I ever could have hoped. She saw possibilities I would not have recognized.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, and huge congrats on your deal! :)

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  3. Fantastic post, and absolutely yes on all of that. Being with an agent who gets you and your writing is the best thing ever.

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    1. Thanks, Lori! You also bring up a good point that an agent who gets you and your writing is key...so one person's rock star agent might not be a fit for another writer, and that's okay. You want the agent who will be the best advocate for your books!

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  4. Kristi- Thanks so much for this post. I just signed with my rock star agent (er, yesterday) and this post just reiterates all the reasons I am over the moon excited!

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    1. YAY for signing with rock star agents--huge congrats!!!!! :)

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  5. Good post. I write cross-genre and would never have found a publisher in the current market without a committed agent, and would never reach a significant readership if I tried to self-publish.

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    1. The cross-genre writing is another good point. I have no idea what genre to call my current ms, but my agent likes it so I'm sure she'll come up with a great way to pitch it. On the other point, I do know some self-pub authors who have reached a significant readership, but they have worked their butts off on the promotion and marketing end. One successful self-pubber told me she spends about 12 hours/day between writing and promoting. That's a lot o' time. Thanks for stopping by. :)

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    2. Kristi, I also blogged on this subject, focusing on the cross-genre aspect, if you want to compare notes. http://geoffreygudgion.com/60-2/

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  6. I commented on your join blog, but I'll say it again here. Great post!

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    1. I'll take a compliment twice--thanks again! :)

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  7. Great post, Kristi! I don't have an agent yet. Honestly, I haven't tried very hard. I do have a good relationship with four agents that I've either befriended at conferences or on line. I've been able to go to each of them for advice. Now if I could just write some thing brilliant for one of them. :)

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    1. Thanks, Sharon--best of luck in your agent hunt. It's great that you already have some relationships with agents, but don't be afraid to query widely. :)

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  8. I just signed with my rock star agent last week, and your post makes me feel even luckier than I already do! :)

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  9. Definitely gave me renewed motivation in my search for my very own fairy god agent, not to mention prompted today's post on CQG. Made sure to link my followers back to here! Thanks!

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    1. Thank you, and good luck in your search--I'm sure your fairy god agent is out there! :)

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  10. This gives me hope because I know deep down this is the path I want to take. Lately, it's not been easy, but I know this is what I want.
    Thanks so much

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    1. You're right--it's not easy at all. In fact, finding a great agent was one of the most difficult things I've done...but it's so worth it in the end. Hang in there and keep trying. You've just inspired a new post, so I'm going to touch on this topic in the next few weeks. Thanks!

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  11. This post is absolutely spot on! My agent is worth her weight in chocolate. And not just because she sold my book...she's also a cheerleader, a brainstormer, a talk-off-cliffer, and a genuinely lovely person. :)

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    1. LOL at the talk-off-cliffer, and you are so right about the cheerleader and brainstormer part. I know some people don't care about the genuinely lovely person part, but that was very important to me too! Thanks for stopping by. :)

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  12. Remember, every hour you spend learning the legal language of contracts, researching the tastes of individual editors, and planning how to categorize a cross-genre work is an hour that you're not writing.

    Obviously, you have to put in some time researching who would be a good agent, but the agent has all those other skills it would take a long time to develop -- time that would not be spent writing.

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    1. Absolutely. I spent a truckload of time researching agents and agencies, and it was so worth it. Now I can write.

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  13. Warning "competent and skilled" doesn't always translate to trust. I just brought a TOP NY agent to a project. It was a big ghostwriting gig. She signed me and the celebrity up as her agent clients, wrote herself into a bad template of a collaborative agreement between celeb and me, then proceeded to bully him into dumping me from the project in favor of her pet ghostwriter, ostensibly to "take the book to the next level"... well he liked my sample chapters, he loved my proposal his "gut and heart" told him to go with me. The agent couldn't say one bad thing about the proposal, just felt the other ghost writer's name could sell the book more easily. She put so much pressure on him, he caved after I'd traveled to do interviews, written the proposal, written some of the chapters, done mountains of research. So now there's an attorney involved and it is a BIG mess. Top agent? Well, I had worked with her before and she'd been professional. I had no idea she'd betray our agent contract like that and that she'd interfere with the business deal between the celeb and me. Basically, trust goes way beyond reputation. Sadly. Beware...big ghost deal, be sure the agent understands up front that you WILL be the ghost writer...and be careful about signing an arbitration clause...who wants to travel back and forth to NY over the course of 1 1/2 year to deal with that?

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