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Doesn't this all come down to research? Investigating the agent who works with your genre and has a good track record? I was at an author talk last week with Jonathan Mayberry. He said he went through all the books at the store in his genre and read the dedications to find out who their agents were and thats who he queried.
Now, what about the question of whether one needs a New York agent over one in another part of the country? Would a NYC agent have better connections? The only ones who I've heard say it doesn't matter are those agents not in NYC. But I have to wonder???

I’ve always believed finding an agent is a cross between finding a husband and finding a good pair of jeans. You need to find one who loves you, who feels lucky to have you, and at the same time they gotta fit “you” and make your butt look really good . . . to editors. You have to respect them, trust them, but never be intimated so much that you don’t state what you believe in or what you want concerning your career. (It also helps if they don’t leave the toilet lid up.) The funny thing is that I have friends who have divorced certain agents and have dubbed them bad agents, and then I know someone else who is with the same agent and thinks they are better than sliced bread.
Hey, how many of us have divorced a spouse and someone else came along and married them? (Of course, we think they are idiots, but the truth is . . . maybe they just weren’t the right one for us.) And I think the agent/author relationship is just like a marriage. You have to be honest about what each of you want and expect from the other.

Christie Craig

Good points, Christie.
No one ever knows what happens inside any relationship except the persons involved, and that includes writer/agent.

No, no, no to what the anonymous writer said. Yes, yes, yes to what Jessica said.

I used to think that any agent, any at all would make me happy. I was wrong. I went through two agents who were poor fits before I found the right one.

Funny, the whole time I was going through the bad agents, I was still writing, still learning, still working on my craft. By the time I was done with bad agents, I was on book #4. That one got mulitple agent offers right away, when my previous books had gotten only one after a long time.

So, keep writing, keep querying. Your next book will be better and the next one even better. Sooner or later you will write a book that is so good it will practically sell itself and you won't have agent agony issues.

Research doesn't tell you if your personality will mesh well with an agent. Some agents are more hands on than others. Just because an agent has a bunch of sales doesn't mean that agent will be a good fit for you...and how do you know until you sign on the bottom line? I can see how some authors go through a few agents before they find one that suits them.

Imagine deciding that a random person will be your best friend. Does that mean you will instantly get along and see things eye to eye? No. I would guess the same would be true with an agent/author relationship. It is two strangers coming together for a rather intimate thing...writing. And if that intimacy is awkward, well, another agent would probably better suit.

I learned the hard way that the only thing worse than not having an agent was having an agent! A "bad" one that is.

I got my agent at a screenwriting conference - he requested fulls from a lot of attendees, but only took on a handful of clients from that group - including me.

Woo-hoo!

Had to be one of the happiest days of my life - getting that phone call - it was a Saturday afternoon and I remember doing the "happy dance" in my kitchen! Of course, I was too naive and giddy to ask
him any of the questions I should have (I know better now).

He was new to agenting after having just left Hollywood to move to FL. As the son-in-law of a Hollywood legend, and a former film producer - he was the real deal, alright - not a fake or a scammer - but after I signed the contract, he made it seem like he was doing me a favor just by taking my calls, never kept me posted on any submissions, never sold the script.

Out of frustration, I started sending out my script myself (!) and got a serious bite from Aaron Spelling's film production company - they gave me a "slow pass" - Hollywood speak for "Almost but not quite good enough."

It took me years to agree that my script was less than perfect, and accept the fact that screenwriting is the toughest of all the writing gigs to crack - so I moved on to writing novels, and eventually severed my contract with my agent.

It's not that he was a "bad" agent, like many are, but just not
in it with me for the long haul - since my script didn't sell in the first submission - he lost interest in me and my MS pretty quick.

Lessons learned, and an important rite of passage to have gotten through. I am all the wiser for having done so.

Regarding legitimate agents, there aren't many complaints from writers whose agents have done what the writer wanted -- i.e., sold the book. Most complaints are from writers whose agents have not sold their books, or don't communicate.
(There's a whole side issue about writers and agents who grow apart, have personality conflicts, or split for business reasons.)

Perhaps the agent recognized raw talent, but the book didn't sell. The writer gets frustrated because his hopes were raised, and the agent, who for other clients is terrific, is suddenly a bad agent. It's much easier to blame the agent for not selling the book than blame the book.
It takes growth, like the poster above commented, to see deficiencies in your own work.

Jeez, Christie. It's hard enough to find jeans that make MY butt look good!

I'll get right on it. All in a day's work....

The most frustrating thing for me is not to use up all my bridges. What happened to Angie is rare, but luck favors the well prepared.

I don't want to query all the editors I could, because if they all pass, there is no place for an agent to send it, but I don't want to query all the agents I could because I do have two requests out with great publishers, and if one comes back with a contract offer, I want some of the agents on my A list to still be there for me to contact about it.

It is the worst kind of catch 22, and at the same time, I'm happy for it, because I'm so very very close I can taste it. I have a book I can sell. Now it all feels like a big chess match.

