(This question is part of a larger subseries called Perpetual WIPs: Mid-Career Authors. For the remaining questions, see here.)
Any advice for mid-career authors looking for new agents that you might not have found space to mention here?
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Make a list of what you need for the next decade of your career and work backwards. If that means more projects, more exposure, look for agents that have broken people out after having several books. I’m interested in what agents can do beyond the shiny debut. That’s what you need to be focused on in the mid-career switch.
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Before you leave your agent or start looking for a new one, really sit down and take stock of where you are in your career and where you want to go. Your agent can’t help you with something if they don’t know it’s something you’re concerned about. Once it’s clear that it’s time to split, though, just rip off the band-aid as soon as it’s contractually acceptable and makes sense; you’re not doing either of you any favors by languishing in a relationship that isn’t serving you.
I would also say that it’s important to consider what an agency has to offer, and not just an agent. What happens if your agent goes on leave? If they’re extra swamped and need assistance? If they’re new to one of the genres you want to write? If they leave the industry entirely? If they don’t have administrative and/or backup support, you’re really putting your everything in a single person, who is wholly human and prone to the same sort of life crap the rest of us are. So consider whether that’s a workable scenario for you.
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Look beyond Twitter. Not all agents spend time on social. It’s worth spending time on agency websites to find the best fit for you. Oh, also: DON’T SETTLE.
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I feel like it’s really important that authors crystallize what kind of career they want going into a mid-career change. Know what you want and be selective about what you query and who you query. I chose the book I queried not because it was the most marketable thing I had available but because it was the most indicative of the type of story I wanted to tell, and if someone fell in love with that, the easier more marketable stories would be a piece of cake. If I’d queried an easier, more marketable story, my typical fare of genre-bending crossover book that’s not quite literary and not quite commercial might be difficult for an agent who was prepared and ready for something more marketable/easier to sell. I think it helped that I knew what kind of career I wanted and was able to be focused in my query letter, agent list, and phone calls.
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Use your networks. If you currently have an editor, or a good relationship with a former editor, ask for a referral; if you have a good relationship with the agent you’re parting ways with, ask for a referral. Or at least recommendations. I spoke with a lot of YA writer friends who had good things to say about their agents in the past.
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For those authors, my advice boils down to: demand what you deserve. Take what you are owed. You and your agent are meant to be partners. Equals. It means nothing that your agent MAY HAVE been in the game longer than you.
I would also say that it’s not for you to feel guilty about wanting or needing to breakup with your agent in search of another that would be a better fit for you.
It sounds harsh, but as much as this should be a relationship for you, it is ALSO a business. Keep that in mind. Do what is best for you. And don’t be afraid to ask for help along the way.
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Talk to other authors! It’s amazing how much you can find out from your friends in the industry.
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Make sure you leave your agent the “right” way – have your communication, be sure you’re aware of the exit clause of your contract, and don’t start querying until you’re actually free to. Also: know your worth, know you’re not a failure for having a relationship that didn’t work out, and take some real stock of why your last agent relationship didn’t work out but also what was good; it’ll help you in the long run to have the most full picture of what’s the right fit for you.
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If you think you might need a new agent, you probably do. Most of us are so grateful to have an agent that we’ll let that gratitude keep us complacent when we really should be advocating for ourselves and our work. No one is going to care about your writing as much as you do, so fight for it. Write the best book you can, do your research, and never undersell yourself. I queried agents I thought I’d never have a chance with – and some of them actually offered!
Believe in your work. And find someone else who believes in it, too.
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The Daily Dahlia 