Do you have an agent?

I was at a bookstore the other day, doing a bit of a Q and A about my newest book, Glitter of Diamonds, with a group of readers and aspiring authors, when, as the other people asked me about writing and books in general, the lady seated next to me asked me for the name of my agent. I tried to give her some general advice (I do teach workshops for aspiring writers), but she wasn’t interested. She wanted a name, and she wanted it now. Of course, her pushiness made me even more determined not to give her any names.

The problem is that, while asking an author for the name of his/her agent may not be quite as personal as asking if someone uses a wig or toupee, it’s in the same range.

Why, you may ask?

1. Getting an agent is as hard as, if not harder than, getting a publisher.
Agents have actually become the first line for publishing. In other words, because many publishing house now won’t look at unagented manuscripts, the agents are the ones being flooded by queries and proposals from new authors.

Often, you have to have at least one book published or been offered a contract before an agent will look at you. Of course, agents will take a look at anyone an editor or client refers to them.

If you ask for the name of my agent, I assume you plan to contact the agent and perhaps indicate that I gave you his/her name. If I start giving out my agent’s name to just anyone, without a clue about whether or not that person can write well, what is my agent going to say to me? Hmm. I may be looking for a new agent myself soon.

The bottom line is that I would never give out an agent’s name to anyone - not even a close friend - without first asking the agent if he/she would be interested.

2. One agent does not equal any other agent
In real estate, one agent is just the same as any other agent, right? Or maybe not. Some agents do specialize in certain areas, or with a specific clientele.

Well, agents who specialize in books normally have very specific preferences. One agent may specialize in nonfiction while another specializes in fiction; one may only do literary fiction and poetry while another prefers cozy mysteries and romance. So it won’t do for you to just have the agent’s name. You need to know what genres that agent works with.

Part of the reason for specializing is the need for an agent to have great contacts in those areas. What a writer actually depends on an agent for is to know what publishers and editors are currently looking for. Since there are a lot of publishing houses and a lot of editors, no agent can know them all. By focusing on a specific kind of writing, they limit the number of people they need to keep in touch with, and they can stay current.

But, perhaps even more important, everyone has specific preferences in their own reading. And an agent is first and foremost a sales person. Most of them do better when they’re selling something they really like and can put their heart into.

So you may be a very good writer, but that doesn’t mean you’d be a perfect fit for every agent out there. You’ll do much better if you have an agent who can get excited about what you’re writing and already has contacts with editors in that genre.

3. Agents are people, too
Signing up with an agent is more than simply signing a business contract. You’re committing to let this person represent you and your precious manuscript. You need to feel comfortable with each other. You need to agree upfront about details such as how much the agent will tell you about rejections, whether or not the agent will want you to write detailed proposals, if he or she will help you with career planning, etc. etc.

Every agent is different. And it’s quite likely that, like most of us, no agent is perfect. Some are new and just learning the ropes. They may not have the contacts, but they may have all kinds of enthusiasm. Others may know all the editors but seem tired and matter-of-fact about your book. Some agents decide to switch or add genres and therefore might be using your book as a test piece for their new area.