Agents and Publishers

[Rita Gerlach]

Most of us will admit that finding a literary agent and a good publisher is not an easy thing to do. Some of us have been on this search for years.

It would be great to hear from authors in this network that do have agents and are published with a traditional publishing house. Give us your sage advice, please.

How did you find an agent?
How long did it take?
Did you send out lots of submissions all at once or one at a time?
What advice do you have for writers seeking an agent and publisher?

[Michele Ann Young]

I have an agent. I have been with him since 2005. I sent a query. He asked to see the manuscript and after he read it, he offered to represent me. Since then he has sold three books for me. I had queried several agents, before he agreed to represent me. I don't believe there is any rule about whether you send one at a time or a lot all at once. I know people who have done it both ways. I tended to do three at a time. Wait for three months and then move to the next three whether I heard back or not. Provided that did not contravene their submission requirements.

I didn't actually spend a lot of time looking. I also was sending out ms to publishers at the same time, but it was my agent who sold the books.

I think the best thing to do when looking for an agent or a publisher is to check their information, and then to make sure you know what their submission requirements are -- I made up a spreadsheet. Put them in order of preference and start submitting according to their rules.

Then close your eyes, spin around three times and throw a coin in the magic fountain.

Good luck. Michele

[Linda Alexander]

Getting an agent is a good thing . . . it can take you to the top, or over the top, depending on where you are. However, having an agent isn't a be-all, end-all, & I think that's important for all writers to grasp, especially those starting out. In today's publishing world, there are many ways to make your inroad to a successful writing career.

I've been writing for publication for 20+ years. My 5th published book is due out this May. I've had 2 agents from well-known NYC agencies -- one w/The Writers House (he is the founder/owner). Yet neither sold any of my work. While it might've been "easier" (& truly, what IS easy?!) to have an agent behind me, the fact that I've built my resume on my own is no less important to me.

Bottom line -- if you can solicit an agent & not let the process become your overriding focus (rather than your writing), then most definitely, seeking an agent is good . But if that process becomes laborious, overwhelming, & takes away from your creative outlet . . . it's possible you might just want to figure out how best to market yourself first, & make the search for an agent your sideline.

I knew a woman who tried for years & years & years to get pregnant. No baby. Kept trying. No baby. The frustration was overwhelming. Finally, almost beyond hope, she & her husband decided to adopt. They wanted a child & felt maybe they were meant to take in a child already on this earth. They had immediate success at adoption & brought home a beloved baby boy . . . & only a few months later, this lady was pregnant -- & she has since birthed 2 natural children.

Sometimes we try so hard with one method to get what we want that we lose sight of the actual goal. The goal, in my book, is to write & be read.

[Ruth Axtell Morren]

I got my agent AFTER I got my first contract. I was getting reading to sign my 2nd contract, and realized I really needed an agent to negotiate--be the go-between--between my editor/publishing house and myself. I am not really aggressive, nor business-oriented, and my agent is. It saves a lot of unpleasantness and allows me to keep my relationship with my editor about the writing end of it.
I found an agent in less than a week! But that's only because I already had a publisher and contract, so I got a lot of 'bites' from NY agents. I did some research online, found a good site that listed a lot of agents and how many clients they had. It said that though there are hundreds of agents, only the top (very small percentage) have like 90% of the published clients).
I sent out a lot of email queries, got some interested replies back. I set up a couple of interviews and visited them in NYC (I lived in Maine at the time, so it wasn't so far). I ended up taking my husband's advice: go with the one who seems the most interested and gets back to you the quickest. (all else being equal: ie, their reputation and client list).

[Joanna Waugh]

My agent is Roberta Brown of Roberta Brown Literary Agency. She specializes in romance authors and was number one is sales in 2007 according to Publisher's Lunch. I approached her with a partial and synopsis of my book, BLIND FORTUNE, after placing second in a writing contest. She liked it and offered to represent me.

I sent out perhaps a dozen partials and queries to agents after placing in that contest. Roberta responded immediately. So I will say it took less than three months to land an agent.

Yes, I multiple-submitted to agents (three at a time, like Michele) who were comfortable with me doing so. Some won't consider you as a client if you tell them you are multiple-submitting. And you do have to mention it in the cover letter. Of course, common courtesy requires that if you multiple-submitted and signed with an agent, you contact the other agents and let them know.

My advice? Research agents and make a list of the ones you want to approach. Learn all you can about their likes and dislikes. You might discover the two of you have something in common, like quilting or hiking. Then start with your first choice and work down the list.

As has been previously mentioned, having an agent isn't absolutely necessary. Especially in the romance field. Although, it certainly helps! When I was submitting books on my own, I had to do it one at a time because most editors don't like authors to multiple-submit. My agent, however, does multiple-submit. It cuts the query round from years to months. She sends my work out to a dozen editors at a time. We usually hear back within 3-6 months. If I was doing that on my own, one publishing house at a time, it would take YEARS.

Joanna Waugh

[Sandra Gulland]

I got my agent through perseverance and luck. I just wasn't about to give up. I kept sending proposals and getting rejections. Finally, I sent them a proposal that caught their interest: this was for Josephine B. Then luck stepped in: an agent had just joined the agency and was looking for clients. And so a relationship began.

Even so, it was years of rewriting and rewriting (perseverance again) before "we" had a manuscript that she deemed ready to send out. It was only then that I signed a contract with the agency. All those years of work, both hers and mine, had been done on faith.

Sandra Gulland

[Judy Ridgley]

This is a wonderful discussion. Thank you Rita. But I don't have an agent...or publisher. My question is...by submitting to publishers and getting rejected, do you complicate the process for an agent who may submit to the same publishers?
This is my buggggaaabooo.

[Sandra Gulland]

I think yes, you do, Judy. I'd recommend doing everything you can to get an agent first. If that's going nowhere, then submit to publishers on your own. Once you have a publisher, then seek an agent to work out the contract.

[Judy Ridgley]

Thanks Sandy, I'm getting a lot of advice to submit to both at the same time.
J

[Linda Alexander]

Judy: I have to disagree w/Sandra. I've had my work submitted by agents, & I've submitted myself. Not once have I had an issue w/cross submissions. When an agent offers your work to editors, it's done via a completely different process than if you send in your work by yourself. The agents know those editors, they have working relationships w/them, & if they send in a manuscript, it's handled agent-to-editor.

[Judy Ridgley]

ah ha. wow, this is a tough process and not getting any easier. Well, onward with my synopsis. Check out my question on this matter. I'm curious about that too.

[Sandra Gulland]

It is a tough process, without a doubt. One thing I have heard from authors who have submitted to publishers, and then to agents, is that once in discussion with a possible agent, he/she needs to know where it has been seen before (and rejected). I think this only applies if the MS gets as far as being considered by an editor.

That said, it has been two decades since I was going though this.

[Michele Ann Young]

As I understand it, if you have previously submitted a work to an editor at a publishing house and been rejected, you are unlikely to have it looked at again by that same house even if an agent submits it. Not impossible, but unlikely. The agent can certainly get you out of the slush pile quicker, but usually a no is the end of it, no matter who did the submitting. Note I say usually and unlikely, because there are exceptions to every rule. And of course if you have changed the work substantially, then the editor might give it a second look on the word of an agent.