I know there are several author’s on the boards and I know there have been some good threads regarding publishing a text. But I am wondering where would I find a good book agent?
I have a text I have been working on for around two years, I’m around 75K words and am close to the end. I have sent a plethora of query letters, with several responses advising I get an agent…
Anyone have a good resource for such an endeavor?
Check “Literary Marketplace” or “Fiction Writer’s Market.” They have listings of agents, including what type of books they handle.
Make sure any agent you contact is a member of the Association of Authors Representatives. It looks like their online site gives agent names, so you can check out any agents you find. Be sure to read the AAR Canon of Ethics – any agent that doesn’t subscribe to it should be avoided.
Most importantly, never, under any circumstances whatsoever pay money to an agent. Any agent that ask you to write them a check is out to rip you off. No exceptions, no matter how plausible their excuses may sound.
Ask Eve. Eve? You there? Eeeeeeeeeeve?
I’ve never had any luck with agents. My first one went senile. My second one keeled over dead. Never found another, and have since sold my books by myself. Why should I pay someone 20% when you wind up doing most of the footwork yourself?
Do not look for an agent. Sell your book first. Send in the first chapter and a summary to the publisher of your choice; he will either reject it or make an offer. Then, taking RealityChuck’s advice, and advice from any published novelist(s) who will give you the time of day, select an agent and tell him that you have an offer for your novel, and would like his assistance in negotiating.
Despite what you hear, agents do not sell books (mostly); they negotiate contracts. And, of course, they do so for a cut.
This was true in the past, but is becoming less so now. More and more publishers will not look at an unagented proposal. Getting an agent is often the one way to get in the door.
Heh. Eve heard me calling her in an on-line thread. I must be loud.
I wish people wouldn’t be so secretive about their books. Nobody is going to rip you off.
So when you say, Antiquarian, that you’ve been working on a text you leave yourself open to poor advice because your question is too vague to answer properly.
It matters hugely what kind of a text it is. Mainstream fiction? Genre fiction? Children’s fiction? Non-fiction? An academic text book? A cook book? Something else entirely?
The publishing world is not a thing. It has many pieces, each with its own rules and requirements. For some kinds of books you want to send it the entire completed manuscript and nothing else. For others a chapter and outline. For some a proposal. Some places will accept unagented manuscripts, others won’t touch them.
Eve publishes with an academic press, which is yet another different thing from a commercial New York publisher.
Agents are also not a thing. Some handle certain kinds of books and won’t touch others.
While RealityChuck is entirely correct in his general advice, you need more specific advice before you go forward. Please tell us what you’re doing and then we might be able to help you better.
P.S. If you put apostrophes into plurals (as you did with author’s) nobody will publish you anywhere. Make sure your manuscript and all cover letters and everything else is checked over before you send anybody anything.
Ok Exapno Mapcase - if you put it bluntly. Science Fiction. Not Alien space invaders science fiction but more of plausible-truth, not invented yet science fiction. Kind of Crichton-esque - we don’t have the science yet but everyone knows it’s coming - fiction. I have been told over and over that I need an agent.
I am fortunate enough to have an editor in my family who has been editing my work…I’m a scientist. I only needed two english classes in College 
I am in contact with a reputable agent here in Boston who likes what she has read so far and is willing to show me some of the tricks of the trade.
See I am on travel quite often and have little time during the day to bump around town. I’m also an insomniac, therefore I have plenty of time at night to write.
I’m just looking for sound advice. So Exapno Mapcase after that explanation do you have any advice?
Yes I do.
Here’s the current state of the art.
You need to decide whether you want your book to be marketed as genre science fiction or as a mainstream thriller in Crichton territory. These are two totally separate fields.
If you want to get published by one of the major SF houses, you will almost certainly need an agent. There are only about six major publishers of SF left in the industry and they are all overwhelmed with submissions. It will help if you get an agent who specializes in SF, although it is not absolutely necessary. As a first-time author you will need to have a completed manuscript. Do nothing until your book is complete. Editors will want to know whether you can finish a book properly.
There is a huge amount of helpful information on the website of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, www.sfwa.org (yes, only one “f”).
There are an increasing number of smaller presses that do SF these days and you can take your chances there without an agent. The problem is that these publish fewer books than the majors and are also overwhelmed.
If you want to go the Crichton route, be aware you would be submitting to a completely different set of editors, even at some of the same firms that also do SF. You should also note that 75,000 words is quite short for a mainstream thriller, most of which weigh in at twice that. You will absolutely want an agent for these. You also should be able to write a brief description of the book that would fit on the head of a pin. Sooner or later, they’ll want something like that.
