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Can You Trust Your Agent?

May 16, 2019 //  by Cynthia Ruchti//  15 Comments

trust your agent 1

blogger: Cynthia Ruchti

Can you trust your agent? Coming alongside a client often puts an agent in the position of saying, “Don’t do that.” Kindly, of course. Or firmly. Depends. Much like the difference between a mother who urges her child not to put a tutu on the cat versus urging her child not to stick a screwdriver in the light socket.

At times, it may be hard to understand why a literary agent would advise her client against writing a book. Trust your agent.

WRITER: But I love this story. It’s, like, Les Miserables, but not. It’s funny. Really. And it’s told from the perspective of the loaf of bread. Clever, huh?

AGENT: We’ve had this discussion in the past. You primarily write about health and fitness.

WRITER: What if I made the loaf of bread gluten-free?

AGENT: Yeah, no.

WRITER: But, I’m passionate about this story. It keeps me awake at night.

AGENT: Me, too. But not in the way you’d think.

Why might an agent advise against something the writer is passionate about?

It’s the wrong book to launch the writer’s career.

Although some authors aren’t easily distracted (I met one once), most authors have a variety of interests and enjoy the idea of experimenting with topics that are off-genre for them. But agents cringe when they receive a proposal that lists the prospective client’s this-shows-my-range-of-writing-skill projects as:

  • A memoir about my years as a member of the Secret Service
  • A children’s book of prayers
  • A dystopian YA book that is not only post-apocalyptic, but is based on the premise that the dark side of the moon is an optical illusion
  • Four volumes of free-verse poetry on the merits of decaf (kind of a niche audience)
  • A comprehensive concordance cross-referencing biblical texts with pop songs from the 60s and 70s
  • And a novel set in a nursing home. With a serial killer who’s really a sweet old lady, misunderstood.

(Surprisingly, none of the projects have been picked up by a traditional publisher yet, so the agent should move fast if she wants to get in on that. Not to muddy the waters, but as I’m writing this blog post, the internet is talking about a newly released book of vintage wallpaper. Just goes to show…)

An agent may ask, “Who are you as an author? What do you want to be known for? And which project is the best one to launch your career?” The answer is likely that all important intersection of writer passion, reader need, and publisher interest. If the book of children’s prayers is the strongest project, and ultimately that’s where the author’s skill is showcased, long-term interest lies, platform is healthiest, and reader need clear, the other projects may have to wait for their turn in the sun…or the garbage disposal. Trust your agent.

The timing isn’t ideal.

An agent may advise a client to hold off on a well-done manuscript until the writer’s platform catches up, eliminating hurdles to a publisher’s “Yes!” This is especially true with nonfiction clients, where the publisher is watching for evidence that the message of which the book is an expression already resonates with potential readers.

trust your agent timingTiming can be an issue for a great book idea that has missed its window of opportunity. Ties to a significant historical anniversary or commemoration next month is reason enough to wait to submit a book proposal that can’t get into print through traditional publishing in time to take advantage of prime marketing and publicity opportunities. You missed the quasquicentennial (125th) commemoration of the volcanic explosion of Krakatoa? Missed it by eleven years, actually? Hang in there. The sesquicentennial is coming up in 2033. Plenty of time to polish that proposal.

A timing issue may be due to information the author doesn’t know. The best editor match for that project is currently on maternity leave. The publishing house is undergoing editorial changes. Path-altering announcements are pending.

If you’ve chosen well in partnering with a literary agent, you can trust your agent!

It’s been done…repeatedly.

Agents have insights not only to what’s been recently published, what’s about to be published, what’s been tried and failed, but also to the plethora of similar proposals in a similar vein. Fresh is not a word reserved for fruit and vegetables. If a topic has been done before, a fresh take/angle/approach is the only saving grace for that hard-to-sell project. Trust your agent when she tells you that.

The book is too far off-brand for the author.

Even bestselling authors feel the fallout of trying to write outside of their well-established brand–what readers expect from them. Yes, your mind is conjuring exceptions to that statement, but exceptions are…exceptional.trust your agent brand

A wise agent assists an author in establishing a path toward fulfilling meaningful reader expectations. The agent evaluates how the next project and the next will either satisfy and grow that audience, or threaten to distance readers from the author’s work.

All of the above is to encourage writers to trust the instincts of their agents in choosing which projects to pitch and which to set aside, at least for a time. “Mama always has her reasons” applies to agents, too. If you are partnered with a trustworthy agent, you can, well, trust your agent.

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Category: Agents, Authors, BlogTag: authors and agents, book projects, book proposals, trust, trust your agent

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  1. Shirlee Abbott

    May 16, 2019 at 3:03 am

    If I were an agent . . .
    I’d say, “Write it. For yourself. To hone your skills, to pass on to your grandchildren, to honor your parents, for future reference. But not for publication. And not instead of something worthy of publication.”
    * As a writer, many (most!) of my words aren’t worthy of publication. My journal is filled with private thoughts. I have reams of ideas that didn’t pan out as planned. Carefully crafted words give the next generation a glimpse of our family’s roots. Worthy words, yes, but not for the world to read.

    Reply
    • Cynthia Ruchti

      May 16, 2019 at 3:17 pm

      Great insights, Shirlee.

      Reply
  2. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

    May 16, 2019 at 7:31 am

    I know, dear agent, we’re a team,
    and neither lack professional pride,
    but can’t you entertain a dream?
    Must you be so Argus-eyed?
    Imagine zombies penning sonnets
    about the ’64 World’s Fair,
    gadding about in Amish bonnets
    and opening Lil’ Dead Daycare.
    It would so appeal to the masses
    and the readers of my books on golf.
    I’d be begged for writing classes;
    our cash-flow problem would be solved!
    So please, won’t you consider this?
    “Hipster Zombies’ Nurturing Bliss”

    Reply
    • Cynthia Ruchti

      May 16, 2019 at 3:18 pm

      Catchy title, Andrew. 🙂

      Reply
    • Judith Robl

      May 16, 2019 at 8:18 pm

      Oh, you are in good form today, Andrew. I love seeing you here.

      Reply
  3. Melissa Henderson

    May 16, 2019 at 7:49 am

    Thank you for this information. I hope to have an agent in the future. I did not have an agent for my first children’s book. I write Christian fiction, non-fiction and children’s stories.

    Reply
    • Cynthia Ruchti

      May 16, 2019 at 3:19 pm

      Melissa, it’s not to say that some don’t write across many genres. (I’m…gulp…one of them.) But it is good to know that an agent has a career-length view!

      Reply
  4. Rick Barry

    May 16, 2019 at 8:11 am

    Cynthia, I especially liked the dystopian YA that includes “the dark side of the moon is an optical illusion.” You managed to spark a genuine laugh out loud from me! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Cynthia Ruchti

      May 16, 2019 at 3:19 pm

      Thanks, Rick. I appreciate the freedom to be…uh…creatively educational on the blog.

      Reply
  5. Kristen Joy Wilks

    May 16, 2019 at 8:45 am

    Ha ha! I would love to have an agent just so I could enjoy our interesting conversation when I tell her about all my wildly divergent story manuscripts! Yes, I’m sure I can focus. But to see her eyes when I list my Biblical YA, Contemporary Paranormal YA that features attacking squids, MG puppy ownership travail story, MG campers battling prehistoric beasts at summer camp, my adorable picture book manuscripts, my parenting poetry, and last but not least … the Zombie Devotional!!! Actually, I do not have a completed manuscript of the zombie devotional but I’m working on it. There are a surprising number of “death to life” verses in the Bible. Now, no one steal my ideas, OK? They are very very very um … unique.

    Reply
    • Cynthia Ruchti

      May 16, 2019 at 3:21 pm

      Kristen, the sun is shining just a little more brightly after getting a glimpse at your list of masterpieces.

      Reply
  6. Jeanne Takenaka

    May 16, 2019 at 10:07 am

    Cynthia, I so appreciate this perspective. I’m learning, as I watch friends, read agent blogs, and just listen, that there’s a lot we writers don’t know about behind-the-scenes things going on with publishers and in the market. Trusting your agent makes a whole lot of sense in light of the examples you’ve shared.

    I love your humor in this post.

    Reply
    • Cynthia Ruchti

      May 16, 2019 at 3:22 pm

      Jeanne, we’re well aware that agents aren’t flawless or infinitely wise (except for the Books & Such agents :), but it’s wonderful to rest in the knowledge that they have their clients’ best interests at heart.

      Reply
  7. Carol Ashby

    May 16, 2019 at 2:56 pm

    If I had you as an agent, I’d probably trust your career development suggestions. Maybe. I’ve build a following with my Roman-era Biblical, and I’m afraid you’d tell me my Christian biotech thriller might not connect with the same readers. If I love my story in which rampant professional ambition leads to the suspicious disappearance of the poor post-doc who only wants to stop the unleashing of the next Black Death, why wouldn’t they?

    Reply
    • Cynthia Ruchti

      May 16, 2019 at 3:23 pm

      Good question, Carol. 🙂

      Reply

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