Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Okay, I’m going to wade into dangerous waters today and talk about my own profession and the stuff that gives us a bad name. I’m well aware that I’m giving you a scorecard by which to judge me as well. That’s okay. My friends, my trusted advisors and my clients will be the first to hold me accountable.
Agenting is changing and many agents these days are wearing more than one hat but some things never change. Let me tell you some of the stuff that displays a shocking lack of integrity in a literary agent:
Agents charging “reading fees”— As I mentioned, many agents are wearing multiple hats in this new DIY climate. They may be offering some self-publishing options or doing some teaching or editing on the side and that’s okay, but some things never change. If someone sets up shop as an agent and asks you for money before evaluating your manuscript for possible representation, run the other way. Bad agent behavior. Each reputable agency must offer a way to submit queries and/or manuscripts sans any kind of fee. An agent still represents a client based on her belief in your eventual success. We may work a long time without remuneration but that’s part of the job.
Poaching— We have a rule in agenting. We do not approach an already-agented author with representation in mind. That’s not to say we don’t sometimes talk to agented authors–we’ve all been in this industry long enough to have writer friends both agented and unagented. But “poachers” lack integrity. They wait for other agents to spot potential in new writers and allow those agents to go through all the slim years of building a writer’s career before they sidle up next to a now-successful writer to ask “innocent” questions like, “Is your agent doing all she can do with your foreign rights?” Or, “Is your agent actively pursuing film options for your book?” Those are complicated issues your agent probably has well in hand but the Fagins of the agenting world dangle these and other supposed shortcomings like candy in front of the unsuspecting author.
This is a complex issue we agents talk about frequently because losing a client to one of the notorious poachers is painful. Each one of us would love to sign a successful writer who has already left his agent for a valid reason and is seeking new representation, but this is different. Very different. The agents who do this are not respected in the industry nor are the authors who fall for this ploy. Bad agent behavior.
An Inappropriate Public Persona— Your agent represents you. She should always be circumspect in the way she acts in public and the things she says on social media and at industry gatherings. A tipsy agent, a controversial agent, or a buffoon damages her reputation and, by association, yours.
Disclosing contract details— Most details of a contract are confidential. Agents must be careful not to disclose those details to other clients or to other publishers unless the publishers understand disclosure is part of the process, as in an auction situation. Spilling details is bad agent behavior.
Sharing proprietary information— An agent with integrity has good filters. He knows that he is privy to much proprietary information from each publisher. We have an unspoken agreement with our publishers that we will not take their information and pass it on to the next house we visit. Even if a publisher is doing an innovative marketing push that works like a charm and though we’d love to pass it on so another client of ours at another house could benefit, we absolutely must not. It would be bad agent behavior.
Sharing client information— Again, an agent with integrity has good filters. We need to keep our clients’ information confidential. We don’t share details without permission. Bad agent behavior. We don’t have HIPA guidelines like your doctor does, but we have the same responsibility.
So how does a writer tell if an agent is one with integrity? Ask around. Other writers will tell you what they know. Ask your editor to name two or three agents he or she feels confident to work with. Listen carefully when an agent speaks on a panel. You’ll pick up clues. Note the agents who seem to regularly sign already agented authors– they may be the ones who let other agents build a career before they swoop in and try to poach the tried and true.
When choosing an agent, integrity is a must. You want an agent who is respected by his colleagues and publishers alike. You want an agent the publishing houses are delighted to work with.
Your turn. Is all this too complicated? If you are unagented, how do you plan to go about choosing? What is important to you? Note: In the comments we will be careful not to call out any particular agents, right? We’re talking generally here, not specific.
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Wendy, thanks for this informative post. The thing I see as ironic is the idea that we pick an agent. The picture – we are standing at the dance, and we know with whom we would like to dance, but the agent’s dance card is already filled with clients. The un-agented waits by the punch table and lightly waves “over here, please”.
Yes, we pick to whom we submit, and I am still scouting agents, but am also submitting to publishers who read un-agented submissions even if it just a slush pile. I am an optimist and also a realist. Today you are hearing from the realist.
Thanks for the always informative blog and for the depth of wisdom that you share.
