What an Agent Does
A literary agent is a writer's guide throughout the publishing process, from submitting materials to signing the contract and collecting royalties. But a good literary agent does far more than just send out manuscripts and negotiate royalty rates. A good agent also is a writing coach, cheerleader, traffic cop, and business partner.
Beginning writers might wince at having to share their hard-won book earnings with a middleman, but partnering with the right agent is a worthwhile investment for those who envision a long and lucrative career as an author.
Coach and Critic
Agents tend to have a broader perspective on the publishing business than writers or even editors. Writers are focused on what they produce or want to produce; editors are focused on the needs of the publisher they work for. Agents deal with a variety of authors and genres and with a spectrum of publishers, large and small. They keep track of which new imprints — lines of books or publishing divisions — are starting up (and what kind of material they're looking for) and which are not doing well. They know which editors are moving on to bigger houses, and they stay in contact with editors they've worked with before, no matter which publisher that editor is currently working for.
One of the benefits of this wide-ranging experience is that agents know what particular publishers are looking for and can be more effective in targeting proposals and manuscripts to specific publishing markets. When a writer has a good idea for a book, an agent will assess the idea based on what he or she knows of the current publishing market and then offer suggestions to strengthen the proposal or manuscript. The agent's goal always is the same — to create a salable product.
Altering your manuscript or proposal to fit the market is a lot like altering clothes. If you buy a suit, and the trousers are four inches too long, you won't wear the suit until the trousers are hemmed to fit you. Likewise, if your book project doesn't quite fit the publishing market, you probably won't be able to sell it until you've made the appropriate alterations. An effective agent suggests tailoring for your project, making recommendations that will help your project better fit the market.
Constructive criticism from an agent is not meant to be hurtful; it is intended to help you craft the kind of manuscript a publisher will want to buy. You don't have to accept an agent's suggestions, but understanding the motivation behind those suggestions can take much of the sting out of the criticism.
Cheerleader
A good agent should be honest about her client's prospects of getting published but also enthusiastic about the project's potential. Because so much of the twenty-first-century publishing world seems to move at a nineteenth-century pace, it's easy for writers (especially first-time writers) to lose their energetic optimism as the publishing process drags on. Your agent, on the other hand, is intimately familiar with the vagaries of publishing and can offer both insight and encouragement, even when things don't seem to be going well.
Besides cheering you on, your agent gets other people excited about you and your work. Many people have a hard time boosting themselves, whether in a job interview or in their authors' bios; most of us have been taught from toddler-hood that it's not nice to brag. The agent has no such compunction about boasting. Part of his job is to promote his clients' talent, as well as their actual work. A good agent will revel in convincing editors that you're the next Toni Morrison or David McCullough.
Traffic Cop
A good agent will resolve issues with publishers that you won't even be aware of. When he's selling your project, he handles all the contract negotiations, then presents you with a complete offer to consider. You don't have to worry about things like the number of free copies you'll receive when your book is published, or how the royalty rate changes based on the number of copies sold, or even whether the royalty rate is based on the list price or the wholesale price of your book. Your agent knows the industry standards for all these details, and he will negotiate the best deal possible for you.
Most agents will keep you posted on developments as they market your project to publishers. Some agents prefer to wait until the marketing is completed, then give you a summary of the responses. Others will send off a quick e-mail whenever they get a response from a publisher, positive or not.
Your agent's duties don't end with the signing of the contract. Even as you write your manuscript for the publisher, your agent will be in contact with your editor, resolving any issues that might arise, answering the editor's questions, and continually keeping the editor excited about you and your book. Nine times out of ten, you won't even know that these conversations are taking place. Your agent wants you to concentrate on writing and won't bother you with minor details.
Likewise, if you have an issue that needs to be brought to your publisher's attention, your agent acts as a go-between. Any number of things can change the complexion of your book even as you're in the middle of writing it. New developments in medical research might warrant a change in your book's outline. The technical adviser you're working with on your architecture book may fall ill and be unable to assist you. Your agent, when aware of such developments, can work with your editor to accommodate him.
Business Partner
The only way a reputable agent makes money is by selling clients' manuscripts to publishers. The typical agent's commission for domestic sales is 15 percent of the author's revenues, including all advances and royalties. Because the agent is paid from the writer's revenues, many writers think of themselves as the employer and the agent as the employee. But this is a poor model for the agent-author relationship, and, indeed, can cause innumerable problems on both sides.
A better way to think of the relationship is as a joint business venture. As the writer, you supply the goods to be sold; the agent supplies her expertise in the publishing industry to find a market for your goods and negotiate the best sale terms. This partnership allows each of you to do what you do best and ultimately results in profitable and fulfilling careers for both of you.
The “joint business venture” model also implies longevity, which makes sense both for agents and authors. The longer you stick with your agent, the better the two of you will work together, and the more successful your partnership will be. In the early stages of your career, your agent will be akin to an athlete's trainer, teaching you the business and helping you turn your raw talent into salable projects. Because of the time and energy involved in training new writers, effective agents usually prefer authors who are interested in building careers, and writers who are serious about their careers look for agents who have that long-term philosophy.
An agent's commission is usually higher for foreign sales because such sales often mean hiring a co-agent in the overseas market, with whom the commission must be split. Foreign-sales commissions typically range from 20 to 25 percent of an author's revenues.
This is not to say that once you find an agent, you should stick with him no matter what. There's no point in staying with an agent who isn't enthusiastic about representing you, for example, whether it's because the agent himself is ineffective or because he doesn't usually handle the kind of books you want to write. Sometimes, too, your personality and the agent's just won't complement each other. If your relationship with your agent isn't working, for whatever reason, consider finding another.