I’m not sure what you mean by saying you have an agent who is willing to show you the tricks of the trade. She doesn’t want to represent you? Why not?
I’m also not sure what you mean when you say you have little time to “bump around town.” Is that an excuse for not getting to a library or bookstore to do proper research on agents and publishing? If so, it’s not a good excuse.
Well I have only had one phone call with her. I got her name from a collegue who has used her in the past and she said she liked the first chapter I sent and the letter of inquiry. She didn’t say She would not represent me, but I get he impression she is rather high up on the totem poll and may be quite busy. I’m meeting her for lunch Monday at Quincy Market to see what she has to say…
No it’s not an excuse but more of a literal meaning. I am a busy man most of them times, and when I’m not on travel I’m spending my time in our Library where I work… You see I am an Archaeologist working for Big Company X here in Boston, I am the guy they send in to survey and excavate sites just before major contruction ensues. Some johnny construction worker finds a couple bones and a spear head, they call me. So busy is not really the right word…more like pulsatingly hyper-distracted. I live in Vermont on the weekends. My wife and I have a condo in Newton (we work for the same company) and commute on friday afternoons home to VT.
I’m not a lazy man by anymeans, ask my friends and they’d say I’m quite the antithesis of that. Thus the insomniac remarks earlier.
I’m hoping for the best here, I’m hoping this woman will represent me. Or at least get me on the right track…
The advice to sell the book and then get an agent to do the negotiating is not current good advice. Most agents (all the good agents) are just as overwhelmed as the publishing houses. If you get an offer and then go looking for an agent, I doubt any editor is going to wait. But then I also seriously doubt that an unknown author is going to sell without an agent. It does happen but it is very rare to have it happen.
If this agent won’t represent you, try and get her to be very honest about why she won’t. If she doesn’t normally represent the genre you’re writing in, then think seriously about why she would be a useful agent for you.
It’s not easy, it’s really not an easy game.
I have to disagree. Most editors would far rather deal with an agent who understood the business and its specialized contracts than with an untrained amateur. If you did manage to sell a book without an agent, the editor’s first advice would be to go out and get one.
OK. I stand corrected. :). It’s not been our experience but I’m not going to generalise from Australian publishing to US publishing and claim to be impeccably right. I know that if we were offered a contract here and then started mucking about looking for an agent while the editor waited for us to sign, it could get tricky.
And, yes, we’ve talked to agents here while having a book contract in hand and it didn’t work out. We’ve always ended up negotiating without an agent, usually because after 15 years in writing and selling children’s books we’ve got the hang of what we can realistically get and there’s very little an Australian agent could do for us to justify the 10 to 20%.
I realize I normally do magazines but on a few of my gigs I’ve been doing the book publishing thing. Always specialty niche-market gigs.
Let me stress…the above is the God’s honest truth. The money should ALWAYS flow to the author…never FROM the author. At one of my gigs the standard was to try to convince the author to go halfsies with us (we normally had a print run fewer than 2000 for any particular book) on the production costs.
Yes, I have been evil in my life. Please use only softwood to beat me.
Make sure, if you get an agent, that he or she only gets paid if YOU get paid. Be strong and don’t let anyone like me job you, buddy.
Primaflora, what you say just reinforces my general point, which is that it is very, very difficult to say anything about publishing that is universally applicable.* You have to specify your market and your circumstances.
I was talking about commercial publishing in the U.S. I can think of many situations even here in the states in which an agent would not be the norm. Academic publishing, for one.
Writing is a business, like any other. You have to work to know the business as it applies to you.
*Although, the money flows toward the writer is about as universal as anything I can think of.
Yeah, nice to know people on both sides can come together.
Antiquarian, if you do your own negotiating take this as your first truth:
“Publishing companies are in it not to make you a famous author but to exploit your talent for their own profit.”
At best it’s a partnership. You supply the talent, they supply the marketing savvy and everyone’s happy.
At worst they attempt to screw you on royalties for the rest of your life.
So remember that and that will allow you to understand where they’re coming from. That’s a big advantage in any negotiations: knowing the end goal of the guy on the other side of the table.
Off to Cafe Society.
DrMatrix - GQ Moderator
Yes I understand this. Seems to work both ways… Would I mind being nationally recognized as a fiction author? No.
If I were nationally recognized as a fiction writer making umpteen millions would I care what the house was getting? Most likely not.
I’m not publishing however for the money, I’m publishing because it’s a fun process and what else am I going to do with my manuscript? I have a good job, I’m certainly not doing this for the money…Though it would be nice.