Talking Agents and Agenting

Here's how this blog works: You send in publishing questions, and I give you a straightforward answer. Nearly all of the recent questions relate to agents...

Rita wrote to ask, "I've been offered a contract on my novel... When an author is offered a deal and they don't yet have an agent, should they seek one at that point? And if an agent accepts, should the agent still get 15% of the royalties, even though he or she didn't market that book or secure the deal for them?"

Ten agents might give you ten different answers to this, Rita. Here's mine: Unless you know publishing, contracts, negotiations, and what's considered standard in the industry, you'd probably benefit from having an agent. So yes, I'd seek out an agent to help you, in most cases. However, I wouldn't feel right about taking the full 15% commission unless I somehow improved the deal for you. If I didn't sell it or find you the deal, it would seem unfair for me to take a full commission. Not every agent agrees with that perspective, so be aware as you talk to people.

Julie wrote regarding a related question: "If I already have an offer from a publisher, will an agent negotiate the contract for a fee?"

Negotiate it for a fee? No. But some will do a contract reading or contract evaluation for you for a fee. Or you could pay a lawyer to review the contract and make notes (be prepared to pay a good sum of money), OR you could pay someone who specializes in contract evaluations to look it over and make suggestions. When someone does an evaluation, they go through the contract, mark it up, tell you what's fair, and suggest things you can ask for in order to improve the deal. But that requires you to actually do some negotiation -- so if you're really not comfortable negotiating, you may want to talk with an agent about reviewing the contract and handling the negotiations for a reduced commission -- say ten per cent.

Dale sent in this question: "Do agents ever 'go after' a person's story, if they think it would make a great book?"

Sure they do. Look at all those US Olympians who won gold and are now announcing book deals... don't you suspect there were some agents wandering over to say, "Hey -- congratulations! Have you ever thought about doing a book?" I've called some people who I thought had the makings of a great book.

Eva wants to know, "How common is it for an author who writes for both the CBA and ABA markets to have separate agents for each?"

Not very common. It happens occasionally, but I don't know that it really works well. Here's why... If I'm representing you, I want us to talk about your writing and your career. I really don't want to talk about part of it, then have some other agent whispering in your ear about another part. I realize there are some CBA agents who really don't have any contacts in the general market, so they're open to this arrangment, but I'm not seeing it working to the point that the author actually has a hit in both markets. My advice: Find an agent you like and trust, and focus on him or her, working together to build your writing career.

Carol wrote and said, "There are a couple famous authors soliciting stories for compilation books right now. I know it's a longshot that mine is selected, but if it is, and I use notes from my book in progress, would I ever be able to use my thoughts again in a different form?"

Probably, but it will depend on the deal you sign. Some compilations projects ask for one-time rights, and you're free to re-use your material. Other compliations want to buy the idea and expression outright, so that you're really selling them the work. Of course, if you're truly putting your thoughts and notes into a different form, you probably don't have to worry, since you'd be using a unique expression. (And this would be a good time to note that I am not an attorney, so I'm not giving you legal advice here. Check with an attorney before making your decision.)

A couple additional notes:

1. Publishers Weekly is doing a special class called Book Publishing 101. I know others have raved about this -- a great introduction to the world of publishing. It's a full day seminar, put on by the staff of PW magazine, on Monday, September 22, at NYU's Kimmel Center in New York. If you really want to find out how books are created, you should give it your consideration. For more information, visit PublishersWeekly.com.

2. A few months ago, I bragged about book sales remaining strong, even though the rest of the economy was going down the tubes. Well, the salad days are over. Though bookstore sales were surprisingly strong the first half of this year, they took a nose dive recently... down more than 7% in July. Ouch.

3. Many readers of this blog have considered attending a writers' conference in other to be face-to-face with an agent or editor. But while that thrills you, it also scares you... what will it be like? What will be said? If you'd like to see a sample conversation between an author and an agent, check out the interview I did with Randy Ingermanson at www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com/blog. Randy pretended to be an author with a fine book idea, and I played the role of agent. We created the conversation on instant messenger, so you can read the transcript and see what happens in this type of situation. It will also introduce you to Randy's excellent writing material.

4. I've had numerous readers ask if my friend Mike survived to see his daughter's wedding last weekend. He did. Thanks for your prayers. He's still hanging in there.

-Chip

Comments

[Sharon A. Lavy]

Hi Chip,
I'm sure you have addressed this question before, but could you give an answer one more time? and this time I will SAVE it.

