Is my agent any good?

How do I know?

I often get asked about agents: how to choose a good one, whether to move agents, what to expect. Well…

‘Good’ is relative

There are lots of different styles. Some agents are very business-y. They are great at negotiating deals, at backing you, but maybe less touchy-feely. Be honest with yourself – do you want more of a shoulder-to-cry-on style of agent? Or a hard-nosed business one?

I don’t need lots of emotional support from an agent BUT I do want someone who really likes my work. I find it hard to write if my writing is knocked back too often. It makes me want to write less, which in turn makes me less happy across my life. I don’t mind hearing ‘This book doesn’t work, let’s start again’ or ‘I don’t know the market for this book’ but I do need my agent to like my writing style in general, and be on my side in terms of helping me to write more.

Waiting

It’s quite normal for your agent to take a while to get back to you. They do have other clients. Ideally, you would get a holding email (‘Yep I’ve received this but I can’t get back to you until [ ]’) but the publishing industry can be rubbish on the art of the holding email (I could go on about this for hours; I mean it’s SO simple. One two-second email could save us weeks of stress) but I know my agent is busy and I try to relax and work on something else while I wait to hear.

If you feel angsty, it’s totally reasonable to send a follow-up ‘just checking you got this’ email.

Be honest

It’s important to build an honest relationship with your agent. If you cannot bear uncertainty and get all twitchy, TELL your agent this. Tell them ‘I know you are busy but it would be great if, going forward, you could acknowledge receipt and give me a rough idea of timescales’.

You are (hopefully) building a long-term relationship and you need to make boundaries. Your relationship will last longer if you are clear about what you need.

Don‘t be scared to chase up, or to ask stupid questions.

Be realistic

Your agent will (probably) not send out every book that you write. And rightly so. Agents are important gatekeepers. They protect us from submitting work that is not up to scratch. You need this. I certainly do. I find it hard to know what’s working because I get so into my books that I’m totally in love with them. I need someone to say ‘Actually this isn’t your best. It needs a rewrite’. It saves me from myself.

Trust

But for that, you need to be able to trust your agent. This encompasses a range of situations. You need to trust that your agent likes you, that if they are taking a while to respond it’s NOT because they aren’t interested. You need to trust that they have your best interests at heart.

Of course, agents aren’t always right and there are definitely examples of agents saying ‘nah that book will never sell’ and then it does. But you can’t have a proper relationship of trust if you keep rolling your eyes and thinking your agent knows nothing.

An agent once told me a new chapter book wasn’t yet working and needed a rewrite. Then she added ‘I could send it out anyway if you like’ and I said no. I don’t want agents to send out work that isn’t my best. I don’t want them to send out work that they don’t believe in. It doesn’t help my reputation in the industry and it doesn’t help my relationship with the agent. And, once I’d started the rewrite, I realised that my agent was absolutely right. The book DID need reworking and I would have done myself a disservice in sending it out.

The long game

If you want a writing career, this relationship will cover more than just a couple of books. You should be able to talk to your agent about your career: where it’s going, what to focus on, where the gaps are in the industry that suits your work.

You want an agent that understands the industry you write in. If you write crime, you need someone who reads crime, who knows what is selling in that genre.

Before you start new projects, you can email your agent and say ‘here are 3 ideas, what do you think?’ It helps pick a focus, and it means you’re not going to spend a year writing something that the agent can’t sell.

Talk to your agent about your future. They can help you draft a plan for the next few years. This doesn’t mean you can’t write what you like, it means you are strategically aiming for a common goal. Remember, writing is a commercial industry. Your agent needs to be able to sell what you write. If you hate that part of the trad publishing industry you have many other options such as indie-publishing or working with small, genre press. Or getting a normal job and writing purely for joy.

You are not trapped

Equally do not stick with an agent who is not good for you. You are allowed to move. This is your business. You are paying your agent 15%(ish) and you should feel they are on your team and adding to your life, not hindering it.

If you get a sinking feeling over time (not just over one book but over a sustained period) then listen to your instinct. If some of what I said above is ringing alarm bells eg your agent doesn’t like your work, or you don’t trust their professional judgement or you don’t feel they are on your side then those are points to weigh up.

Take your time. Be honest about what you need.

When to move

Do not move until you have taken time to analyse WHY you want to. Be aware no agent is perfect. Like all relationships there will be things you love/find difficult about any agent. Talk to writing friends about their agents – what they love/find annoying. You may find that actually your one isn’t so bad OR it may harden your resolve to move.

There are lots of alternatives, for example, if you are thinking about moving because you want to write an adult book and your current agent only does children’s books, you could ask your agent to release you for adult work so you end up with two agents, one for each genre.

I have moved agents. Not because my first one was terrible. She wasn’t. She was fantastic. I loved working with her and would highly recommend her. But I got to a point where I wanted something different from an agent. I wanted a change. I wanted fresh eyes on my work. I took a very long time weighing this up. I didn’t move until I was sure.

How to move

Again, be honest. Before even thinking of moving, have an open conversation with your agent where you say what is not working for you, and how it affects your writing. Give the agent time to respond, give the relationship time to change.

Be respectful. This isn’t personal, it’s business. You won’t help yourself by ranting; and it isn’t fair – your agent was just doing their job.

Remember you will STILL need to work with your old agent. They will continue to handle any royalties from publishing deals you did through them.

And think about LONGTERM strategy. If you push a less-than-enthusiastic agent to send your book out, that may scupper you later. A new agent will want to see fresh work, not work that has already gone out to publishers, so persuading the old agent to submit your work may actually cause you problems. If you have work you love that your current agent doesn’t like, and you know you want to move agents, it would be better to take your work to the new agent. You’ll get fresh eyes on it, maybe more editorial help, and it will be submitted with far more enthusiasm.

How to find a new one

I left my old agent before I approached new agents. But that was maybe not so sensible. I think it’s perfectly ok to make discreet enquiries to other agents while you are still with your old one. It’s not like having an affair – this is business and you are entitled to protect yourself.

But the industry is small, word can get around. Don’t slag off your old agent. It’s unnecessary and it won’t help your image. You can be honest in your approaches about what you need from a new agent without being vile about the old agent.

Be polite and fair and business-like.

You will (usually) need a new piece of work to show the new agent. Even if you’ve been a published writer for a while, a new agent will want to see what you are focusing on next. Have something prepared even if that’s just a synopsis.

Your rights

If you are a Society of Authors member you can talk to them about your rights and about your old (and new) agent contract. Understand what you are gaining/losing from a business perspective.

Take your time. Talk to friends. Don’t do anything in a mad rush.