Q: What happens if my agent doesn’t like my second book?

This is a common question, fear and concern for many writers.

You finally get an agent after all your searching. Your first book either 1) sells or 2) doesn’t sell.

In situation 1) you’re in a good position because you might see the direction your writing is moving in to be a commercial success. Continuing on the path of what is successful is a smart career move.

In situation 2) things get complicated because you might want to try a different genre or have cold feet about the direction you want to move in.

Most agents want to work with writers for their careers, however, we don’t always fall in love with our clients’ body of work. It’s heart breaking for everyone involved because of the close relationship and the effort that has gone into working on the first project together.

You can:

• Get a second agent for the body of work in a different genre if your first agent does not represent it.
• You can shelve the project that your agent doesn’t like and start again.
• Or

Do agents take holidays?

With the holidays fast approaching all I can think is: I can’t wait for the holidays so I can catch up on my required reading…

Agents, and many book professionals, use their breaks to read and catch up on the things they haven’t been able to do while busy doing day-to-day work.

This often includes:

• Reading client’s manuscripts.
• Reading requested partials and fulls.
• Doing research for projects coming up in the new year.
• Getting submission lists ready for the new year.
• Reading books for fun! Book publishing professionals get a lot of books as gifts over the holidays because it’s an easy fit.

An Agent Is Not An Editor

As an agent I am not there to overhaul your manuscript in an extensive editing process. My job is to get it in the best shape I can for submission to editors, but substantial editing is not in my job description because agents don’t have time for it and not all agents are trained editors.

I edit my client’s work to improve the novel’s structure, flush out characters, procure consistency, ask the right questions to get the novel to where it needs to go–as well as copyedit and proofread–before we take it to acquiring editors.

Life and Times of an Associate Agent Part I

www.psliterary.com

Have you wondered what the difference is between ‘associate agents’ and ‘agents’–well I’m sure you can guess. Associates are newbie agents that benefit from the mentorship of principal agents at their agency.

Associate agents are more actively building a list a looking for new clients.

Associate agents are more often working with debut writers.

Agenting, like most of publishing, is an apprenticeship career. Agents either come from a background in publishing houses (often in the editorial or rights departments), come up through the agent ranks as interns, are readers for agents (who read slush and give reports on mss that agents need a second read on), or are agency assistants. My foray into agenting was the latter: agency assistant at Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency in London from a connection through my masters degree program.

Starting my career on the agenting side of the industry (with a brief stint at a large independent publisher, Bloomsbury UK) has given me the framework to always think in ‘agent’ terms:

• Best interests of the author
• Commercial success
• Familiarity with contracts and contract negotiation
• Talent spotting
• Always being able to question procedures and processes with hopes to improve them, which is a benefit of working for smaller companies
• Agency/client relationships and communication
• Constantly reading industry news, blog posts and Twitter feeds
• Benefit of professional international networks

Timing When Querying: It has no formula or tip sheet

There are no query tips or tricks that resonate with all agents. Good work stands alone. However, magic happens when quality work meets timing. Does an agent have time for a new client? Is there an author on an agent’s list that competes directly with your work? Is there a particular genre, theme or character type that an agent is after at that given time? Did an agent just sell something too similar?

Quality is first. Timing is second.

It’s hard for querying writers to understand because they feel left behind the scenes where the layer of transparency is darkened with secrets and the things we aren’t saying. Sometimes, it’s just not right for us. The industry isn’t trying to keep secrets from you. I promise.

Writer Feedback in the Publishing Industry

Taking feedback and criticism is never easy. Especially when the feedback directly relates to the body of work you have put so much time, effort and emotion into. Stepping back from the immediate reaction of a) ‘They only read 3 chapters, what could they possibly know?” b) “I just received an editorial letter, I must revise immediately” or c) “How am I supposed to make sense of all these revision notes and feedback?”

Whether the feedback comes from beta readers, agents, or editors, no matter what stage of the publishing process you are in you must be patient with yourself, don’t jump to conclusions and take everything with a grain of salt. There will be extremes; someone will think you need to cut and revise 100 pages to speed up pace and someone else will think the pace is great but the characterization needs work. Joni B. Cole says it best: