Maria and I had a discussion yesterday which I am now going to turn into a blog.
We’ve decided that people outside the writing community have no real idea how exciting it is for a writer to get an agent. Maria thinks they think of getting a Literary agent is synonymous with getting a real estate agent.
And nobody goes around screaming: “I got a real estate agent! I got a real estate agent!”
Whippee. You found someone to sell your house. Good on ya.
So, when we are clearly thrilled to death that we have acheived a big step, the outside world is thinking “So you have a Century 21 rep for you manuscript. Big noogies.”
Well, it is big noogies because the agent hunt is tough. Some people get lucky and query the right agent at the right time and get the right response, just a few queries into the process. But sometimes, people search for years for the right agent, the right timing, the right project.
And sometimes, people sign with the wrong agent for them but don’t know it until it’s too late.
Agents and writers have a business partnership. I know most people think of it as the writer hires the agent, but really, it’s more of a joint business venture.
For the non-writers in the world, this is how a typical agent/author partnership begins:
Author queries the agent. If author has done the proper homework, author is not wasting time querying agents who do not handle their type of work.
Agent reads query and decides to read more or reject. This can take anywhere from a day to several months. Timing and fate have a lot to do with how long it takes for a query to be answered.
If agent decides they want to read the work, they send a request to the author to submit a partial or full manuscript.
If agent rejects, then the author is done with that agent with that particular manuscript. The author may query the agent with a different manuscript.
If it’s a partial, the agent reads it and decides to read more or decides to reject.
If agent wants more, they request the full manuscript.
Then they decide if the project is right for them. Sometimes they like the voice of the author but not the particular story. Sometimes they like the story but don’t love it. Sometimes they love it but don’t know if they can sell it. Sometimes it works out and they offer to rep it.
This can go on and on and on until the author finds the right agent. It can take YEARS to find the right agent. Some people swear it’s easier to get published than it is to get an agent.
So, all that said, getting a Literary agent is not like getting a real estate agent. Any real estate agent will offer to sell your house. A reputible literary agent will offer if it’s a good fit. A bad fit can be detrimental.
And it is really big noogies when an author signs an agent!
Bitchin' Fiction: Musings by author Melissa McKenzie / Melissa Francis 
Yup, I really think most people think this. It’s not that they aren’t happy for you, it’s just that they have no clue. Of course, most people think that if you can write a book, then surely they can too…
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You know, you’re right. I think they do equate it with real estate ; ) I remember when I was talking to my neighbor about getting an agent, someone next to me asked if I were an actress.
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Great post, Mel. You did an excellent job explaining the process for the uninitiated. And I’d agree that getting an agent is probably harder than getting published–in part because, once you have an agent, the chances of getting published increase dramatically.It’s sort of like painting a house–to riff just a little on your real estate comparison–or painting a room or whatever. Most of the work goes into the preparation–taping off windows, etc.–such that by the time you finally dip the brush or roller into the paint, you’re already well over halfway finished with the job. Similarly, the greater challenge is to find the right agent and attract that person’s interest, after which selling the book to a publisher seems almost easy.As agents over the past ten years, we’ve run into a lot of confusion in the “civilian” world as to what we do. People will say things like, “So if I was to write a book and send it in you, you’d publish it for me?” (And like Maria says, *anybody* can write a book, right? I love Tolstoy’s comment on that subject, which goes something like this: “If someone asked you `Do you play the violin?’ and you answered, `Well, I don’t know–I’ve never tried,’ they would laugh at you. But people say the same thing about writing all the time.”)Anyway, back to your real estate analogy, or rather contrast, which is one I often think about. There’s a reason people call it REAL estate: whether it’s a house or a piece of land or whatever, it has a clearly defined intrinsic value. A manuscript, on the other hand, has only as much value as people are willing to assign to it. Unless one were a success on the level of a Stephen King, one could probably never go to a bank and get a loan using the rights to your manuscript as collateral.Anyway, thanks for a great post–and for your wonderful comments in other posts concerning a literary agency, a literary agent, and a writer very dear to the heart of Yours Truly.
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Yes, no one really gets it do they? But Mel then try and explain what an ebook is…My mother still refers to my Ellora’s Cave ebook as “that little book you published for yourself on the internet.”sigh
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Getting an agent is a tough process. I know, I’m going through it right now.I know it will happen, but that doesn’t make the road any easier to travel. Great post.
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Mel…i lurk alot but this post prompted me to ask a really simple and basic question: “Can I sell your house…or book…or kids???? I know lots of people” *-)Only kidding…but do understand your plight…if you’ve ever been around when someone’s asked me what I do…I have to really play it down “I work with computers” that’s usually enough to scare off the majority or to tease those really interested to ask and find out more.Anyway, T’s soccer is almost over and she says “tell Aunt Mel HI!!”…so HIlate
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Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to my other brother (in-law) JOE!Joe, you can sell my kids. Everything else is off limits! And Hi back, T.
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