Writing Tip #2
Don't get so wrapped up in trying to find an agent that you lose sight of the real goal: getting published.I see this all that time & can only shake my head. Yes, it's important to have an agent. And, yes, we all want one. We have fantasies of this wonderful, fabulous Super-Agent who will swoop in to take us under his/her wing & help to make all our dreams come true. There's nothing wrong with that, & sometimes it even happens. :-) But if you're serious about a career in writing, then you need to approach it very logically.
For one thing, you don't need an agent straight out of the gate. In the beginning, the most important thing to do is focus on the writing, do the very best job you can, & get a manuscript--or a couple of manuscripts!--completed, polished, & submitted. You can submit on your own. You can make that first sale, or even the first few sales, on your own. And as much as you might not like the prospect, you can also negotiation the contract on your own.
True, you may not get the very best deal possible, or you may not get a few things an agent could have gotten you, but I don't think anything you miss out on will be of the committing-hari-kari variety. It will be small stuff--slightly lower advance, fewer author copies, a longer wait time on the option clause. You might kick yourself over it a little bit later, but it won't be the end of the world.
And just because you don't have an agent doesn't mean you have to go into the situation without a clue. This is a business; it may be a business built on author creativity, but it's still a business. It's your job to familiarize yourself with every aspect of the industry & to know how things work before it ever comes time to negotiate a contract. You can learn a lot of what you need to know by joining RWA, joining local Chapters or writing groups, attending workshops & conferences, talking with published authors, & reading books on the subject.
There's a brilliant man, a literary agent by the name of...Hmm, what it is again? Oh, yes, Richard Curtis...who happens to also be the author of a non-fiction book titled How to Be Your Own Literary Agent. Buy it, read it, memorize it. It really will help you. Richard is my agent, & I still bought the book & read it. Why? Because the fact that you have an agent is no excuse not to educate yourself & know what's going on. Remember, it's your signature & only your signature on those contracts. An agent can advise you, but you're the one who is legally responsible for the agreement you make with the publisher & any legal documents you sign. And if you don't have an agent just yet, this book (& there are probably others out there, as well) will fill you in enough to get through the first couple contracts on your own.
For another, before you start approaching agents, you really need to have something to offer them. Yes, technically your agent works for you, but there are more authors out there in search of an agent than there are agents in search of clients, so they can afford to be choosey. Plus, an agent doesn't get paid unless you get paid, so they need to know you're going to be well worth the time & effort they put into your career. You need to have a product they think they can sell. You need to have at least one complete manuscript to show them so that they A.) know you can finish a book, B.) can see the full spectrum of your writing & plotting abilities, & C.) have a strong, solid project to market. And you need to be prolific enough that you're not going to end up being a One-Book Wonder, either for yourself or for them. An agent is going to go to bat for you, talk you up to editors, try to convince at least one of them that you're the best thing to come along since sliced bread...& you don't want to leave him/her with egg on his/her face when it turns out you only had one good book in you & weren't really serious about being a career-oriented author, after all. Eeek.
I am here to tell you that there is nothing wrong with doing the legwork yourself, getting out there & selling a few books on your own. It may even be the smart thing to do, because you'll begin to build a reputation & create a track record for yourself. Both of which you can then take to an agent & show him/her that you're a good investment.
Last but not least, you don't want to be in such a hurry to find an agent that you end up with the wrong one. You've probably heard before that no agent is better than a bad agent. This is very true. And the agent doesn't even have to be "bad," but if s/he is the wrong agent for you, then you really are better off on your own. Believe me when I say this; I've been there, done that, & learned the lesson well.
The smarter move is to really do your research. All while you're learning the craft of writing, working on your first or second or third manuscript, attending conferences & submitting on your own...keep your eyes open. Take notes--mental ones, at the very least--of the agents you come into contact with. Whether you meet them in person, hear them speak on a conference panel, or simply hear their name mentioned at the luncheon table, take note. Start to build your opinion & gut feelings about them long before you ever need to query. Which ones did you like? Which ones did you not like so much? Which ones represent authors whose writing is similar to yours? Which ones have you heard positive or negative stories about?
Keep track of all these things, & begin to build a list of possible future agents. Organize your list from your number one choice of "Dream Agent" & move down from there. And then, when you're ready, you'll begin your agent hunt by being informed & prepared.
This is the way you want to approach the job of finding an agent, because the agent/author relationship is very much like a marriage. You have to work together, trust each other, & share all your assets. And you do not want to do that with someone you've come to realize was not the right agent for you.