Thanks for sharing a bit of your realism. I agree. It’s difficult for a not-yet-published writer to have a pick of agents. You are smart in that you are pursuing publication at the same time as seeking an agent. It is sometimes easiest to get a top agent when you come with a good contract in hand. 😉
(And yes, you still need an agent even if you have a contract. Agents offer so much more than just entry into publishing.)
Sheila, the picture you painted made me cringe and smile at the same time. Praying for you as you wave and submit to agents.
Great, and brave, post.
I had two bad experiences several years ago. The first was with a reading-fee agent (who did not advertise as such).
Several months after sending an email query, I was asked to send a full paper MS, along with a $125 reading fee.
It was duly sent, and a few weeks later I received back my annotated (and, smelling of cigarettes, nicotine-stained) MS from the agent’s assistant, with the suggestion that these changes would make it attractive, and I should return it as soon as possible with a FedEx return slip, just in case.
Okay, did that. A few weeks later I received a business envelope with my cover letter, on which was handwritten words to this effect – “I only had to read a few pages to realize that this is not for me. Your MS has been recycled.” This agent is still around.
The second was even worse, in a way. A big-name agent asked for a partial, then a full, and gave encouragement through several rewrites, saying “we’re almost there; just a couple of detail changes and I’ll sign you”. After a year of this – and I did incorporate every suggested change – I got a short email that suggested I take up another hobby. This chap seems to have departed the arena.
Both were discouraging, but what kept me going was good feedback from Beta readers, people who had no axe to grind, and not apples to polish. I figured that if the stories resonated with ‘regular’ readers, I was on the right track.
I used to paint, and agents seemed to take on something of the persona of art-show judges, whose criteria were intellectually highfalutin’, and somewhat out of touch with people who’d actually come to look at the pictures. (If you painted technically competent landscapes, you were consigned to the netherworld; but stick-figures with purple faces were somehow in vogue.)
It took awhile for me to learn that the comparison wasn’t accurate, and that agents walk a tightrope of marketing prophecy on which their future livelihood depends.
And realizing this, I can accept that while I didn’t like the reading fee, I did get some concrete suggestions to improve my craft.
In the second case, the agent may simply have had a change of heart, or saw the end of a career approaching. Or, perhaps, I was inadvertently rude, or sounded difficult. I’ll never know.
Immanuel Kant said that to understand all is to forgive all.
Perhaps lifting the veil, just a bit, allows one to lt it go, without bitterness.
A brief aside – Wendy, I loved your description last week of the retreat activities…so much so that I gave my blog a makeover on that very day!
Well, not intentionally. I was trying to place the Christian Marriage Bloggers’ Association logo, and would up changing the whole format.
But I’ve got a ton of “I love this!” comments and emails, so…it’ll be permanent, and I’ll credit you with the inspiration!
So nice to hear that I was inspiring. Must be a little payback, andrew, because you inspire us each time you comment.
The whole agent submission process is a bit of a muddle. It always makes me cringe to hear how much writers read into it because we do it so poorly and too-often so haphazardly. Truth is, for me, queries and submissions come after I take care of my current clients. Often that means that there is zero time left to handle these. I feel badly for seeming so flaky when it comes to handling these submissions on which so much emotion rests. (Don’t forget, I was a writer long before becoming an agent.)
I would imagine we all understand that taking care of clients has to come first; you’ve got to make a living, and your clients have both a financial and moral dependence on the quality of your work.
Dealing with queries at the end isn’t flaky at all. It’s the right thing to do.
Thanks, Wendy, for that honest comment. Sometimes we forget that agents are real people with a huge workload they are sorting through. It gives me a fresh perspective on how challenging it must be to be all there for your clients while wanting to devote time to the newbies looking for representation. You’ve explained agent “flakiness” well. 🙂
Thank you, Wendy. There is only one agency I have my eye on for their trustworthiness and willingness to freely share their wealth of knowledge. I hope to one day have a work worthy of representation. When I have it, I’ll know. 🙂 Until then, back to work … 🙂
*Blush*
Ethics SHOULD be the new black. 😉
Agreed, with feeling.
That’s why I hang out here. Nothing like being around people you can trust.
Love this. It should be a poster. (And, after posting a blog like this one, I pray that we always let that be our banner.)
