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 
