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Hermit
Diavhrati Luminary

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 1785

Posted 8/15/2007 11:38 AM (GMT -5)

Some weeks ago, I believe I read that there are a few agents who frequent this board.

Anyone out there? Tips on dealing with agents?

Here's a question that seems a bit strange: do agents work with 'little-guy' publishers?

I need to find an agent I can work with because I'm not fool enough to be my own lawyer. If you know what I mean. Also, my novels are cross-genre and I could use a professional opinion on marketing for them.

Any hungry wannabe agents out there? How does one become a literary agent?

Incredibly prolific penster

Daniel Arenson
Neophyte

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 80

Posted 8/15/2007 1:35 PM (GMT -5)

Most good agents prefer to work with the major publishers. Since they earn 10-20%, if they're not making a major sale, they're not making much money.

There are many listings out there of agents. Just make sure you avoid the bad ones, since really, anybody can go calling him/herself an "agent". It doesn't mean they'd be good for your book.

Daniel

Daniel Arenson
"...an author to watch." --Booklist
Firefly Island, a fantasy novel
www.DanielArenson.com

Jim C. Hines
Goblin Herder

Date Joined Feb 2007
Total Posts : 88

Posted 8/15/2007 2:58 PM (GMT -5)

Daniel nailed it. I talked to an agent a few years back about taking me on when I had a $1000 advance on the table, but even with the deal all but done, he passed. 15% ($150) just wasn't enough to make it worth his time.

If you're worried about contracts, http://www.sfwa.org/contracts/ is a good starting point. They've got model contracts online for various projects.

As for tips, my suggestion would be to start researching and querying :) And be very wary about any agent who charges up-front fees.

In the history of grand adventures and heroic quests, goblinkind has never been more than a footnote. That's about to change.

Goblin Quest -- November, 2006
Goblin Hero -- May, 2007
Goblin War -- March, 2008

Hermit
Diavhrati Luminary

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 1785

Posted 8/16/2007 11:54 AM (GMT -5)

Right. I'll just get myself fired from my dayjob. That'll give me time to do all that research and marketing. No problem.

Not that I'm bitter . . .

Incredibly prolific penster

crystalwizard
Forum Moderator

Date Joined Nov 2006
Total Posts : 5196

Posted 8/16/2007 12:04 PM (GMT -5)

David BH Pitchford said...
Right. I'll just get myself fired from my dayjob. That'll give me time to do all that research and marketing. No problem. VIEW IMAGE Not that I'm bitter . . .

Ouch, Dave. Don't do that.

You said:
>How does one become a literary agent?

From what I've seen, people become good agents by first working for a good agent, learning the ropes, making contacts and then going out on their own. You don't have to. If you already have contacts with various publishers and know what they're looking for and they trust your judgement, then you can probably jump past some of that.

I would go through this page:

http://www.sfwa.org/beware/

before contacting any agents and make sure they didn't get themselves listed on the alerts.

Incidently, DAW books doesn't require agents, though I don't know if your books would fit what they publish. I dont' think any of the Penguin imprints require agents.

Daniel
Carl Jung's Waterboy

Date Joined Aug 2003
Total Posts : 4515

Posted 8/16/2007 1:16 PM (GMT -5)

Most important thing when contacting an agent is your query letter. Sharpen up a good one and you'll get some bites. I averaged about 1 in 5 accepted queries for my first novel (which was never published). That was before I had any kind of publishing track record, too. That is, one in five of the agents I contacted asked to see a partial ms. This was many years ago, going on ten years, so the pickings have certainly slimmed since then, but it is still very possible to get an agent to respond to an unsolicited query.

You'll need a really killer one-page query letter, though and they are tougher to write than one may think.

I'm pretty adroit with them, but it's tricky going at first for most....

"Art is the celebration of the ego's destruction."

Daniel

crystalwizard
Forum Moderator

Date Joined Nov 2006
Total Posts : 5196

Posted 8/16/2007 1:31 PM (GMT -5)

Daniel said...

You'll need a really killer one-page query letter, though and they are tougher to write than one may think.

I'm pretty adroit with them, but it's tricky going at first for most....

Perhaps you could offer your services at writing them? Charge a small fee or something?

Never meddle in the affairs of a wizard unless you are soggy and hard to light!

