I was on a panel about cookbook writing at the recent BlogHer Food conference in San Francisco where the topic of literary agents came up. Many editors and writers (myself included) think that having a literary agent is a good idea. But, as I pointed out, it’s actually not easy to find literary representation. In fact, it may be harder to find a good literary agent than an editor or publisher for your beloved work in progress!
The key reason—which may sound crass but is merely a business reality—is that most reputable literary agents (as opposed to scammers) only make money when they sell manuscripts. They get paid a percentage—usually 15 percent—of whatever their author gets paid. If they pluck a promising query package from the ever-expanding submissions pile, then spend months (or years) helping the author polish it, but never sell it to a publisher, they go completely uncompensated for their time.
They may end up with a grateful writer, but that pays no bills. And according to a former agent (now retired) who is also a friend, the “reward” is sometimes blame that the manuscript didn’t sell. Little wonder that many agents are quite cautious about unknown quantities and queries that come in unrequested, or “over the transom” as the lingo goes. I would be, too.
Having a published writer who likes your work introduce you to an agent can be very helpful in getting at least a foot in the door. And, any published writing you have already or evidence of a significant media platform will help show a literary agent you are worthy of at least a preliminary look.
Considering that literary agents earn 15 percent of whatever their author’s book earns, why do I and others suggest having literary representation? Most authors I know feel that unless they are unusually astute business people, it’s comforting (or most comfortable) to have a knowledgeable representative looking out for their interests and negotiating their contracts. The agent can deal with the money matters and any strife (publishing waters aren’t smooth these days), and they and the editor can maintain a cordial working relationship and focus on producing their book.
Although literary agents (unlike writing coaches, editorial consultants, and manuscript doctors) normally don’t charge to review manuscripts or otherwise assist their clients in readying material for submission, be aware that this is changing. Lately, some legitimate agents have muddied the waters by instituting introductory handling or service fees. See the excellent site AgentQuery for lots of additional info as well to find a vetted lists of agents.
I should emphasize here that manuscript doctors and editorial consultants perform perfectly legal and IMHO very valuable services. In fact, on occasion, I have taken on consulting jobs to assist cookbook writers or evaluate their manuscripts or proposals myself. But, while I try to share what I think agents and editors are looking for, I never suggest I have the contacts and expertise to place clients’ manuscripts with publishers. Finding a publisher is the job of literary agents.
Some day I’ll post a set of basic dos and don’t on how to obtain a literary agent. If you have specific questions, leave them here in the comments section and I’ll try to answer them. (For starters, never attempt to stand out in the slush pile with “humorous” lines like, “Don’t skip this one–I know where you live!” You may suffer the same fate as Justice Thomas’s wife when she recently tried to contact Dr. Anita Hill. Dr. Hill called the FBI!) But to get started on the details of how you should submit your material to agents check out this article.
My feeling exactly that they earn their 15 percent by knowing what to ask for on your behalf. Also can save you from some nasty gotchas!
I totally agree in terms of recommending folks have an agent, Nancy! I have an agent and she paid for herself during contract negotiations. First of all, she edited my proposal and made it stronger. And, not only did she get me a higher advance than I would have gotten on my own, she as able to go through the contract and pick out certain issues to change with the publisher. I would have had no idea how to do that. Most folks I know who do not have an agent hire an attorney to negotiate their contract, so you are paying either way. Also, my agent is very savvy, knows all the publishers, and is able to negotiate with them on a level I could never hope to. I am a super-fan of agents!
Thanks for your input, Mark. I'm not sure that your arrangement is so unusual, though. Most of the authors I know have agents who handle only their books, not shorter works, nor appearance bookings. (This my situation, too.) However, several writers actually have several agents–for example, one who handles novels and another who handles nonfiction.
Nancy, I can assure you that Bruce and I would not be where we are without literary representation. Our agent is perhaps the most crucial link in all our business transactions. However, we have a slightly unusual deal: ours is ONLY a literary agent. She does not handle our spokesperson/media contacts (for that, we have a separate agent)–and she never handles any magazine work (we do that on our own). Our agent's 15& commission is well work it.
You're right that it can be very frustrating trying to send unsolicited material out to agents. They are often overwhelmed with material, and, many are leery of unknown quantities. I plan to cover some ways to improve your chances (but are, of course,not guarantees) in an upcoming post.
Seems like your way too happy with agents to me. I sent my book out to different ones and except for getting one form rejection back, I didn't here anything. A waste of time for sure.