Agents Who Write
Is it a problem if your agent wants to write a book?
Did you see my article in Electric Lit? I write about how advances and money work for book deals! Long time readers already know this, but if you’re new here, check it out!
Hi all,
I got some really interesting questions from a long time reader of Agents & Books, and while I usually (used to?) do Q&A Thursdays for subscribers (send me your Qs, subscribers!) I thought I’d talk about it here. Full disclosure, I’m utterly exhausted so this might get a little punchy! You never know!
So, I. asks:
Hi Kate.
This reminds me of a question I’ve had on the back burner since I started researching/querying agents. Not an urgent question, more just idle curiosity.
It seems a number of younger agents out there are also aspiring writers (novelists) themselves. They may mention this in their MSWL bios or blogs, or may have a section on their web site that discusses their own writing.
I was curious about this. The classic image is the agent or editor who devotes themselves to their clients’ work, a la Maxwell Perkins, rather than being an artist themselves. (Although I know Perkins was an editor, not an agent.) So:
(1) Have some agents always been novelists too, and I just didn’t know about it? Because agents didn’t tell the world about their private writing in the years before the Internet? Or is this a new trend?
(2) Is it a phenomenon of young word lovers trying to find their place in the literary economy? For instance, they love writing and reading, they want to be novelists but need to make a living, so they try to do both writing and agenting, and eventually give up one to focus on the other. So maybe rather than a new trend in the history of publishing, it is a function of age/stage of life?
(3) In evaluating agents, is this a plus or a minus or irrelevant? OTOH, it can be encouraging to hear that an agent truly understands and can speak to the issues faced by aspiring novelists. (As you do so well in this blog.) OTOH, part of me thinks: Huh. If this agent can’t get his own work published, why should I trust him with mine? Or Is this person really committed to agenting or are they just doing this as their day job?
I suspect it is irrelevant and other things are much more important like track record of sales, knowledge of the market, communication skills, negotiation skills, etc. But I’d be curious about your thoughts.
First things first: this is not a new phenomenon. I can think of a dozen agents who are writers, and they’re not all young whippersnappers with Tumblrs. I bet some of them don’t even know what #mswl is. I do think that some younger agents are more vocal on Twitter and have personal (non-agency) websites and if you’re researching agents on those places, then you’re going to see more of it. Three’s a trend kind of thing. (Here’s my writing linked on my website!) Agents, and editors, have written their own books, ghostwritten books, co-written their own books since the dawn of literary agents, probably. It’s not knew and not a function of age.
Next: I love Maxwell Perkins. I studied him exclusively for an entire semester in an independent study in college for fun. But we do not live in Maxwell Perkins’ world anymore. Both economically and socially, it is easier and more acceptable and sometimes necessary for agents to write outside of their agent career, whether it’s for art or side hustle or both. There may have been a stigma against agents writing their own books in Max Perkins’ time, but I, for one, am glad that nonsense is over. I mean, why would an agent have to choose?
Agents are not, however, just writing to supplement their income (mostly? generally?) because no one knows better how hard it is to make money from writing than agents.
If an agent you know wants to write a book (raises hand), it’s probably because that agents loves writing. Who on this planet would put themselves through the torture of writing a book if they didn’t have to? That agent might be an agent because she loves writing (raises hand) and also wanted a career and thinks the noble starving artist is a horrible mythos that needs to die. I always wanted to write. I got a job at a university press, discovered agents by reading Publisher’s Marketplace, still got my MFA to learn more of the art side and then moved to New York to become an agent because I knew, for me, I could not live on ramen and had to have a career. And I knew I would be lucky to have a career as a writer and I had to do something in the meantime.
I have not sold my own book(s), by myself or through my agent. That’s a fact. We’ve tried a few, it hasn’t worked, oh well. I’m trying not to bristle too much at the letter writer’s insinuation that an agent who can’t sell their own book is a bad agent for their clients, because I know this letter writer and they are a contentious and curious reader acting in good faith. I mean, whenever I don’t sell something, as an agent or a writer, waves of self-doubt wash over me. After 15 years in the business, I’m excellent at taking rejection, so I know, sometimes things don’t work. It still hurts, but I get over it. I don’t sell everything I send out, as a writer or an agent. I don’t know a single person who does.
I could be a very bad writer of books. Who knows? That doesn’t mean I’m a bad agent. (And letter writer is not insinuating that!)
If you’re looking for an agent, should you avoid agents who are writers? You can if you want. If you’re scared that your agent is going to become a superstar and quit the biz and you’ll be left behind, then factor that into your decision. Your agent can leave for dozens of other reasons, though, many more likely than becoming a best selling author. They may not be able to support themselves through commission-only agenting. They may get burned out from the long hours and piles of reading. They may just want to change careers because publishing is so unstable. They may need to care for their family. They may go back to school. They may get a better offer elsewhere. All those things are 10x more likely than becoming a full time writer. This question comes from a place of fear and insecurity, and that’s ok. That’s so very, very normal in writing and publishing. Everything is scary. We’re all insecure together.
I’m a better agent because I am a writer. I know how hard it is to write a book because I’ve written a few. I understand that vague editorial notes like tighten up the middle are unhelpful because people have told me that and I’ve been like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I know what it feels like to have something you love and worked hard on be rejected and I know how sustaining even the smallest win is. I also know the market. I also know what editors are looking for. I know how to write a good query letter. I know how to consider the reader when I’m writing because the reader is the buyer and we want someone to buy our shit. I can know all this and be the best at all this and whether I sell my stupid novel that I’m supposed to be writing right now on my one of two writing opportunities this week before work is totally up to the gods or fates or whatever. It will just depend on who my agent sends it to (fingers crossed), how they feel, what the market looks like right then, what they bought last week, how they think I’ll juggle being an author and an agent, and a hundred other things. So yeah. We’ll see.
If having an agent who is also an aspiring writer bothers you, then you don’t have to query them. That’s a completely legitimate choice to make. But remember that agents are people with their own valid dreams and not publishing monks serving at the altar of the author. I love my clients and want them to succeed. I think they feel the same way about me.
Letter writer, I know you are reading this and I don’t want you to feel like I’m beating up on you. These are smart questions, and ones I’ve never seen before! I’ve been thinking about this a lot since you sent them in and I’m really glad you asked them. I hope my answer helped and you don’t think I’m being too harsh.
OXOX,
Kate