Scott Adlerberg
wrote an exceptional piece in the Mystery Writers of America New York Chapter’s
blog on whether an author needed an agent in this time of flourishing small
presses. I have nothing to add to what Scott said, and he said it better than I could have, anyway. In fact, he summed up my situation
almost eerily well. What I’ll do today is share my personal experience in the
context of his post.
(First the
disclaimer: I am not recommending anyone follow my course. I’m not recommending
you shouldn’t, either. It depends on your ambition relative to the industry.)
I can summarize my
experience in the fields of agents and publishing succinctly: I have had three
agents over the past fifteen years, and received contracts from two publishers.
No agent has even gotten a contract for me.
That’s not because
they were bad agents; far from it. In fact, it’s hard to imagine I would ever
have received a contract if not for the invaluable self-editing tips Pam
Strickler taught me. Barbara Braun showed me things about introducing
characters I still use, and Bob Mecoy was generous with his insights into how
the industry handled—or didn’t handle—writers such as myself. I am grateful to
them all.
But neither of my
contracts were a result of contacts initiated by them.
The original Stark
House deal for Grind Joint came about
because Charlie Stella read a draft, thought it would be good for them, and
people don’t say “no” to Charlie Stella. To say he’s a force of nature is to
make the phrase no longer a cliché, because—listen to me—Charlie Stella is like
no other force of nature you’ve ever seen.
The Penns River
series found a new home because—much to my surprise—I apparently had a bit of a
profile. Maybe even buzz. True, a single bee in a boxcar, but Eric Campbell
knew who I was, wanted to talk to me, and the process was pretty informal.
This is right about
where those who have yet to land either an agent or a contract say, “See? It’s
all about who you know.” To which I politely reply, paraphrasing my friend Jack
Getze, “Horseshit.” I’ve been writing with intent to publish for almost twenty
years, and got my first agent almost fifteen years ago. I paid my dues.
Self-published two books before Grind
Joint, then four more between contracts. That’s not how old boy networks
operate.
Not to cover ground
Scott already went over better than I’m likely to, but, like so many things in
life, the answer to the question, “Do I need an agent?” is, “It depends.” No
one wants to hear that. No one. We want some kind of direction and it’s not
there. “Okay,” you say. “What does it depend on, smart ass?”
It depends.
If you want a foot
in the door to a major New York publisher who will wine you and dine you and
provide editorial, marketing, and distribution support, then, yes. You need an
agent. The big New York operations don’t take unsolicited manuscripts. For them
the slush pile may not be dead, but it’s in a hospice. Find an agent who knows
how to deal with a big publisher. (This may be the one area where connections
come in, as an editor will naturally be more likely to accept a manuscript from
an agent with whom he or she has experience and trust.) Then you wait.
One the other hand,
if a big New York house isn’t your goal, the agent may not be a big deal, he or
she may be a hindrance. It’s no insult to say agents need to make a living,
too, and 15% of the kinds of deals an independent publisher offers may not allow
the agent to keep the doors open. This means the agent isn’t going to look at
those houses for you, and that’s no insult, either. It’s life.
There’s another,
more important, decision the author must make before he or she worries too much
about an agent: the definition of success. Armed with that, deciding whether to
look for an agent is a simple decision. (Not that discovering your personal
definition of success is easy.) What’s that? You’ve decided you want to be a
bestseller and need to learn how to get an agent who can help that to happen?
How the hell would
I know?
(Thanks to Scott
Adlerberg for his well-written and thought provoking article.)
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