Wendy, I agree with your statement: integrity is a must. This is one of my priorities for choosing which agents to query. I also want an agent who has faith in the Author of the best book on the planet (the bible), and one who is genuinely excited about representing me.
As I finally begin the query process, I realize there are only a handful of agents I feel peace approaching. But I like the place of peace, and I would rather go it alone then swim in murky waters.
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac ❀
When one is desperately trying to get an agent it’s hard to realize the truth of what you said, “I would rather go it alone then swim in murky waters,” but having a bad agent is worse than no agent at all.
Thank you, Wendy and Wendy, for your thoughts!
Before I plunge into the agent waters, I’ll let my “Life Guard” know my plans, and trust in His guidance for where and when to make that leap! 🙂
Wendy, I appreciate your transparency and openness to accountability. It’s good to be aware of what is okay and what’s not when it comes to agent do’s and don’t’s.
As an unagented writer, I have talked with a number of agented friends to find out who they are represented by. Sometimes, I’ll ask why they went with who they did too. I’m doing my research and checking out agent’s blogsites.
Integrity in an agent is hugely important to me. I work hard to operate with integrity, and I want to know that the person representing me values this as well. Also high on my list is being represented by someone who shares my faith. I think this will reduce/eliminate many differences in opinion on how things should be done.
I’m pretty sure I know who I want to be represented by. Now to get something finished up that is worth representing. 🙂
Happily, there are a number of agents who are people of integrity and faith. It doesn’t mean we are perfect– far from it– but it does mean we are connected to the One who will offer us a course correction.
When I started trying to get an agent for my first ms. 6 years ago, I researched everyone who represented my genre (not that many) and sent out queries. Had a close call, but it fell through. Now I just research the couple of agents and editors who go to our little local writer’s conference and pick two or three people to pitch to every year. I’m spending most of my time writing and just praying that when the right ms. that needs to be represented comes along, the Lord will make a connection.
And keep in mind, Kristen, that things change all the time. For instance, if your genre were fantasy, the market will swing around eventually and you’ll find all agents trying to find the perfect fantasy writers.
It’s just that we are so market driven we always look at each project and try to gauge whether or not we can sell it. It makes no sense to take a project that we’ll spend days and weeks on only to come up short.
I’ll keep that in mind. This is one of the reasons why I pitched to Rachel both times she visited our conference. You never know when the market will change. I’ll just keep plugging along, trying to get better, and hoping that YA and middlegrade fiction start to become better sellers in the CBA.
I’m a little slow, granted, but I’ve finally come to realize how vulnerable we all are, day in and day out, in this world of high tech communication. It’s way too easy for me to throw out a comment on Facebook…I’ve done it a lot I’m sure…sometimes without thinking…well…that would be obvious…about how others will take it. Finally I clued in that I might need to tone it down a tad, because I’m really a nice person, I just get annoyed by others on a regular basis…lol…but come on, Facebook isn’t the forum for that. 🙂 So I’m trying very hard to be extremely careful about what I say online these days (Wendy your talk in Monterey was perfect 🙂 ). Not only to spare myself the angst of someone telling me they were offended or hurt by what I said, but also because I realize somebody taking something the wrong way could be damaging to my career – I’m represented by this awesome agent and splendiferous agency and why on earth would I want to do anything that might reflect badly on others who are working every day on my behalf? That’s how I look at it. Sometimes it may take a while for people to get the message of what is and is not appropriate to share in public – but you’re right, I lose a little respect when I see a well-known person talking trash about somebody or just ranting on a public forum. There seems to be a lot of that going around lately. I’m glad to know that my agency stays out of it. Even though I’m sure it’s tempting at times to just say ‘something’…I’ve learned through my experiences that it’s better to walk away from the computer and call a friend instead. Thanks for the post. Good reminders for all of us. 🙂
Me, too, Cathy. You have no idea how tempted I am to jump into the waters and comment. I may even write out a whole diatribe and then erase it. I have to always keep in mind that when I feel like engaging in a little controversy I’m taking all my clients along with me for the ride.
I’m tempted as well to respond. But we aren’t allowed to. If you don’t have a book published, you can’t be right. It doesn’t matter you read over 30 books about the craft of writing or that you took a professional course in writing. And it doesn’t matter you attended conferences or seminars in the past. You can’t disagree or look smarter than people who are published. Sigh…You can’t disagree with agents and editors.
We have to be humble.
I approach people with an open heart. But I need to remember to stay invisible when I don’t agree. Sigh… I need to seal my lips instead of jumping in with my help if nobody asked for it.
In addition to observing agents at conferences, blogs like this one have been of indescribable value in getting to know agents and agencies. Thank you for your efforts here.
Good observation, Meghan. Reading agent blogs is another way to get to know your potential agent and to see how they think.
I followed the pictures of the “Bookies Retreat” with a sigh, remembering the two years I attended, and missing Etta all over again.
But I love this post because you, Wendy, were the first agent I pursued. I had done my homework regarding respectable agencies and met you the first time at an OCW conference. Because my WIP was a middle grade historical fiction, you sent me to Etta. (Another sigh.)
Now that I’m writing historical fiction for women, I’ve had to renew my search for the right agency. And herein lies the problem. It is very difficult, might I say nearly impossible, to consider other agencies once one has been a Bookie.
I turned down one offer of representation because the agency didn’t seem to measure up.
My efforts may be doomed by standards set so high.
I fear it’s your fault, Wendy.
Because I wouldn’t dare blame Etta!
Eek! All my fault. And you can’t miss Etta any more than I do. She is one of a kind.
It’s impossible to express how thankful I am to be a part of this splendiferous (as Cathy said) agency.
Agent panels at Mount Hermon were a great way to observe a possible future partner. And when I watched a gracious, winsome, and prudent woman in action I let the Lord in on the desires of my heart. They were His desires too, and for that I am humbled and grateful.
Agent panels are, indeed, a great way to gauge an agent’s persona. Of course, don’t forget, we are putting our best foot forward. Writers need to ask the hard questions. 🙂 Yep. Grill us.
Though I’m not a part of the Books and Such professional ‘family’, I agree with Shelli’s comment above that it’s the only agency I really have my eye on.
Granted, there are other fine agents and agencies, but I have been ‘here’ for quite a while, and have learned a trust that is deeper than confidence in your ethics, and the sincerity of the B&S mission.
If it’s meant to be in God’s grand plan, one day I will be part of the family…and even make operative that dreadful word…”retreat”. (“We’re not retreating, we’re merely attacking in another direction!”)
And if not, then it’s CreateSpace for me, but this will always be the home of my literary soul.
I just hope you, Wendy, and Janet and Rachelle and Mary and Rachel, I hope you all realize what you have done not only to inspire us, but to keep our eyes uplifted to the ultimate calling of our craft and our art.
Truly, the hands and feet and Kindle of Jesus.
Amen and amen. 🙂
When I was seriously searching for an agent/publisher, I researched them just like I would any other topic or group. I still do in the event I go down that road again. That includes scouring their website, contacting any of their authors I might know on any level, and looking at the books they represent. I’ve managed to eliminate a few by looking at the first page of their websites. If I find typos there, I click that little X at the edge of the tab as fast as I can! In fact, I checked out a new-to-me small publisher just this week. On the front page of their site were at least two typos! I’ve seen this on agency sites as well. Now granted, I would like to be forgiven for my typos, but why would I want someone to promise to edit my work when they didn’t edit their own site?! Blogs are different in my opinion, but the website of an agent or publisher–any business–should be flawless. Now I have to wonder how many typos I have on my own website!
Thanks for sharing these tips, Wendy. I’m going to be seeking an agent later this year, so I’m definitely bookmarking this post!
Blessings,
Amber Schamel
This article made me want to: “Whip something with a wet noodle” but I restrained myself and ate a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream instead. (Cherry Garcia)
This sounds a lot like being a psychologist, which I was for 25 years. Thanks for sharing this information. I haven’t experienced bad agent behavior anywhere although I’ve heard about it through the grapevine. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Wendy.
I met a lot of agents. All of them were nice except for one. One quickly dismissed me because my project wasn’t finished or maybe because I was tongue tied at the moment.
I’m not saying it to blame agents who seem to be in a hurry or agents who want to find writers on a spot to offer representation.
As a writer I love to see agents who are excited about stories, not money.