I thought I had a manuscript ready to pitch. I met Meredith Efkin at ACFW last year. She has agreed to edit for me. She has been a great help . . . but, I just got her substantual edit back and have a lot of revision. (Wrong main character - etc)

So. . . the question is about my agent, editor meetings. I want to keep them, but since I'm not ready to pitch, I just want to get to know the editor, agents, both in private meetings and by sitting at the editor/agent tables at meals.

Remind me of the simple questions to ask to receive the germs of wisdom each agent/editor has. I promise to keep them with me, as my mind goes blank when in the presence of greatness, and I want to have meaningful conversations at the coming ACFW conference.

[Brandt Dodson]

I'm so very glad to hear about Mike, Chip. We've been praying that God would not only give him the time to see his daughter marry, but at least another week.

The Lord has done that.

[Jim Wendorf]

After thoughts:

Chip, I know that you are well connected and reports have been good in the not-to-distant past about book sales. But, in my humble opinion, "bookstores" are the true barometer expressing the mood of sales in this country, not publishers. At least they were. I am not doubting your word about previous month sales being up, But, drops in sales have been around since late 2006.

Three years ago I was a manager in one of the largest Christian bookstores in Southwest Florida. It is a very successful store located in Fort Myers, FL, with over 12,000 sq. ft. of shopping space, backed by 44 years of experience. In December of 2006 we noticed that our November sales were down from previous years. That downward spiral has continued until this day. Maybe sales have been up for publishers but they in turn have provided far more deeper discounts for the consumer. By giving deeper discounts this can drive sales up, In turn, it gives the owners of book stores lower income.

The market had to catch up. Christian bookstores are disappearing off the map. Store owners are doing everything within their ability to stay afloat. Our store staff has dropped from a "Customer Support-Friendly" store, staffed with 22 employees down to a current staff of 10. Leaving the remaining staff to try and keep the store going. I lost my job there as manager four months ago because of the economy.

When you walk in, the smart shopper will realize there are more books facing outward than before. In the past, we were fortunate to find space, except for on the end caps, to face books out. The home decor display walls have more "white space" in-between framed artwork. There are fewer CD's available for music shoppers. There is less "junk" throughout that would have been an impulse buy (praise the Lord for less junk, so much of it is an insult to Christianity anyway). In general, there are less products to purchase.

Sales have been down for awhile throughout Christian retail. We saw the impact on our November 2006 sales, during peak season! Publishers and "trinket" Sales Representatives to bookstores no longer exist or else they have a far wider district to cover because of cut-backs. Major publishers are pulling off convention floors to save money, or to invest it more wisely.

Sales are down in "brick" and mortar store fronts--they are being replaced by smaller "click" and mortar home-based sites peppered throughout the internet. These along with mega-giants like Amazon.com, CBD,etc. have taken sales away from store fronts.

Consumers, because of the economy, have lost some of their loyalty to the area Christian bookstore. I cannot tell you how many customers came through our doors, researched through the books on our shelves, drew knowledge from our experienced staff, and then turned on their heels saying, "Thanks for all of your help, but I can get it cheaper on-line."

Christian book sales are up in secular stores such as Wal-Mart, Books-a-Million, etc. Who, on this earth, knows the future of large, Christian bookstores? Let alone the Mom and Pop shops that are still fortunate to have their doors open.

Reader, next time you are in a Christian bookstore, find the owner or manager and tell them, "Thanks!" Many, are in it for the money. Others have dedicated their lives to assist you.

Bookstore owner: don't give up. Don't let your pride stop you from asking for prayer for your store. People need to know just how bad things are--I would rather pray specifically for you rather than for all the Christian bookstores in the country.

Reader: please pray for us to stay faithful to the cause that God has called and directed us toward.

[Cindy Thomson]

I really appreciated the author/agent conversation you did with Randy. Very helpful. Thanks for posting the link.

[chip]

In the past I would have agreed that "bookstores" are the best barometer of gauging readership in this country -- but no more. Overall Christian book sales have gone up in recent years. Christian fiction has been the fastest growing segment of all publishing in this country over the past five years. Tyndale had its best year ever last year. So did Baker. My point in this particular post was to say that after having watched a recession hit us over the past several months, overall books sales remained fairly high... until recently. Suddenly Borders and B&N and BAM are all being hit -- so the recession has caught up with books sales.

Further, I think you missed a point I've made several times: While Christian bookstores have been hurting for several years, that's a matter of changing distribution patterns. Yes, they're being hammered. Yes, I'd much prefer Christian bookstores survived because I think they offer a helpful alternative. But any perusal of market history will reveal that, over time, consumers tend to move toward larger retailers that offer lower prices. That's just the market at play.

[Darcie Gudger]

Thanks for the bit of info on how agents can represent in both "sides". I love your approach of big picture, over-arching career.