How to Choose Your Agent
So you've done it. You've written your first book - a real, life, paper, blood, sweat and tears book. I remember the euphoria well - that sense of achievement. It's akin, I think, to having a baby. Only it hurts less (just a little mind...) And just like you look at your first born and feel pride, love and hope for his or her future, you look at your first book and wonder about sending it all out in the big bad world on its own. I remember finishing 'Rainy Days and Tuesdays' (well I say 'finishing', I think I still had 10,000 words to write when I decided, madly, to send my first three chapters out) and feeling so proud of myself. At that time I didn't really care if it ever got published (I am of course lying... I say I didn't care to sound cool. In reality it was my life long dream.) I was delighted to have actually completed a project I had devoted six months of my life too and while I know that many people don't strike it lucky with their first book, I was curious - you know, just in case anyone 'out there' might want to read it.I knew the first step I wanted to take was try and get an agent to represent my work. I figured an agent would act as a good buffer between myself and publishers and if anyone was going to tell me my book wasn't up to scratch I'd prefer not to be the publishing house I longed to sign with. I was, however, completely clueless as to how to go about getting one those agent things. The Writers and Artists Year Book was placed before me like a Holy Grail and I flicked through it completely overwhelmed by the number of entries. This was, simply, too confusing and I decided it was time to narrow down my criteria. I could have done a mass mail out - which many writers do but being relatively penniless (in the age before email submissions were even considered as a possibility) I decided on a more targetted approach and this was when I had to ask myself a number of questions.
1) Who was my target market and who was most likely to find that something special in my book?
2) Which agents represented my chosen genre?
3) Did I want to aim for big impressive agency with many, many clients or more niche agency with fewer clients but possibly a more personal touch?
4) How many times did I want to a receive a 'no thank you' letter in the post?
All things considered I decided on a very small submission mail out - targetting just three or four agents (which I figured was a good initial trawl and enough for my fragile ego to take should they all say no). Choosing the agents to target was relatively easy. I worked on the premise that A) As the book was set in Ireland, there was a fair chance it would be more appealing to an Irish agent who had strong links with publishing houses such as Poolbeg Press. B) That it would be wise to submit to agents who represented the kind of work I felt I was writing. The WAAYB doesn't tend to tell you that precisely. It can give an indication but not the reality. The best way to find out who represented authors I admired was to simply flick through the books I loved to the acknowledgements and discover who was standing firmly in their corner.
With my list in hand, I printed out four copies of my first three chapters, wrote four opening letters and completed a page long CV (Don't kill your prospective agent with information!) and posted each off, in envelopes which said a silent prayer over.The wait that followed was almost torturous and I feared the thump of a returned MS through the letterbox. I heard horror stories of untouched manuscripts, scribbled notes, non-polite ways of saying 'thank you, but no thank you' and I started to wonder if my MS might just have been better off sat alone, in a drawer. My ego may have thanked me for it.
But, in the end I figured if I had gone to the effort of writing the book, it deserved a chance. It is perfectly normal for any author to get an attack of the collywobbles when their book is 'out there'. I still take the fear now when my latest MSs are submitted.
The key to surviving "the fear" is to distract yourself as much as possible. Start your next project, if you want. Or read the books you put on hold while finishing your own novel. Go on holiday, with no WIFI or internet access if that wouldn't be just too painful. And wait. Because the industry moves slowly. Painfully slowly.
If you find yourself in a position (after a wait of at least a month) where an agent wants to represent you (oh happy day!), I would still urge a little caution. Your agent, if he or she is worth her salt, will become your strongest ally in your writing career. As much as they may want to interview you, or find out more about you, don't be afraid to ask as many questions of them as they ask of you.
See if you have a rapport. A rapport is important. Very important. Your agent needs to be able to guide you, suppport you and gee you up when necessary.
Consider what your agent will offer. Will they offer editorial guidance and support? Do they have a strong sales record not only in Ireland, but further afield. Do they know the right people? Do the authors they represent say nice things about them? Are they available on the end of the phoneline/ email/ person to person when you need them?
What each author needs from an agent is different, as is what each agent offers. Making sure you find the match for you is important.
I found my match quite quickly and with that first partial submission. I know this is unusual. Many friends have had to wait until they were on book two, or three, or even four before they hit gold. The important advice in that case is to keep going - and pay attention to whatever advice a prospective agent may give you, even if they were ultimately brushing you off.
In many cases, it is a matter of the right submission landing on the right desk at the right time. That might sound cliched, but it is so very true.
An hour long chat on the phone with my agent, after a positive email exchange, and we agreed a face to face meeting a month later. First date nerves had nothing on 'agent meeting' nerves but I was soon at my ease. Reminding myself that I was in the driving seat of my own career.
It was only after signing with an agent, however, that I realised the real fun was about to start!
(c) Claire Allan July 2011
Claire Allan is a bestselling author from Derry, in Northern Ireland. She has worked a journalist and columnist for the Derry Journal (www.derryjournal.com) for 11 years. Her previous books are Rainy Days and Tuesdays, Feels Like Maybe, Jumping in Puddles and It's Got to be Perfect. All are published by Poolbeg Press. Her new novel 'If Only You Knew' will be released in October this year. To read more about Claire, you can visit www.claireallan.com or www.poolbeg.com
For more on Getting Published, see our extensive articles on Submission Tips our list of Irish Agents, Irish Publishers and consider More Publishing Options and Digital Publishing.
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