Tuesday 1 December 2009

Agents - worth the hassel?

Just wondering what every one's thoughts are on finding an agent? I have sent out a few submissions to various agents over the years, but have had little success. In fact, only one agent actually bothering writing anything personal back and that was years ago. This is in complete contrast to publishers, who I have found to be more then accessible. It just gets me wondering, is it really such a big deal to have an agent? I know there are a number of big publishing houses that won't even accept your m/s without it going through an agent, and obviously there is the bonus of them negotiating a better deal for you, but if you don't have one are you less likely to be a successful writer? I don't know.
Despite my doubts, I won't stop searching. Just the idea of being able to drop the phrase 'my agent' into conversation gets me excited (is that just insanely vain?). Also, the submitting and publicity side of writing definitely imposes on the amount of time I actually have to write and it would be great to know that there was someone else out there doing it for me.
Mx

2 comments:

  1. My dream agent would be Russell Galen, but honestly, I've given up on agents right now as I'm happy with my publisher (which sounds pretty cool, too!). The market is so tight, and I've seen where books that would have sold weeks ago are now getting rejected, that I don't think an agent would be interested in my stuff, as it's not chick-lit, snarky, fast-paced, or a typical vampire romance. Not to say it's not good, but I'm glad there are new publishers out there willing to take chances on what they think is a good book, not just what will sell to teens.

    I think it's still a big deal, for now, but publishing is changing, and I'm wondering too where agents will be in a few years. If you can get one, it's always good, but I'm not sure it's the right path for everyone.

    Take care, Marissa!

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  2. Being able to say 'my publisher' is def up there on the cool list - after all, what is the point in an agent if you haven't got the publisher! Also glad there are people out there who will take a risk. The world would be a very boring place if we only had chick-lit and Twilight!

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