Meeting Agents IRL
Now, more than ever, this isn't necessary
Hi friends,
You may be, like me, bummed that your events are getting cancelled this spring and summer. I was looking forward to a writing conference in June, and while it’s going to be held virtually, I’m still going to miss meeting writers and editors and staying in a hotel room all. by. myself. I’m disappointed, but not despondent, and you shouldn’t be either. If you’re thinking an IRL event or meeting is your one shot to get an agent to represent your book, you’re wrong.
It absolutely, 100% is not your only shot to get an agent to represent your book. In fact, in-person meetings or events have little to no impact on whether I represent someone or not. You know what does have an impact? THE BOOK. And since I can’t read a whole book, or even more than like 5 pages, while someone is sitting in front of me, a meeting is not even a good way to get an agent. Yay! You’re off the hook!
If this is all news to you, you might be wondering where would you meet an agent IRL, anyway. Here are some ways:
As I mentioned, maybe you signed up to meet an agent at a writing conference. Conference are great and have many benefits (walking out a represented author not being one of them), but they’re expensive and not available to everyone. They’re FAR from mandatory. But if you’re able to go to one, you might sign up (often for an extra fee) to pitch your book to an agent. We talked about pitching here, but it’s basically just telling someone what your book is about. It’s scary and never wracking and people really freak out about these pitch meetings. I get it! But you shouldn’t freak out. Reading is how agents evaluate books, not by talking about them. I’m not going to offer rep on the spot, or tell you your book sucks to your face. I might tell you I don’t represent your genre or ask you questions that reveal your book needs a little more thought or editing, but outside of that I’m going to be very ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ about your book, until I read it. When you meet with an agent at a conference, you’re not going to walk out with anything more than some questions answered, practice talking about your book, and a better idea of that agent as a person. All great things! But not things that will necessarily lead you to getting an agent, or that agent. You do not need to meet an agent at a conference to get an agent.
In the normal course of business in other industries, it’s very normal to network with other professionals. If you’re an author and I’m an agent, we’re in the same industry! But it’s not necessarily normal or necessary to “network” with an agent as a way to get them to represent your book. If you’re at an event and an agent is there, of course talk to them like you would any other professional! If it’s a cocktail party or book event (lol remember those?) it’s probably not the best place to pitch your book, but you can certainly… talk to an agent like a normal person who is likely interested in some of the same things you are. Agents are normal people! We’re not all powerful beings standing in the way of you and your global success!
Related to networking here, I get requests to meet over coffee (well, in the Before Times) pretty frequently from writers wanting to pitch their book or meet or “network” (see above) and unfortunately, I have about zero time for this. It’s fun to meet authors and talk books. I am sure 99% of them (ok maybe 50% of them) are authors and books that I would love to represent. But these meetings take 3-4 hours out of my day, including commuting and chatting and getting down to business, and in the end, I still just need to read the material before I can make a decision. Sometimes, I’ll schedule an IRL meeting to talk to an author (if we’re in the same city) AFTER I’ve read something and am interested in it, but meeting before I’ve read something is rare and not necessary.
I also get requests to meet with authors or other professionals to “pick my brain.” Maybe you get this too in your industry and know how annoying it is!!! This newsletter is actually my attempt to quell these requests, because what they really want me to do is explain publishing to them, and tbh I get it. Publishing is complicated and there are very few resources that put it all in one place. I love being a know-it-all and love telling people about publishing, but just do not have time to walk people through it one by one, if they aren’t already my clients. My consulting fee is $500/hour. If you want to set up a consultation to talk about publishing (BUT that doesn’t have ANY INFLUENCE on whether I represent you. This is not pay to play) and you want to pay my fee, hit me up.
But you don’t have to. Frankly, no one is going to hire me as a “consultant” who wants me to be their agent. If you want me to be your agent, all you have to do is query (when I reopen to queries, which should be on the horizon). All you have to do to get an agent is write a good book and query. It’s not as easy as that, but it’s as simple.
Not being able to meet IRL with an agent should be the LEAST of your worries right now. And if you think the only way to understand publishing is to sit across from an agent and have them explain it to you, well, at least now you have this newsletter instead. Rest assured, you don’t need to meet an agent IRL.
Exciting pub day over here at Morhaim HQ (remote)! Two very different books hit stores today that I am proud to represent.
First: THE UNSUITABLE by Molly Pohlig
I wrote about it here (plucked from the slush pile!) and if you like feminist Victorian literary fiction/horror with possible possession and not a small amount of blood (CW: self-harm), this one is for you! It’s AMAZING.
Next up is Ethan Sherwood Strauss’ THE VICTORY MACHINE: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty. It’s about BASKETBALL. I know, right? I contain multitudes. And this book is amazing, too—an inside look at not only this stellar team, but how the machinery of the NBA works on the whole. It’s facinating. Buy it here!
Take care. Stay safe. Be well. Buy books if you can.
OXOXOXO,
Kate