To Agent First or Not to Agent First...that is the question

[IThinkICan29]

I've been reading a lot of How to..books on writing novels, getting novels published, and tons of other STUFF. The one thing that I've found the most odd is that while one book says to find an agent first (and let the agent do the foot work), others say to send out the manuscript, wait for a contract offer, then look for an agent. Which is correct? Also, I'd really like to hear from those who found the agent first and those who sent out the manuscripts (got a contract nibble) then looked for an agent. I'm looking for pros and cons of both methods...Thanks!

[icerose]

I think it's really a preference.

I have been burned by three agents so I am biased in this field so I will refrain from adding in my opinion.

Most publishers you cannot even submit to without an agent. There are a few good ones still open if you know where to look.

[scfirenice]

More often than not, the big publishers on the block will not accept unagented mss. I'd say try your best to agent-up then if you can't go from there.

[kristie911]

If you've really got your heart set on a big publisher, you'll have to agent up first. But there are a lot of good publishers out there that will take unagented scripts. I guess it just depends on your preference.

Just make sure and do your homework first...there are a lot of agents and publishers out there that are bad news.

[PeeDee]

IThinkICan (I Think I can, I think I can, puffed the little blue engine up the side of the steep, steep mountain, and all the clowns and engines and giraffes held their breath and watched....*ahem*) I would recommend taking any writing book, any advice, with a great of salt. I think more than anything else, the writerly world is one of preferences more than rules.

That said, an agent is a good idea, I think. I personally prefer the idea of an agent (and will be looking for an agent first, for my novel when it's done) because I like the thought of someone else selling my novel while I'm off writing my next work.

[maestrowork]

Agents get you read at big houses and know how to negotiate contracts. Many big publishers won't take unagented mss. So if you want to land a big contract, getting an agent is almost a given. But getting an agent is not easy. And then even if you do get one, it may take a long time to get a publisher...

Many small publishers don't need agents, and you can freely submit to them. And since these are small companies, getting an agent after you get a contract won't do you much good since you can't really negotiate much, and agents probably sneer at the four-figure advance you're going to get (they get only 15% of that $1000 -- who cares?) However, if you deal directly with small publishers, things might move pretty fast.

So it really depends on what you want to do with your ms. and your career.

[PeeDee]

I shudder merely at the thought of trying to get an agent. I have just about got my head around how to go about getting a publisher to like me, I'm deeply intimidated by trying to find an agent. :)

[maestrowork]

...got my head around how to go about getting a publisher to like me...

They don't have to like you, honey, but they need to like your work.

[Joanna_S]

I did all of my nonfiction book sales without an agent because they were small publishers and I had an 'in' with one of them (everything else eventually came out of that). But for fiction, I wasn't about to go it alone. So I'm extremely happy to have landed an agent right out of the gate. I talked to her yesterday and although she'd just gotten back from a vacation, she still remembered to call the editor to whom she'd submitted my work, to make sure she has it and to get some sort of time frame on her response. The publisher is agented only, so I would never have had a shot alone.

A good agent, one that works hard, cares about your work, and with whom you get along, is your best ally in a difficult world. They're worth every penny of their 15%.

-- Joanna

[PeeDee]

They don't have to like you, honey, but they need to like your work.

That was more or less what I meant. I was trying to be succint. I didn't want to hijack a thread with a huge "Publishers are soooooo confusing and they never do anything but call the police to get me off the doorstep" post.

(er. Not that my post would have contained that sentence.)

[IThinkICan29]

Gee...I hope I never get that bad....

[PeeDee]

Lord, I hope not. And I doubt it. Don't add "Am I a crazy stalker yet?" to your list of things to worry about... :)

[Lilybiz]

We still have the "ask the agent" thread here (go back to the main Water Cooler page and scroll down to find it). A good place for information, probably a lot of good stuff archived.

I've also been enjoying Miss Snark's blog and archives, at http://misssnark.blogspot.com/. (She's very informative, but check her archives for your question before you ask her anything, or she'll be snarky with you.) She is a NYC literary agent.

I think working with an agent is the best route. There are so many details in the business that it's impossible to know them all, but with a professional agent on your side, you're armed and protected. I don't know how to read a publishing contract. I don't know anything about subsidiary rights, foreign rights, film rights, book clubs, blah blah blah. I want an agent.

[Diana Hignutt]

It depends on were you want to go with your writing career. Do you want to be published by one of the big houses? You'll need an agent. Do you not care about the money, or the solid distribution? You can find small publishers without an agent. My experiences with the small presses aren't very good sales-wise. Still, my last book received numerous reviews and award nominmations and placements, which should help me find an agent for my next book (if I ever finish writing it). Best of luck!