The question is, do I have the guts to "reject" a good agent if it is the only offer if I get a bad vibe about it? I hope I'd have the strength to break up later if it doesn't work, but when you are a girl and prom is only a week away, and no one has asked you to the dance, well...

STRONGLY disagree with you, Ara. As a multi-published author, I can tell you selling is not the end-all in the agent/author relationship. There's a whole other aspect that kicks in once you've made that sale. And how are "growing apart, having personality conflicts, or splitting for business reasons" a side issue? It all comes into play and, believe me, I've known more authors who split with their agents because they're bad after the sale is made, not before.

I agree with Anon 9:43. A bad agent is someone who has the unique ability (even after they've sold your book) to treat you dismissively, talk down to you, and make you feel like you don't know what you're doing. Slowly they chip away at your confidence and make you second guess every damn word you put on paper.

A good agent is someone who (before and after a sale) treats you with respect, and more importantly respects your WORK. To be able to communicate with you on a professional level during revisions or rejections is absolute gold because then you are learning more about writing as you go instead of just being tossed around in the winds of someone else's bad personality.

I think that what this comes down to is that agents are asked to be the "Gatekeepers" for the industry, and the resulting workload is simply unreasonable for them to sift through.

The process of identifying talent is left to a few sentences, which really doesn't make any sense at all. Identificaton and development of talent are one in the same.

In baseball, this is handled through the Minor League system. An agent's role is not as large, and therefor they can do it well. There are coaches that handle the rest.

In the current system, people who (for whatever reason) are hellbent on being a published author won't wait for the right agent. If you get your foot in one door, after many years of knocking, you won't take it out. It doesn't matter if it's the right agent or not, really. Getting an audience with one is very difficult to start with.

I think that things are broken enough that it is essential for us to start to think about what tasks are essential and who can do them the best. The system as we know it has produced a rather sick industry. Someone is going to shake it up one way or the other eventually.

I have to agree entirely with what Christie said, in her own inimitable style! And to take her analogy even farther, (further? WHEN will I get those straight? Thank goodness for copy editors!)there is a definite honeymoon period followed by the reality of marriage. I was lucky enough to find an agent who is a good match for my rather warped personality, but there are so many intangibles that make an author/agent relationship work--very much the same as a marriage. And, as with any long term relationship, it takes work from BOTH parties, but when it does work, it's wonderful.

The question is, do I have the guts to "reject" a good agent if it is the only offer if I get a bad vibe about it?

Chessie I HEARTILY disagree.....to continue your analogy, do you really want to go to the prom with the guy who has sweaty hands and picks his nose? NO NO NOOOOOOO

I recently had this conversation with a friend who met an agent this last weekend at a conference. She said she didn't really think this particular agent was the one for her but if she offered...and I said to her what I'm saying to you...DONT DO IT! This writing life is hard enough without a bad agent fit dragging you down.

The system is bad.

Agents, good, bad or indifferent, work on spec. They put in hours of free labor, and even if there's a sale, fifteen percent of the average sale doesn't compensate adequately for what a writer expects in terms of service.

How can you expect Nora Roberts' level service if you generate a $1000. book advance, and paid your agent $150. of this?

It makes sense that if agents catch a whiff of a manuscript that might be a "big" book, they're going to leap, especially if others have the manuscript. Even agents gotta eat.

It's the only system in place, and it sucks.

There's got to be a better way.

Yeah, that is what I'm saying. I have to have enough confidence in my own work to reassure myself that I will find someone who loves it as much as me and that I'll be able to work well with.

If I get the vibe that I wouldn't work well with this person, I'm the type that is crazy enough to reject an offer from the only agent that has called.

That said, I'm pretty darn easy to get along with, so I'm not skaird.

Okay, maybe a little. Which is where the prom analogy is. No matter if you are the type of girl who can haul up your bootstraps and go by yourself, (or with a gay guy *cough* Shoot, I'm not complaining, he was fabulous.) It still absolutely stinks not being asked to the prom, and it hurts like Hell, especially when you know you have a rockin' hot dress.

Kate . . . you are so right. There is a honeymoon period with an agent. The first few months you walk around with a silly grin on your face, thinking..."She loves me...She really loves me." Then you spend time getting to know the other’s style of doing business. And not everyone's style is the same.

I remember one of Jessica’s blog about how her relationships with her authors vary from author to author because each one has different needs.

I think that’s a sign of a good agent. Look at Kim, she’s out trying to find me a pair of jeans that does wonders for my backside. (smile) (Kim, make sure it makes me look a size smaller, too!)

But seriously, I think when you research agents, you need to get insights to how they do business. Ask questions so you’ll know how they work and what you should or shouldn’t expect. And be careful that your expectations are realistic. I know some authors who have moved around to a lot of agents, looking for the perfect one, only to learn that their expectations were not reasonable. Not that the fault lies with only the writer, I’ve heard horror stories of bad agents, too. I think what you hear mostly is about two people whose views on how the career of the writer should go just don’t mesh anymore. Or two people who didn’t understand the other person’s expectations in the beginning. That’s why communicating is so important.

Faye Hughes and I are doing a workshop for RT about the Great Agent Hunt. We've interviewed a lot of published authors about the right questions to ask before signing with an agent. We're also going to be talking to agents about the right questions to ask, and how to best make the author/agent relationship work.
Great post Jessica.

Question:
If/when the day comes that an agent actually loves my work and wants to sign me: What are the questions I should ask her/him before I sign???
Recent sales?
Length of contract?
Details?
Favorite color?
I have a feeling my mind would go blank when I finally get that call. I was tongue-tied enough when I met Jessica at the NJRWA!

To me, one of the most important aspects of the relationship is communication. Too often I think that authors think agents are doing them a favor and are afraid to speak up and be clear about their expectations or to ask questions. No one wants to be the problem client who is always badgering the agent, but authors need to treat the relationship professionally. I think that a lot of authors who leave agents or who sign with bad agents do so because they don't communicate properly.

After being contracted and burned by a small publisher, I was determined to get the "right agent" for my next project. Unfortunately, I was being too cautious and wasn't thinking clearly because of fear of making another mistake.

In the end, I did my research and went with my instincts in choosing an agent.

So far it has worked for me. I only queried two agents because I did not want to have to choose between many agents (should I be so lucky). Also, I wanted an agent to have enough desire to represent me without her having to compete against other agents.

My agent did sign me quickly and so far I'm pleased with the results. She has a great personality and a great track record. Did I get lucky? Yes.

If writers tend to look at their novels as "babies", who can imagine letting just anyone help you raise that baby? I certainly didn't settle for just "any" father for my son, and I'm not going to settle for just "any" agent to help guide my novels and my career.

If/when the day comes that an agent actually loves my work and wants to sign me: What are the questions I should ask her/him before I sign???

Aimless, BookEnds covered this topic on September 26. I believe that Kristin Nelson at PubRants has covered this, as well.

As for the main topic here, I appreciate everyone who's chimed in. This is such an important subject.

The problem is, it's so damn hard to get an agent, that even if you're not sure you'll be a good fit, you still say "yes." After all, the agent looks good on paper: she's experienced, works for one of the big NY agencies, loves your novel, and has a track record in your genre.

But when your novel doesn't sell and she stops responding to your emails--of course you wonder if you should have listened to that little voice.

Jessica,

Maybe I'm out of line asking this, but could you give us a feel for the percentage of clients you take under contract whose work you go on to sell to a publisher?

Maybe someone needs to create an independent, self-reporting database for authors to register their sales success rates with various agents. I'll consider hosting it if enough people think it's a good idea.

Note to self: don't read Christie's posts while drinking Diet Coke. I should know better.

I agree that it doesn't make sense to sign with an agent you don't think you'll mesh with. Don't even query anyone you’re not sure about, or you might just get a call from your ideal agent a month after you've signed with a not-so-perfect choice.

And, I know this part is painful because I’ve experienced it, but if the book doesn’t find its way to the right agent, perhaps the next one will. This past spring, I’d written a mystery that I think is pretty darn good. I sent it to my dream list and received a lot of requests for fulls, and lots of lovely personal rejections. An agent I really respect wrote an epistle of a rejection letter, citing what he thought I needed in the book and ending it by saying the book would probably be picked up by an agent and it might even sell, but he didn’t think it would be the breakout book I needed to launch a career.

I could have kept sending it out, maybe signed with an agent lower down on my list. But a horrible thought kept niggling at me – he was right. Darn it all. For all of the agonizing it cost me, I knew I had to stop submitting that book and fix a few things. But first, I had to finish this paranormal that I’d fallen in love with.

The paranormal sold, the mystery is still in my back pocket. But when you’re a writer, you have to keep writing, keep believing in your work and keep submitting to agents that will give you career the time and attention it deserves.

Just a few of observations:

--As part of your research, talk to some of the agent's clients. This is especially true if you actually have an offer in hand. I think most writers are willing to help.

--As I think we've said here before, not all writers want the same things in an agent. Some want hand holding, some want a agressive salesperson, etc, etc. What is important is what YOU want.

--The first contract is just the tip of the iceberg. Jessica never actually sold one of my manuscripts--I came to her with (second) contract in hand. Career planning and management is MUCH more important, IMHO.

--Communication is key.

Okay, back to the book that is, mysteriously, not writing itself.

What do you think most commonly makes someone a "bad" agent (other than shady business practices)? Would it be just your initial first impression, the amount of time it takes to return your calls, how agressively they market your manuscript, etc? I know all these things come in to play, but I'd like to know what one thing most people commonly encounter in a "bad" agent.

Bran fran...I agree. I am on book #3 and even "I" love my writing better, so keep writing and the best is yet to come...

aimless writer....I agree with doing your homework researching agents.
Going with the agent that accepts your query first is not necessarily the way to go. It's like the old saying....anything that's worth having should never come too easy.

I don't understand why anyone would query an agent one wouldn't be thrilled to have represent them. What is the purpose? Practice? I wouldn't waste my postage.

Of course you query people that you think might be good for you. All the agents on my list have fabulous reputations and track records, but what if when talking to one of them I think, "Oh my God, she's my Mother."

That is not a professional dynamic I want to get going, even though I love my mother very much. I'm not sure I'd want to step into a relationship where I got a vibe that I wasn't a full partner, but a child that needed her head patted and to be told what to do.

Now this is all speculative, because it hasn't happened, and I don't know if any agents out there are like my mother, but I'm still pretty young, (30) and often people I'm trying to develop a professional relationship with have a couple of years on me. I deeply respect those years, but I don't want to be dismissed because of them. I want an agent to trust that I'm strong, capable, and smart. I want to feel like my agent believes I can handle things.

If I get head patting, it's going to turn me off, big time. Any one of my agents that I query could be a head patter. I don't know, until I can talk to them personally. And some authors are looking for a good head patter. More power to them.

It isn't right or wrong, it just doesn't work. In that situation, I don't know what I would do. I'd have two choices, try to establish the dynamic I want with the agent by being clear what my needs are, or not sign with that agent at all.

You can probably make the relationship work by being clear and honest about what you need as a writer, but if the agent turns out to be a consummate head-patter and there is no getting around it, for me, it probably isn't a relationship that would last. I'd have to be wary of that.

But none of it has happened, so I can only think about it so much.

A "bad" agent is worse than no agent, because a year later my book isn't sold but it went out to at least 20 publishers so I'm sure there's no point in shopping it around to other agents because they won't want to take on a book with a history of rejection. Even though it's fabulous.

Was my agent a bad person? No, of course not. I think maybe he just didn't have great relationships with editors, and was unable to make the right match. Happens every day.

But if you are not 100% excited about an agent, don't sign with them. (This situation was a little weird because he took me over from the agent I'd originally signed with, who left the business. I had the choice of being switched or looking for someone new.) The wrong fit is WAY worse than continuing to look for representation.

"a year later my book isn't sold but it went out to at least 20 publishers so I'm sure there's no point in shopping it around to other agents because they won't want to take on a book with a history of rejection."

Uh, have you considered it might be the BOOK?

An agent can get your book read.

Your agent cannot force an editor to buy a book. Your book must sell itself.

I don't understand why anyone would query an agent one wouldn't be thrilled to have represent them. What is the purpose? Practice? I wouldn't waste my postage.

Of course you research the agent's client list and sales, check out online interviews, and troll the Absolute Write boards for tidbits. But this kind of research can't tell you whether or not your personalities, working styles, and goals will be a good match. Talking to the agent is the only way to find out. And you can't talk to the agent until they've offered representation.

Interesting point about the fabulous book that went out to 20 editors and didn't sell. Some posters seem to think the book isn't all that fabulous and that may be true. But I think it's quite possible it's the most wonderful book ever written and was the victim of a poor agent.

I'm no expert, but my limited observations are that many fabulous books probably don't sell--you need a fabulous book in front of the right editor at the right time. Your agent is a big help in getting your book to the right editor. (No one can do much about the zeitgist--however you spell that--unfortunately.)

Here's two ways I think the scene could play out:

Good agent--Hey, this is a fabulous book. It's a killer (ha,ha) romantic suspense. House A, B, C, etc. publish RS very well. Hmm. I could send it to editor Z at house A, but the book has a cat in it and editor Z is allergic to cats--she breaks out at even a feline thought, so I'll send this to editor Y. (Well, maybe first I'll call and feel Y out.) But the book is also a bit cutting edge. I think I'll send to three good houses now and see what they say. (Later, after three rejections, good agent is on the phone to fabulous writer.) "Fabulous," good agent says, "I've submitted your book to House A, B, and C and all my contacts say that it's great, however, it has too many aliens. Aliens just aren't selling. What do you want to do? I can submit to E, F, and G, or you might think about toning down the aliens and going for for something else...talking radishes maybe..." Or maybe it's time to put this fabulous book away and and wait for the market to change, meanwhile working on even more fablulous book.

Bad agent: Hey, this is a fabulous book. I bet I can sell it in a snap. Let me get down my Writers Market. Hmm. Twenty houses sell RS. Why waste time? (And hey, I have to pay the cat food bill, so I could do with a quick sale.) I'll just send this out now to all twenty. One of these houses is sure to buy it. And one editor is as good as another, right? A sale's a sale. Let me just package this up and get it in the mail... After 20 rejections, bad agent doesn't respond to email or phone calls.

Just saying...this business can be a little crazy. Oh, and communication is key.

Oh, it's absolutely possible the book didn't sell because it wasn't good enough. But if the agent can't explain why they choose to send it to one editor over another, and can't produce any feedback from editors other than "they didn't think it was quite right", even after 20 rejections, I think it's also absolutely possible that the agent didn't have the right relationships to get editors to give it a serious read. And now I'll never know whether it was the book or the agent, but if I'd done my homework better, maybe I'd be able to tell.

Don't worry, whether the agent was weak or just not a good communicator, I do recognize the mistake was still my mistake.

Aimless, if you don't know what questions to ask, you haven't been in the business long enough to be submitting to agents. I don't mean that in a mean way--you're asking here, which is the right thing to do, but the point is that writers who have not yet learned what questions to ask should not be submitting. If you don't understand the rules of the game, don't play. Sit on the sidelines and watch until you learn.

There are a lot of questions to ask:

Will an agent do split payments? (Why should your agent pay you? Why should you be the one to wait for the money?)
How does the agent handle day-to-day communication? Email? Phone? Blackberry?
What can the agent do after the sale? Have them walk you through the process and give examples.
Contact other clients of this agent and ask about the above.

Someone asked about agents who don't live in NYC. My agent is in California. I'm multi-published and have hit both the USA and NYT lists. My agent's location only means I take business calls late at night. Otherwise, who cares? In today's world of internet and frequent flyer miles, location makes little difference.

OMG! This just happened to me! My agent was super keen in the beginning of our relationship and submitted my literary Latina fiction to all of the big NYC houses. Sure, we got some mild interest, but in the end, no bites. :( At any rate, I kept my chin up and submitted two further manuscripts--but she didn't show the least bit of interest. When I was offered an erotic romance contract with a well-known e-publisher, she didn't even bother looking at the contract. At that point, I figured she was done with me. I phoned her to discuss my issues and we mutually agreed to end our business relationship. So in the end, I managed to make more career headway on my own than with said agent. Still, I think I'll take the plunge again soon--if I can find the right agent!

It's gotta be hard, your basically creating a team. All you can do is hope that both sides are honest with each other and be upfront when it just isn't working.

This is so true, and I've seen in other industries. In my day job, I sometimes hire people to work for me as independent contractors, which is wery similar to an agent/author relationship. I have hired people who started out strong, but if the job isn't what they like, they start doing a worse and worse job, and showing up less and less frequently. (Sound familiar?) And yes, one guy did not return my calls. These people hope that I will fire them so they don't have to quit, because quitting is hard. If I fire them, it is my fault, you see? One person actually grinned when I told him that it wasn't working out and I had to let him go.

Thank you so much for this post. I was hoping you'd address this issue.

My agent has ignored my last three emails.

Keeping with the relationship theme, last week I saw a Web site called gurldontdatehim.com. This is where spurned and bitter women can talk to each other and rat out the "Playuhs" across the land by name.

Likewise, Querytracker.net is a new site where authors can talk freely to fellow authors about specific agents.

It won't stop bad agent behavior, but it give writers the chance to query goofy agents with query #93 instead of query #3.

An agent has no asset bigger than her reputation.

If an agent drops you, she has to admit that she was wrong. "I was wrong" are some of the hardest words to say.

If you quit, however, she gets to say you were impatient, or never satisfied, or any number of things that make it the author's fault. That is much easier for the agent to deal with and a much better way for her to save her reputation.

It happens all the time. It just happened to my friend. Her agent just stopped communicating. I worry that someday it will happen to me.

Great post, Jessica, thanks. You mentioned being ignored the other day, and I was wondering: how indicative do you think it is if an agent who's had your full for over six months, but you're not yet signed, ignores your follow-up emails? Does the same thing apply before you're signed? Is it a pretty good idea of what to expect in the future, if we're signed? I have two of these situations going on right now with requested fulls (one of them after seeing the partial), and my gut tells me that I don't want to work with someone like this. What do you think?

Hey, green ray, I'm not an agent, but as a fellow writer who was recently in a very similar situation with you -- she did finally respond when I SQ-ed, and she had good reasons for not responding before then...but she ultimately passed. I felt in my gut that it wasn't going as I wanted it to, but it was hard for me to give up on her. However, now that it's all over, I can look back and see that my guy, in this case, was correct. I could sense that her enthusiasm was not as it should have been. Don't know if that helps, but fwiw, that's my story.

And in case you have trouble biting the bullet and dropping your unresponsive agent...

If your agent's communication style is that poor, imagine how much of a pain editors will think s/he is!

Thank you so much for this post. I had to fire an agent after 4 months of non-communication (during which the line I was writing for folded - so it wasn't even like I was trying to follow up on an ms. I had SERIOUS contract questions).

This was a "big" deal agent. Had lots of big name clients. I get it. I'm small potatoes. I wasn't asking for daily updates. I wasn't asking for weekly updates. I was basically pleading (which let me tell you isn't my cup of tea)... for 15 minutes to discuss some contract issues and run a potential idea by this person.

What I don't understand about this behavior is why agents don't think writers can't handle the rejection of being fired. We're rejected ALL THE TIME. You get used to it. Or you should.

"I'm sorry. I'm busy. I can't take you on right now. The project I hoped would sell didn't and I'm not that crazy about your new ideas. I think we should call it a day."

That conversation takes 20 minutes. Tops.

Not responding and letting authors linger for months - months that they ultimately lose in this business - that really hurts.

I get the "ignore them and they'll go away" approach for a teenager trying to "break up" with a boyfrind/girlfriend.

I don't get it from someone who is supposed to be a professional adult.

Jessica I heard you speak at RWA. You said you would rather hear from a client twenty times a day than not at all. I thought it was just about the coolest thing I ever heard an agent say and it made sense when you explained why.

Thank you.

A relationship with an agent is just that...a relationship. And I see men and women do this all the time in relationships--I think it has to do with not wanting to the the "bad guy." If the OTHER person breaks off the relationship, you can go on feeling OK about yourself. There may even be an element of guilt involved--your agent hasn't been able to sell your manuscript. She took it on, she has to feel bad about not being able to make it work.

>> I guess you could ask the agent what happens if your book doesn’t sell and if she’s ever acted this way, but you probably won’t get a straight answer.<<

I doubt the agents even know they're doing this. They probably say to themselves "I have nothing to report, so I'll call her next week because it's not urgent." Next week comes and goes and they think "oops, I didn't call. I'll get right on it." And it goes on and on and on until the author puts a stop to it.

Think about how easy it is to put off things you don't look forward to. I am sure agents are no different--there's always something more urgent than having the "it's not you, it's me" conversation.

green ray -- just went through the exact same thing. No responses to two separate requests for an update, both polite and both sent three months of silence after she requested a full.

Finally, I wrote to her and requested that my ms be withdrawn from consideration because another agent had requested it -- two months ago -- but would only read on an exclusive basis. (Yeah, I know: Exclusives Suck!)

Agent wrote back immediately. Swore she had never received my requests for updates - new email, IT problems, yada, yada, yada.

Regardless, I doubt she had any plans to take me on and I also question whether, as a new player, she'll make it as an agent.

This experience was the best demonstration I have had of the sage advice many writers and blogging agents have given: You're better off without an agent than getting stuck with a bad one (regardless of what constitutes said "badness.")

As for radio silence after your signed: What kind of a "professional" doesn't have the guts to have a frank discussion with a client when the relationship is clearly over? This whole business has a really shady side to it if you ask me.

I have a good agent now, but that wasn't always the case. It really is disappointing how many writers go through this.

The thing is, when your agent treats you badly, you tell EVERY writer you know. They're only hurting their own future business.

They complain when an editor doesn't get back to them on time, yet they IGNORE writers, their OWN writers, all the time, until their writers have no choice but to fire them.

So uneccessary. SO unprofessional. I think its about supply and demand. It's so hard to get ANY agent that you feel you can't complain about that agent's unprofessionalism, simply because you know the amount of time its gonna take to find another one.

I am in a similar situation too!

An agent expressed interest after reading some of my work and asked to represent me on my next project. I submitted some work, and then nothing for 3 months.

I sat tight and he eventually responded - he was excellent at communicating before this - and he said its good, we got some stuff to work on and he's call me.

He didn't and 4 months later, I have sent 2 gentle prompts - "Are you ready to see my reworked mss" but nothing.

He is at one of the top agencies, and it is hard to let someone go completely in this situation, yet, four months to respond to an email seems unreasonable to me.

I haven't had the chance to show the MSS to anyone else, but I feel ready to go out on my own and query widely. Where do I stand with this agent? We didnt sign anything, I have only showed him my work but he just isn't responding to me at all.

- Donna.

Donna, you owe nothing to this guy. Continue to query widely until you have a signed agency agreement.

I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth the trouble to try to secure an agent. The relationship doesn't even start with the question "Do you have compatible personalities to create a lasting business partnership?" but with "Do I like your work?" and "Will you accept me?" From the agent blogs that I've read, it seems that even if I find an agent who loves my work, it's often a relationship that's doomed to failure. That "loving spark" goes out and one side or the other decides to file for divorce. Um, decides to end the business relationship, that is.

Worse, I get this feeling from some agent websites and blogs that they want to be the one in control of the agent-author relationship. If I chose to go the agent route, I want someone who will answer my questions about the publishing industry and let me make my own decisions about my career rather than an agent who wants me to blindly follow whatever advice they give. Yes, I realize that many authors willingly go along with this set-up or even want it to be like this.

Hmm, this really is starting to sound like a dysfunctional dating/marriage relationship.

This is depressing, especially since I'm at a point right now of needing to decide to submit directly to publishers or find an agent. There are only a few agents in my genre that sound like good, easy-to-work-with agents, and how likely is it that those agents will love my work and be great to work with?

A question for one of the agents that I think would be great to work with:
Jessica, I write fantasy with very little romance, so you don't accept my genre--yet. You've said on this blog that you're submitting fantasy romance books to fantasy publishers and that you see fantasy in your future. Are you planning to agent straight fantasy books in the future? If so, can I ask about when you see this happening and what contacts you do have currently established with which fantasy publishers?

I haven't had the chance to show the MSS to anyone else, but I feel ready to go out on my own and query widely. Where do I stand with this agent? We didnt sign anything, I have only showed him my work but he just isn't responding to me at all.

Donna, you have no obligation to this agent. Don't wait another day--query now, query widely. And don't stop until you get an offer of representation. Remember, you were able to attract the attention of a top agent. I'm sure your project will be appealing to others, too. Best of luck.

I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth the trouble to try to secure an agent.

It depends on what your goals are. Do you want to be published with a major house? Then you'll need an agent.

I know this whole agent relationship thing sounds depressing (heck, my agent has ignored my last three emails), but this is a strange business. The more you know, the better you'll be able to handle the bumps and protect yourself and your career.

And it's not all doom and gloom. I've heard plenty of authors rave about their agents. Two of them are BookEnds clients.

Thanks for your comments! All in all its been a year since I met the agent and about 8 of the months just waiting. I think I am ready to see what other agents think of my work!

- Donna

I wanted to chime in on this one (it also relates to a lot of the questions people were asking on Jessica's previous post):

I feel very good about Jessica representing me because her enthusiasm for my writing was crystal clear from the first moment - and here's the thing, she rejected my first query because she didn't think she could sell it, so I wasn't a first manuscript wonder, by any means.

But once I had been writing novella length for EC for another year after that rejection I decided to embark on a single title. And my writing was simply better (thank god!). I emailed Jessica the idea, she emailed back and said send the first 100 pages -and the very next day she'd already read them and asked for the whole thing. Straight off the bat I knew I'd found someone who "got me". And 5 contracts in, I still know she gets me and loves my writing - even when she doesn't particularly adore some new proposal I've been working on. Even then, her suggestions for edits are spot on.

I think it all comes down to the fact that she's behind me as a writer, regardless of genre, hooks, etc. - and ideally, I think that's the person we all need in our court. And yes, she's very nice too, which helps a great deal during the long "talks of the soul" about career planning. ;-)

Isn't it a bit odd that the writer was sending ten copies of the manuscript to the agent? Or am I mistaken?

Several friends have agents who have given them the choice of either sending ms or covering the expense afterwards.
It's their call -- they did it because it was less expensive that way.

Great information--as always!

I feel for this writer.

My advice: Do not walk, run, RUN from this agent. Now. And take all your work with you.

This so-called agent has done you a terrible disservice.

Brush yourself off.
Regroup.
Focus.

You deserve SO much better than this. All writer's do. Make your needs very clear to your next agent, and if at all possible, contact some of that agent's clients so they can tell you how it REALLY is beign represented by that agent.

Agents like this, sadly, aren't as rare as we'd like them to be. Your work matters. You matter.

Jessica sort of naively says --

"...Honestly, though, I never understand why authors stick with agents who don't communicate..."

Oh, my. Take one look at your slush pile, that ought to make it crystal clear.

It is so hard to get an agent, any agent, that when you do and things take a turn for the worse, the absolute TIME the whole process has taken out of your life, makes you hold on for months and months, even when you know its over.

You can't just pick a shiny new agent off the agent tree.

Your agency (and you) seem so very top notch. But other agents don't share this honest and forward moving vision you have.

And more than likely, the picture other agents portray to you (as a fellow agent) isn't neccessarily the same reality that their clients face dealing with them on a month to month basis.

Just my thoughts.

A good agent should treat every single client as if she is her top client. Never do I want any of my clients to feel that they are less important than any others.

Hello Jessica

This reason is exactly why I wrote you regarding my desire to seek representation and why I'm setting aside all of my works-in-progress in order to concentrate on the proposal I plan on submitting to you.

See? I haven't forgotten to send it. I simply got hit with edits on a two of my contracted books. :)

Thank you for your great work ethic. It reassures a fairly new author that this business isn't as...harsh...as some claim it is.

And to this unfortunate author, do yourself a favor, find another agent. One who will give you the respect you deserve.

Thank you for this timely blog, Jessica. This almost could have been me, with the exception that the agent I was dealing with started doing this right before I was prepared to sign with them. I don't know why my agent suddenly contacted cold feet, but when I got a "I'll try to contact you in a few months when I'm not buried under work" I moved on.

Can I get some opinions on my situation, which is a little similar? I also have an agent who is with a very big agent. She is very friendly and nice when we do communicate - at first she was always prompt, very prompt with emails, would call when she said so.

So far, she asked for some writing, and I sent her this, and it took her 4 months to finally give some comments, and she apoligised for taking so long. To be honest, I thought she had lost interest. Instead she said it was good and there were some pointers to work on so she would call me on a specific day - she didn't - and that was 5 weeks ago. I sent her a nudge email, sort of, is everything ok, am I ok to show you some rewrites? But no response, which is odd, because she was so good in the beginning with correspondence.

Jessica - is this the norm? I've had other writers tell me it is normal for an agent to take 5 weeks to respond to a simple query. But it would just be nice to know where I stand, since we have some sort of verbal agreement, I wouldn't submit to other agents without discussing with the agent first....

Thanks,

Megan.

For me, it's harder to determine when an agent is going to help you advance your career. I've been with my agent for almost a year and while she is very savvy with contracts and negotiation, I get very little in the way of career planning. The agency is very reputable (people have heard of them), but sometimes I wonder what I'm missing out on. I am newly published (1 out, 2 scheduled), so I wondered if you could share what sorts of advice you would give your clients in terms of career advice.

Sometimes you even need to steel yourself against the good ones! Even the ethical, professional ones can be FAR FROM HELPFUL to the writer. Not necessarily their fault due to pressures of the book business. Check out my site in part on the topic at www.literaryrejectionsondisplay.blogspot.com

And I think it might bear saying that one person's Bad Agent could very well be another person's Agent God(dess)...as was the case with my first agent. I'm not the only writer who had a bad experience with her however she's done real well by 3-4 other writers (that I know of).

Anonymous at 10:04 has a point. One person's dream agent could be another person's nightmare, which is why I don't believe in the idea of ONE "dream agent" that a writer is desperate to get.

However, there are also Bad Agents who are bad for EVERYONE. They have no record of sales, no contacts, no whatever...

Good point, Diana. Having researched tons of agents, I've noticed that.

I met a 'bad agent' at a recent conference. I felt sorry for her, really, because you could see that the other, good agents, didn't want to be associated with her (though none were rude or anything -- it was in their eyes, their posture). At the same time, I also felt for the many attendees who flocked to her, excited when she showed interest in their work. Nice lady, without a doubt, but she seemed pretty darn clueless about agenting!

2readornot--

I think I was at that conference, too!

I met one of the writers the "bad agent" had signed. And the writer was at the conference (having traveled from another state) to pitch her own work!

Uh, excuse me, isn't that what your agent is supposed to be doing?

I then was eating breakfast with a group of people who said "bad agent" was interested in their work and wanted to sign them. And they were so excited! Oh, dear.
Research any agents sales carefully, was all I could say.

Good, good post on Bad Bad Agent. Been there, done that, got out.

Bad Agent isn't necessarily a bad person. Bad Agent often has the best intentions. Bad Agent is a bad experience for everyone involved...including Bad Agent. But is it also a Learning Experience? That's the most important thing, IMO. If Bad Agent = Magnifico Learning Experience, the chances of winding up with Bad Agent #2 diminish considerably (unless Eager Writer needs more than one lesson).

Also, as others have said, sometimes it's not a case of Bad Agent. Sometimes Baddie is simply Agent Wrong.

Cindy

Anonymous 3:22, sometimes authors will choose to pitch their own work at conference even if they have a fabulous agent. I've done it at times, even since signing with Jessica, simply because it's a nice way for me to meet the editor myself and see if we click at all. Usually we spend, oh, 30 seconds on the book, and the rest of the time simply chatting about industry doings, the conference, whatever. It's still all good.

And I'd like to add that in some ways, Bad Agent can be worse than a scam agent, simply because she truly does want to help. She's earnest and well-meaning and often a very lovely person, and that makes it so damned difficult to walk away. It's very easy to talk yourself into giving Bad Agent one more shot, just a few more months, simply because she's so sincere and seems to be trying so hard.

(And trust me - in this case, I am NOT talking about Jessica!)

Hah!
and triple Hah!
Fie upon agents!

None would take me. But I "Have a voice." Lalalalal

I would rather have a good editor but since I can't get an agent thats out. Actually I have a book coming out in October and I had an editor for that. The twin of bad agent probably.

Bookends - you rejected me but I will triumph!

Regards,

Steve

Kris Fletcher --

(I'm anon 3:22)

For sure if you were going to the conference anyway, pitch away -- I get that. But this agent had her client fly from the east coast to the middle of the country to pitch her own book, because said "agent" thought that'd be best, even though the agent was attending the same conference and the author had no previous sales.

Plus, she was pitching it as the next HP, I kid you not.

Just to keep you up to date, Miss Snark is no longer posting.

Yup Yup, I agree. I was just posting about "bad agent". An agent should be able to do something you cannot. Why else would you pay them?

I wish there was a way for the good agents to really expose the bad agents - w/o feeling like a-holes, y'know? Like maybe we could take some super serious oath, raise three fingers (or one!) in the air and promise not to stick out our tongues or roll our eyes or point and snicker, just to avoid (quite charmingly) signing with Bad Agent. Then maybe Good Agent would give us a list of names - or at least initials.

What I find more difficult to discern is this: When is a good agent just not the right fit? I've been with my agent for two years. She tried without success to sell my first manuscript. While she was doing that, I wrote another. Now she's submitting it to editors, most of whom are saying they love the book but it's "just not right" for their house. I've recently finished mansucript 3. Do I send it to her or try for a different fit? I personally like this agent very much and she loves my work, but I wonder if something about the combination of my work and her agenting just isn't gelling.

I've been with my agent for a year now and have been feeling that she might qualify for the "Bad Agent" label for about six months. Kinda worrisome. Since we've already submitted my ms. to several bigger houses, I feel like I'm stuck with her at least for this book. I can't imagine another agent wishing to take on a book that's already been shopped around, thus narrowing the already competitive field. I wish I could leave, but I think it would be jumping out of the kettle and into the fire.