What Can An Author Expect From A Good Agent?

Originally posted on Work in Progress on July 12, 2006

[Disclaimer: all literary agents/agencies have different policies and personalities, so your mileage will vary. Pay attention to the generalities, feel free to laugh at my idiosyncrasies, and most of all, remember that agents are people too. And on occasion, if you’re a very lucky, very good little author, they can be so much more…]

When I signed with my literary agent, way back in the last week of November, 2005, I had no idea what to expect. None. I was probably the most clueless, wreck of a writer to ever stutter into her agent’s sophisticated New York ear. Seriously. I didn’t know what to ask. I didn’t know how to answer her questions. And I had no clue what to expect from my very first business relationship.

So…here’s what I’ve learned in the last eight months. (And for the record, I still have plenty left to learn.)

A good agent has lots to offer her clients, so let’s begin with the most obvious: a literary agent can get your work seen and seriously considered by editors. Lots of editors. More importantly, the right editors.

“Can’t I do that for myself?” you ask, oh so naively.

And the simple answer is that yes, it is possible in theory to get your work in front of an editor on your own. Especially if you write category romance. However, outside of category, there are very few opportunities to for an author to get an editor to read her manuscript without influence from someone established in the publishing industry (a favor from a friend with connections). Most major publishing houses will no longer take unagented submissions, and of those few who will, without an agent in your corner, your wait time will likely be…well, around the time it takes to turn a lump of coal into a diamond.

A year ago, I was fortunate enough to garner a request for a full manuscript from a major NY house. Even better, I got an answer back from my submission within two months of sending it out. It was a rejection, on the same story that later sold at auction. What was the problem?

I pitched to the wrong editor. She wasn’t looking for exactly what I wrote, but I didn’t know that ahead of time. It’s your agent’s job to know exactly which editors are looking for what, and to pair her clients/manuscripts with the right editor. It’s that simple. Agents know editors and publishing houses. Most authors—especially new authors—don’t.

What else can an agent do for you? How ‘bout another obvious answer? Simply put, a literary agent can almost always get you more money for your project than you could have gotten yourself. And if she can’t, she can almost certainly get you better terms in your contract, and sometimes that’s even more important than getting more money. A good agent is worth her 15% and more, because she can usually bump your advance up by at least that much. She knows which contractual clauses are negotiable, and which ones aren’t. She knows how much you’re worth, and how to exploit that fact to its fullest potential. The bottom line is that your agent doesn’t make any money until you do, so it’s in her best interest to make sure you’re getting what you’re worth. So you don’t have to worry about it.

Now, for some of the more subtler benefits of having a good agent…

A good literary agent is in your corner at all times. She backs you up, even if that means keeping you from making a fool of yourself. Or a nuisance of yourself. Or a paranoid, raving lunatic of yourself. (Is this personal experience speaking? Um, yes. Definitely.) An agent is a go-between for you and your editor on all business matters, which could potentially put a crimp in your relationship with your editor.

Late contracts? Late checks? Faulty accounting? Bad cover copy? Atrocious cover art? Unreasonable deadlines? We all hope never to have to deal with any of those things, and you may never have to. But if you do, your agent will step in on your behalf, like the palm-pilot-wielding, fast-talking, petite shark of a superwoman she really is. In short, she’ll save the day, so you can go back to doing what you do best: writing. With your editor-author relationship comfortably intact. Blossoming, even.

Another thing you can expect from your agent (and this one is really cool) is her opinion. Yes, like most of us regular folks, agents have opinions. But unlike most of us, a literary agent gets paid for her opinion, because it is necessarily well-informed, pertinent, influenced by her in-depth knowledge of the industry, and very, very valuable.

Got a new proposal? Send it to your agent. She’ll tell you what she thinks about it. Honestly. Not sure about your biography, or your author picture? Send it to your agent. She’ll tell you what she thinks about it. Worried that the market is saturated with purple unicorn-shapeshifters and their two-headed circus trainer mentors, and that your new book centered around just such creatures will be shot down before the story ever even takes off? Ask your agent. She’ll tell you what she thinks about it. The same goes for marketing strategies, career planning, cover art, etc… You name it, your agent probably has an opinion about it. And this is a very good thing.

Now, we’re down to my very favorite thing a good literary agent will do for you, if you’re fortunate enough to have signed with an agent interested in more than mere numbers and documents. Some agents will hold your hand. Metaphorically speaking, of course. And sometimes literally. (And sometimes, if you don’t let go soon enough, they’ll drag you right onto the dance floor and force you to abandon self-consciousness long enough to make an utter fool of yourself to the rhythm of “Love Shack” in front of two hundred other people.)

Worried that you can’t possibly compete with all the other fabulous authors in your genre? Your agent will probably remind you how fabulous you are, and how she would never have signed you if she wasn’t sure you could do more than just compete. Got a bad review? Your agent will probably remind you that you’re NOT ALLOWED TO READ REVIEWS! then point out all the good reviews that more than balance out that one teeny tiny little dissenting opinion. Which probably wasn’t as bad as it seemed at first glance anyway. Nervous about your first time speaking at a conference? If your agent is there, chances are good that she’ll take you out for a drink either before of after the speaking engagement in question, to calm you down, and rave over your (possibly impending) performance.

So, if you thought agents were only good for opening previously bolted-shut industry doors, well… hopefully now you know the truth. ;-) Depending upon the agent in question, your agent can also be a negotiator, a knight in shining suit-jacket-and-high-heels, a go-between, a hand-holder, and a friend.

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