Debunking Myths About What Literary Agents Do
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The querying process is a long and weary one, and I know it can be intimidating to reach out to literary agents. Unfortunately, misinformation about the publishing industry abounds, so it’s important to stay informed as you pursue your publishing dreams. The truth is that after you acquire representation, a literary agent will be one of your closest allies during the traditional publishing process.
In this article I want to debunk some common misconceptions about literary agents by going over what literary agents actually do and how they serve their authors. The goal is to help you feel more comfortable going into the process of seeking representation, as you will better understand how literary agents work with authors.
This information comes from my experience working at a top tier literary agency in New York City. There, I worked for high profile agents that represent a number of New York Times best-selling authors.
To start off with a small misconception: Even though it feels like there's a weird power dynamic between agents and authors, the truth is agents need queries. They are excited to receive your submissions, because working with authors is the core of their job.
Just know that even though during the querying process you can feel this weird tension and power dynamic, the whole process is a mutual collaboration. Once you find your literary agent, it should feel like a partnership. So I hope you're able to hold on to that and keep it in mind as you enter the “querying trenches.”
To help you on your journey, let’s dive into the common misconceptions about what literary agents do.
1. Agents Apply Pressure
The first misconception is that agents pressure their clients to write and finish their books quickly. In reality, agents would much rather you deliver a high quality and polished draft you feel confident in. They don’t want to rush you, as it will lead to a draft you are not confident in.
The ultimate goal of a literary agent is to sell your book to an editor at a publishing house. Having a strong draft is only going to increase your chances of getting a book deal. Plus, the publishing industry is, by nature, a slow one. Agents understand that it takes months or years to write a book. Then, once you get a book deal, it's still going to take anywhere from one to two years to see it on the shelves.
So there is no rush. If you're feeling some kind of pressure internally, I want you to relieve yourself of that by saying that your agent is there to support you through the process, however long it takes.
Keep in mind, though, that once you sign a book deal with a publishing house, there are going to be deadlines. If you want your book to be released on its assigned publishing day, you need to match that timeline.
However, if you are having trouble making revisions in time or meeting certain deadlines, then that's a conversation you can have with your agent, who will then go to the publishing house’s editor and work something out. These deadline rescheduling conversations are something I saw all the time in the industry. Books get delayed and rescheduled as needed because writing is an art, and good art takes time.
So I hope that gives you a better sense of what to expect in terms of timelines when working with an agent. Your agent is there to support you, not time you.
2. Agents Just Want Your Money
The second misconception is that agents just want to take authors’ money. This is certainly not the attitude for any of the agents that I've met or worked with.
To lay down some background, let's delve into how agents get paid. They receive 15% of all the revenue on their clients’ book deals. This includes the advance from a publishing house as well as any royalties and sub-rights deals.
While that may seem like a high number, remember: you typically can't get a book deal at a major publishing house without an agent. If you want to go the traditional publishing route, you must accept that 15% of those checks will go to your agent.
If an agent has a large number of high-profile, best-selling authors on their client list and those best-selling authors are continuing to churn out regular royalties, that does mean agenting can be highly profitable. However, that also means it’s quite profitable for the author as well. When you are working with an agent, their success is your success, and vice versa. It all goes hand in hand.
There’s nearly no situation in which a literary agent is swindling money that is owed to you, because you've agreed from the very beginning to give them that 15%.
Now, if an agent is asking you to pay them anything in addition, especially anything upfront before you've even worked with them or signed a book deal, then that is most likely a scam. Unfortunately, there are literary agent scammers out there, so do your due diligence and weed out any fishy agents that come your way.
I hope that provides some clarity on the monetary aspect of your agent relationship.
3. Agents Only Work with Established Authors
The third misconception is that agents only work with established authors. This simply isn't true to what literary agents do. Think of agents as talent scouts or recruiters. They are always on the lookout for up-and-coming writing talent. They want to bring people onto their client list who they can nurture throughout their careers. Many literary agents sign authors who are early in their careers specifically because you need an agent before you can get a book deal at a major publishing house.
I see a lot of writers being concerned they can’t get an agent because they don’t have published work, a writing degree, or a large social media presence. Because they look unestablished, they worry that literary agents won’t be interested in their stories.
While those things might help you get the attention of a literary agent, they are not necessities to have before you sign with one. Many debut authors do not have any of those credentials, so it shouldn’t hold you up either!
If agents only worked with established authors, they would be defeating the purpose of their own job. Their job is to get new authors book deals and get their books published, so don't let that misconception taint your understanding of how the industry works.
4. Agents Want to Mold Authors
The fourth misconception is that agents want authors to fit a set mold. People often think the traditional publishing houses only want to publish a certain type of book in a certain type of genre, and that's all they're ever going to put out.
It is true, to a certain extent, that the publishing industry is a bit reluctant to innovate and change compared to other industries. However, in reality, editors are always looking for something new and surprising because that's how best-sellers are born. Those books that have skyrocketed and wowed so many readers only came to be because they were doing something new and different that readers didn't even know they wanted.
So if your book doesn't fit into a set mold, do not let that hold you back from seeking traditional publishing. Even if your novel is out of the box, even if it's hard to describe within one genre classification, go ahead and try querying anyway. If an agent loves your writing and loves your story, they're not going to care what genre it is. They are going to do their best to figure out how to get you published.
Something else I've seen come up is the question of whether an agent would drop a writer if they decide to write in a different genre or style. In my experience, that's not the case. The agent has signed you because they love your writing and storytelling style, so they're going to stick with you throughout your career, whether that means a shift in genre or trying something different.
Again, think of your agent as your partner throughout your writing and publishing career. They should be the ones to stick by your side as long as you are both mutually benefiting from the relationship.
5. Agents are Flaky and Dismissive
The last misconception is that agents are flaky or dismissive. Now, I know how disheartening it can feel to send out several dozens of queries, only to get crickets in return. It’s also discouraging to only receive a form rejection or two, with no constructive criticism or personalization. This kind of cold response can put a bad taste in anyone’s mouth, especially after you’ve put so much effort into your book and query letter.
Although it may seem like the literary agents don’t care, that is not the case. Even if an agent ghosts you or sends you a bland response, it doesn’t mean they don’t care about you or your feelings at all. In reality, literary agents appreciate every submission they get, even if they can’t respond to them.
I know that's hard to believe, but it's the truth. I can tell you, from firsthand experience working at a busy literary agency, that agents are simply trying to balance their workload. Between managing their client lists, editing books, getting those books out to editors, seeing them through to publication, as well as trying to connect with new writers, reviewing query letters tends to fall at the end of their to-do list.
Literary agents, like other professionals, are simply busy. They're doing their best to get back to as many queries as they can. If you aren’t receiving responses, try not to take it personally and keep your head up! Finding an agent is like dating; you’re going to go through many rounds of rejection and ghosting, and it will hurt. But when you find the right match that responds and listens to you, then it will all feel worth it.
I hope this information helps you feel more comfortable and confident going into the querying process, giving you some clarity on what literary agents do if you are in the thick of it. I also wanted to give you some information about the agent side so you can understand where they're coming from as well.
At the end of the day, publishing is a business, not a purely creative pursuit. So if you approach it with that mentality, it can soften the emotional blow of getting rejections. Instead, you can focus on finding the right partner for your project that will lift you into success.
Thanks so much for reading and happy writing!