I know a little more about agents now.
A few nights ago the local library, which puts on a number of writing-related
events, hosted an agent who spoke
to the group for more than an hour. I passed on my
weekly critique group that night and went to see what the agent had to say.
This particular agent is an attorney specializing in legal issues relating to authors, both in fiction and non-fiction, and he also doubles as an agent. Listening to him speak, I realized there are several spectrums for agents. One of those spectrums is best described as having the words literary-minded at one end, and legal-minded at the other. This fellow was closer to the legal end.
He is more about the deal—about getting the best terms for the writer in the contract. Making sure all it is as bulletproof as possible. This fellow is less literary-minded. He does not suggest rewrites to the author before sending a manuscript out. If he reads it, likes it, and thinks he can sell it, then he gives you an offer of representation. You accept and you are off to the races.
The only time he will suggest rewrites is if he sees a trend in the responses from editors.
He also counsels writers to get every contract reviewed by an attorney familiar with publishing—everything from an agreement for representation to the deal with the publisher to (and he was only half-joking when he said this) your car rental agreement when you are on a book signing tour.
This fellow is markedly different than the agents who sat on a panel at a writer’s conference I attended last year. The agents at the conference were more concerned with the story, the literary aspect of it. It is an issue of what you want in an agent. The literary vs. legal spectrum is one parameter to consider. The kind of agent you want depends on what you feel you need.
Oh, and there was one other surprise of the night. Another writer in the group asked about his services in correcting typos and grammatical errors. Yeah, you read that right. Does this fellow, or any agent, proofread manuscripts? The answer to that one is a resounding no. Providing a clean manuscript is the writer’s job. That’s why you have critique groups and alpha readers.
See ya’ later.
WhatIfYouCouldNotFail.com by Tim Sunderland is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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