I know I have been gone for awhile, but the simple truth is I am still a beginner in the writing world, and my time is most often spent writing or learning from the blogs of others. Finding a topic I feel competent discussing is more challenging than you would assume. However, today, I do feel I have found one.
Everyone knows there is more than one road to publication and all are equally valid, but my preference has been traditional publishing. With that in mind I have finished two complete novels. Terrified, I handed them over to betas for feedback. I polished and revised where necessary. Rinse and repeat. Once I finished this and felt they were in the best possible shape I could get them, I began the query letter.
Oh, the query letter. Superseded in agony only by the dreaded synopsis. Why, oh why, do these things need to be so difficult?
Anyway, once said query and synopsis were completed, the agent search began. So many agents I had followed via twitter or their blogs. Fabulous agents who devoted countless hours to giving advice and critiques to authors on everything from the importance of the hook in their query to the first five pages. Funny, witty agents who were entertaining and personable. Agents with great taste who loved the same books or shows as I do. We had to be a perfect fit, right? Wrong. This is where the words do your research come into play.
Just because an agent loved Buffy as much I did doesn't mean they will love me. Or my work. Or really, upon closer inspection, even represents the things I write. One must always research agents through their websites and their blogs, yes. But what I came to discuss today is what I've learned only through experience. I did my homework. I researched my agents. I queried based on genre, preference, and I followed all of the posted submission guidelines. And yet, there is one agent who surprised me. One agent that taught me a newer way to research and has lead to my resolve to dig deeper next time.
One agent who requested material seemed to be a great fit. A newer agent spotlighted by Writer's Digest as looking to build their list (recommended for debut authors as more open), this agent represented my genre enthusiastically as a preference, not just one of a long list of things they'd accept. We did have similar taste and their twitter feed suggested a matching sense of humor. I double checked my manuscript and sent the request. It was received with a good bit of enthusiasm and I was given an expected turn around time for a guaranteed response. It has been proven a common thread that even 'no response means no' agents respond to a request they've made.I commenced the happy dance with Katy Perry as my mental soundtrack.
In the ensuing weeks, I read all I could find about that agent. I had a renewed sense of purpose as I saw their name in my search engine. Weeks passed as I waited out my turn around time, and I found a new fact about the agent. They are also a writer.
But not just any writer. A now hugely successful writer who has multiple releases this year and has been doing blog hops, signing events and a tour both in the US and recently overseas. This agent has been very, very busy being their author self. Doubt surfaced in my mind. This person is so busy with their own stuff, how much time will they have to contribute to an author they sign? It is excellent news for this agent/author. The reviews are great, they are very hot right now. The signing I attended quietly as a fan was packed.
And this person? Fabulous. Every bit as funny and personable as their now silent twitter feed suggested. I have no doubt, absolutely none, that our personalities would be a fit. Yet, still, the doubt remains. This much success on top of their already signed clients. Their other commitments go beyond even that. So many things demanding their time and attention. And so those horrible words struck. No agent is better than the wrong agent.
I had heard the concept before and dismissed it. Surely I had read and educated myself enough to know not to fall victim to the scammers out there. I didn't offer exclusives, I didn't pay any fees. I didn't query any agent I couldn't research on Writer Beware or Query Tracker. I checked the sales and clients of everyone I queried. Surely the agents I chose would be safe, right? The truth, it seems, is no.
Signing with an agent is a huge thing. So many authors focus on being accepted that they forget they are ALSO accepting. Accepting that this person is the best one for you, the best person to represent you and your work to the publishing world. That takes work and time. Hopefully, the agent/client relationship is a long term one, spanning your career as an author. You need to know the agent who signs you considers you a priority and has time for you. In short?
Do your research!
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