Finding a good agent
I’m still on my agent quest, and I’ll be the first to admit that Publisher’s Marketplace is definitely the way to get the real scoop on them. It’s funny how certain people who call themselves agents can truly look reputable, but PM will give you the true story.
Case in point. As I was signing up for agent and editor appointments in Atlanta, I noticed the name of an agent I had met briefly in the past. She was very strongly outspoken, with definite opinions. I had a weird feeling about her, like something wasn’t right. She now has new colleagues working with her. Anyway, she’s been in business for around 2-3 years now, so I decided to look up her sales records on PM. Now, I’ll grant you that Publisher’s Marketplace might not list everything, but most agented deals, they will show who sold to whom and a rough idea of what their advance was (a good deal, a very nice deal, etc. with a key for how much $$ that really entails). The aforementioned agent has no sales on her record. She also has no clients’ sales listed on her website. Hmmm…sounds kind of shady to me.
Then let’s take the opposite kind of agent. I met a different agent in NY, one who reminded me of a spunky Grandma. She was a real kick in the pants, and I just enjoyed talking with her. Her name is rarely mentioned among the who’s who of agents. For fun, I checked out her sales record. 75 sales in the last year. 
Just goes to show, you can’t always tell from appearances.
I’m finding a lot of agents are saying that they like my writing but my books need to have a bigger hook, a stronger marketability factor. And you know, I wonder if I had a book contract in hand and approached these same agents, would I get the same response? I’m not sure. But one thing the process has shown me is that there are certain people who have class. Those are the agents I’ll remember and query again. So it has definitely been worth it.
Will I get an agent? Do I need one? It’s hard to say at this point. I know that long-term, I will. I’ve no doubt of that. But at this stage in my career, unless I have the next DaVinci Code or the next blockbuster book, I don’t know if I’m even a blip on their radar. Likely not. And that’s okay, because it allows me to see their true nature. I’ve also learned that I do need a warm-fuzzy agent, instead of a cut-throat shark. This is not to say that warm and fuzzy should be malleable and a pushover (otherwise, they’re not much of an agent). But I want someone who I can bounce ideas off of, who will support me in my career, and look out for my long-term interests. So we’ll see how that pans out.
Memorial Day weekend is coming up soon, and I’m taking the kids for some spoiling. My poor mom. She has no idea what she’s getting into. My youngest is into the “screaming” stage where she bellows at the top of her lungs when she doesn’t get what she wants. 
Lovely. Teaching her to be civilized is like taming a tiger. It’s almost funny to see her look of complete indignation. How dare we not give her candy for breakfast? 
So this is season finale week for a lot of television shows. Which ones are you looking forward to? For me, it’s Lost and 24.:wave:
Michelle posted in Writing @ 6:52 am | Viewed 2987 times
Peggy Says:
Good luck with the agent search, Michelle. Know how it feels. It is a slow and painful process.
I’ll try and catch Lost, though I’m always forgetting. Will definitely be watching American Idol.
Bonnie Ferguson Says:
Great post, Michelle!!! :headspin:
Stacy Says:
I am so glad you posted that about your daughter…I thought my son (the same age) had transformed into some ugly monster attitude:hissyfit:. I don’t remember my first going through it but then, I could have easily blocked that memory out…kinda like potty training.
Tori Lennox Says:
Good luck with the agent hunt!
Season finales… Alias, 24, CSI: Miami and Lost.
Amy K. Says:
American Idol.
I so agree about the agent hunt. I haven’t done one myself but I’m forever keeping my ears open for tidbits and watching agents at conferences because I think personality is a big part of it. Good luck with your hunt!
jaq Says:
Great post, Michelle. I haven’t been agent hunting in awhile, but I keep forgetting to check on PW for sale records.
April Says:
Good luck, Michelle! If you get a chance, email me, I have a quick question for ya! alarwrtr at yahoo dot com…
Crystal* Says:
I hear ya on the agent thing. Is PM really that good? I get the abbreviated version. If it’s more of a resource than I originally thought, I may have to go for it.
I’ve actually interested a couple of agents with the last ms. But you never really know, do you?
Best of luck!
Grins*
Michelle Says:
Crystal–I thought I’d give it a trial. But now I can search to find out what deals a particular agent has made within a time frame. I can also find out who represents which authors. Will I use it long term? Hard to say. But right now, I’m finding out it’s great.
Stacy–Oh, the screaming stage is awful. Terrible twos, definitely! Although for my son, three was worse. He’s finally starting to become human.:dancingfool:
Melissa Marsh Says:
Searching for an agent is hard. I’m in the midst of doing that myself. I truly believe that having a good agent (not just any agent, but a GOOD one) is imperative in this business. But that’s just me.:mrgreen: