Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Location: Books & Such Central Valley Office, CA
So what’s the fifth thing your agent does not want to hear? “I’m taking a writing break. It’s time for a sabbatical.”
Can you hear the agent groans from all across cyberspace? We understand that life sometimes gets in the way of writing. Illness, financial realities, giving birth, raising a family, caring for loved ones– any of these things may necessitate the need to step back from a writing career. Hitting your head up against one closed door after another can also make a writer want to step back.
As someone who talks a lot about finding balance in life, I understand the need to reassess and regroup. But. . .
A break is going to cost you. Building a career is all about gaining momentum and trying to reach critical mass. Velocity matters. If you take a break for a couple of years, you start all over again, this time without the potential excitement of being a debut author. When you come back we have no idea if you’ll still matter to your readers or if they have moved on. When your agent reintroduces you to publishers he will have to explain the continuity break in the same way you have to explain a time lapse on your resumé.
And it’s possible your agent cannot guarantee that there will still be a place for you when you return. Each agent has a certain level of active clients he maintains. If you take a break, he may use the opening to accept someone new. when you come back, does he go over his comfortable client level to fit you back in? Hopefully.
We’ve observed that when an author takes a break he loses touch with the market. For the Mount Hermon Writer’s Conference Career Track our team noticed that those writers returning from a five-plus year hiatus were woefully out of the loop. In addition to a prerequisite of published books we had to add a requisite time span since last publication.
All that said, we do know that life sometimes intervenes. There are times when a break is inevitable and hopefully everyone on the team will work hard to mitigate any damage. But it’s still one of things we hate to hear, especially if an author’s career is coming along nicely.
Your turn: This week I’ve touched on just five of the things that make agents cringe. What are some other things you think might ruin an agent’s day. Or, on the flip side, what about you? What would you prefer not to hear from an agent?
I think the key here is clear communication. If both writer and author are clear on how they want the relationship to work from the beginning then they stand a much better chance of not getting too frustrated later on. And if they are, to communicate nicely what is bothering them.
Have to say I wouldn’t want to hear your new book stinks or sorry, I can’t work with you anymore. 🙂
Thanks for this week’s posts. Great as usual.
What would I prefer not to hear? “We accept only published authors.” They were all unpublished at one point, right? I simply want an agent to give my work fair consideration, even if the answer is no–because I do understand the agent has a life outside of work, and clients they’re already working with. I understand I may not fit in with a particular agent. My work may not be ready. All well and good! Just don’t say no with no consideration at all.
One needs to make a serious time commitment–and have work stockpiled “just in case” before starting to query an agent. But what about authors forced to take a publishing break because their editor leaves, their publisher shuts down, or they’re dropped because of low sales? How long would you suggest an already published author who cannot sell future projects keep at it before packing it in?
Voni, very few agents only take published authors. Everyone dreams of discovering the next great voice.
As someone who signed with an agent one week ago, I’ve found this week’s series to be fascinating. Thank you! I’ve been going it alone for so long, it’s difficult to think of all the aspects this new relationship can and will touch.
When I had my first child, I became a stay-at-home mom and thought it was the perfect time to pursue my dream of becoming a published author. But, I quickly learned it was the LEAST perfect time!
So I waited until my life could fit a career plus my family, and I’m so glad I did. I might not be able to predict the future, but I know this is what I want to do consistently for many, many years!
This week’s posts helped me so much. Several of my friends have read them too, and we’ve been discussing how much we’ve learned. Thank you!
Wendy, I’ve really enjoyed this series of posts. Great perspective from the agent point of view! Thanks.
When I think about taking a break from writing, it is for a week or two!
Even then, I’m still doing some writing; it is too much a part of who I am to take a long term break.
It’s encouraging to hear your response to Vonni, that every agent dreams of discovering the next great voice. Obviously, every writer dreams of being the next great voice! Your posts are not only encouraging in their content, but they are also encouraging knowing you, as an agent, care enough to take time out of your busy schedule to address all of these issues. I’m sure one of the benefits to you is that you receive better querries, but those of us following your posts must be a small percentage of the querries you receive every day. So, thank you for taking the time to give us tools to succeed.
Wendy,
I just managed to get caught up with the posts for Thursday and Friday. What a wonderful series! We’ll look with anticipation to your next at-bat in the Books & Such line-up. I know these require a double scoop of time and energy, but know they are well appreciated.
I suppose what I would not want to hear from an agent is silence. I think I’d rather have some sort of response, regardless of most outcomes – be it from a query, proposal, or contact after becoming agented. But, I also know most agents strive hard to respond to all inquiries. As we all know, there’s only so much time in a day to accomplish all the tasks given to us!
Wendy, thank you, yet again, for such an informative series. This blog never lacks useful and applicable information. I appreciate everyone’s time, effort, and kindness here.