So Why DID I Want to be an Agent?

I think the one story I’ve never shared is…what made you want to be an agent?

I’ve answered the how I got into agenting; but why did I want to be an agent?

I started writing this post a while ago after Laura Bradford re-sold rights to THE book that made her want to be an agent (plus a sequel! Yeah!). It was a book that inspired her to want to bring good romance to the world.

I wish I had as inspiring of a story; the truth is I was stuck on this post for a long time because…I can’t really think of one shining moment that was IT. I first found out that agents existed when I started writing (and querying) at thirteen; I knew from then on I wanted to be a part of the publishing industry. My Junior year of high school my English teacher asked me what I wanted to do, and I said oh, I have a five year plan: go to college as an English major, move to New York, work as an editorial assistant at a publishing house for a few years to gain contacts, and then be an AGENT!

He was rather skeptical (probably also because, as it turns out, he was in the process of writing a book and trying to get an agent) and though my glorious five year plan (gasp!) didn’t exactly work out THAT way (I went to college as a WRITING major, and interned my way to the agent track), the end result was the same.

I suppose, then, what inspired me to jump into this profession was my love of writing; of wanting to be a part of the magical world of literature.

Today, the inspiring part of my journey is what I love most: making dreams come true.

There’s a great quote by Sterling Lord, from his recent book about his own agent adventures, that says:

"To be effective as a literary agent, you have to constantly hope; you have to generate the optimism to believe that you will make every deal…. Whether a spectacular sale or a client's departure is a triumph or a disaster, you have about 10 minutes to deal with it emotionally. After that, you must move on to other business."  (thanks to Kathleen Rushall for that little gem!)

I am honored to be and love being a driving force within something I’m passionate about, and hopefully, bringing joy, inspiration and optimism to others as well. I will never say it's easy or lacking in challenges, but that wouldn't make it rewarding if it were. I am fascinated by the changing atmosphere of publishing and love combining our modern perceptions and technology with the classic escapism and joy that literature brings.

And I hope to continue doing so for many, many years.

Keep it in your Pants

Or drawer. Or hard drive. Under the mattress at your great aunt Tilly’s house. WHEREVER your old manuscripts are (of course that's what this post is about! What did you think?!), for the love of coffee, if you’re waffling over whether to write something new or raise the dead…KEEP them there.

I’m not saying there’s no possible way they’ll sell, or that they aren’t any good. Timing plays a large factor in when things are picked up in publishing, and sure, the timing on an old manuscript may not have been ideal and now it is (i.e., your NA five years ago vs. NA now). And many authors are seeing success with self publishing novels that don’t get picked up.

But if I have a client who says, “Oh hey, you know, I’m not quite sure what I’ll work on next, and I haven’t done anything new, but I have these short stories I did when I was twelve – want to take a look at those?”

I think: No. No, I really do not.

I will probably say, “Sure.”

I mean, I won’t just discount the possibility that an old dusty manuscript a client wants to send to me just needs some polishing and voila! Again, see the comment on timing above. But how many stories do you hear of where the author touts, “Oh, I had this just sitting around for years, and all of a sudden, I thought, why not, I’ll send this off and see what happens!”

Not many. Because many times these manuscripts are what I would call “starter manuscripts”; the drafts written to hone and perfect your craft. It is highly unlikely a manuscript from five years ago is going to be as good as anything new you could write. Not even speaking just to craft and style; speaking also to marketability and dated references. The audience you were writing to is also aged, and a new one moving in; is that new audience going to like what the old did?

So. If you MUST take them out again and want to contemplate sending them off into the big wide world (I know it’s tempting) PLEASE re-read them ALL THE WAY THROUGH FIRST. Then decide what you want to do. Is it REALLY the next best foot forward you can present? REALLY a victim of poor timing/market glutting that should and could be revived, either traditionally or via self-publishing? Or is it a starter manuscript you’re desperately trying to fill a gap of writer’s block with?

The truth is, one of the hardest things a writer has to think about is having tomes of unpublished drafts and works that just…won’t ever go anywhere.  But guess what: it doesn’t make you a bad writer – it makes you a career writer. A writer who writes…just for the love of writing, whether published or not.

And that’s the kind of writer I want to work with.