Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Location: Books & Such Main Office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
The concept is straightforward: If your agent isn’t working for you, then your agent is killing your career in the saddest way possible, through neglect.
An agent who doesn’t respond to your emails; doesn’t answer your phone calls; doesn’t present your projects, not only isn’t moving your career forward but actually is damaging your career.
Now, I have to hasten to add, there could be compelling reasons for this seeming neglect. Here are a few:
- You’re actually high-maintenance, and the agent is letting you cool your heels and get a grip on your emotions. Honestly, some clients think they can email their agent several times a day, pick up the phone whenever a whisper of insecurity hits, or expect the agent to read submitted material immediately. It doesn’t occur to these writers that the more time the agent spends with them, the less time the agent has to work for them. Holding a client’s hand seldom moves a career forward. That doesn’t mean emergencies and surprise career twists don’t require the author and agent to spend considerable time planning the next step. But it also doesn’t mean the agent can consistently be unresponsive. A balance must be struck. Your agent should be available to you–but not 24/7.
- You’re stuck, and so is your agent. None of your project ideas is connecting with publishers, and the agent is at a loss as to what to do about it. This might be because you’re writing in a genre that publishers aren’t buying much in; your writing isn’t up to par; your ideas are tired and old sounding; your sales history is holding you back until you come up with the idea that can break you out. Sometimes an agent can help you to keep paddling by finding contracts for you that are part of a series or work-for-hire, but sometimes both you and your agent just have to wait out the doldrums until some event–an epiphany of an idea for you or a blast of wind behind the sales of your genre–fill your boat’s sails.
- Something major is happening that’s demanding your agent’s full attention. We have publishing emergencies that require triage more often than our clients imagine. Some days we come to the office full of enthusiasm for the productive hours that lie in front of us, only to read one e-mail or receive one phone call, and our day just blew up on us. And sometimes it isn’t just a day that’s gone up in smoke but a week. The billowing affects of an explosion tosses any agent’s to-do list to the wind because daily tasks are piling up while the demanding situation is being dealt with. As publishing becomes increasingly complex and disjointed, the more time we agents spend in triage situations. Take for example, Harlequin’s recent decision to change the royalty rates on all currently contracted projects. Agents must drop everything to figure out the implications of this change–good or bad, good for some clients and bad for others, etc. And Harlequin set a quick deadline for a response (add ticking time bomb to the scenario).
- Your agent is preparing for a big event. For me, when I’m about to go to a writers conference, a licensing show, or a book convention, months of preparation are required–no, not all-day, everyday, but plenty of concentrated time goes into a significant event. Generally all of my clients benefit from these events because I might be talking about their projects to editors; resolving a publisher-author problem face-to-face with the publisher; finding out what’s happening at publishing houses; establishing new publishing relationships; exploring new ways my clients can reach their readers. But that also means that I’m not as available to connect with individual clients.
What should you do if you feel neglected? The best place to start is to ask yourself if any of the above situations might apply. If so, sit back, sip your lemonade, and give your agent some space. If you don’t think any of the above descriptors fit you, then talk to you agent. Yes, pick up the phone and call. (I would suggest setting up a time to talk so the agent can create space on his calendar and also have time to think about whether he has been negligent in working for you and how to resolve it.) A voice-to-voice moment is necessary so you can find out how your agent sees the relationship going, if you could be doing something different that would help the agent to move your career forward, or if maybe the relationship isn’t working for either of you.
Can you think of other reasons an agent might appear neglectful? What could the author and/or agent do to avoid this situation (agreed on expectations, etc.)?
Agreed-upon updates on the status of the project would be helpful, as would letting the author know who their project is being sent to; for example, if it is being sent to an editor at Random House, they might be understanding know how swamped the big houses are with submissions.
I think most writers are just afraid that after writing the book, and finding an agent who believes in it, they might be more insecure than in the previous stages as now they have something to actually lose; if they never finished the manuscript they could always tell themselves they tried. If they don’t find an agent, at least they can say they followed their dream and actually wrote the book.
But to write the manuscript and to get an agent only to be left wondering if, so close to their dream, it will be deferred….I think that might explain those daily phone calls from clients.
Janet, This is an excellent series. I have been fortunate in the agent who agreed to represent me, and let me hasten to say she’s not guilty of any of those acts of mayhem, much less murder…but I can see that I may have at times brought her to the brink of such acts, not against my career but against me. I think I’m going to be a little more considerate in the future.
Thanks for sharing.
Larry, I think it’s a perfectly reasonable expectation to know where a project has been submitted. What drives agents to neglect is when the client keeps asking for an update. Trust me, if we had great news or even news that offered insight into why the project is being turned down, we know where to find you.
Richard, I’m glad this series has helped you to understand in a deeper way what life is like for an agent.
Janet,
I sure appreciate all the insights from your experience. I’m assuming that some relationships are more “high maintenance” than others and it’s hard to judge in the beginning. I guess communication and trust might be a key for all concerned…sure did help when I was teaching and when I had a staff at the tea room….but sometimes it takes awhile for each one in the relationship to understand what that means.
Do agents send out mass emails to clients with a calendar letting them know which up coming events they will be attending for the month ..listing conferences and/ or book conventions? Might help a client to “see” when to ask for a scheduled meeting.
Thanks again for letting us share a bit in the life of an agent!
I’ve really enjoyed this series, Janet. It doesn’t surprise me that agents have a lot of preparations for conferences. It must be exciting but stressful too!
I learned a few years ago that the publishing business can be very slow. I try not to sweat the waits!
This is such an interesting series. Thanks.
Signing with an agent is akin to speaking to a man on the phone for an hour and then marrying him, and then only speaking to him once a month or once every couple of months, by way of a few lines in an email. To make it even more complicated, the author only has one spouse and has plenty of time for lovemaking, but the agent may have fifty spouses and he can’t possibly spend time whispering sweet nothings into all of their ears every day.
So, it’s not a big surprise that many authors feel neglected, whether they are acutally neglected or not.