Visit my art gallery on art wanted at
http://artwanted.com/crystalwizard

All my books in print:
http://sojourn.omnitech.net

Daniel Arenson
Neophyte

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 80

Posted 8/17/2007 1:16 PM (GMT -5)

Jim C. Hines said...
Daniel nailed it. I talked to an agent a few years back about taking me on when I had a $1000 advance on the table, but even with the deal all but done, he passed. 15% ($150) just wasn't enough to make it worth his time.

Yep. A big-time agent won't bother with a $1000 advance, and first novels rarely sell for much money. But if you can sell many copies of your novel and get good reviews, your NEXT book has stronger potential for a large contract, the kind that agents like. :)

Daniel Arenson
"...an author to watch." --Booklist
Firefly Island, a fantasy novel
www.DanielArenson.com

Daniel
Carl Jung's Waterboy

Date Joined Aug 2003
Total Posts : 4515

Posted 8/17/2007 3:22 PM (GMT -5)

Perhaps you could offer your services at writing them? Charge a small fee or something?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***

Good idea, CW. I have already made plans and initial efforts to set up a critiquing and editing service for authors. It should launch in the next couple of months.

I'll certainly offer query-letter writing and critiquing as part of the available services. Along with synopsis writing and critiquing! IMHO, writers should NOT have to do the grunt-work of all these difficult business correspondences all on their own. What a shame if a writer's great novel or novel proposal is passed over by agents and publishers simply because the cover letter or query letter failed to stimulate or excite.

As we all know, editors and "first-readers" are constantly looking for a reason to bounce your proposal/submission. All it takes is one mistake in your cover letter and -- R.I.P.

If anyone has an emergency job that they need to have handled now before the authors' services business launches officially, please contant me by email or PM. I have some room open in my schedule right now and I should be able to place your project right to the front of the line.

Rates are typically far below industry-standard; performance is typically far above!

"Art is the celebration of the ego's destruction."

Daniel

Daniel Ausema
Acolyte

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 302

Posted 8/17/2007 5:22 PM (GMT -5)

Agent Kristin Nelson has a blog (http://pubrants.blogspot.com/) where she ran a series of entries she called "Agenting 101" for those who wish to try to be their own agent. The links to the entries are all along the sidebar of the blog, and it shouldn't take long to read through them all. There were originally eight parts with a few "bonus" and "revisited" posts as well. Obviously that's nowhere near as good as having someone do it for you, but if you find yourself needing to look over a contract, that gives the idea of what to watch for.

Also, I don't remember if this came up on her blog or Miss Snark's or both (I'm leaning toward Miss Snark), but I know it's been discussed that agents won't usually work with the smaller presses. In fact, I think $1,000 advance was the amount quoted as being too small for an agent to work with. And what she ended up recommending for anyone with a smaller advance or royalties-only is that you find a contract lawyer and pay whatever the one-time fee is to go through the contract with you. She made it sound like it'd be easy to find such a lawyer who is familiar with publishing type contracts...though I wouldn't have a clue where to start looking.

Twigs and Brambles (my writing blog)

Hermit
Diavhrati Luminary

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 1785

Posted 8/17/2007 6:16 PM (GMT -5)

Hold the phone.

When I said I'd like an agent for a small publisher, I mean one who will represent the small press to the big boys.

The other way is just freaky stupid! No small press publisher with a fart's worth of sense wants to drive costs up by paying an agent to do the Acq Editor's job. Maybe some schmucky Joe with too much money who wants a really eccentric hobby. But not a regular Joe trying to make ends meet in the publishing industry. More likely, the savvy small press Joe is offering agent services to build capital toward serious marketing efforts.

Incredibly prolific penster

BethS
Adept

Date Joined Jun 2004
Total Posts : 751

Posted 8/20/2007 3:31 PM (GMT -5)

David BH Pitchford said...
Right. I'll just get myself fired from my dayjob. That'll give me time to do all that research and marketing. No problem.

Not that I'm bitter . . .

Dave,

It's not as time-consuming as all that. It's really just a matter of keeping your ear to the ground. Check out Publishers Marketplace. Or Locus, if what you've written is spec fiction. They have a section each month that reports sales, and who the representing agent was. That's a great way to get an idea of 1) which agents are making sales and 2) who represents the same kind of fiction you write.

Buy an agent guide (or preferably more than one), though be sure to carefully check the reputation (Preditors & Editors is a good place to start) of any agent you plan to contact.

Once you've picked out a few agents to try, do a web search to see if they have a blog or are otherwise mentioned, to get a feel for whether they'd be interested in the kind of story you've written.

Consider, if possible, attending conferences where agents who represent your genre will be present. Make appointments to pitch your work, if appointments are available.