[Zolah]

Agent first if at all possible. If you've queried them all (that should take a good long time) and if none of them want what you're selling, then consider approaching publishers directly (although if you've gone through thirty agents without a single bit of encouragement it might be time to look at your material again). But a good agent (not necessarily a famous one, or one from a Big House) really can make it all so much easier on you. There's enough stress involved in being a writer - the writing itself, then dealing with rejections, dealing with criticism, revising on spec, waiting for meetings that never seem to happen, trying to get the sales director's approval...Agents take a chunk of the stress off your shoulders. Suddenly it's not your job to argue over the fine points of contracts, or know which editors are at what houses and like what sort of books. You don't HAVE to have one to get published (I found a publisher - and a very nice one - without an agent) but if you CAN get one, then why wouldn't you?

[AnnMB]

On a practical note, most of the small publishing houses that I have queried thus far request that a full manuscript be sent with the query and synopsis. That, I have found, can become quite pricey and time-consuming. On the other hand, I can't seem to get an agent to read past the synopsis. It's also perfectly fine to query both agents and publishers (so long as they don't mind simultaneous submissions), and see who you get to take it first. Either way you go, tenacity is the key.

[LeeFlower]

I'm glad someone posted this thread, because I've been wondering the same thing myself. I'm told that getting an offer is the best way to get an agent, but also that getting an agent is the best way to get an offer. I'll probably end up going back and forth until someone bites or I get the hint that no one's going to.

[HConn]

Agent first.

[icerose]

Just remember.

A bad agent is worse than no agent at all! Much worse.

And just because they should be or have been professional with others doesn't mean they always will be.

Like one of my agents suddenly decided submitting for me was too expensive and wanted to start charging me fees for submissions, she hadn't even sent out a single one yet and it was suddenly too expensive??

This agent was (I don't know if she is still or not) on the RWA list.

Do tons of research.

Also make sure your agent doesn't have conflicting points of interest.

Like having a financing company paying a finders fee and asking for money upfront from the production companies they solicite just to talk to the financing companies. Talk about a deal killer.

If you get an agent, make sure it's a good one. Be sure to check out the background and writers beware, be sure they have a good solid sales history, and check on preditors and editors.

You can find a great free list of agents at Agentquery.com

But ALWAYS crosscheck their names and agencies against the Preditors and Editors site and here on the background BEFORE you query.

To the person who can't get them to read past the synopsis. It might be time to spice it up. Post it on the share your work query forum and see if anyone can help you out.

[LightShadow]

agent is a must, in most cases, but then again, Chris Paolini self published, and look at him (Eragon, Knopf) -- granted, without an agent the odds are against you, so unless you prefer rowing up-river, an agent is recommended.

[icerose]

I thought his parents owned a small publishing company and so it wasn't self publishing, and then one of the bigger houses bought the rights. Am I mistaken???

[Myrddin]

Submitting to publishers first (without getting picked up)and then getting an agent can be like shooting yourself in the foot.

By submitting and being rejected by a publisher, your agent can't then approach them later with your manuscript. They've already said "no," why would they change their mind later?

It's kind of like having your best friend asking out a girl for you, when she's already turned you down. :)

If you (for whatever reason) fail to get an agent, you can still shop your manuscript around to the publishers. Nothing is lost but time. Not true of the opposite.

[LeeFlower]

Myrddin, do you know how that theory works in reverse? If an agent turns me down, and I then get an offer on the book, can I call up the same agent and ask if they want to represent it? Or would they just be like "wtf? I already said no."

Just curious... not trying to thread-jack.

[pianoman5]

No, it definitely doesn't work in reverse.

Once you have a firm offer from a decent publisher, you'll be amazed at how differently agents treat you (assuming they have no issues with controversial material, genre type etc).

'Do come in, please take a seat in this nice comfy chair. Cigar? Two cigars? Beulah, peel this author a grape.'

For an agent, having a writer whom they've rejected come back and offer them some guaranteed income is like manna from heaven.

After all, that's how they make their living. Reading piles of mss from unknown writers and hawking them around publishers is a tiresome business, with the risk of blowing their credibility and reputation if they choose poorly. What they prefer to do with their time is negotiate contracts and collect royalty cheques. If you do the hard part of actually selling your work, they'll love you for it.

[LeeFlower]

good to know, Pianoman5. Thanks. I kinda figured that most agents wouldn't have a problem with it (I mean hello-- garanteed income), but I wasn't sure.