Q&A: Do we need an agent?
And what about Writers' Conferences?
Continuing to work with your questions—thank you for posting!
From Terry: what’s the best way to find an agent? Or, in today’s publishing world, is having an agent still an advantage? Thx and keep up the good work.
This is a good question. I have written about this—how to find an agent, AND what the relationship of writer/agent is about. So I won’t go over any of this.
BUT there are other agent-finding and publishing paths.
I attended a remote conference in the middle of Covid, and was encouraged to see how others have gone about this. Conferences have a role to play if you are looking for representation OR looking at how you can get away without representation!
Agents now take anything from 15-25% of your income. Mine is at 20%. But more and more I hear people talking (and moaning, and rightfully so) about 25%. In my case, I’m convinced that my agent has gained me more than that 20% cut, so I’m not unhappy about this. She has found publishing opportunities for me that I would not have known about. She is also top-notch in reminding me to call back my rights on works previously published, and other tidbits that do amount to something. A good agent should have just such a steel-trap mind for details. I suspect the mind of my agent looks a lot like the inside of my junk-drawer… and that’s a very good thing indeed!
So, in brief, I’m a fan of having an agent—if you can find one, AND the right one FOR YOU. (As outlined in my previous post about agents.)
That said, there is another way. And that is: conferences.
Conferences are not inexpensive. (Though they are a tax write-off… even if you are not yet published; you do need proof that you are a working writer, though. Don’t delete those rejections!)
But you can weigh the price of a conference against the 20% commission… right?
What you need to know
Does whatever conference you are thinking to attend allow you to contact agents and editors AFTER the days of the event itself? Many do. But ascertain this before you pay your entrance fee! Also ascertain if this includes all the editors/agents who came to the conference, or only those with whom you had appointments? Those 10-15 minute appointments can be hard to come by; you want a conference that allows you to send/contact even if you haven’t had a one-on-one.
The conference I attended allowed for a 30-day contact period with any of the publishing-folks who attended and offered a lecture and/or appointments.
Be pre-pared!
That 30 day window passes quickly!
When you are considering attending a certain conference, read carefully through the list of who is speaking and offering one-on-ones, and research them. (Don’t waste their time! You are looking for a match just as you would with online dating—review my post on finding an agent.)
If there aren’t solid matches for your work, and this is your main goal for conference-going, find another conference. (This is for those on limited budgets—most writers!)
Since Covid, many conferences are now a hybrid of remote and face-to-face, which is one of the few positives to come of that Covid time. It does open your possibilities. But too many now have no one-on-ones for the Zoom folks. Read carefully or ask.
Recently I posted a list of a half dozen questions that an editor is asking of me. You might not have all these answers, but know that, if asked, you could pull them together quickly.
Also: before you attend, have a brief synopsis—that is, your “elevator pitch,” a one-minute hook—in your mind. Be ready for when someone asks “what's your story?” Ugh. I do loathe all this marketing stuff. But it’s necessary.
Write this out. Also write out a one-paragraph of the same. AND a 2-3 page synopsis, if we’re talking a novel-length work.
For some conferences, you might find yourself VERY busy for that contact window. Have the five opening pages and sample chapter ready. Have other projects ready… or at least articulated thoughts on other projects.
Make certain you attend the conference lectures of ALL potential contacts, and more. Allow for a surprise; you might read someone’s bio and not think they’re a fit, until you hear what they say.
I’ve always been blown away by the number of students who would take my classes… and not read a single one of my books!
Get to know something about these people; when you write a note to them, you’ll might be able to mention something, or comment. This isn’t just about “marketing;” it’s about curiosity and being interested in someone... just as you hope they might be interested in you. The writer-agent or writer-editor connection should be a strong one.
Not just agents
Note that I’ve added writer-editor. That’s because conference attendance might end up in connecting directly with an editor, creating enough of a relationship that you can then send material directly to them, bypassing the whole writer-agent piece. (Whew.)
OR, if you want, you can wave that potential contract in front of an agent, and find an agent after connecting with an editor—this can be a solid way to secure an agent. (Why would you want to do this? Because an agent might well be in a better position to net you a much better contract and future contracts and connections.)
Conferences are not just about gaining writing-knowledge and making friends, finding writers for a group. It can become the “agent/editor” piece for your career.
But do research those who are attending and speaking. That’s key.
Terry’s question: do we still need an agent?
The answer: it depends. You do need an agent to deal with the Big Traditional Publishers. Even with this “conference path,” this is most likely. But with smaller publishers, or those outside the Big Five (or is it now Three or Two…?), you might not need.
Do you like the marketing and selling piece? True, even with an agent, we still have to do so much of this ourselves! But for all the initial contacting, an agent is a wonder. And too often, without an agent, you can’t do the contacting.
Self-publishing? You don’t need an agent. But you’re wearing the equally weighty hats of writing, marketing, and selling. In equal parts, I’d say: you’d best enjoy the selling process…
Questions??
You have to put yourself out there at a conference. It is a constant barrage of networking, and thought I'm outgoing it was overwhelming. I went to the Historical Novel Conference as a fan and met with an agent and a professional writer/editor/teacher who was an angel. Being in the green room after the agent meetings was eye-opening. Don't go in cocky.
As a successfully self-published, indie author, I can tell you that this is definitely something to consider, particularly depending on the kind of writing you are doing. Harder to be successful at this route if you are writing non-fiction, or literary fiction, much easier to do if writing in romance, mystery, science fiction genre. If you want to hear a rather adamant proponent against using agents do check out Kris Rusch's blog, not because you necessarily want to take her anti-agent approach, but because it will educate you on what you need to know to protect yourself from agents who are not as reputable and dependable as the one Alison found. In addition, most small presses don't expect you to have an agent, again, often depends on your genre, and there are what are called hybrid small presses which are often formed by successful self-published authors who now use their expertise to help other authors self-publish, often for reasonable fees. Finally, a number of self-published authors (particularly if they started out with agents but have also shifted to become indie authors because they keep so much more of their royalties) do hire agents to find them contracts with foreign publishers. Here is Kris's blog, just search agents once you get there. https://kriswrites.com Have fun, because the routes to publication are so much more varied than they were before 2010 and the emergence of ebooks and print on demand opportunities.