Finally, write a really good query letter.

Easy peasy.

~Beth

BethS
Adept

Date Joined Jun 2004
Total Posts : 751

Posted 8/20/2007 3:37 PM (GMT -5)

David BH Pitchford said...

Hold the phone.

When I said I'd like an agent for a small publisher, I mean one who will represent the small press to the big boys.

Ummm...publishers (small or large) don't pay agents anything. The author pays the agent out of the book's earnings. I had thought you were looking for someone to negotiate for your novel. Did I misunderstand?

~Beth

Hermit
Diavhrati Luminary

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 1785

Posted 8/22/2007 4:01 PM (GMT -5)

Dave,

It's not as time-consuming as all that.

Thanks, Beth. It's not that I'm concerned about it taking a lot of time. Any time at this point. I just have too much on my plate. I'm frustrated near to distraction because I'm overworked due to my own compulsion to have far too many projects underway at any given time. And, to a large degree, I absolutely cannot bring myself to venture here (submitting work on my own behalf in any market), when I'm hopelessly swamped with replies to writers who deserve better response time from me. I guess the thing is that I feel so guilty about my response time at this point that I feel I don't deserve a fair shake from anyone. Somehow, I can ignore everything when I'm writing. But when I'm not producing the fiction, I feel like I should be taking care of everyone else first.

It's really just a matter of keeping your ear to the ground. Check out Publishers Marketplace. Or Locus Great idea, thanks, if what you've written is spec fictionIT IS. They have a section each month that reports sales, and who the representing agent was. That's a great way to get an idea of 1) which agents are making sales and 2) who represents the same kind of fiction you write.

Buy an agent guide (or preferably more than one), though be sure to carefully check the reputation (Preditors & Editors is a good place to start) of any agent you plan to contact.

Once you've picked out a few agents to try, do a web search to see if they have a blog or are otherwise mentioned, to get a feel for whether they'd be interested in the kind of story you've written.

Consider, if possible, attending conferences where agents who represent your genre will be present. Make appointments to pitch your work, if appointments are available.

As for finding time for this, I really do have a greater chance of winning a pissing contest with my pants on.

Finally, write a really good query letter. Again, too busy with acceptance/rejection letters, and editing, and line edits, and layout, and cover art, and ad nauseum.

Easy peasy.

~Beth

Incredibly prolific penster

Hermit
Diavhrati Luminary

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 1785

Posted 8/22/2007 4:04 PM (GMT -5)

BethS said...

David BH Pitchford said...

Hold the phone.

When I said I'd like an agent for a small publisher, I mean one who will represent the small press to the big boys.

Ummm...publishers (small or large) don't pay agents anything. They would if they were employing the agent to upsell their titles.

The author pays the agent out of the book's earnings. I had thought you were looking for someone to negotiate for your novel. Did I misunderstand? Not really. I'm working multiple angles. That's all. Thanks.

~Beth

Incredibly prolific penster

Laura Stamps
Neophyte

Date Joined Jun 2007
Total Posts : 134

Posted 8/24/2007 12:00 PM (GMT -5)

Hi, David--

I belong to a bunch of SF&F forums and run across agents all the time looking for new authors. Check out these:

1.) John Jarrold (www.johnjarrold.co.uk) j.jarrold@btinternet.com

2.) Parmenion Books (www.parmenion-books.co.uk)

These are both in the UK, but that hardly matters these days with the web.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Laura Stamps

"The Witchery Series" (Magickal Urban Fantasy Novels)

http://www.LauraStamps.blogspot.com (the blog for my novels, poetry books, and poetry art prints)

http://www.OccultFiction.blogspot.com (my Author blog)

Hermit
Diavhrati Luminary

Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 1785

Posted 8/24/2007 12:08 PM (GMT -5)

Thanks, Laura. I'll look them over next spare moment I have...

Incredibly prolific penster

Laura Stamps
Neophyte

Date Joined Jun 2007
Total Posts : 134

Posted 8/24/2007 1:04 PM (GMT -5)

Hi, David--

Here's the other one. I couldn't find the info on it when I posted the other two. But then I remembered where I put it

3.) About Words Agency (http://www.aboutwords.org/agency)

xoxox

Laura Stamps

"The Witchery Series" (Magickal Urban Fantasy Novels)

http://www.LauraStamps.blogspot.com (the blog for my novels, poetry books, and poetry art prints)

http://www.OccultFiction.blogspot.com (my Author blog)

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