I often get questions about author’s agents. Hopeful authors will ask me, “Should I start looking for an agent?” “When do I need an agent?” “What role does an agent play?” “How do I go about finding an agent?”
The fact is that not every author will need an agent for every book project. You do not need an agent if:
• You plan to self-publish (establish your own publishing company).
• You plan to go with a fee-based “self-publishing” company.
• Your book is not a candidate for publication by a major publishing company—it is a book of poetry, a pamphlet or booklet, a memoir of a non-celebrity, an academic book, etc.
There are many, many publishers who will work with authors without representation and some actually prefer that an author’s agent not be involved. But, if you’ve done your homework—you’ve studied publishers’ submission guidelines, their catalogs, etc., and you believe that your book is perfect for one of the major publishers, you may, indeed, need to engage an agent.
What does an agent do? He or she works with you to develop the best proposal and manuscript possible. When they feel your project is ready, they show your proposal/manuscript to appropriate publishers—some of whom they are used to working with. If they manage to gain the interest of a publisher, they will help you to negotiate a good contract. The agent receives a percentage of any advance and a percentage of royalties.
Here are the steps to finding, approaching and working with the right agent:
• Clearly identify the genre and theme of your book.
• Locate the most appropriate potential publishers for your book.
• Discern whether or not these publishers require agent representation.
• Study agents listed at the Association of Author’s Representatives (AAR) at http://www.aar-online.org. These agents are screened and they do not charge reading fees.
• Locate books like yours and view their Acknowledgments Pages. Contact the agents these authors list.
• Select a few agents that would be appropriate for your project.
• Study their submission guidelines and, following them, submit your project to one or more agents.
• Sign a contract with the agent of your choice. Generally, you will agree to work with this agent exclusively, for a period of one year.
Just because you sign with an agent doesn’t automatically mean that you will be published. But, having an agent can, for some projects, increase the chances that you will be.
Is your book manuscript a candidate for agent representation? If you’re not sure—if you have become too close to your project to decide, let a professional help. Someone like myself may be able to offer you an objective evaluation of your project and guide you in the most appropriate direction whether it is to engage an agent, self-publish, go with a fee-based “self-publishing” company or seek publication by a small to medium-size publishing house.
Check out my credentials at http://www.matilijapress.com/consulting.html Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com